The recent loss of a dear friend of mine was a timely reminder that we are nearing the beginning of All Souls Month.  The Catholic Church in its wisdom and love has set aside the entire month of November for us to pray in a special way for our loved ones who have gone before us.  This ancient pious practice has been lauded throughout the ages and is rooted in the teachings ofSacred Scripture and Church tradition.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

1030 All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.

1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.⁶⁰⁶ The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:⁶⁰⁷

As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.⁶⁰⁸

1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: “Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.”⁶⁰⁹ From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God.⁶¹⁰The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:

Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.⁶¹¹

 The practice of praying for the dead has also been widely promoted by the Church Fathers, the doctors of the Church and the saints.  The beautiful testatment of St. Ephraem entreats us to act with charity towards our departed loved ones by remembering them in our prayers and sacrifices. 

Lay me not with sweet spices,

For this honor avails me not. 

Nor yet use incense and perfumes,

For the honor benefits me not;

Burn yet the incense in the holy place;

As for me, escort me only with your prayers. 

Give ye your incense to God,

And over me send up hymns. 

Be mindful of me in your intercessions. 

What can goodly odor profit

To the dead who cannot perceive it? 

Bring incense to burn in the holy place,

That they who enter may smell the savor. 

Wrap thou not the fetid carrion

In silk that profits it nothing;

Cast it out upon the dunghill,

For it finds no comfort in tributes of respect. 

 

Come, my brothers, and lay out my remains; the decree has gone fort that I can tarry no longer. 

 

Give me, as provision for my journey,

Your prayers, your psalms, and your sacrifices.

When the number of thirty days is complete,

Then, O my brothers, make remembrance of me.

For the dead truly derive succor,

From the sacrifices offered up by the living.

 

Say you that the dead benefit not?

Hearken to the words of the Apostle.

“If the dead do not rise again,

Why should we be baptized for the dead?”

What of the men of the family of Mattathias

Who discharged their pious office of mercy?

As you have read, in that time of war?

They atoned by their sacrifices for the sins
Of those who fell in the battle,

And who had followed the way of the heathen.

Much for the Priests of the Son of God

Shall avail to purify the dead,

By the sacrifices which they offer

And by the prayers of their mouth.

We invite you to pray with us  for our beloved dead by adding your loved one to our Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.  A donation is requested but not required.  You can also find several beautiful resources written by Susan Tassone, a valiant supporter of the cause of the Holy Souls in Purgatory on our website.

We’re getting this out a bit late but I’m sure you are already praying fervently for this election.  Someone brought the following novena to our attention.  It was put out by Fr. John Corapi, S.O.L.T. during the 2008 election and is still very relevenat today.  

He asked that the following novena be prayed leading up to the elections as well as the Holy Rosary.  “I strongly urge every one of you to make a Novena and pray the Rosary to Our Lady of Victory between (updated: October 25th and Election Day, November 2nd.)  Pray that God’s will be done and the mostinnocent and utterly vulnerable of our brothers and sisters will be protected from this barbaric and grossly sinful blight on society that is abortion. No woman, and no man, has the right to choose to murder an innocent human being.”

The Novena Prayer

Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen)

Let us pray:  The Memorare

Prayer To Our Lady of Victory

On many occasions, Mary Jo Anderson and Sue Brinkmann have spoken about the U.N.’s encroachment upon our sovereignty and personal freedom.  The following video was shared by one of our viewers and features a trailer is for the documentary “The Child.”   The documentary provides an eye opening look at the current state of parental rights in the United States and how the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child threatens to undermine the individual rights of families and parents.  It looks pretty interesting…

 The Child Documentary Promotional Video

This is a trailer of The Child, a documentary coming in November that will open your eyes to the current condition of parental rights in America. Please watch, then sign the petition to support the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The freedom of America’s future depends on you!

Singer Lynn Cooper

Opening Talk

It has been a week since the Women of Grace National Conference in Sacramento, California. What a blessed time and what a blessed event! Through the grace of God, those who attended experienced the paternal love of the Father, the redemptive life of the Son, the power of the Holy Spirit and the maternal beatitude of Our Blessed Lady. I was filled with joy as I witnessed the transformation and hope experienced by the women (and the men) who joined us at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Sacramento.

