MERRY CHRISTMAS 2014

  I just wanted to say thank you to all my readers and MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!!!

It's Time To Fill That Food Basket At Church With All Kinds Of Goodies

 

I remember being in Catholic School and at this time of year we were all bringing in something to fill the food basket for the poor. I would ask my mother for something and she would find canned goods and dry food like rice or maybe some Warm Clothing. It was basically anything we could gather and give to someone out of the kindness of our hearts. I always enjoyed that feeling of doing something for someone else. It was always a special moment at this time of year. So I believe we should all find what we can and give to some needy person out of the kindness of our hearts. Follow what Jesus taught and still teaches us. You can go on Amazon or Ebay and find something to give. It does not have to be super expensive. One Thing Is All It Takes .

I think everyone should buy one thing whether it is food, clothing or just a toy. That special item will mean a lot to someone that does not have much. I know at the Catholic Church we go to the basket seems to always have something in it. I can remember as a child growing up without a father and living with my Grandparents we did not have much. Every Christmas we would get some kind of fruit or Food Basket from some lodge. It may have been a Moose Lodge or the Veterans. That little bit of food always tasted good. It always out something special on the table at Christmas. I also remember going to some lodge and getting a free meal and a toy for Christmas. I have never forgot that all these years. What my Mom, Grandparents and others taught us about giving has stuck with me all these years and I try to pass it on to my children. I do see it happening with my kids, so I know they listened.
  Once again it does not matter exactly what you give. It can be canned fruit or some kind of vegetable in a can or just a nice Food Basket. Maybe a jacket or clothing to keep someone warm on a cold winters day. Even just a pair of shoes or boots would help out someone. What matters is that what you are giving is coming from your heart. It's funny if you save five dollars a month that can buy a lot for someone who really needs it. So do whats right and help the poor in any way possible. Yes Do what Jesus would Jesus would do.
  Thank You For Reading. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays !!!!!

That Special Time Of Year Is Almost Here Again

                           
                    The Original Nativity Birth of Jesus Christ Luke 2 Christian Bible Movie                                                                                     by David Lory VanDerBeek

    Yes that special time of year is almost here again. Yes I am also a year older well almost a year. Yes that special time is Christmas. When I say Christmas I do not mean that time of the year when you get some awesome presents or that time of the year when the family gets together and tells some funny stories about some one. What I mean it is when we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. When some one says what is the reason for the season that is what they are talking about.

           
                                This is much more that we ever had, but very nice

    I used to always help set up my mothers nativity set. It was not anything expensive. In fact it was pretty simple and had some figures handed down from my Grandmother. I think that is one of the things that mad e it special as far as the nativity set goes. I used to look at the nativity set and try and place the figures in the right spot. I can remember just looking at it and the baby Jesus. I would think to myself how awesome this was. This person grew up, was crucified and died on the cross to take away the sins of the world for you and for me.
  One of my other favorite places was going to the church and looking at the nativity set in the church itself. The statues were a lot bigger that my mothers. I think what made it special is that it was very quiet in the church and you could just feel the presence of Jesus. The other things about this special time of year was going to mass and listening to the sermons on Christmas.  For some reason I just felt like I was close to being home.
  Thank You for reading and Have A Merry Christmas. God Bless.

What Are The Prophecies That Jesus Fulfilled

  There are many prophecies in the Bible that Jesus had fulfilled. According to the video below there are over 300 different prophecies. Bible prophecy has always been a very interesting subject to me. I was always fascinated by reading something in Scripture that gave hints as to the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ. I know that some people in other faiths do not see these things and therefore have different beliefs. Well I believe that God gave us a free will to make certain choices. So I believe that we should understand and respect their choices.  There seems to be a lack of respect for people and what they believe. I think we owe it to God to respect all our brothers and sisters. With that respect comes love for one another and I believe that is what Jesus wants.



                           
                                   
              Proof of God - 300 Prophecies that Jesus Fulfilled from the Bible by Stoyan Ivanov

  There are many different prophecies in the old testament about the coming of the Lord. Many people were looking for a great king to come. That I believe is why the Jewish people and others did not recognize Jesus as the one who was to come. He was not exactly what they were looking for. Hopefully many will see the videos and read in scripture for themselves and discover the entire truth. Unfortunately many people are not provided the entire truth or message. It is not necessarily that they have been deceived, but just never had the whole picture. That is why I loved it when I heard various people on EWTN explain that the Catholic Church is the fullness of the faith. In other words other faiths just don't have the whole picture. I do believe that one day we will all have the whole picture and all eyes will be opened.
 


