Catholic Carnival 126 - Fourth of July style

This is the day our Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad! July 4th is upon us once again and we are all gearing up for a special celebration somewhere in America. I, personally, am waiting for my husband to crank up the smoker and delight the family with melt-in-your-mouth BBQ Texas-style! But before that, our carnival deserves special attention. This is a wonderful smattering of Catholic think tank below and again, I am feeling all too small amid my fellow bloggers. Thanks to all who share and read. Now, as your host of the Fourth of July edition of Catholic Carnivals, I present to you our finest of the week!



To start us off, I felt we needed to give special attention to the post CERC Still Needs Funding posted at Kicking Over My Traces. The Catholic Education Resource Center lost a major donor this year. Check out one of its latest resource offerings, and consider a donation to support its online distribution of information on the Catholic Church. If you have not visited this great resource, please make a commitment to do so!



Then, I just couldn't wait to share Leticia's post at Cause of our Joy about "A new priest in the diocese of Rockville Center. This was such a beautiful story that everyone needs to know how the grace of God works in our young men. Leticia, thank you, thank you for your share!!!!

Steven at Book Reviews and More is a saint in my book!! Here he is giving us an inside look at his contribution to the world in his post called, "There's more than blood in you to give." This is the first in a three part series about the experience of donating Bone marrow through the Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry.



Sarah has a crystal clear opinion on education at just another day of Catholic pondering
What's the Point? When considering whether any education is wasted, Sarah can't resist putting in her two cents. In the face of the "so what'd you do with your life?" line of questioning, which always seems to point out the inevitable discrepancies, she couldn't help but share what she got out of her education.



Hear ye, hear ye all those of little faith! Listen to your sister in Christ share her story from Postscripts from the Catholic Spitfire Grill about Saints Deliver Us! Which is her conversion regarding asking the Saints in heaven to pray for us. I especially liked her transformation from living as a Catholic and Being Catholic! Thank you very much for this wonderful example of discovery of Truth!

Junk in/Junk out I always say and here Hope from Mothers of Many Saints shares my personal favorite Bible verse, Romans 12:1-2 in her post Renew Your Mind
If we allow our minds and spirits to be weak, through lack of prayer or worldly distraction, we tend to take our cues from the people around us, not from the leading of the Spirit.


So timely and profound is this post from CatholicLand! thoughts about our neighbors in China in
People Look East" SWP reflects on the blessings of religious liberty upon review of the
Pope's Letter to China. On this 4th of July we all need to thank our "lucky stars" for our Catholicism and freedom to live it!!!



Matthew has mastered the art of explaining our Savior's sacrifice in the Mass from his blog, A Catholic Life In his post The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ he explains the Feastday of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks, Matthew!!

Patrick over at Paragraph Farmer has lots to say about the evolution of liturgical music since Vatican II...or since Woodstock. He makes a good point about "Power ballads" and "Praise Bands" that I had never really thought about, so I hope you all read his post...to the very last note! Because a power ballad is not a hymn.



Daughter of the King has thoughts on Sts Peter and Paul, both mere human, yet made to do not-so-mere tasks and still finding joy in her post Feast of St. Peter and Paul . Their intercession today is just as important as it was 2000 years ago. OK, now I feel amid my daily tasks I need to be much more joyful....Thanks, Jen!

At TinaBell, she discovers some long needed peace and quiet with herself and contemplation of the whole in her post: Beached.



In closing our Catholic Carnival this time, I'd like to share a prayer that was in our Church bulletin this week which is a prayer for peace:

Dear Lord
So many today misunderstand freedom believing that it is the ability to do whatever we want. Help us always to remember that freedom, true freedom, is being able to do what we ought to do. That freedom, true freedom, is not indulging our every want and whim, but instead is the ability to rise above any desires that are wrong, disordered, dangerous or excessive. Give us the grace always to remember that true freedom makes us the people you wish us to be, that true freedom brings us closer to you, and reshapes our world in the likeness of your kingdom.
AMEN

Climbing for Independence and world peace,
May the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all and the Nation.