The Conference was preceded by the Women of Grace Leadership Institute whose theme was Leading with Virtue. A capacity group of thirty-seven women joined us for the two day Institute which discussed the call and mission of women today, the role that virtue plays in this call, and the way in which the Blessed Virgin Mary demonstrates for us the means by which we can fulfill all that God has entrusted to us. By the Institute’s end, the women had written and developed their own “Magnanimity Statement©,” along with their vision, goals, and strategies to accomplish the call God has entrusted to each one of them. If not completed during the Institute, it was their homework assignment to get it done!

Opening Mass with Bishop Jaime Soto

Bishop Jaime Soto, ordinary of the Diocese of Sacramento opened our Conference with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, celebrated in the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. What a beautiful and glorious cathedral! Newly renovated, this grace-filled structure helps to lift our minds and hearts to God and to the mysteries re-presented for us during the Sacred Liturgy. Should you ever get to Sacramento, make certain your visit there includes a tour of the Cathedral. Bishop Soto’s homily encouraged the attendees to live their call as women of grace, exemplified for us by the holy women who accompanied Our Lord.

Our conference presenters were Father Philip Scott, Family of Jesus Healer, Father Dwight Longenecker, Kathleen Beckman, Father Edmund Sylvia, C.S.C., and myself. The theme, “Healed for Holiness,” was discussed through the love of God and the light of faith as each presenter developed a different aspect of how we can find healing and hope for the various wounds of our heart. Saturday evening presented conference participants to enter into the Heart of Jesus through a healing service which included adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a healing Rosary, and a Eucharistic procession through the conference hall. Many women testified to an interior release, and healing of memories and sufferings some of which had been held since childhood.

Fr. Ed Sylvia, CSC & Fr. Dwight Longenecker

The Conference ended as it had begun – with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Sunday liturgy was a Mass of gratitude and thanksgiving for the abundant blessings all had received.

My personal thanks to all of our speakers and participants. God is doing great thrings through each of you! Let’s continue together to fight the good fight and reclaim this culture for the Kingdom of God! A special thank you to the staff of Living His Life Abundantly®, both those at home and those on site for the conference. What a grace you are to me and to so many! To Thea, my daughter, who served as MC for the weekend – your receptivity to the movement of the Holy Spirit was awesome, just like you!

Our IT guys will be putting together some video “snippits” from the conference for you to view.  In the mean time, please enjoy the pictures below that were sent to us by conference attendee and photographer in the making Karin Boston.  Thank you, Karin!  There are more of Karin’s pictures posted on my Facebook page.

I do hope you can plan on being with us for the next Women of Grace event. Keep checking our site for upcoming information.

Audience full of beautiful Women of Grace

Women of Grace Staff: Joanne, Jean and Thea

Praise

More praise

The Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Lynn Cooper leading us in praise

Kathleen Beckman signing books

Me and Fr. Philip Scott

Closing Mass

Closing Mass

Thank you to Karin Boston who provided us with these lovely pictures!

Note for Johnnette, please:

Dear Johnnette,

I am sorry to hear of your funding stress. Had I the resources, I would immediately send you the money.  Your work is vital!  As I pondered your situation, it occurred to me that it may console you if I share with you what I have been observing since the election of BHO:   

Those who actively work for and promote Christian principles are being financially beseiged. Every single one of us — epsecially those who work via the media.

It’s not just the economy.  Quite obviously, this is an integral part of The Evil One’s strategy.  Starve us, squeeze us, agonize us with worry about keeping financially afloat, and perhaps we will crumble, and our work cease — At this point, TEO is well aware that this is his only — and last — recourse against us.

Like you, I daily witness the glory of the tide turning back, away from ‘evil’, toward God, and our country’s classic moral values. This is why TEO is so desperate to destroy us. 

He nearly had our entire country in his grasp — something he has lusted after since our birth in 1776.

Perhaps you should look the beast squarely in the eye and pronounce: If I lose my studio and have to preach from the street corner, I will! You will NEVER silence me!  [With every trial, my message consistently is:  “You will never command or control me.  You’re wasting your time. Go find someone who is fool enough to listen to you.”]

Johnnette, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I am certain that God is so proud of you!

Abundant Blessings,

M.