           


  Today we see many different prophecies being fulfilled before are very eyes. Sometimes I don't think we all see it. Alot depends on who you are listening to. There are many Protestants, Catholics and Evangelical preachers that are trying to spread the news on what is going on with prophecy in the world. Sometimes I do feel that we may be too quick to say something and make mistakes about a subject and what it has to do with prophecy. I think we should do just as Jesus told us to do. Here is a link to some interesting reading from EWTN https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/endtimes.htm .

           
                         Several Catholic End Time Prophecies by Dana Horochowski

   There are so many different views on Prophecy and what it going on in the world I am not sure who to believe. There are people saying the rapture could happen any day and others say we will go through Armageddon and then the rapture will happen. Here is a link to various bible verses on the end times http://www.openbible.info/topics/signs_of_the_end_times . Here is yet another website with what Jesus said on the Mount Of Olives in various bibles http://biblehub.com/matthew/24-3.htm .

         

        Matthew 24: The Day and Hour Unknown 

36“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,f but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


        Basically we should always keep watch as Jesus said.

  Thank You for Reading and God Bless. Have A Happy Thanksgiving.

Proof That There Is A Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

  Ever since I can remember growing up in the Catholic Church I was taught about the Trinity. Yes the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I have heard many people say oh there isn't any Trinity. Well I believe they are wrong in not believing in the Trinity. I believe the proof is in the Old Testament and the New Testament. All we have to do is do some reading and it becomes very clear.
  In Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 26 we read,  Then God said, "Let US make man in OUR image, according to Our likeness" .  What we see is that God is using Plural Pronouns with the Us and Our. So why would he use plural pronouns if there wasn't more than one person. We see all through Genesis verses about God and the Spirit Hovering over the waters for example. Then God talks about the light of the world and we see in other scripture where Jesus is referred to as the light of the world. There are many other verses that give proof of the Trinity throughout the Old Testament. Here is a link to some excellent reading http://evidencetobelieve.net/the-holy-trinity-in-scripture/ .
  One of my favorites is when John the Baptist is baptizing people and Jesus comes to him to be Baptized. We see Jesus and hear God say this is my son in whom I am well pleased and John also sees the heavens part as the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove comes down upon Jesus. Right there we see the three persons of the Trinity. Here is a link to some interesting proof from the Old Testament about the Trinity http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/apologetics/a111.htm . Also here is some interesting information from the Catholic Encyclopedia http://www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=5222 . My advise about any subject is to read what was written by the particular religion so you get their proper view and not something that is not correct due to someones incorrect interpretation .
  
Here is a small paragraph below the video with some very interesting reading about the Catholic Church. I would check out the website at this link to read for yourself http://www.olrl.org/apologetics/cathansr.shtml .

                            




"Why do Catholics believe that God is three Persons, called the Holy Trinity? How can God be three Persons and still be one God?
  Catholics believe there is one God consisting of three distinct and equal divine Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – because on numerous occasions God has described Himself thus. The Old Testament gives intimations that there are more than one Person in God. In Genesis 1:26, God says, "Let us make man to our image and likeness." In Isaiah 9:6-7, God the Father revealed the imminent coming into the world of God the Son. In Psalms 2:7, we read, "The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee." And in the New Testament, God reveals this doctrine even more clearly. For example, at the baptism of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove, and the voice of God the Father was heard: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matt. 3:16-17). In Matthew 28:19, God the Son commanded the Apostles to baptize "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And in 1 Cor. 12:4-6, the Bible refers to God with three names: Spirit, Lord, and God – corresponding to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three divine Persons in one Godhead may be incomprehensible to the human mind, but that is to be expected. How can man fully comprehend God's infinite make-up when he cannot fully comprehend his own finite make-up? We have to take God's word for it. Also, we can satisfy ourselves as to the feasibility of God's triune make-up by considering various other triune realities. The triangle, for example, is one distinct form with three distinct and equal sides. And the clover leaf is one leaf with three distinct and equal petals. There are many physical trinities on earth, therefore a Spiritual Trinity, who is God in Heaven, is not against human reason – it is simply above human reason."
  So as you can see there are tons of information on the Trinity in the Catholic Church as well as other religions that believe in the Trinity. If you are looking for a website with good information on the Trinity and when it started check out this website link at Catholic Answers http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-trinity . Many people believe that the Trinity was invented by the Catholic Church. Even if it was started by the Catholic Church the proof of the Trinity is shown throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. It very well is a supernatural mystery that we will only be able to fully understand when we enter the Kingdom Of Heaven.
  If you are looking to purchase books on the subject or any subject check out the amazon store below. 
  Thank You for reading and God Bless.

