Be Good To Yourself

Be Good To Yourself.

 Trust yourself.

 You know what you want and need.

Put yourself first.

You can't be anything for anybody else unless you take care of yourself.

Let your feelings be known.

They are important.

Express your opinions.

It's good to hear yourself talk.

Value your thinking.

You do it well.

Take the time and space you need.

Even if other people are wanting something from you.

When you need something, don't talk yourself out of it.

Even if you can't have it, it's ok to need.

When you are scared, let someone know.

Isolating yourself when you're scared makes it worse.

When you feel like running away, let yourself feel the scare.

Think about what you fear will happen and decide what you need to do.

When you're angry, let yourself feel the anger.

Decide what you want to do. Just feel it, express it, or take some action.

When you're sad, think about what would be comforting.

When you're hurt, tell the person who hurt you.

Keeping it inside makes it grow.

When you have work to do and you don't want to do it,

Decide what really needs to be done and what can wait.

When you want something from someone else, ask.

You'll be okay if they say no.

Asking is being true to yourself.

When you need help, ask.

Trust people to say no if they don't want to give.

When people turn you down,

It usually has to do with them, and not with you.

Ask someone else for what you need.

When you feel alone, know there are people who want to be with you.

Fantasize what it would be like to be with each of them.

Decide if you want to make that happen.

When you feel anxious, let yourself know that in your head.

You've moved into the future to something scary

And your body has gotten up the energy for it.

Come back to the present.

When you want to say something loving to someone, go ahead.

Expressing your feeling is not a commitment.

When someone yells at you, physically support yourself

By relaxing into your chair or putting your feet firmly on the floor.

Remember to breathe.

Think about the message they are trying to get across to you.

When you're harassing yourself, stop.

You do it when you need something.

Figure out what you need and get it.

When everything seems wrong,

You are overwhelmed and need some comforting.

Ask for it.

Afterwards, you can think about what you need to do.

When you want to talk to someone new and are scared, breathe.

Don't start rehearsing, just plunge in.

If it doesn't go well, you can stop.

If you're doing something you don't like to do,

(such as smoking or overeating), Stop.

Think about what you really want.

If you're stuck and can't think clearly, talk out loud to someone.

When you can't think straight,

Stop thinking. Feel.

When you're in need of love, reach out.

There are people who love you.

When you're confused, it's usually because you think you should

Do one thing and you want to do another.

Dialogue with yourself or present both sides to a friend.

When you feel harried, slow down.

Deliberately slow your breathing, your speech, and your movements.

When you have tears, cry.

When you feel like crying and it's not a safe place to cry,

Acknowledge your pain and promise yourself a good cry later.

Keep your promise.

When everything seems gray, look for color.

If one of these rules seems wrong for you, talk about it with someone.

Then, rewrite it so it fits you.

Remember, Be Good To Yourself!

~~Unknown

Enjoy the very touching song from Mariah Carey..O Holy Night...

LET IT PASS AND IT WILL PASS: CONFESS YOUR SIN AND JESUS WILL FREE YOU FROM PAST DARKNESS

Aggravations? Hurts? A hurtful memory? A dispute?

Let it pass and it will pass. Learn to pray more "for" something than against. Pray for and receive more. As for negativity, let it go and you will grow. They are lessons for us as we approach life with the strength of "manger faith." Take no offense when you are turned away from the inn.

To let something go means just that: don't hover on a negative. Say you just had a blow-up with someone. Say, you really are at odds. If you need to apologize, do so; otherwise: just let it pass, like a cloud.

All clouds -- however dark -- dissipate with time, unless we feed them the moisture of wrong emotion.

If you keep revisiting it, if you continue to toss it over in your mind, you will only give that negative hold over you.

Let go of past hurts. Forgiveness is a key to letting things pass. Let go of anger. That emotion destroys you more than whoever you are angry with. Let go of past lusts. Often, lust is the obstacle to grace (and causes a blockage in your heart). If you have trouble loving or praying from the heart, lust could be the "log."

Let go of phobias, wrong attitudes, habits, routine, grudges, inferiority, fear of failure, wrong friendships... Make a list (and check it twice).

Let go of your guilt:

To dwell repeatedly on what you did wrong in the past, if you already repented, only causes it to hang around.

It is even the devil's turf: Keeping past darkness allows in spirits that feed off negative energy and attach to that darkness.

Let's listen to a deliverance expert named Don Dickerman, who in a new book called Keep the Pigs Out says: "After a believer has become free from demonic intrusion, one of the giant doorways for demons to gain a new entry point is revisiting the past. It's like probing a wound that is almost healed. It's re-aggravating a nagging injury so that it cannot heal. 

