Happy New Year to All - 2011 One Year Bible Challenge

Well everyone, 2010 is over and 2011 has arrived. Here is a new year that God has given us - a new year where we can spend more time with Him. I read the Bible last year and I plan on rereading it again this year. As I did in 2010, I will read the Bible all the way through from Genesis to Revelation. http://www.catholicdoors.com/bible/1year.htm I highly recommend reading the whole Bible. You do not have to follow my plan. Here is the link to a list of alternative plans: http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Reading-Bible.htm. There are many plans that can be found either online or at a Christian bookstore. Choose one and follow it.

Some of us are used to hearing readings only from the lectionary, and although this is wonderful, a passage of the Bible can only be fully understood contextually. Come, join with me in reading the Bible. I promise you that it will be worth your time. The Bible never gets old; it is always relevant to our lives and continues to speak to us. I will try to reflect once a week on what I have read in the Scriptures.

I pray that you all may have a safe, joy-filled New Year. May God Bless You All!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! May there always be room for Christ in our homes. The most powerful person was not Caesar Augustus, Herod, or Pontius Pilate, but a little baby born in a manger. The Christmas spirit does not have to leave the world after Christmas but should radiate from us all year long. Here is a poem which you all will find very familiar. In the Bleak Midwinter was a poem first, written by Christina Rossetti.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed

The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,

Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;

Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,

The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Choices: Are We Willing to Accept the Consequences?

What is a choice? What does it mean for me to have a choice? God gives us all free will; in all that we do we choose to say "yes" or "no" to God, but the choices we make have long-lasting, sometimes even everlasting consequences. This may be hard for us to accept because we are not always willing to take responsibility for the choices that we make.


Eve had a choice. There was the forbidden tree in the middle of the garden, and Eve was physically capable of eating the fruit. However, in choosing to eat the fruit, she not only condemned herself but all of her offspring as well. God does not force Himself on anybody, but the choices that we make do matter and do affect those around us. Women are always talking about choice. As a woman, I am told by my society that what I do with my body, with my life, is a choice. And although I am physically capable of doing whatever I want, it is absolutely necessary for me to realize that in every choice that I make, I am saying either "yes" or "no" to God and His Will. Whatever decision I make, I must be willing to take the consequences for that decision, that choice. (Men, of course, make choices as well, and they must also think of God in all that they do).

Mary had a choice. The angel Gabriel came to her and announced that she would miraculously conceive and give birth to the Son of God. As a single woman, she was in a dangerous situation. She could have been killed. However, because she chose to say "yes" to God, Jesus came into the world and saved humanity. From Eve, original sin was born, but from Mary, peace, love, forgiveness, and eternal life was born.

"Everything is lawful for me," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is lawful for me," but I will not let myself be dominated by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12).

We are daily given the choice to say "yes" or "no" to God. Do we always realize the far-reaching impact that our choices have on ourselves and on the world? Do we always realize that we are in fact saying "yes" or "no" to God? During this Advent Season, let’s start to think about this. It may dramatically change the way we live our lives.