The Third Secret Of Fatima Revealed

  I recently read this and thought I would pass it along for whoever decides to read it.

Lucia reveals the 3rd secret of Fatima?

" For those who are not Catholic, there is a tradition that the Virgin Mary appeared to 3 children and made 3 predictions in 1917. From what I understand, one was the next world war, and then the rise and fall of communism in Russia. The third prediction, up until now, had not been revealed, since it was to cause world wide panic. From an email I received, this last prediction is now revealed.

Whatever you believe, and decide, Catholic, or Protestant, is up to you. I am just posting it to share the contents. I cannot validate that all this really is the 3^rd prediction, unless it is confirmed by the Vatican in some way, or Lucia makes a public statement.

I put some references at the end of the post, in case people want to research it further. I could not find any official statement about a date for 2010, which is mentioned here. What is consistent is that a great falling away in the church will occur, and sin will prevail in the world, which is already obvious.

Bible Prophecy From A Catholic Stand Point

                
                                      Kenneth Copeland Recants And Returns To Catholicism!
                                                                    by husky394xp

  Most people in the Catholic Church don't either know much about Bible Prophecy or just don't talk about it. It seems like every time I search around the internet I read something about bible prophecy. It seems to be coming from all different religions. It also seems like everyone has a different view on when the rapture will happen. As for me I am not sure what to think about everything that is happening in the world. I see good and bad points from all different sides. It just seems as though the main subject is unfortunately hate.
  The only thing I see is we need to learn to respect each other no matter what we believe. I think what we really need is to have classes in schools on all religions and cultures where the main point is to respect the person for what they believe. We are all living in this world and if we do not get our ducks in a row the world will most likely collapse. That unfortunately seems to be the path we are on at the present time.
  Okay back to bible prophecy. I am no professional my self on this subject. I would look for Books On Bible Prophecy , but be aware of where it come from. When I spent some time in the assembly of God churches I remember watching Jack Van impe and Hal Lindsey all the time. It was always very interesting to listen to what they were saying. When I left the Assembly Of God church and finally went back to the Catholic Church I stopped watching all the bible prophecy shows on the TBN Network. I was watching more of EWTN on a regular basis. I guess as far as the rapture of the church goes I will be happy with whenever it happens.
  My advise is for people of all religions to read books written by the particular author in that religion so you do not get a corrupted view on the particular religion. No one should be bad mouthing or saying anything disrespectful about what one reads or believes. I do not believe we should be judging each other as it should be God doing the judging. As we have seen in the old testament he will take care of things for example Sodom and Gomorrah or with Moses and the Egyptians. When we start trying to take control we take it away from God and that always seems to displease God and that makes Satan happy. That definitely is not a good thing.
  My advise is really to look for books on Catholic Bible Prophecy Or Catholic Prophecies through Amazon, Ebay or one of the book stores such as Barnes and Noble. There are also plenty of videos on youtube about Catholic Bible prophecy and all other religions and prophecy in the End Times . The internet is full of every ones thoughts and impressions on the subject.  

All Saints Day and All Souls Day

  November 1st was All Saints Day here in the west in the Roman Catholic Church. On this day all Catholic Honor all the Saints that are known as well as all the Saints that are unknown. No we do not worship them as some may think. In Catholic theology the day commemorates all those that have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. These people would have gone through Purgatory and were cleansed of all their sins. They would have been cleansed of all their venial sins as well as all their mortal sins. This is because no sin can enter Heaven, therefore it is cleansed before hand. Here are some excellent links to more information on All Saints Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints'_Day ,  http://www.ewtn.com/saintsholy/saints/A/allsaintsday.asp .
 Here is video with music for All Saints Day. The best advise I can give is to read Books Written By Catholics on All Saints Day as well as for all subjects.

