Have you ever seen the magazine called Tobias? It’s written for single Catholics!  Of any age!!  I just received the spring issue in the mail and here are the titles of the feature articles:

• Dating a Catholic Single Parent
• Flower Power – how to pick the perfect arrangement for your special someone
• Changing Gears – Jon lost 77 lbs and returned to the seminary; Ann survived a brutal attack and quit her stressful job
• Table for One – there are more options than Lean Cuisine and Taco Bell!
• The Dark Night of Depression
• Kneading & Praying – Try out Fr. Garramone’s legendary pizza crust
• Surviving a Silent Retreat
• The Guys Behind the Confession App
• The Perfect Catch – Joe Mauer is single, Catholic and a future Hall of Famer
• It Was a Great Ride – summer vacation brought this single Catholic to Iowa’s rolling hills.

There are also “Departments” which are, I believe, the regularly scheduled articles.  Among these is one called “Courageous Catholics.”  (Here comes a shameless plug…)  I’m there!  I’m very honored to have been asked to be interviewed for this issue.   And I don’t know what else to say about that…I’m feeling a little shy suddenly.

Anyway…this is a really good magazine that I highly recommend you take a look at.  I “think” that members at CatholicMatch.com can sign up for a free issue, but don’t quote me on that.  You might check it out, though.

I’m SO glad that there seem to be more and more resources for single Catholics popping up lately.  These are exciting times!  If you’ve come across any, PLEASE let us know either by sending me a message or by leaving a comment.

May God bless and bring us peace.

Manya

For those of us Catholic moms who want our children to learn about our Catholic faith, this is a great resource…and the price is not at all bad…approx. $40 – $50/course (some for less than that and some for more) and each course is meant to span a year.  It’s all online and it looks to be very interactive…they’ve even included games!

Take a look and, if you try it out, please come back and let us know your thoughts on it. Oh…and there are also courses for adults!

May God bring us peace.

Manya

What God is Offering

An excerpt:

Have you ever noticed that the pleasure the world provides is far less valuable than what God has created? You might have 350 cable channels and can’t find anything to watch, but you can go to the ocean and sit for hours watching the sea or go to the mountains and hike for days. It’s so interesting how you can chase after the things of this world when so much of God’s goodness is right in front of your eyes, free for the taking and specifically given for your enjoyment.

It is the same with human relationships….

Please do read the whole message.  It’s a good one.

Lord, please help us to find your peace.

Manya

I came across this article about Stanislawa Leczynska – midwife at Auschwitz.  It is, of course, difficult to read of the horrors she and others experienced, but it’s also inspiring.  I encourage you to read it.  This woman will most probably be declared a saint one day.

I wonder if, under similar circumstances, I would be able to work as hard and be as brave.  I pray that I would…and that we all would.

We don’t hear stories like this often enough but I’ll bet they take place daily all over the world, by people of every faith…and even of no faith.  If/when you come across one, please share it by leaving a comment here.

God please bring us peace…and courage.

Manya

Remember that, as Catholics, we must abstain from meat today and, also, it’s a day of fast.  We only have two days of obligatory fasting each year – Ash Wednesday and Good Friday…we can do this.

The rule for a day of fasting:

On this day one normal-sized meal and two smaller meals that do not equal the normal meal are allowed. Eating between meals, however, is prohibited although fruit juices and milk are allowed. Those between 18 and 59 years must fast.  Those 14 years and older must abstain from meat.

Lent consists of 40 days of preparation for Easter (not including Sundays and solemnities -this year that will be the solemnity of St. Joseph and the solemnity of the Annunciation) .  This is a time of penance and introspection…ideally, we should come to know ourselves and God better during this time.  And we should gain more control over ourselves!  Let’s work towards not being captives of our desires (says the woman who can’t say no to sweets!).

Give up something that you adore.  This doesn’t necessarily need to be food.  You could also give up wearing that favorite piece of jewelry…or a tv show…or blog..or facebook….

