Carnival!

A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars is our hostess this week. (The hostess with the mostest!) Check out the Catholic Carnival at her blog, and be sure to check out the following posts

• Do you give thanks for everything in life, good and bad? It's hard to remember to thank God for the things that happen to us that we see as a burden, but Sarah's post on thankfulness for car troubles (which gave me a mental image that brought tears to my eyes) puts it in perspective for us. The post is not very long, but it is really lovely.



• "Brothers and sisters: You have not approached that which could be touched and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness and storm and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words such that those who heard begged that no message be further addressed to them. No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel." I saw a reference to the Mass in the second reading this past Sunday, but Kevin at Heart, Mind & Strength has a post that ties in Evangilum Vitae with that same reading.



• I remember seeing an Evangelical preacher once who talked about the moment he realized that Christ died for him. His pastor read John 3:16 this way to him: "For God so loved David that He sent His only begotten Son..." It was a very powerful way to have that verse presented, and I've never forgotten it. In this post, Brother Joseph does something beautiful with Psalm 139 that makes it read even more like a love poem than usual: he inserts his own name - and encourages us to do the same.



• Sunday's readings seemed to have quite the effect on people. For me, I really did see a big reference to the difference in our worship today (the Mass) and the worship of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. Above, I referenced Kevin's post, which showed the connection he saw between the readings and Evangilum Vitae, and now I'll reference Barb's post that summarizes her pastor's homily. Is the party you're throwing about gaining the approval of someone, or gaining the approval of Someone?

Of course, there are even more posts than this, which is why I'm telling you to get over to Ebeth's blog and see it all. (She's got some very lovely pictures, as well.)