                                

   So today on November 2nd we are celebrating All Souls Day. All Souls Day is a day of prayer for the dead. It is also known as the commemoration of all the faithful departed. The prayer for the dead is documented in the Jewish Religion as well as in Early Christianity. On All Souls Day we are praying for those that have passed on, but may not have gone through purgatory or are in purgatory being cleansed of all their sins being venial or mortal. Here is a link to the Catholic Encyclopedia on All Souls Day http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01315b.htm . Here is another excellent link on information about All Souls Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls%27_Day .

    

                                     
                                                                     A Homily on Purgatory
                                                                     by tradcatholics

  Once again I would suggest to read Books Written By Catholics on All Saints Day and All Souls Day as well as all subjects. If you read something written by an author outside to the Catholic Church you will get an incorrect meaning of why Catholics celebrate various feast days and why. Here is an excellent video below with beautiful music just follow this link http://youtu.be/oNlgG_-wjpM.
  Thank You for Reading and watching the videos.

Are We Really Practicing Jesus's Command To Love One Another

  Seems to me there is an awful lot of hate going around these days. We definitely don't seem to be loving one another as Jesus instructed us to. It seems like everywhere I look someone is saying something bad about someone else just because they may have a different belief. Instead of making some kind of a rude comment we should learn to respect each others beliefs and learn to live together. We are all in this big wide world together.  I always remember what Jesus said in John Chapter 13 Verse 34, 34 I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you. Again we see it in John Chapter 15 verse 12, This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. Here is an excellent website about love http://www.catholicbible101.com/whatislove.htm . Here is another link about bible verses about love http://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/love-bible-verses/ . There are plenty of other websites from all religions about loving one another. I believe that is Gods main message throughout time that we learn to love one another.
  I have heard in the news lately about all the bullying that is going on. The saddest part is that it seems to end with one person having way too much stress and then it ends in the horrible death of both parties as well as innocent bystanders. This bullying problem has gotten way out of hand as of late. There were various shows on television where people were speaking out and speaking to children to try and stop the bullying problem. This of course is not a new problem ,it just seems to be getting worse. We seem to be living in a society where we have lost the love and respect for one another. We have taken God out of so many things we no longer have the moral fiber to see what is right and what is wrong. I do believe that Satan has his hand in all of this, but that is my feeling.
  The other night my mother called me and asked what my sons best friends name is. She began to tell me that his father and him were on the local news talking about how his son was bullied all through his four years in high school. Now he has so many problems from it he is seeing a psychiatrist and is under medical care. Even when the father spoke to the school district nothing was done. We will keep praying to him to get the help he needs to help deal with these horrible problems. When I heard this it made me think of how I was bullied when I was younger. Yes I was bullied when I was in grade school and most of high school.
  My bullying did get to a point where I decided to stand up to the person and ask him why are you doing this. Well it all had to do with the fact that we did not live in a big fancy house and we did not have a lot of money. Fortunately for me I apparently must have been listening all those years when I was in Catholic School growing up. I just basically turned the other cheek and walked away. I realized I had better things to do with my time. I did notice that as time went on these people grew up and stopped what they were doing. Maybe my prayers for them did help in some way even though they may not have realized it.
  I do believe that we should be reaching out to one another and giving what support we can. I feel that we need to bring God back into our lives and look at the things that we have in common with each other. It is time to stop judging one another and time to put out our hand and help on another. We need to keep our eyes open and pay attention on what is going on around us whether it is in school, work or wherever we may be. If we show the Love that Jesus taught us we may see a difference to others around us.
  My best advise is to read the scripture whether it is in the old testament, new testament or what ever we are reading. The message of love is always there and has been since the beginning. That brings me to another point that I have always realized. Everyone is always looking at how different we are. What we do not seem to realize is that that we are all related. I always look at it because we all started with Adam and Eve in the garden. That means that we actually are all related. It is just through time that many people went different ways, but we are all brothers and sisters when it comes down to it.
  We are all children of God and all have the same Heavenly Father.
  Thank You for reading and God Bless.    