"When you relive a past failure or an unpleasant time in your life, you are allowing demons another opportunity to use the incident once more against you. Don't go there. You must control that part of your thinking, or the demons will. You can choose to not think about the past, and when you do this, you seize any opportunities that demons may have had to torment you. Remember that fret and regret are two bad dogs; don't let them in. You must take those thoughts captive! By faith, apply the Blood of Jesus to the part of your mind that seems to be in replay mode. Speak your choice to dwell on pleasant and hopeful thoughts."

Be born anew (with Jesus) this Christmas. Don't let your mind be a broken record.

The Blessed Mother will help you. Go to her and give her your past sin and hurts or rancor and just leave them with her; she will know how to dispose of them.

Leave them and walk away from what haunts and taunts.

When Jesus delivered people from demonic infestation, His ejection of unclean spirits was final. He sealed the soul against re-entry. 

Seal yours.

Let go of the mistakes of your youth; let go of those memories of a relationship that went awry, or never should have been. Confess, repent, and move on. Let go of the insults that still plague you. 

Stop rehashing what others have said -- especially in this Christmas season.

Fly above the problem and you'll fly under the devil's radar.

Staring up at a cloud only gets rain on you.

Let it pass and it will pass. All things do. But it takes discipline, doesn't it?

Discipline leads to joy.

Says Dickerman: "One of the things we see healed on a regular basis when this is done is fibromyalgia. If pleasant words and a cheerful heart are health to the bones, what is anger and bitterness to the bones? If repentance and departing from evil is health and marrow to the bones, what is holding on to unforgiveness?"

The same goes for sin. 

"Father," we can say, "I confess of the sin of sexual relations outside of marriage, or wrong relations even within, and I renounce that sinful activity in Jesus' Name. I call back that part of me that was given to another, and I refuse that part of another that may have come to me. I denounce soul ties with [say name] and choose to be free in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!"

Do this with your list and you will feel it lift. Give it to yourself as a gift this Yuletide. Fill your stockings with right thinking and that faith of the manger. "Lord, give me a new and right spirit. Cleanse my soul. Cleanse my thoughts. Cleanse my motive. Cleanse what I like. Cleanse what I do. Cleanse what I say. Cleanse who I am."

"God will not cover our sin until we uncover it to Him," notes Dickerman. "As long as we keep it hidden, it remains exposed to demons who seize upon the legal right of unconfessed sin." 

What you attempt to cover, God will expose. What you expose and confess to God, He will cover.

Have you thought about Confession before Christmas?

Source: Spiritdaily

Christmas Prayer Novena

Opening Prayer (for each day)

Hail, and blessed be the hour and moment

At which the Son of God was born

Of a most pure Virgin

At a stable at midnight in Bethlehem

In the piercing cold

At that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,

To hear my prayers and grant my desires

(Mention your intentions here).

Through Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.

Day 1

Prayer: O Great Son of God, Thou hast become man in order to make Thyself loved by men.  But where is the love that men give Thee in return?  Thou hast given Thy life blood to save our souls.

Why then are we so unappreciative that, instead of repaying Thee with love, we spurn Thee with ingratitude?  And I, Lord, I myself more than others have thus ill treated Thee.

But Thy Passion is my hope. For the sake of that love which led Thee to take upon Thyself human nature and to die for me on the cross, forgive me all the offenses I have committed against Thee.

I love Thee, O Word Incarnate; I love Thee, O infinite goodness.  Out of love for Thee, that I could die of grief for these offenses.  Give me, O Jesus, Thy love.  Let me no longer live in ungrateful forgetfulness of the love Thou bearest me.  I wish to love Thee always. Grant that I may always preserve in this holy desire.

O Mary, Mother of God and my Mother, pray for me that thy Son may give me the grace to love Him always, unto death. Amen.

Day 2

Prayer: O Dearest Infant! Tell me, what hast Thou come on earth to do?  Tell me, whom art Thou seeking?

Yes, I already know. Thou has come to die for me, in order to save me from hell.  Thou hast come to seek me, the lost sheep, so that, instead of fleeing from Thee any more, I may rest in Thy loving arms.  Ah my Jesus, my treasure, my life, my love and my all!  Whom will I love, if not Thee?  Where can I find a father, a friend, a spouse more loving and lovable than Thou art?

I love Thee, my dear God; I love Thee, my only good.  I regret the many years when I have not loved Thee, but rather spurned and offended Thee.  Forgive me, O my beloved Redeemer; for I am sorry that I have thus treated Thee, and I regret it with all my heart.

