Friday, January 20, 2006

Angels? Who are they?


Angels? Are they real? How do you know? Is it a true fact?

"The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition
CCC 328."


What are they? What do they do? Who are they?

"St. Augustine says: 'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.' With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word"
CCC 329."

"As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness
CCC 330."

Are they really here, on Earth? Are they really near me?


"From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God
CCC 336."



"Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them freguently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you."
Saint francis de sales

So, they are real. They are near. They are Persons. It is a truth of Faith. Kind of hard to believe at times, but,

"Angels have been present since creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan: they closed the earthly paradise; protected Lot; saved Hagar and her child; stayed Abraham's hand; communicated the law by their ministry; led the People of God; announced births and callings; and assisted the prophets, just to cite a few examples. Finally, the angel Gabriel announced the birth of the Precursor and that of Jesus himself.
CCC 332."



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Click here for another online version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church!


Saturday, January 14, 2006

If

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

~By Rudyard Kipling~

Friday, January 13, 2006

The Difference

I got up early one
Morning
And rushed right into
The day.
I had so much to
Accomplish
That I didn’t have
Time to pray.
Problems just stumbled
About me,
And heavier came
Each task.
“Why doesn’t God
Help me?” I wondered.
He answered,
“You didn’t ask.”
I wanted to see joy
And beauty,
But the day toiled on,
Gray and bleak.
I wondered why God
Didn’t show me.
He said,
“But you didn’t seek.”
I tried to come into
God’s presences.
I used all my keys at
The lock.
God gently and
Lovingly chided,
“My Child, you didn’t
knock.”
I woke up early this
Morning
And paused before
Entering the day.
I had so much to
Accomplish
That I had to take time
To pray.

~ Author unknown

v

Friday, December 16, 2005

A Paragraph Making a Comparison to the Blessed Trinity

'The Blessed Trinity'
By Gabriela, 14

A Rosary reminds me of the Trinity because the Trinity is three different Persons in one God,
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
A rosary is three different things in one; the beads, the string, and the crucifix.
Also, I have not yet seen a rosary that was not beautiful
and I imagine the Trinity to be very beautiful and mysterious,
Although I do not find a rosary mysterious.



'The Blessed Trinity'

By Anna, 12

I am using Time as my comparison to the Blessed Trinity. There are three dimensions in time, the past, the present, and the future. There are three persons in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The past, the present, and the future are all time, just like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God. We can not experience either in any other way.


'The Blessed Trinity'
By Noah, 10

A Sword is sort of like the Trinity because it has three in one.
The Blessed Trinity has the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, a sword has the blade, the hilt, and the handle. Let’s just call it the ‘Sword of our Lord’


'The Blessed Trinity'
By Teddy, 9

A hand has the palm, the thumb, and the fingers; the Blessed Trinity has the Father, the Sons, and the Holy Spirit.





Wednesday, November 30, 2005

The Mcglots: Continued

Written by Anna

It was a fine, breezy day and the sun was shining right on Diana Anna Mcglots’ face. She yawned, stretched, and yawned again. She glanced at her alarm clock; it was only 6:43 am. If she hurried, she could make it in time. She stumbled out of bed and fell into one of her bigger stuffed bears. She picked herself up and dusted herself off, then she dashed over to her dresser and quickly got dressed. Today, instead of her usual green shirt and light blue long skirt, she wore a black shirt with a shimmering star on the front of it and dark blue jeans. She put her hair in a ponytail instead of leaving it down as was normal for her and took a fleeting look at her clock, now it was 6:51, she still had time.

As she flew down the stairs she bumped into her father and they both fell to the bottom.

“Ouch! Diana Anna, you need to be careful!!! Oh! Look, my pants are dirty now!” Mr. Mcglots cried, pointing out a small speck on his spotless dress pants.

“Dad, you’re just washing cars! Why do you have to be immaculate just to wash cars? When ever you get home you look like a chimneysweep you’re so filthy and black! You’ve already ruined like a hundred suits this spring!” Diana Anna said, massaging her knee.

Mr. Mcglots stood up and straightened his tie. “I don’t just wash cars, I wash spaceships! And it’s a very important job. And I have not ruined like a hundred suits! You’re mother’s been counting… it’s only been fifty-nine!” and he stomped up the stairs to change his pants.

Diana Anna hastened up the stairs, following her father.

“Dad,” she called, opening his door. He had obviously been coming to answer her call for they nearly collided for the second time.

