“Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.”
Psalm 1:1-2
hugs n’ blessings given from morning till night!
Today is November 1st and not only is it the beginning of the NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) but it is also…
All Saints Day in our Catholic Faith!!
(All Saints’ Day is also commemorated by members of the Eastern Orthodox Church as well as some protestant churches, such as Anglican, Lutheran and Anglican churches.)
Saints [N]: The word “saint” is derived from a Greek verb (hagiazo [aJgiavzw]) whose basic meaning is “to set apart, ” “sanctify, ” or “make holy.”
All Saints’ Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on November 1. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. Holy day customs vary around the world.
In the United States, the day before is Halloween and is usually celebrated by dressing in costumes while children go door-to-door, “trick-or-treating”; which is soliciting candy from their neighbors.
Our pastor, Fr. Larry Richards, reminded us in our Weekly Parish Bulletin, “There is only one tragedy – not to be a Saint! Each of us are called to be Saints. This should be our number one goal in life… Being a saint is NOT just for the “spiritual super heroes” it is for all of us!
To be Saints means that we become people of love! People who love God above all things created. This means that we have a daily committed prayer life. That means that we build our day around God, not try to fit God into our day. We also must be people who love others as Jesus commanded us – by giving up our lives for them each day, by putting them first.”
In the Roman Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls’ Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Catholics celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven (the ‘church penitent’ and the ‘church triumphant’, respectively), and the ‘church militant’ who are the living. Other Christian traditions define, remember and respond to the saints in different ways.
Different faces, different lives
Different ways, different interests
Their differences fit just right to the same God who loved them all.
May you have a solemn All Saints Day! And a Prayerful All Souls Day too!
hugs n’ blessings to all those we continue to pray for, both living and deceased!
it’s the monday giggles…
Life isn’t just about keeping score.
It’s not about how many people call you
And it’s not about who you’ve dated or haven’t dated at all.
It isn’t about who you’ve kissed,
What sport you play,
Or which guy or girl likes you.
It’s not about your shoes or your hair
Or the color of your skin,
Or where you live or go to school.
In fact it’s not about money,
Clothes, or colleges that accept you or not.
Life isn’t about if you have lots of friends or if you are alone,
And it’s not about how accepted or unaccepted you are.
Life isn’t about that.
But life is about who you love and who you hurt.
It’s about how you feel about yourself.
It’s about trust, happiness, and compassion.
It’s about avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance
And building confidence.
It’s about what you say and what you mean.
It’s about seeing people for who they are and not for what they have.
Most of all it is choosing to use your life.
In a way that could have never been achieved otherwise.
These choices are what life’s about.
– Nike
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35
May you find a special way to alley-oop your love ‘into action’ today…and may it have a giggle attached with it!
hugs n’ slam-dunked blessings filled with love for (all of) you !
hugsnblessings 