Listen to this inspiring talk by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen about the importance of adoration.
In 1985, I interviewed my grandmother, Cecilia LaHood, for an article I wanted to write about her life. Her children were planning a big 75th birthday party for her (she was born in 1910), and I wanted to share her life story with everyone who attended the party.
I hit some raw nerves last week with my article, Under Attack – The Vicar of Christ. One woman who has been a member of our adoration program for several years had this to say:
Beginning a week and a half before Easter Sunday and continuing until the day after Easter, the New York Times published at least 10 different (lengthy) articles about past and current allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church. The theme woven throughout the articles was that prior to being chosen to lead the Church, Pope Benedict was directly responsible for some priests being allowed to continue to victimize young boys, because he allegedly failed to act on information that had been provided to him.
As Catholics, we know from what we’ve been taught that it was necessary for our Lord to die on the cross in order to redeem us from our sins and to open the gates of Heaven. Prior to His death, because of the sins of Adam and Eve, Heaven was “off limits” to everyone.
While attending Mass on Thursday of last week (March 25th), I wondered how many Catholics knew what day it was. Do you know what day March 25th was?
One of the most memorable events of my honeymoon with Georgette in 1980 was when we went to Disney World. At that time, we were both 23 years old and we had big dreams for our future together. While we were browsing through one of the gift shops at Disney, Georgette picked out two outfits she wanted to buy to be set aside for the future (to be worn at a later time). Two years later, she was able to dress our son Harry in the Mickey Mouse outfit she bought at Disney World, and two years after that she was able to dress our daughter Anna in the Minnie Mouse outfit.
I heard a joke recently that I think is worth passing on: Two well-armed pirate ships with large crews are closing in on a ship. The first mate alerts the captain of the ship that they are about to be attacked. The captain immediately barks out an order to the first mate: “Bring me my red shirt!” A fierce battle takes place and the captain and his crew defeat the attacking pirates. The first mate then asks the captain why he insisted on wearing his red shirt. The captain responds, “I put on my red shirt because if I would have been wounded in battle, my men would not have been able to see my blood and lose heart.” The following week, the first mate rushes up to the captain and tells him that an entire fleet of well-armed pirate ships – a dozen in all – with large crews, is closing in on the ship. The captain immediately shouts out an order to the first mate: “Bring me my I brown pants!”
When Georgette and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, we received a card from one of my younger sisters. On the front of the card it said: “Congratulations, You Did It The Old Fashioned Way!” On the inside of the card it said: “You Stayed Marrried! Happy Anniversary!”
About six months ago I got a telephone call from a man I’ve known for over 15 years. He and his wife have been married over 20 years. They have a large family with children in college, high school, and grade school. The man told me he had recently moved out of his house and into an apartment and was going to file for divorce. He had consulted with a family law attorney and didn’t like him, so he wanted to know if there was anyone I could recommend.
A quote I like from Thomas S. Monson states, “It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny.”