A true test of humility...

In the writing of St. Jose Maria Escriva he outlines the test of humility:

Allow me to remind you that among other evident signs of a lack of humility are:

1. Thinking that what you do or say is better than what others do or say
2. Always wanting to get your own way
3. Arguing when you are not right or — when you are — insisting stubbornly or with bad manners
4. Giving your opinion without being asked for it, when charity does not demand you to do so
5. Despising the point of view of others
6. Not being aware that all the gifts and qualities you have are on loan
7. Not acknowledging that you are unworthy of all honour or esteem, even the ground you are treading on or the things you own
8. Mentioning yourself as an example in conversation
9. Speaking badly about yourself, so that they may form a good opinion of you, or contradict you
10. Making excuses when rebuked
11. Hiding some humiliating faults from your director, so that he may not lose the good opinion he has of you
12. Hearing praise with satisfaction, or being glad that others have spoken well of you
13. Being hurt that others are held in greater esteem than you
14. Refusing to carry out menial tasks
15. Seeking or wanting to be singled out
16. Letting drop words of self-praise in conversation, or words that might show your honesty, your wit or skill, your professional prestige…
17. Being ashamed of not having certain possessions…

In my pursuit of holiness, and it appears I have a long way to go, I do attempt to be more humble.
St. Jose maria Escriva, pray for us.
Most Holy Mother of God, pray for us.

The Holy Family - The Domestic Church

Let us all try to imitate the Holy family within our own families:

English translation....

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you we contemplate
the splendour of true love,
to you we turn with trust.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion and prayer,
authentic schools of the Gospel
and small domestic Churches.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection and division:
may all who have been hurt or scandalized
find ready comfort and healing.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
may the approaching Synod of Bishops
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness and inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in God’s plan.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
graciously hear our prayer.

A very Blessed Christmas!

Pope Francis holds the Christ Child for the manger.

Let us all remember to allow the Savior into our hearts, our homes and our world.
Please remember out family in your prayers and be assure of our prayers for you.

Guess who came to visit the Murrays!!

Thomas turns 14 yrs. old this month, crazy!!

Happy 4th Birthday John!!

The days are long, but the years are short!

Great article, hang in there moms!


http://mychildiloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-most-families-have-2-children.html?m=1

A message from His Emminence Cardinal Dolan

So love this....

So love Cardinal Dolan...

 

A Blessed Advent to You

It’s all about the kids, isn’t it?
That dawned on me over the Thanksgiving weekend, when I was back in St. Louis with my family.
Besides eating . . . which I obviously relished – - and sleeping, we spent most of our time just enjoying the kids!  There we sat, passing one little one to another, cooing, talking baby-talk, or laughing as the kids would do something new.
My nieces are mostly grown-up, and now the married ones are having babies!  So we’ve got five of them, four and under, with two on the way.  All we adults seem to do is get ready for them to arrive, wait for them, play with them, hold them, change them, feed them, get their coats back on, and tell them good-bye.  Then we can’t wait for the next time we see them.
Those babies, those kids, are the center of our lives.
Which, of course, is the way it should be!  Anthropologists, researching primitive cultures, tell us that they were centered on the protection and nurturing of babies, until the young grow up to have their own.  Not “primitive” at all, is it?  Rather “advanced”, I’d say.
I remember the old Ben Casey, M.D., TV series, which began each week, “Man-woman-birth-death-infinity.”
A culture not centered on babies and children becomes narcissistic, and soon, extinct.
Sociologists tell us, for instance, that Europe is in a “demographic winter,” since more people are dying than being born.
And I’m afraid we’re not far behind!
Babies not only insure survival but selflessness.  When a husband and wife become a father and mother, their very lives are changed:  All is now about their baby, not themselves.
And, as Blessed John Paul II reminded us, the greatest gift one can give a child is a brother or a sister.
We men are created to become husbands and fathers; women to become wives and mothers.
True, it doesn’t always happen.  Some can’t be; some (like the author) choose not to be.  But, all of us would like to be!  That drive is sacred, noble, natural, good.  Those of us who can’t be or choose not to be usually become doting aunts, uncles, and godparents!
A culture, a society, a country, that does not protect marriage, the baby, and the family, is dying.
Now we’re in Advent.  We await the baby Jesus.
All of history is dated either before or after the birth of this baby.
All existence centers on a pregnant woman, and her baby, who is our Savior.
This baby is intended to be the center of our lives.
A blessed Advent!

Happy Advent!!

Advent is a is time of preparation.

Are we doing that?
It is so easy to caught up in Christmas trees, cookies, gifts, and on and on.
It is so hard to teach your children the need of preparation when Christmas is here according to the television and the department stores.
Every year I try to build up Advent in order to prepare well for Christmas. Every year I take the teaching moments at home to try to do this. how very difficult it is especially when your children are already compiling their Christmas lists.
Let's try to educate ourselves about this very important season of waiting.
Let's try to learn more about this time of preparation.
What is Advent as liturgical mystery?

Liturgy is mystogogical. In other words, one role of liturgy is to teach and form the faithful, to catechize us both in and out of formal liturgical events.

If our home is a “domestic church,” then it should look, sound, and feel like a church, especially if we live with children. Why? Because churches are decorated and arranged for more than ornamental purposes. The pictures, colors, structure, style, and order of a church are all deeply catechetical. The images teach and show. The form of the rituals are the curriculum for lessons that go unstated. The homily is but a supplement to the vestments worn, the songs sung, and the intentional, repetitive order of it all. Liturgy is educational in the deepest sense.

This is not just pedagogy; this is mystagogy.

The season of Advent may be the most educationally significant liturgical period, for countercultural reasons. Since no one else seems to observe Advent these days — including many Catholics — the domestic church that celebrates this season stands out, teaching an additional lesson about the radical exception of the Gospel. We are not of this world. We prepare for Incarnation. We do not skip over the need to wait.

Please pray for us as we pray for you.

Happy Advent!