Pardon me, and give me the grace never more to withdraw from Thee, but constantly to love Thee in all the years that still lie before me in this life.  My love, I give myself entirely to Thee; accept me, and do not reject me as I deserve.

O Mary, thou art my advocate.  By thy prayers thou dost obtain whatever thou wilt from thy Son. Pray Him then to forgive me, and to grant me holy perseverance until death. Amen.

Day 3

Prayer: O Dear Infant Jesus, how could I be so ungrateful and offend Thee so often, if I realized how much Thou hast suffered for me?  But these tears which Thou sheddest, this poverty which Thou embraces for love of me, make me hope for the pardon of all the offenses I have committed against Thee.

My Jesus, I am sorry for having so often turned my back on Thee.  But now I love Thee above all else. "My God and my all!" From now on Thou, O my God, shalt be my only treasure and my only good.  With Saint Ignatius of Loyola I will say to Thee, "Give me the grace to love Thee; that is enough for me."  I long for nothing else; I want nothing else.  Thou alone art enough for me, my Jesus, my life, my love.

O Mary, my Mother, obtain for me the grace that I may always love Jesus and always be loved by Him. Amen.

Day 4

Prayer: O Dearest Savior, Thou hast embraced so many outrages for love of me, yet I have not been able to bear one word of insult without at once being filled with resentful thought, I who have so often deserved to be trodden under foot by the demons in hell!  I am ashamed to appear before Thee, sinful and proud as I am. Yet do not drive me from Thy presence, O Lord, even though that is what I deserve.  Thou hast said that Thou wilt not spurn a contrite and humbled heart. I am sorry for the offenses I have committed against Thee.  Forgive me, O Jesus. I will not offend Thee again.

For love of me Thou hast borne so many injuries; for love of Thee I will bear all the injuries that are done to me.  I love Thee, Jesus, who was despised for love of me.  I love Thee above every other good. Give me the grace to love Thee always and to bear every insult for love of Thee.

O Mary, recommend me to Thy Son; pray to Jesus for me. Amen.

Day 5

Prayer: O Jesus, my sweet Love! I too have kept Thee suffering through all Thy life.  Tell me, then, what I must do in order to win Thy forgiveness. I am ready to do all Thou askest of me.  I am sorry, O sovereign Good, for all the offenses I have committed against Thee.  I love Thee more than myself, or a least I feel a great desire to love Thee.  Since it is Thou who hast given me this desire, do Thou also give me the strength to love Thee exceedingly.

It is only right that I, who have offended Thee so much, should love Thee very much.  Always remind me of the love Thou hast borne me, in order that my soul may ever burn with love of Thee and long to please Thee alone.  O God of love, I, who was once a slave of hell, now give myself all to Thee.  Graciously accept me and bind me to Thee with the bonds of Thy love.  My Jesus, from this day and forever in loving Thee will I live, and in loving Thee will I die.

O Mary, my Mother and my hope, help me to love Thy dear God and mine.  This is the only favor I ask of thee, and through thee I hope to receive it. Amen.

Day 6

Prayer: O my Dear Redeemer! Where should I be now, if Thou hadst not borne with me so patiently, but hadst called me from life while I was in the state of sin?  Since Thou hast waited for me till now, forgive me quickly, O my Jesus, before death finds me still guilty of so many offenses that I have committed against Thee.  I am so sorry for having vilely despised Thee, my sovereign Good, that I could die of grief.  But Thou canst not abandon a soul that seeks Thee.

If hitherto I have forsaken Thee, I now seek Thee and love Thee.  Yes, my God, I love Thee above all else; I love Thee more than myself.  Help me, Lord, to love Thee always during the rest of my life. Nothing else do I seek of Thee.  But this I beg of Thee, this I hope to receive from Thee.

Mary, my hope, do thou pray for me.  If thou prayest for me, I am sure of grace. Amen.

Day 7

Prayer: Dear Infant Jesus, crying so bitterly!  Well hast Thou reason to weep in seeing Thyself persecuted by men whom Thou lovest so much.  I, too, O God, have once persecuted Thee by my sins.  But Thou knowest that now I love Thee more than myself, and that nothing pains me more than the thought that I have so often spurned Thee, my sovereign Good.

Forgive me, O Jesus, and let me bear Thee with me in my heart n all the rest of the journey that I have still to make through life, so that together with Thee I may enter into eternity.  So often have I driven Thee from my soul by my sins.  But now I love Thee above all things, and I regret above other misfortunes that I have offended Thee.  I wish to leave Thee no more, my beloved Lord.  But do Thou give me the strength to resist temptations.  Never permit me to be separated from Thee again.  Let me rather die than ever again lose Thy good grace.

O Mary, my hope, make me always live in God's love and then die in loving Him.  Amen.