Opening Your Bible And Some Scripture Stands Out

  Have you ever just opened your Bible to do your daily reading and the first scripture you see stands right out and catches your eye. It also just seems to be relevant with something that is going on in the world today. It can be anything in the world new or in the catholic news. As you read it you begin to make some correlation with current events especially in the catholic news or again the world news. I know that has happened to me on more than one occasion. I always wonder is this the Holy Spirit trying to tell me something. Sometimes when this happens I go to work and think of some way I can work it into the conversation. It is hard sometimes when people do not necessarily believe in similar things. Generally they are younger and seem to be living in the world and not for God. Although it could be that they are just younger and not thinking of spiritual things. The best thing I can do is pray for them and pray that one of these days their eyes will be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ and all the awesome things that are out there. I do have to remember that I was young once and was in the same place they are.
  Okay back to the topic at hand. I was thinking about all the different terrible things that are going on in the world today. For example all the sad things going on in Iraq and other Middle East Countries. I was also thinking about all the terrible diseases that are plaguing many different countries around the world. Especially the problem with Ebola that has now entered our country. I am a Ham Radio Operator and have been seeing all the problems with Earthquakes that are happening all over the world. Some major ones in the United States as well as some in Japan that have caused innocent people to lose their lives. All we ever seem to hear about are Wars and Rumors of Wars theses days.
  So when I opened my Bible with no particular place in mind I opened it to Isaiah Chapter 29 Verse 17. The word at the top was Redemption and it was bold so it stood out. Of course there are other words that are bold, but this caught my eye first. As I read through the scripture it just seemed as this was very relevant with the problems we are seeing today. After reading that scripture I read over the chapters surrounding it and they all seemed to be relevant with our troubled world. All I could think of was yes we are truly in the Last Days. So is Jesus coming soon everyone seems to ask. Well as for me I do not know, I just think it's very close. The only one who knows is the Father, not the Son, Angels, Saints or anyone. All I can do is keep praying, Loving Jesus and keep my eyes open as well as praying for others in the world. My advise is to buy some Catholic Books and do some learning about Catholic Bible Prophecy.
  I thought I would just share the scripture from my Catholic Bible that caught my eye so you can read it below.
    

What Does It Mean To Be A Catholic Revert

  When I first heard the term Catholic Revert I did not know exactly what that was. Well after listening to the Journey Home on EWTN I realized I am a Catholic revert. A revert is basically a person that was brought up in the Catholic Church, left for some reason and then came back to the Catholic Church. Yes that is basically what I did. I never decided that I did not like the Catholic Church. I basically was about 18 years old and acted like a child. I was being busy with going to work and to college. I think I just was not making the time I should have to go to Mass.
  When I was in my early twenties I met my wife while going to college. I proposed to her and we were married in 1984 in the pentecostal church. She was going to a pentecostal church at the time. I went with her to see what this church was like, never knowing anything about the pentecostal church. It was not a bad experience by any means. The people were very nice and the preaching was very interesting. We spent a few years there and I became closer to Jesus and read the bible more often. There did come a point when I realized I was judging everyone and everything. I made a choice when I judged my own mother. I stepped back and reviewed my life, what I believed in before and what my mother believed in about Jesus. I knew what I was doing was wrong in my Heart and Soul. We left the pentecostal church and started looking for a different church.
  Well my journey or I should say our journey took us to a variety of different churches. We went to Baptist Churches, Methodist Churches and quite a few others. We ended up lastly going to a Lutheran Church. We found that we felt comfortable there and loved the Parish, Pastor and all the people. It felt really nice, because it seemed to have similarities with the Catholic Church and the Methodist Church. We spent quite a few years there and all our three children were born, baptized and went to Sunday School there. There did come a time when the Pastor was speaking about the Eucharist and something was wrong when he said it was just a symbol.

                             