—————————————————————————

Dear M.,

Your words are encouragement to me and I so agree with you on every point. Our mission, the mission of each one of us baptized in Christ Jesus and living today, is of utmost importance. We are the saints predicted by St. Louis Grignion de Montfort, the “saints of the latter day,” who would be selected by God to wage a spiritual battle against the evil one and his wiles and ways. If we give up, if we surrender, from whom will the “voice” go out? With God’s grace, we will continue to proclaim truth until He takes our voice from us through natural death. In Him and through Him is every victory May that victory be won in the hearts of each one us. 

In Jesus Name,

Johnnette

On July 26^th, Father Ed and myself attended the Reuben Studdard, Clay Aiken concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, FL. It was a wonderful evening, made all the more stellar because of the backstage passes acquired for Father and myself by Reuben’s uncle, Fred Williams. I have known Fred for better than 20 years, and for the past 17 years “Uncle Fred” has been our director at EWTN. We all had a blast as we regaled with music spanning four decades – from the 60’s through the 90’s. If the truth be known, Father Ed and I were both on our feet, “snapping our fingers and shuffling our feet” to the tunes. Enjoy this backstage pic of the three of us – Father, Reuben, and yours truly.

Linda woke up Monday morning feeling a bit out of sorts. She felt anxious, like something bad was about to happen.  To tell the truth, she’d been feeling out of it for a few weeks. “Well, I’m not getting any younger,” she told herself.  “Work has been stressful, and I haven’t been getting much exercise lately.”

She yawned again, struggling to wake up. “Why am I so tired?” she thought. The fatigue was really troubling. “Maybe it’s because I’ve been sleeping so poorly,” she told herself. “And I did have some indigestion last night.  Maybe I ate something that didn’t agree with me.”

She grabbed a cup of coffee on her way out the door. “Too bad I don’t have time for breakfast – again. I guess I’ll run through the drive-through for a quick bite. And I’m running late again! Always running late – always running!  It’s no wonder my blood pressure was high the last time I went to the doctor. 

Maybe I should schedule another appointment. She did say I should come back for a follow-up. Why bother?  She’ll probably just ask me how the diet is going, and I’ll have to confess I haven’t even tried to lose this weight. I’ll go in a few weeks – if I get a chance.”

Does Linda’s story sound familiar?   Consider this ending.

Linda stared at the ceiling, thanking God that she had made it in time.  She wasn’t planning on this visit, that’s for sure. She had rushed through her day, as she frequently did, trying to get everything in, and now this.

For once she was glad she had a habit of rushing.  When she started having chest pains after work, she picked up the phone. It was a good thing she called 911 instead of “waiting it out.” Maybe that’s what got her to the emergency room in time.  Just in time to find out that she was having a heart attack.

Women like Linda, women like YOU, are having heart attacks every day.

Heart disease is the number one killer of American women.

Read that line again.  The number one killer. 

Consider the facts about heart disease in women.

• Heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of more than 450,000 American women each year.
• Heart attacks kill six times as many women as breast cancer. 
• Each year, 435,000 women in the United States have heart attacks, and almost half of them die.
• 42 percent of women who have heart attacks die within one year, compared to 24 percent of men.
• 31, 837 women die each year of congestive heart failure, representing 62.6 percent of all heart failure deaths.
• Three million women die from stroke each year. Stroke accounts for more deaths among women than men.
• Over the last 25 years, the death rate for heart disease in men has declined steadily (by more than 17 percent), while the death rate for women has declined by only 2.5 percent
• Recent studies continue to confirm that women who have heart attacks receive fewer of the recommended treatments, compared to men.
• More than 90 percent of primary care physicians don’t know that heart disease kills more women each year than men.

The statistics are frightening, but the good news is that women are not powerless. While some factors are out of our control (heredity, our ethnic background, aging, etc.) we can make lifestyle choices that lower our risk of suffering from heart disease.

And while many of us are rushing around like the fictitious Linda in the anecdote above, we need to take the time to learn about heart disease risks, our personal health picture (the statistics we really should be concerned about!) and the unusual symptoms that some women experience when having a heart attack.

Linda might sound like any of us on a Monday morning, but an educated observer might guess she was actually exhibiting heart attack symptoms. Unlike men, women don’t always experience the classic “movie heart attack” involving serious crushing chest pain. Rather, their symptoms often include only shortness of breath, weakness, unusual fatigue, a cold sweat, dizziness, or a feeling of doom.