Day 8

Prayer: O Jesus, my Savior! When I consider how, for love of me, Thou didst spend thirty years of Thy life hidden and unknown in a poor workshop, how can I desire the pleasures and honors and riches of the world?  Gladly do I renounce all these things, since I wish to be Thy companion on this earth, poor as Thou wast, mortified and humble as Thou wast, so that I may hope to be able one day to enjoy Thy companionship in heaven.  What are all the treasures and kingdoms of this world?  Thou, O Jesus, art my only treasure, my only Good!

I keenly regret the many times in the past when I spurned Thy friendship in order to satisfy my foolish whims.  I am sorry for them with all my heart.  For the future I would rather lose my life a thousand times than lose Thy grace by sin.  I wish never to offend Thee again, but always to love Thee.  Help me to remain faithful to Thee until death.

O Mary, thou art the refuge of sinners, thou art my hope.  Amen.

Day 9

Prayer: O Adorable Infant Jesus! I should not have the boldness to cast myself at Thy feet, if I did not know that Thou Thyself invitest me to draw near Thee.  It is I who by my sins have made Thee shed so many tears in the stable of Bethlehem.  But since Thou hast come on earth to pardon repentant sinners, forgive me also, now that I am heartily sorry for having spurned Thee, my Savior and my God, who art so good and who hast loved me so much.

In this night, in which Thou bestowest great graces on so many souls, grant Thy heavenly consolation to this poor soul of mine also.  All that I ask of Thee is the grace to love Thee always, from this day forward, with all my heart.  Set me all on fire with Thy holy love.  I love Thee, O my God, who hast become a Babe for love of me.  Never let me cease from loving Thee ever more.

O Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother, thou canst obtain everything from thy Son by thy prayers.  This is the only favor I ask of Thee.  Do thou pray to Jesus for me.  Amen.

OK..I saw this pictures from other web and very interesting for me that the cutest and smallest babies...well they are not real..so wonderful and charming for me...they are melting my heart..huhuhu...Even they are not real, It is very touching think that born babies in the world are not exactly treat well by as humans..Some of them are not even have an opportunity to see our world and been aborted...Well, Please..think that a little baby, our baby and precious.....

Cute and Amazing Baby Sculptures by Camille Allen

“I am privileged to have learned the art of doll making from my husband’s grandmother just over 8 years ago. She taught me how to sculpt large lifesize dolls in polymer clay. A year later when I had some bits of leftover clay from a larger doll, I formed the bit of clay into a miniature baby.“

“When I held the tiny baby in my hand I had the feeling of protectiveness and fascination. I loved it instantly!” ~ Camille Allen

 

By the way, the Christmas season is coming to town. Here below is the instruction how to make a snowflakes from paper. Very simple, just follow the pictures and you then you are done. I tried many times with white paper or you can make by a color papers with different size. Decorate your house with something cute and surrounding with snow..hehehe..I mean snowflakes in your walls, your glasses windows. One thing, It is very fun to do with your kids with their reaction. So, Enjoy yourself....

 Paper  Snowflakes     

Below is a diagram of the first five steps to make a paper snowflake. (If you have made the 6 - Point Star - Paper Relief these are the same five steps except in the last step the cut is made as shown below.) Begin with a square sheet of paper and in the first step, fold it on the diagonal. Continue through the other steps.

When making additional cuts for the snowflakes, the point E forms the 6 points of the star or snowflake and the point D forms the center of the star or snowflake. (If you choose to cut off D, a hole will be in the center. If you choose to cut off E, the tips will have more points!) Make cuts leaving a 'path' from E to D. Then open to reveal snowflake. The snowflake can be flattened or made into a relief by folding the 12 creases from the center, alternating in and out (as shown with the 6 point star). Shown below are different snowflakes made from different cuts.

 

120+ square paper sheets of a mixture of various brilliant and pastel colors. The sizes are perfectly square and 10 different colors. At least 40, 4" x 4",  at least 40, 5" x 5", at least 40, 6" x 6". Only

Cardinal Bertone: 'Christians the Most Persecuted Religious Group in the World'

• By Deacon Keith Fournier
• 12/2/2010
• Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

'We die, we die, okay. But the cross lives'

'If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.... because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you... No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.' (John 15:18-20)

CHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) - The fourth Gospel contains a stirring "promise" of the Bible. It is rarely recounted by some contemporary preachers who often refer to the "promises" of the Bible in a manner that seems to imply we can all be "healthy, wealthy and wise" if we simply "claim" them. However, this promise is found in all of the Gospel accounts and comes right from the mouth of the Lord Himself:
"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." (John 15:18-20)
Most of our readers know that I write often about the growing persecution faced by our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Just yesterday we published a stunning account from a survivor of the evil attack on Catholics during Holy Mass at Our Lady of Salvation (Deliverance) in Iraq. Here is an excerpt:
"It was a Sunday and evening mass had just begun. Shortly after the Gospel reading, about 17.15, we heard the sound of gunfire outside the church. Father Tha'er, who was celebrating the liturgy, tried to calm everyone down, telling us to pray together. The noise became louder, then we heard a loud explosion and the terrorists entered the Church - five or six in all - and started shooting everywhere.."
"I saw the injured girl. I decided to go and get her to try and bring her to safety. I took her on my shoulders, but one of the terrorists saw me and threw a grenade at us: the girl died and I was on the ground wounded. I pretended to be dead.
"While I was on the ground I saw Father Tha'er trying to defend the altar servers: he embraced them and covered them with his cassock, to protect them, as if he wanted to hide them. One of the men attacked him, trying to beat him to his knees, but he resisted and remained standing, in the end the terrorist killed him. I could hear the cries of the people in the church, terribly afraid, when at one point I heard a voice, I do not know who he was shouting to the terrorists: 'We die, we die, okay. But the cross lives. Whoever it was, was immediately killed."
In recent articles I have covered the plight of  Asia Bibi, a Christian wife and mother in Pakistan whose "crime" is her love for Jesus Christ in a hostile Islamic State. She is scheduled for execution because she stood up for her faith in the midst of a crowd of angry persecutors. I have written about the horrid persecution against Catholics and other Christians in Mumbai India at the hands of Extremist Hindus and the continuous assault against Catholics and other Christians in Vietnam and China.
These are not isolated incidents. Sadly, they represent an ominous trend.
Those who live in the West have not had to face the kind of persecution that ends in the shedding of our blood - at least not yet. Instead, we are being squeezed out of the public square. We are facing the brunt of selective discrimination, verbal denigration and being increasingly marginalized; all of which is a sign of the intolerance of what Pope Benedict rightly labeled the "Dictatorship of Relativism." However, this too is a part of the same ominous trend.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is representing the Holy See this week at an international gathering occurring under the auspices of the "Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe" in Astana, Kazakhstan.  The organization has 56 member countries which include the United States and Canada. It claims to be the world's largest intergovernmental organization dedicated to security and central to its claim is its expressed support for human rights.
This meeting had an agenda to cover terrorism, human trafficking, unrest in Kyrgyzstan and the ongoing tensions in Afghanistan. The Cardinal gave a strong address in which he addressed those concerns. However, what was most striking in his address was his explanation of the Holy See's concern that all Nations respect "that human dignity which unites the entire human family."
He insisted that "this unity is rooted in four fundamental principles: the centrality of the human person, of solidarity, of subsidiarity and of the common good. These principles harmonize well with the overall concept of security, which is the foundation of our organization, and are a constant reminder which the political community must bear in mind".
The Cardinal reminded the leaders "the CSCE and the OSCE have always had the promotion and protection of human rights in their respective agendas" and that "These fundamental freedoms include the right to religious freedom". He affirmed "Developments of recent years and the progress made in drafting the various texts adopted by the OSCE show, with increasingly clarity, that religious freedom can exist in different social systems".
He continued, "closely related to the denial of religious freedom is religiously-motivated intolerance and discrimination, especially against Christians. It is well documented that Christians are the most discriminated and persecuted religious group. Over 200 million of them, belonging to different denominations, live in difficult conditions because of legal and cultural structures".
It was that line, "It is well documented that Christians are the most discriminated and persecuted religious group" which caught most of the headlines around the world. Rightly so, because the Cardinal is absolutely correct. We are living in a new missionary age. The promise of the Lord is being fulfilled "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you."

I am grateful for the efforts of Church leaders like Cardinal Bertone. I am encouraged by the witness of heroes like Father Tha'er in Iraq who covered the altar servers with his cassock in an effort to protect them. However, in the midst of this ominous trend I am inspired by the anonymous martyr in that same Church who spoke the truth while staring down the barrel of a gun, "We die, we die, okay. But the cross lives!"  Christians are the most persecuted group in the world.

- - -
Deacon Keith Fournier asks that you join with us and help in this vital mission by sending this article to your family, friends, and neighbors and adding our link (www.catholic.org) to your own website, blog or social network. Let us broadcast, we are PROUD TO BE CATHOLIC!

It is a long time that since November, I never check and update for my blog. Suddenly, I really miss her. Well, the December came, i try to tell the stories of our beautiful Churches and other important events during advent. So, friends..let's go for another chapter in our life, see what happens next and during this holy month, please remember to our poor friends and unlucky families where ever there are....See u soon.

snopes.com: Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

Snopes.com: Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

Yeah, we can try this things, never regret. Nobody know what happen next?