I think it’s also a good idea to add something to your days during Lent, like go to adoration once a week (or more)…go to mass during the week…volunteer somewhere…visit an elderly or ill friend or relative…read a book that has to do with our faith…say the rosary more often….talk to God informally more often…thank God more often…

Here’s to our spiritual growth THIS Lent!

May God bring us peace and give us strength.

Manya

Our priests are awesome.  Just think about it…think about what they’ve given up in their lives so that they can be there for US…to focus on helping US to heaven!!

Being a priest is not an easy vocation, especially in this age of scandal.  The vast majority of priests are good, holy and loving men who take their vocations, faith and responsibilities seriously.  Those priests who did not live up to their faith have cast a shadow of doubt over all priests.  This, of course, makes their lives so much more difficult.

Read the article Love Him Like a Brother to get some insight and tips on how to help the priests in your parish. They deserve our love and devotion.

Enjoy your Sunday.  Remember it’s supposed to be a day of rest…focus on your family, friends, yourself and God.  Take the day off from the regular day-to-day cares and chores.  This is another bit of profound wisdom straight from God (and the Catholic church!).  It’s good for you.

God grant us peace.

Manya

I hope 2010 was a good year for you…that progress was made towards healing and happiness for you and your families.

2010 was a very challenging year for me and my family.  The first 6 months saw my mother’s struggle with alzheimers increase by leaps and bounds.  In July, she passed on to heaven.  I miss her but I’m so happy that her struggles have come to an end.  My father (her husband of 68 years!!!) still struggles with his loss but he is doing really well.  After the initial, overwhelming sadness and fear over being without her, he has settled into acceptance and finds great strength in his faith.  Our parents continue to teach us til the end!  I will be forever grateful for all my parents taught me in this life.

During my mothers illness and after her death, my business suffered from my being away from it (physically AND emotionally) during that time.  I am a Virtual Assistant – I work with small business owners and nonprofit directors, handling their administrative and online marketing needs.  I’m happy to say that my clients were very understanding and stuck with me through those difficult days.  (May God bless them all!)   The second half of the year, I was completely overwhelmed with trying to catch up and then stay on top of their needs. It was such a challenge that I let one client go, as of the beginning of January, so that I could get back to some balance in my life. (i.e.  less time devoted to client work…more time devoted to family and “down” time)  This will mean a tightening of our belts around here, but it’s a change that’s worth the cost.

Due to all of the above, this blog was sorely neglected by me!

My New Year’s resolutions:

• No client work on Sundays!
• Make progress towards no “work” of any kind on Sundays!! (Remember how we’re supposed to “Keep the Lord’s day holy”…?  There is a huge amount of wisdom in that.)
• Make progress towards rest and relaxation on Sundays…do only those things that are enjoyable (I enjoy working in the garden so I don’t strictly classify that as work. )
• Post to this blog on Sundays.
• Drink at least one green smoothie each day.  (this is my “get physically healthier” resolution…see www.greensmoothiegirl.com for more info…I highly recommend this!)
• Keep striving towards giving God control of my life (so far so good…some wonderful and totally unexpected blessings have come my way recently.  God DOES love to surprise and delight us…especially when we let him do the driving. )
• Oh…and I might actually start a newsletter this year (finally….)

So…if all goes as planned, this blog will be updated more than once every month or so!  Thank you to all who have been loyal followers  in my absence!  I can’t tell you how much that means to me and how that motivates me to continue here.

I’m looking forward to what is in store for us this year…and to what we MAKE of this year!

A request….when you find that a post is “right on the mark”….or when you take issue with a post…or when you have something to add…please, please, please leave a comment.  This can be done anonymously, so please don’t hesitate to join in here!  Your thoughts will make the content here richer.

May God bless and bring peace to us all!

Manya

The first day of Advent!  Do you have an Advent Wreath prepared and in a place of honor?  I don’t yet…but hope to correct that by this evening.

Today the new liturgical year begins AND we start looking forward to the birth of Jesus Christ…Emmanuel.