 According to one study by the by the National Institutes of Health , some women (like our Linda) reported symptoms that actually began weeks before the actual heart attack including unusual fatigue (70 percent), sleep disturbances ( 48 percent), shortness of breath (42 percent), indigestion (39 percent) and anxiety (35 percent).

Once she finds out she’s at risk for heart disease, what’s a woman to do?  Plenty.  Lifestyle changes can dramatically reduce your odds of dying from heart disease.  (In fact, experts say women are more likely than men to benefit from these changes.)

Some suggestions:

Exercise regularly.  30 minutes of brisk walking a day is a good start.

Eat well.  Limit saturated and trans fats while adding monounsaturated fats to your diet. Eat fish at least twice a week.  Avoid processed and “fast” foods. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and watch your sodium intake.

Manage stress.  It may sound easier said than done, but stress can do real damage to your health and well-being. Meditate every day. (Studies have shown praying the rosary lowers blood pressure!) Make sleep a priority, and ask for and accept help from others.

Control high blood pressure.   It’s not called “The Silent Killer” for nothing. Have your blood pressure checked by a doctor at least once a year – you can have hypertension with no symptoms warning you of its presence. If prescribed medication, take it. Invest in a monitor to check your pressure at home.

Lower your risks.  Don’t smoke or drink too much alcohol. (Consume two drinks or less per day –preferably of red wine.) Follow the wisdom of the Catholic Church and do not use birth control pills.  (Combining oral contraceptives with smoking increases a woman’s risk of heart disease dramatically.)

Build healthy relationships.  Take the time to nurture your relationships with God and neighbor.  Studies show that church-going people live longer and have better health. Volunteerism has also been shown to improve health – and individuals reporting several close friendships have less illness.  

Don’t make excuses.  Women tend to delay getting medical care for heart attacks more so than men.  Know the facts.  Don’t argue that you don’t have time to see a doctor, or that family responsibilities prevent you from properly caring for yourself. 

Take responsibility for your well-being, and your heart. Those who love and depend on you will thank you for it! 

Doctors say the most important stats are the ones that make up your individual wellness profile. The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease recommends that women aim for the following:

• A total cholesterol reading of less than 200 mg/dl
• LDL (“bad” cholesterol) reading of less than 100 mg/dl
• HDL (“good” cholesterol) reading of 50 mg/dl or higher
• A triglyceride reading of less than 150 mg/dl
• A blood pressure reading of 120/80 mmHg or lower
• A fasting glucose level below 100 mg/dl
• A body mass index of 25 or less
• A waist circumference of 35 inches or less

 Cathy Adamkiewicz is the author of Broken and Blessed: A Life Story, which documents the life and death of her infant daughter Celeste

Dr. Fitzgibbons has been a regular guest of The Abundant Life and we are thrilled to have him back this week on our new daily television program, Women of Grace.  

Married couples face many challenges together with raising children, managing a home and finances, and just day to day living.  In some cases, couples face additional challenges when one or both spouses have major emotional and character conflicts which limit their ability to give and receive love, resulting in marital unhappiness.  Dr. Fitzgibbons addresses some of these issues on each of this weeks program and gives practical advice on what may be done to resolve them.  You can watch each day on EWTN at 11:00 a.m. and the encore at 11:30 p.m.

You can also check out his website on the Insitute for Marital Healing where you will find much valuable information.  They are offering a free webinar for those who may be or know someone struggling with pornography:

The Healing of Pornography Conflicts Webinar

Join us for a Webinar on June 26 – space is limited.

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/242775347

This marital educational webinar will focus on the damaging impact of pornography upon Catholic marriages and families, the origins of this conflict and its healing.

The recommended readings are:

• www.socialcostsofpornography.org
• www.maritalhealing.com/conflicts/selfgiving.php
• www.maritalhealing.com/conflicts/addictedspouse.php

 Title: The Healing of Pornography Conflicts

Date:   Saturday, June 26, 2010

Time:   10:30 AM – 12:30 PM EDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements

PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

We received the following letter from a friend in response to this week’s program called the “Socialist Worldview and You” with Samuel Gregg.  She gave us persmission to post it anonymously.  The letter is very eye opening because it comes from the perspective of someone who fled a communist country to live in a “free” country.  She see’s “the shadows” of communism growing in our country and hopes that if she shares her story, perhaps it will inspire us to do what we can to strengthen our faith in God and to pray even more fervantly against it.  