"The Torch of Faith Alight"

"The Torch of Faith Alight"

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI
DEDICATION OF THE EXPIATORY TEMPLE OF SAGRADA FAMILIA
BARCELONA
7 NOVEMBER 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.... The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh 8:9-11). With these words from the first reading that we have proclaimed, I wish to greet all of you taking part in this celebration. I extend an affectionate greeting to their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain who have graciously wished to be with us. I extend a thankful greeting to Cardinal Lluís Martínez Sistach, Archbishop of Barcelona, for his words of welcome and for his invitation to me to dedicate this Church of the Sagrada Familia, a magnificent achievement of engineering, art and faith. I also greet Cardinal Ricardo María Carles Gordó, Archbishop Emeritus of Barcelona, the other Cardinals present and my brother bishops, especially the auxiliary bishop of this local church, and the many priests, deacons, seminarians, religious men and women, and lay faithful taking part in this solemn ceremony. I also extend a respectful greeting to the national, regional and local authorities present, as well as to the members of other Christian communities, who share in our joy and our grateful praise of God.

Today marks an important step in a long history of hope, work and generosity that has gone on for more than a century. At this time I would like to mention each and every one of those who have made possible the joy that fills us today, from the promoters to the executors of this work, the architects and the workers, all who in one way or another have given their priceless contribution to the building of this edifice. We remember of course the man who was the soul and the artisan of this project, Antoni Gaudí, a creative architect and a practising Christian who kept the torch of his faith alight to the end of his life, a life lived in dignity and absolute austerity. This event is also in a certain sense the high point of the history of this land of Catalonia which, especially since the end of the nineteenth century, has given an abundance of saints and founders, martyrs and Christian poets. It is a history of holiness, artistic and poetic creation, born from the faith, which we gather and present to God today as an offering in this Eucharist.

The joy which I feel at presiding at this ceremony became all the greater when I learned that this shrine, since its beginnings, has had a special relationship with Saint Joseph. I have been moved above all by Gaudí’s confidence when, in the face of many difficulties, filled with trust in divine Providence, he would exclaim, “Saint Joseph will finish this church”. So it is significant that it is also being dedicated by a Pope whose baptismal name is Joseph.

What do we do when we dedicate this church? In the heart of the world, placed before God and mankind, with a humble and joyful act of faith, we raise up this massive material structure, fruit of nature and an immense achievement of human intelligence which gave birth to this work of art. It stands as a visible sign of the invisible God, to whose glory these spires rise like arrows pointing towards absolute light and to the One who is Light, Height and Beauty itself.

In this place, Gaudí desired to unify that inspiration which came to him from the three books which nourished him as a man, as a believer and as an architect: the book of nature, the book of sacred Scripture and the book of the liturgy. In this way he brought together the reality of the world and the history of salvation, as recounted in the Bible and made present in the liturgy. He made stones, trees and human life part of the church so that all creation might come together in praise of God, but at the same time he brought the sacred images outside so as to place before people the mystery of God revealed in the birth, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this way, he brilliantly helped to build our human consciousness, anchored in the world yet open to God, enlightened and sanctified by Christ. In this he accomplished one of the most important tasks of our times: overcoming the division between human consciousness and Christian consciousness, between living in this temporal world and being open to eternal life, between the beauty of things and God as beauty. Antoni Gaudí did this not with words but with stones, lines, planes, and points. Indeed, beauty is one of mankind’s greatest needs; it is the root from which the branches of our peace and the fruits of our hope come forth. Beauty also reveals God because, like him, a work of beauty is pure gratuity; it calls us to freedom and draws us away from selfishness.

We have dedicated this sacred space to God, who revealed and gave himself to us in Christ so as to be definitively God among men. The revealed Word, the humanity of Christ and his Church are the three supreme expressions of his self-manifestation and self-giving to mankind. As says Saint Paul in the second reading: “Let each man take care how he builds. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 3:10-11). The Lord Jesus is the stone which supports the weight of the world, which maintains the cohesion of the Church and brings together in ultimate unity all the achievements of mankind. In him, we have God’s word and presence and from him the Church receives her life, her teaching and her mission. The Church of herself is nothing; she is called to be the sign and instrument of Christ, in pure docility to his authority and in total service to his mandate. The one Christ is the foundation of the one Church. He is the rock on which our faith is built. Building on this faith, let us strive together to show the world the face of God who is love and the only one who can respond to our yearning for fulfillment. This is the great task before us: to show everyone that God is a God of peace not of violence, of freedom not of coercion, of harmony not of discord. In this sense, I consider that the dedication of this church of the Sagrada Familia is an event of great importance, at a time in which man claims to be able to build his life without God, as if God had nothing to say to him. In this masterpiece, Gaudí shows us that God is the true measure of man; that the secret of authentic originality consists, as he himself said, in returning to one’s origin which is God. Gaudí, by opening his spirit to God, was capable of creating in this city a space of beauty, faith and hope which leads man to an encounter with him who is truth and beauty itself. The architect expressed his sentiments in the following words: “A church [is] the only thing worthy of representing the soul of a people, for religion is the most elevated reality in man”.

