Carnival time #163

Welcome to the #163rd edition of the Catholic Carnivals, March, 2008! Usually, my carnivals are filled with pictures to delight the reader and create an atmosphere of festivity, but this time, I was guided to a more simplistic rendition, probably due to the season of the year. Each time I host, I learn so much and meet new bloggers. This a great way to be a part of the Catholic Community and I encourage those who have not hosted a carnival to try it...you might like it! It doesn't take THAT much time, maybe a couple of afternoons and an evening if you read all the submissions. I try to and in the process always glean something good.

Well, enough of this chatter, on with the carnival!



Prayer is always a good starting place, so here we go!
Mary DeTurris Poust presents Why Is It So Hard to Pray? from her blog, "Not Strictly Spiritual." This has been my problem from the get-go! Finding time to develop and keep a personal prayer routine for a busy mom is tough, if not frustrating!

David is on a topic that is dear to my heart, papal writings! Here he discusses the 2nd encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi in his post, "Exercise of Desire." Here we look at the importance of listening to God when we pray.

Prayer is a manifestation of hope which leads to a deeper, more intimate communion with God and with His Mystical Body of Christ......In fact, one's prayer life should be a mixture of public prayer, such as in the mass, and private prayer that might be offered in the quiet of the day.

Thanks for this!

Jen, from Daughter of the King, shares how we need to teach our children to pray as early as possible in her post called, "Praying the Rosary with Children". This is a great story about praying the rosary with a bunch of 9th graders. Whew, I especially liked how Jesus helped her through her original thoughts of discipline! Thanks, Jen!


Mary DeTurris Poust presents A Brief Lesson on the Trinity posted at Catechism Corner.

Sarah has a guest over at her blog, "Snoring Scholar" which will delight you in every way! Heather writes about her conversion story called, "Journey to Jesus, Part One and there is more to come, so keep checking in with Sarah!

Heidi, at Mommy Monsters, shares a great story called, Grace in the Nick of Time. Here she witnesses, first hand, how parents can be so much in denial about their children, but that the Holy Spirit can come through!

Jean, from Catholic Fire, shares with us the topic of examination of conscience in her post: "Have Mercy on me, O God!" The Youtube segment alone is enough to make you want to come clean! Thanks, Jean!

Kate Wicker presents Perfect Schmerfect posted at Kate Wicker.

Again, Heidi is delighting us with wisdom in her post:"Visitation Fertile Grace",

"Why do my eyes Hurt?" is an interesting post by Joe from his blog, "Ho Kai Paulos". I glanced over the post, but not having seen the Matrix most of it was a blurrrrrrrrrrrr. Thanks for the post.

Steven, over at Book Reviews and More, is one of my blogging buddies from my early days....ok, for several months now. Love his reviews and impressed with his "how to" computer books...ugh! ANyway, he has taken on a rather large topic, the Jesuits. Check out his great essay on this order and take in a few of his recommended reading (as well as the recommendation from a reader).

Red Neck Woman, from Postscripts from the Catholic Spitfire grill, shares with us Kepha barJonah. Very interesting! Thanks, RNW!

Marcel, with the Mary's Aggies, WHOOP!! (Sorry, I am an Aggie wife) shares with us a post called, Catholics, Truth, and other Religions. An answer to questions that a young person has on the Church, truth, knowledge of God, and culture. He and Sarah both do a fine job of catechises. Thanks, Marcel!

As for National News, Christine, from The World...IMHO" wants us to see what Oprah is up to these days in her post, "The world's most dangerous spiritual guru: Oprah begins a new 10-week class on New Age religion." Hmmm, this can't be good.

Kevin Miller, of Exceptional Marriages, discusses the readings from Sunday (3/9) and gives us a real good talking to about "Suffering, Death, and the first Resurrection." Especially necessary for all of us to understand and live by is this:

Simply put, there is no holiness without penance. There is no life of holiness without death to sin; there is no death to sin without penance. There is no death to sin without Christ's death on the Cross; we do not share in this death, nor therefore in life, without penance.

AMEN!

Sean shares with us his post called: Day 28 of 40 Days of Catholic Media: Brian Murdaugh and the Total Strangers. In this post he talks with Bryan Murdaugh about how he takes time during Lent to enrich his personal spiritual life. Then discusses the release of his new CD, Bryan Murdaugh with Total Strangers.

Rich Vosler presents Don't let your struggles defeat you posted at Sales Training Tips.

Here is another topic that is very, VERY dear to my home-educating family, homeschooling. A very serious situation came up recently in California and in his post, Matthew shares his thoughts Only the state is good enough from his blog Play the Dad? No, be the Dad!.

Esther, from A Catholic Mom in Hawaii, shares her post called: "St. John Bosco's Preventative system of Education." Here she shows us this beloved saint's 4 pillars of Salesian Spirituality as the "go-by" for his Preventative system of Educating our young as the future Church. Especially, the fruits comparatively speaking is this:

Don Bosco's method of the Preventative System of Education according to the Blessed Virgin Mary produced in his boys, holiness, purity and saints. The education system forced on our society today which includes emphasis on sex education produces as its fruits homosexuality and child molestation.

My question: Why is this so hard? We have such awesome and proven ways of responsibly teaching our children! Thanks, Esther!

Adoro, from her blog, Adoro te Devote, shares with us a rather poignant story about conversion story in her post, "God in the Storm." Reading it, you will be able to relate to many of her feelings about storms

For my own submission, I wanted to share my post called, "A birthday, a deathday, and bluegrass for both" which tells about a special event that happened in our family rather recently.

...and finally,
Oh for the love of the Irish!! St. Patty's day is just around the corner and "Ask Sister Mary Martha" has an opinion on this very day in her post called, " The UnLuck of the Irish" I find her funny, and as an Irish Catholic myself who can't hold her liquor...a tea-tottler am I!