“I recently read your note about communism and I thought I should share this with you…

I’ll try to make it brief, which is almost impossible, but I think I have to share a little bit of what I lived, so we can all pray harder that this doesn’t come to America, land that I love so much (Having being born and lived in a communist country myself when I was a child). May Our Good Lord spare us from the horror of communism, although I already recognize its shadows in here. (I wouldn’t want myself or my family to go through it a 2nd time)…

The most important thing that I advice is that we need to learn to be strong in our faith.  My father was denied superior education because he said he believed in God; some of his friends were not that strong.

"Finally, my Immaculate Heart will triumph."

When I was a little girl in grammar school, I and some others were ridiculed in front of the class for going to Church on Sundays, and even questioned like thieves or criminals and threatened by the school principal. My brother and I never participated in Communist school activities (which they had on Sundays, on purpose, and were mandatory), my parents didn’t take us, they didn’t fear communists at all and always made clear to my teachers that we were NOT to attend because we would go to Church on Sundays. It takes a lot of courage to do that.

Now, they are trying to get a bit more open towards religious expression in Churches only because people are beginning to rebel after more than 50 years of repression and government has a tactic: let the steam of the valve come out a little to avoid explosion. (to avoid massive rebellion).

I just hope that if those times come to me again, I can be as strong as my parents taught me, to put Christ first, no matter what the consequences.

My mother witnessed, at the beginning of the revolution, how they shot to death someone for shouting: “Long live Christ the King”. We don’t know yet, what it means to live in religious persecution, you either are with them or against them with consequences that can cause you prison and death.

Those people who rely solely on Catholic schools to impart religious education on their children and do nothing at home, will not survive in their faith in a communist society; their children will simply be swept away by the culture because there are no religious or Catholic or any denomination schools in communism. All is Public education and homeschool is not allowed, only under certain conditions of illnesses.

About food, intake per month, per family is controlled by the government; you can only purchase what you are allowed in a given month through a control card.
Now, they are letting the common people buy some things at stores that are only designated for tourism, but they can only buy them if relatives send them money from foreign countries, the average Cuban salary of a professional (EX: doctor) is not even enough to eat. That’s how the people in that Communist Island has survived for so long and are not dead of famine on the streets.

I don’t think that they’ll try to make it that obvious in here or any other part of the world. They’ll try to make people want it. This is what they call socialism of the 20th century. They’re trying to blend everybody together to the point of making it almost punishable to practice your own faith, just to avoid hurting others. They’re trying to make it “common sense” to be atheist. It’s the same concept, but with different ways of approaching it, but the bottom line is the same: Communist philosophy is Atheism; they teach children in school that God doesn’t exist. They taught it to me, but thanks to God for the parents He gave me…

The “green” movement is nothing else but the same control by the government, same thing with a different road to approach it. You cannot buy this or that because it “hurts” the environment; instead of having the government control you and get rebellion as a result, they’ll make you beg them to control you (making people want it), see it? Same thing, but with different approach.

What I told you about my experiences is just very little, not even a 10% of all the evil that communism brings. So, I just shared this, to please ask you to request your friends, relatives, everyone you know to bend our knees even harder and pray for this, our beloved America and for us, so the Lord makes us strong to unite together against it. I’m sure you figured out that the country I’m talking about is: Cuba.

Johnnette, I share this with you through private email, because even though I have lived in this free country for more than half my life, and I am proud to be an American Citizen and this is now my land, that I defend and pray for, but I still have engraved in my soul and in my mind the memory of repression and the fear of expressing these type of things. I know there are many communists in this country that will have no problem acting with retaliation. I also have many relatives in Cuba and others that live here and go often to visit them, and I wouldn’t want them to be punished.

You can share it if you want in any way you desire, but please, don’t mention my name.  Thanks and God bless you.”

We know that Our Lady has given us her weapon of chioce, the Holy Rosary.  Let’s use it!