This affirmation of God brings with it the supreme affirmation and protection of the dignity of each and every man and woman: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple?... God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor 3:16-17). Here we find joined together the truth and dignity of God and the truth and dignity of man. As we consecrate the altar of this church, which has Christ as its foundation, we are presenting to the world a God who is the friend of man and we invite men and women to become friends of God. This is what we are taught in the case of Zacchaeus, of whom today’s gospel speaks (Lk 19:1-10), if we allow God into our hearts and into our world, if we allow Christ to live in our hearts, we will not regret it: we will experience the joy of sharing his very life, as the object of his infinite love.

This church began as an initiative of the Association of the Friends of Saint Joseph, who wanted to dedicate it to the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home formed by Jesus, Mary and Joseph has always been regarded as a school of love, prayer and work. The promoters of this church wanted to set before the world love, work and service lived in the presence of God, as the Holy Family lived them. Life has changed greatly and with it enormous progress has been made in the technical, social and cultural spheres. We cannot simply remain content with these advances. Alongside them, there also need to be moral advances, such as in care, protection and assistance to families, inasmuch as the generous and indissoluble love of a man and a woman is the effective context and foundation of human life in its gestation, birth, growth and natural end. Only where love and faithfulness are present can true freedom come to birth and endure. For this reason the Church advocates adequate economic and social means so that women may find in the home and at work their full development, that men and women who contract marriage and form a family receive decisive support from the state, that life of children may be defended as sacred and inviolable from the moment of their conception, that the reality of birth be given due respect and receive juridical, social and legislative support. For this reason the Church resists every form of denial of human life and gives its support to everything that would promote the natural order in the sphere of the institution of the family.

As I contemplate with admiration this sacred space of marvellous beauty, of so much faith-filled history, I ask God that in the land of Catalonia new witnesses of holiness may rise up and flourish, and present to the world the great service that the Church can and must offer to humanity: to be an icon of divine beauty, a burning flame of charity, a path so that the world may believe in the One whom God has sent (cf. Jn 6:29).

Dear brothers and sisters, as I dedicate this splendid church, I implore the Lord of our lives that, from this altar, which will now be anointed with holy oil and upon which the sacrifice of the love of Christ will be consumed, there may be a flood of grace and charity upon the city of Barcelona and its people, and upon the whole world. May these fruitful waters fill with faith and apostolic vitality this archdiocesan Church, its pastors and its faithful.

Finally, I wish to commend to the loving protection of the Mother of God, Mary Most Holy, April Rose, Mother of Mercy, all who enter here and all who in word or deed, in silence and prayer, have made this possible this marvel of architecture. May Our Lady present to her divine Son the joys and tribulations of all who come in the future to this sacred place so that here, as the Church prays when dedicating religious buildings, the poor may find mercy, the oppressed true freedom and all men may take on the dignity of the children of God. Amen.

* * *

On an editorial note, the three-hour dedication liturgy ended with a triumphant Cardinal Lluís Martinez Sistach -- Barcelona's native-son archbishop -- raising over his head, then reading, the papal bull elevating Gaudí's landmark temple to the rank of a minor basilica.

Uniquely for a pontifical decree, however, the text formally bestowing the distinction on Sagrada Familia bore the close "Given in Barcelona...."

Gaudí's basilica is the first church Benedict XVI has consecrated as Pope.

The last time an ecclesial edifice was both inaugurated by a Roman pontiff and made a basilica on the same day came twenty years ago this fall, when John Paul II opened the mega-church dedicated to Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussourkro, Ivory Coast.

Designed to imitate St Peter's and built to hold some 18,000 congregants, the $300 million Ivorian landmark is the world's largest church.

PHOTO: Getty(1,2,3,6); Reuters(4,5,7)

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Top 10 Superfoods for Fall

1 Sweet Potatoes and Pumpkin

The dark orange vegetable family outdoes all others in vitamin A content. Sweet potatoes are also packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, calcium, and potassium. Other dark orange vegetable standouts include pumpkin, carrots, and butternut squash.

