On Democracy

This quote from H.L. Mencken seems especially appropriate today: Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

How can half the country think we're going in the right direction? Thud! For our own selfish interests, we are going to have four more years of this morally bankrupt administration. This is what we've voted for: in the name of choice, abortion on demand; in the name of mercy, euthanasia; in the name of separation of church from state, erosion of religious liberty; in the name of tolerance, assault on family life; in the name of charity, uncontrolled spending. We're going to have a taste of Europe. Don't people see what has happened there? It's a dying culture ... well, that's what we get for embracing the culture of death.

But I am neither despondent nor discouraged. The election results reflect the state of our culture. And it too shall pass. Prepare for the good fight.

I leave you with Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, brethren, be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of his power.
Put you on the armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil.
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.
Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice,
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace:
In all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one.
And take unto you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God).
By all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the spirit; and in the same watching with all instance and supplication for all the saints:

http://www.jmjcatholicstore.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=898

Remember that the faithful have friends up high: St. Michael, St. Joseph, Mary our Mother. Pray for us.

Dean Koontz Interview

Take a break from the election news, make a cup of tea or coffee, steal some Halloween candy, and listen to this wonderful interview with best-selling suspense novelist Dean Koontz. It's about an hour, but I promise you it be worth your time. Shop talk at its best.

Now go write!
*

A Pilgrimage

We made our first pilgrimage -- a whirlwind trip to Florida this weekend -- to attend a healing Mass (from generational sins). The healing prayers were said during Adoration. We're talking spiritual warfare folks. I am so very grateful for Fr. Jose's healing ministry. We will go again. I would love to have complete healing from the migraines. Ironically, I have one now. Sigh.

I hope our family can make many more pilgrimages. The journey itself changes you because it is intentional. Have any of you made a pilgrimage -- to Fatima, Lourdes, Rome, Jerusalem? I'd appreciate if you share in the comments.

Sunday, we went to St. Augustine and visited the shrine of Our Lady La Leche. We prayed for ourselves and our friends who long to have another child again. What a beautiful and peaceful place.

You can imagine the Holy Sacrifice of Mass offered at this rustic altar by the Spanish missionaries. Actually, the first Mass ever offered in the US was in St. Augustine in 1565 AD. There are many beautiful religious icons and statues to lift your heart heavenwards. We all enjoyed walking and praying here. Yes, our dog came along too! 

Most of the people buried here had headstones from the 1800s -- we said prayers for the dead, for the holy souls in purgatory. I didn't know this until recently, but Catholic teaching tells us that our offerings can help souls fly to heaven. Here is a quick explanation.



 

Remember to vote tomorrow! Many Christians are split on the issue of pro-life/family vs. social justice. They tend to equate pro-life issues with the Republican party and social justice with the Democratic party. But folks, defending life is right and just. There can be no health care, no education, and no jobs for the dead. Death ought not to the be the cure for our social problems. It shows a lack of trust in God's providence. Unfortunately, the Democratic party has aligned itself with the culture of death. It is immoral. The Republican party is far from perfect, but cutting taxes and letting charity return to the local level is the best way for this country to recover economically. Amercians are the most generous people I know, giving of their time, treasure and talent to those in need. Let the government take a role in protecting the voiceless and vulnerable in our society -- the unborn and the old. So, please, folks. Vote with your conscience, a conscience formed by God's laws. Choose life.

Vote Romeny/Ryan 2012!!!

Mary, Queen of Peace, Empress and Protectress of the Americas, pray for us.

*

On Sandy

Given that my mind is on the four last things -- heaven, hell, judgment, death -- I really appreciated this post on keeping Sandy in perspective.

God bless.

Halloween

Happy All Hallow's Eve! We're not doing much at all, not even carving pumpkins, because it's been busy with sports and such. Our gourds from last year have lost their color; I should've thrown them out months ago. My daughter put some fall things out -- leaves, plastic pumpkins. I do love the bright colors, and our maple tree is turning red. Sandy brought a cold snap and that ought to speed up the process.

We'd debated not going out at all, but the kids want their candy. Heaven forbid they should go trick-or-treating as Saints or Angels. They said, "nobody will know who we're supposed to be." Well, wouldn't it be a great way to bring the story of a couple of Saints to folks in the neighborhood? But my children are far too embarrassed to speak of saints to the general public. That is sad on just too many levels.

As converts to Catholicism, we now bear the burden of having to undo things, and some things we simply cannot seem to. After years of being part of the secular culture, it is very difficult to give some of it up. Halloween was all about ghosts and goblins, pumpkins and candy. And that's pretty much what we transmitted to our children. When they were little, they dressed as cars or cats or tigers or mad scientists. That's all fine and good, but we missed the boat on something far deeper and spiritual. I can only thank God that Nov. 1st is the Feast of All Saints!

This year, my son wants to be Mitt Romney. We have some great oven mitts for him, and the political jokes are flying ... I suspect my son has been reading a bit too much Mark Steyn. My daughter wants to be a witch. A good one, I presume. I remember the longing to have powers ... Shh, I still do! And I'll probably don my cat ears. Meow. 

My children may never dress up as a Saint, but I pray they become saints.

Do click on the links if your girls or boys are interested in dressing up as a saint.

Good luck and God bless!

Feast Day!

This Sunday we celebrated the Feast of Christ our King in the traditional Latin Mass! Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 in response to growing nationalism and secularism. After Vatican II, this feast was shifted to the last Sunday before Advent, so most of you will celebrate it in a month.

Here is a link to Christus vincit, Christus Regnat.

Given that it's an election year, I couldn't be more pleased to celebrate this feast before the elections. What a great reminder. We have the laws of the land, but they can never, ever supersede God's laws. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Although economics might be high on most people's minds, I hope folks will look to Our Father ...