An Advent wreath helps us to keep in mind that Christmas is coming.  Traditionally, it is made up of 4 candles: 3 purple and 1 rose (or pink).

Advent, like Lent, is a time of penance (I didn’t realize this until recently).  That’s why 3 of the candles are purple.  The rose candle falls on the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) and symbolizes a time of rejoicing, for Christ is almost here.  A good explanation of the Advent Wreath can be found here.

This time of year can be particularly painful for those going through separation and divorce…and for those who are beyond divorce but still hurting. Prayer, distraction and, finally. accepting & offering up to God the cross you’re bearing right now, all work wonders in getting you through this time. Also, focusing on others can help…for example, volunteering at a homeless shelter…

I wish you all a blessed Christmas season as we prepare for Christ’s birth…and for family celebrations..and gifts to be given to those we love…all in the name of Christ.  That, of course, is the important part…all in the name of Christ.

May God bless and bring you peace.

Manya

Yesterday’s show topic was about dating and intimacy after divorce. This is a HUGE “issue” for us…

• Is dating okay after divorce and without having received a Declaration of Nullity?
  
• Is dating okay during separation?
  
• How about intimacy? The world tells us to be intimate with someone as soon as possible as a way of healing your hurt psyche and “get on with life.”
  

But IS that the best way to go?!

What about our faith?

Do I now have to be alone and celibate for the rest of my life???

But my spouse chose to throw our marriage away and divorce me…why should I be punished for that????

Yep…been there done that…and I didn’t have Lisa Duffy and Vince Frese of Divorced Catholic to help me to answer those tough questions…but YOU do!

Just click on the Blog Talk Radio box in the left column of this page and you can then click on the episode you’d like to listen to. And try to listen to the show live when you can so you can ask Lisa, Vince and their guests questions. Use this tremendous resource that is available to you…it’s truly a blessing.

May God bless and bring you peace.

Manya

I did a google search and found one that seems to fit SO well.  She’s also a very interesting woman.  I’d like to find a good book on her, so if you know of one, please don’t keep it to yourself!

The following is from AmericanCatholic.org….

St. Helen (249-329) found the True Cross in Jerusalem and, for many centuries, devotion to St. Helen has been linked to devotion to the Holy Cross. It would be hard to find a painting, statue or holy card of her that does not depict her embracing the cross.

But there is another, sadder facet of Helen’s life. After 22 years of marriage, Helen’s husband, Constantius, divorced her in order to make a politically advantageous marriage with a young woman who was a member of Rome’s imperial family.

Clearly, St. Helen would be a natural choice as patron of divorced and divorcing people, so why has this devotion to her arisen only recently? For most of the 1,700 years since Helen’s death, divorce was rare, even among non-Catholics. Among Catholics it was almost unthinkable. Today, unfortunately, when divorce has become commonplace, St. Helen is offered to unhappy spouses as a heavenly patron who can truly sympathize with their anguish.

Helen was also the mother of the Roman emperor, Constantine, who was the first Christian Roman emperor.  He is also a saint.

Well…who could be a more perfect patron saint for us?  Not only did she experience the horrors of divorce… then go on to be declared a saint… but she raised a son who has also been declared a saint!!  She sounds to me like she was an amazing woman in many respects.

I found a holy card that can be purchased from The Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, which is in Pennsylvania.  The prayer on the card is also just perfect for us:

Holy and blessed Saint Helen,

with the anguish and devotion with which You sought the Cross of Christ,

I plead that You give me God’s grace to suffer in patience the labours of this life,

so that through them and through your intercession and protections,

I will be able to seek and carry the Cross, which God has placed on me,

so that I can serve Him in this life and enjoy His Glory ever after.  Amen

If you have any tidbits of information about St. Helen to share with us, please do!!

May God bless and bring you peace.

St. Helen, pray for us.

Manya

P.S.  The image of a statue of St. Helen shows an old woman because it’s believed that she was in her 80′s when she found the cross!  Can you imagine being in your 80′s back in the late 200′s!  Truly an amazing woman…