   Well I did a lot of searching to find out about the Eucharist. I was collecting various books written by Catholics as well as other religious authors. I read a book called 30 years with Christ and what the person said about so many different churches saying the Holy Spirit said this about some subject and something else about the same subject. I figured someone has to be right and others are wrong. If the Holy Spirit was telling different churches different things about the same subject I new something was wrong. We all know the Holy Spirit does not lie and we all know the Holy Spirit can not be confused, because it only says what God tells the Holy Spirit to say.
  One night I was questing what to do and did not know which way to go. I sat down and just started praying. I asked God to direct me in the right path. I turned on the cable TV and happened to watch the EWTN Catholic channel. The program that was on was called the Journey Home with Marcus Grodi. The topic on the show that night was about a person coming back to the Catholic Church, because of their belief in the Eucharist. Yes it was almost exactly what I was questioning and going through. I decided to study religion through history to see who was doing what and where did it lead me. I ended up coming back to the Catholic Church. I learned about the Early Church Fathers. I found that some were directly associated the Apostles. I knew that they would be doing what Jesus taught them.
  Well I realized that the only church doing what Jesus taught was the Catholic Church. At that point I came to a realization that I knew what I was supposed to do. I believe in my Heart and Soul that God was showing me the direction I had to go. I decided that I had to go back to the Catholic Church. Yes I became a revert and have never left the Catholic Church again. My wife decided to become Catholic and all my children became Catholic. If anyone is looking for books on this type of subject I would read books by Marcus Grodi, Jeff Cavins and Scott Hahn. Just make sure what you read is written by Catholics. Yes I guess you could say that I made the Journey Home. I do have an earlier post on this subject, but I never get tired of telling it. I hope and pray that other people will find the way home also.
  Thank You for reading and God Bless.

We Must Pray The Rosary

 The video below may help on Praying the Rosary and how to Pray the Rosary.

  
         Praying the Rosary (Walsingham 2010).mpg
                              by Fr. Simon Rundell

It's Time For All Of Us In This Troubled World To Pray For Peace

  If you have been watching the news lately you can absolutely tell we are in the last days. I do believe that the time is getting closer for the return of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Of course I can not say exactly when because no one knows the time or the hour only God The Father. So I believe we should all be praying for peace in the world.

       
               03 Prayer of S Francis from Francis of Assisi (1961)
                                            by Fr. Simon Rundell
   If you are interested in Catholic Prophecy I would listen to this video of Fatima 2014 secret restored http://youtu.be/i5Fy5K820qo . Here is another interesting video on the story of Fatima below.

     
                             Our Lady of Fatima May 13, 1917
                                       by TradCat Faith & Morals

  Thank You for reading God Bless and Pray For World Peace.

I Do Love Having Some Catholic Statues At Home

  I have noticed in various Catholic Churches that you do not see any Catholic Statues of Jesus, Mary and other Saints in and around the Church. When I was younger I always remember the different statues in the church. There were statues of Jesus and statues of Mary. There were some statues of various Saints such as Saint Anthony as well as others. I remember going to my Grandparents house and they always had a statue of Jesus and Mary in the house. I have tried to carry the same thing in my house. I have a statue of Mary and other small statues of Jesus. I have a small collection of them in my Computer Ham Shack. In my bedroom we have a large wooden crucifix as well as some illustrations of Jesus. The wooden crucifix hung in my Mothers house in her bedroom for as long as I remember. She gave that to me and I will pass it on to my son some day.
  Some people in other religions tend to say that we pray to the statue. This is because they may see us kneeling before a Statue Of A Saint for example. They also will say that we worship the statue. Well the fact is that neither of these are true. We do not worship or pray to the statue. I believe that this is a misunderstanding due to what someone perceives when they see someone kneeling in prayer before the statue. For us Catholics the statue is merely a remembrance of who the person is. When in prayer we may ask the person to pray for us. We are not praying to the statue as some think. As it says in the bible all are alive in Christ, so there is no need to pray to a statue. You can actually pray and that person knows and will pray for you.
  There are some statues I remember more than others. One of them hung high above the altar in Saint Thomas The Apostle Church in Irondequoit New York where I grew up. It was a large Gold Crucifix with God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit together. It represented the Holy Trinity and I never will forget it. Another Statue I will never forget was the Statue Of Mary Our Blessed Mother. It was out in the courtyard outside of the church. Every May Day there would be all kinds of beautiful flowers around it. All the classes would gather together and we would sing various hymns. There are other statues that I have seen in different neighbors yards. They ranged from Jesus, Mary and usually Saint Francis. Maybe one of these days I will have a statue like that in my yard with beautiful flowers around it.
  Well those are just some of the Catholic Statues I remember growing up as a child. They have stuck with me all these years. I would like to see other people enjoy the beautiful statues whether they are in your house or out in your yard. They may even have a bird bath with them so the birds can get a drink or maybe a squirrel.
  I hope you enjoyed reading and God Bless.