“Ahhh! Diana Anna…”

“Sorry dad! Look, I was wondering…”

“No!” Mr. Mcglots interrupted.

“W-what??!?” Diana Anna stammered.

“If what you’re about to ask has anything to do with me, my ship, my job, Space, flying, or coming flying with me in my ship to my job in Space, then I say no.”

“But, but, b-but, how did you kn-know I was, was going t-to ask that!??!?” stuttered Diana Anna, a look of confusion on her face.

“No, and that’s final young lady. Besides, I didn’t think you’d find coming to work with me interesting if I just wash cars,” Mr. Mcglots raised one eyebrows and seeing the look on Diana Anna’s face knew she didn’t have anything to say, yet.

“Well, better get to washing cars…” he said and then, looking at his wristwatch cried out.

“My word, is it really 7:05? I’m late!!!” and he ran down the stairs.

“Boohoo.” sighed Diana Anna and she sat down on the floor.


Will be continued
further
... later

Saturday, November 26, 2005

The Mcglots: A Strange Story

Written By Anna


Hello, my name is Anna and I would like to tell you a story about a little girl and her family.

It all began, June 15, 2005, when the Mcglots moved into Raleigh, North Carolina.

They seemed the typical family, a Mom, a Dad and a child. But let me tell you a little more about them, things the neighbors didn't know. First of all Mr. Mcglots didn't have a normal job, he had to get there at 7:00, now maybe that’s normal but what if he had to get there on time when it's about five billion one hundred sixty miles away? Does that seem normal to you? I'll tell you how he does it. He has a super fast 7 foot 2 inches tall and 6 foot 4 inches long Super Duper Coovilistic 4001 type ship that is green with yellow polka dots that can turn invisible. But enough about the ship and more about the job! And what his job is, is really crazy!!!!!! And it's in SPACE!!!!!!!! I know what you're thinking, you're thinking that this story is going to be about some weird aliens who crash landed on Earth, but that is not even close. They are not aliens, they are humans, they are a little different, I know. But they are definitely human! Okay NOW I'll finally tell you what on earth or should I say what in Space his job is! His job is... cleaning ships at the space center gas station!! I know it's not a very good job but at least he gets a pretty good pay, 10 dollars an hour. Oh well, now I'll tell you what Mrs. Mcglots does!! She's a cook! No, no, no she doesn't cook stuff like cakes and soufflés, she makes things like Marcoons on a Moko - space food. I see you’re getting suspicious about all this space stuff and you're probably wondering about that Space Center right?

So I'll tell you a little more about it. The Space Center is obviously where Mr. Mcglots works. I've already told you that, but that's not all. You see, it's a Space Center. Wait, let me clarify that it's the only Space Center in space!! Now you probably want to know why it's there, right? It's there so that the astronauts can study space more easily. So that's why Mr. Mcglots has to go there every day; not so that he can do research, but so that the astronauts can have clean rides home.

Now let me tell you about their daughter, Diana Anna was not at all the typical kid, she was a very weird kid. She was a little tall for her age, she was almost twelve years old and almost five feet and seven inches. She was not super skinny but a very nice size and her pretty wavy hair was very, very red, not the orange hair that people call red for a reason of which I’m not quite certain, but real red hair. She also had beautiful big green eyes. Yes, all of these things are pretty normal but wait till you hear the rest. For one thing she has a rather peculiar talent, well standing on one foot with her eyes shut, blowing huge bubbles with orange bubble gum with up to five hats placed on her head she can skip rope to two hundred and three! She has a pet monkey and two frogs, the monkey's name is Fred, and the frogs names are Mango and G. The G doesn't stands for anything, it's just G. Her favorite color is red and purple, so naturally everything in her room is purple and red, including her walls, bed, shelves, chairs, desk, dresser and some knickknacks here and there. She loves to eat stuffing. She eats it all the time! She usually wears long jean skirts and green t-shirts (I don’t know why she prefers to wear green tops, she just does!). She collects teddy bears, she has about sixty by now, and her favorite one is a big huge white and blue one that she often falls asleep on. You will find out more about the Mcglots, if you keep reading this story.

To be continued.....

Monday, September 05, 2005

The Moth


The moth flutters.

It flies onto the computer screen.
I squish it.
It splatters on the computer screen.
That is gross.
My mom will kill me,
So I rub it of.
She won’t know now.
That is good,
I think.



Written By Anna