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  

Interestingly, the first Latin Mass we ever attended was in Seattle at the Church of North American Martyrs, and it was at the Feast of Christ our King. I was transported to a different plane with that High Mass. Although I *know* Mass is heaven on earth, it took the beautiful Gregorian music and incense for me to be utterly lost in it. Now that we sing in the choir, I find that I can get distracted by having to keep place, mark time, and making sure I don't butcher the Latin, but I try to remind myself I am joining angels in worship even if I mess up. And I think the Lord looks with affection at his servants who try hard.

We are preparing Faure's Requiem Mass for All Souls Day. Here's an excerpt of the Sanctus. I realize many of you might have heard this in a concert, but it is unbelievable to hear this during Mass. I hope you get a chance. Pray for all our beloved dead. And given Hurricane Sandy's destructive path, I can't help but say, prepare and pray. Not just for safety but also for death. We could all disappear from earth in a blink. Are we ready to meet our Maker?
May the Lord bless and protect us all, and grant us mercy.
+

On Editors

Have you said "thank you" to your editor recently?

Just this week, I finished a project that made me very appreciative of the good editors I've been blessed to work with. I started out writing for magazines and pretty much took my editors for granted ... until the time I worked with an editor who wasn't so very good. It made me realize how valuable and essential they are in helping me become a better writer, guiding me to say what I mean to say, untangling the messes I get myself into at time. Some of my favorites are ones I've worked with over and over again, like Paula Morrow, Beth Lindstrom, Marileta Robinson, Matthew Broadhurst, Sue Thies, and Mel Boring (RIP). Others I've worked with on only a single project, like Mary Jo Gediman, Sarah Schuette, Marianne Knowles, and others. Every one of them has taught me so much. If you ever get a chance to work with them, think of it as a great gift. Some of them are freelancing, so if you're in need of one, check them out. 

Thank you, my dear editors.



Here I am working with one of my dream editors, Stephen Roxburgh, at Chautauqua. He's the only one I've ever met. Others I'd like to work with some day -- Molly O'Neill, Cheryl Klein, Andrew Karre, and Sharyn November.

And here's a book that every children's writer should read: Dear Genius: the Letters of  Ursula Nordstrom. Great wit and wisdom.

In the meantime, do you have a favorite editor? Do share.
*

Encouragement

We all need courage from time to time ... I'm passing on this lovely quote my friend found in The Poem of the Man God.

Jesus said, "...remember this: if you always wish to do the will of God, where the creature cannot persist, God comes with his angel to support the exhausted hero. When you are in anguish, do not be afraid of falling into cowardice or abjuration, if you persist in wanting what God wants. God will make you giants of heroism, if you remain faithful to his will. Remember that!"

God bless you.

Cotton Picking

Seventh and eighth graders at school got to go cotton picking! They learned all about the cotton gin, separating the cotton from the seed, and so much more. We have a little bag full of cotton, and my daughter and I will make some pillows for the dolls. My kids have loved the nonfiction books on all sorts of processes -- apple to pie, cotton to clothes -- but nothing beats seeing and doing for oneself. Thank you, Mrs. Hughes, for setting up this wonderful field trip.

 

I missed this event due to pressing deadlines and the need to get back to revisions on my historical YA, but you'll be sure I won't miss it the next time it is offered. Who knows, maybe I'll get to drive this thing ...

Have a great weekend.

On Russia

We had a visiting priest from Vladivostok, Russia this Sunday at Mass. Sometimes it takes an outsider to preach the truth, we are so complacent about the rights we take for granted in this country.

Fr. Myron spoke about the terrible toll abortion-on-demand takes, not just on the babies who lose their lives, but on the women. He cited the statistics. An audible gasp came when we heard the number eight. The average woman in Russia has eight abortions. He asked, what does this do to a woman? To kill her own child. It destroys marriages. It destroys society. It destroys her soul. And men are not immune. Right now older men have the highest rate of suicide. Why? Because 80% of marriages fail and the men get old and have nobody to take care of  them. There is no family. Oh, the government talks about social policies and what-not, but family is the unit of society and with the destruction of family life, old men commit suicide. He spoke about China's one-child policy and Europe's contraceptive mentality and how these societies are dying ... dying because they have no children.

He spoke about the lack of religious freedom and I'm so glad he made clear that it's not about freedom to believe whatever you want in your head. You can do that in any oppressive regime. But in a free society, one must be able to practice faith in the public square. You cannot say, go worship in your temple and mosques and churches, but don't bring it out into public. No, religious freedom means that you can gather in schools and places of work and talk about God and religion. That you should be able to pray at a football game. Those who do not wish to pray do not need to. It means you should not be forced to do things that go against religion.

This is where I am surprised at people who say they are Catholics, and say they accept the teachings of the Church, but do not practice it. There should be no disconnect between your faith and your life. If you believe that life begins at conception and is sacred, how can you support a law that says it is okay for a woman to snuff out that life?

Fr. Myron asked, you don't think we could become a country like Russia, with abortion-on-demand, where you cannot practice your religion? Think again. Politicians slowly eroded all religion from a nation that was Christian for 900 years. It can happen here, too. If we let it. If we elect leaders who do not have our country's best interest at heart. Vote carefully, with your conscience. Do not simply choose the leader because you belong to a particular party or race. Choose the leaders that will preserve your basic rights. The first of which is the right to life. All other rights stem from this first principle.

Life.

Choose life.

Here is a beautiful song by Matt Maher about turning around.

Below is help for those who are suffering:

Silent No More

Rachel's Vineyard

And know that you can go to your parish priest for confession and absolution. It is one of the sacraments of healing. It can restore you to a full life.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.