2 Cruciferous Vegetables
Crucifers such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards and turnips contain indole alkaloids that may help prevent cancer. They are also high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Along with their fabulous flavor, once you get the hang of cooking them, they may have an added bonus: they may help bolster memory as you age. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that women who eat the most of these foods are the least likely to be forgetful.

3 Pomegranates
Pomegranates have very high antioxidant activity, offering brain and memory protection. And research shows that drinking pomegranate juice may help with lowering the risk for hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis.

4 Beets
The pigment that gives beets their super-beautiful fuschia depth-betacyanin-is also a powerful cancer-fighting agent. Beets’ potential effectiveness against colon cancer, in particular, has been demonstrated in several studies. Beets are also particularly rich in the B vitamin folate.

5 The Alliums
Garlic, onions, leeks, scallions, chives and shallots contain sulfur compounds that may protect against heart disease and some cancers, they can all help the liver eliminate toxins and carcinogens.

6 Beans
An excellent source of protein, antioxidants, folic acid, potassium, dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates, beans are flavorful, nutritionally dense, inexpensive and versatile.

7 Olive oil
Several large studies suggest that the monosaturated fat in olive oil is good for the heart. Olive oil lowers bad cholesterol levels and increases good cholesterol. It is high in antioxidants–and is one of the superstars of the Mediterranean diet. Recent research shows that heart-attack survivors on a Mediterranean diet had half the death rates of those on an ordinary low-fat diet.

8 Tea
The caffeine content in tea is useful for stimulating alertness, mood and motivation, but is also a rich source of the antioxidant called catechins. Studies suggest that catechins protect the artery walls against the damage that causes heart disease and prevents formation of blood clots. It also does wonders for the spirit on a cool autumn day.

9 Red Wine or grape juice
Grapes provide vitamin C, vitamin B1 and vitamin B6–red grapes also contain powerful phytochemicals (especially phenolics) that may help decrease risk of cardiovascular disease. These phenolic compounds are housed mostly in the skin of the red grapes, which is what makes red wine red and dark grape juice red or purple. Resveratrol, a polyphenolic stilbene found in the skins of red fruits including grapes, may be responsible for some of the health benefits ascribed to the consumption of red wine. Resveratrol has been shown to have anti-oxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activity.

Think In A New Way

Your thoughts guide you to your destiny. If you always think the same you will always get to the same place. Think in a new way and you will be a new person. Give happiness to all and you will live in peace. Create peace in your mind and you will create a world of peace around you. 

   ~~unknown

 

                  

"People will forget what you said,

People will forget what you did,

But people will never forget how you made them feel"

7 Distractions We Must Resist

 Getting distracted is DANGEROUS! (I remember taking my eyes off the road for just a few seconds the other day…and when I looked up I was about to take out a row of mailboxes! I immediately jerked the car back into the road…and if there had been another car coming I would have NAILED them!)

In ministry we can’t allow ourselves to become distracted (which is SO MUCH more of a challenge than it was 10 years ago because of the “advancement” of social media.)

So…what are four distractions that we are constantly going to have to resist as leader?

#1 – Pleasure – We are going to have to fight doing what is easy rather than what is right!

#2 – Pride – There WILL come the temptation to begin to think, “Look at all of this great work I have done!” I can think of two leaders in the Scripture who had similar thoughts…it didn’t go well for them! (See Daniel 4:28-33 and Acts 12:19-23)

#3 – Procrastination - Many times we KNOW what the right decision that needs to be made…but because it may be tough to do so we delay it, hoping that maybe God either just “work it out” or change His mind!

#4 – People – Someone is always going to not like what you do, who you are and what you stand for…always! When you get in the people pleasing business you get out of the business of pleasing God! (See Galatians 1:10)

#5 – Performance – One of the greatest problems with success is that leaders can actually begin to believe that they are the ones that caused success to happen…and in order to keep/maintain it they have to work harder and harder…thus establishing a pace that literally sends them into a wall at 100 mph.

#6 – Problems - We can’t view problems as God’s punishment…but rather we must view them as God’s preparation! David didn’t see the lion and the bear as a problem…but rather he viewed them as opportunities to prepare him for the greater problems in life he knew that were sure to come. (See I Samuel 17:33-37)

#7 – Passion - Passion can be a distraction when we use it to run over people rather than lead them! God did NOT give us the Spirit of timidity…but of power, LOVE and self discipline! (II Timothy 1:7) Power without love always leads to legalism and domination. We MUST be passionate about what God has called us to…but we must also learn how to use that passion to lead others to where they need to be…not drive them there!