Lenten surprises

Raymond Arroyo of EWTN fame, has been working on producing the new Truth and Life Dramatic Bible audio. For Lent, he's giving away Mark!  Well, the book of Mark.  Take a listen - and a free download!

http://www.raymondarroyo.com/mark.html

Last year, the Belmont Abbey College released a booklet and CD of the Stations of the Cross.  They were so good that EWTN chose them to use on their station.

Belmont Abbey has them available again this year.  With the code "INSIDE CATHOLIC" (all caps, no quotes) you can set the set for $1 plus shipping.

http://www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/stations/insidecatholic.aspx

Another + for Catholic Schools

It's always fun to find something good about Catholic schools in the mainline media.  The headline on foxnews.com today said "Catholic High Schools Outperforming Public."

A 2009 comparison between public and Catholic school SAT scores show that public school students had an overall average of 496 points on the critical reading portion of the test while Catholic school students scored 533 points on the same portion. Catholic school students outscored their public school counterparts by an average of 23 points.

What makes the numbers more impressive is that Catholic high schools spend more than $2,000 less per pupil than public schools.

Unfortunately, a lot of areas in our diocese don't have a Catholic high school available.  But, I am glad I could send my kids to Catholic school for grades K-5.  Support our Catholic schools when you can. Having the boys at Poky Catholic was like being with family.

What does matter?

I was visiting with a friend about all the activities going on, such as 40 Days for Life, pro-life day at the capitol, pregnancy crisis center fund raisers and the list goes on.

These are important things.  But something feels like its missing.  DO NOT get me wrong.  These are organizations that matter and change lives of many.

While we were visiting, my friend replied to me that good deeds won't get you to heaven.  Only holiness will.

I've been thinking about that for a while now.  What does matter?  There are some awful nice people who don't believe in God.  Yet, some pious people seem to have good works follow everywhere they go.  Some don't.  There are some people who live for more events to go to.

But where does God fit in?  Is He lost in the shuffle?  Are we so busy looking for good deeds to do that we lose sight of God?

So, what should be the priority?  What does God care about?  Fr. R. had some materials on my desk last week, they were from In the Arms of Mary.  I decided to check out their website, here's their quote for the day:
What Matters To God
"You, and not what you do for God, are all that matters to Him." (from the book, The Two Pillars, pg. 36, which apparently needs to go on my reading list.)

As we prepare for Lent, remember that YOU are what matters to God.  Start planning now to make that your priority.  Plan on experiencing his love like never before.

Catholic Bibles - what to pick?

Check out http://catholicbibles.blogspot.com/  I love this website when I'm in a mood for looking at Bibles.

They've got a contest on - check it out!
http://catholicbibles.blogspot.com/2011/02/blizzard-contest.html

I was thinking about buying the thin line NRSV that came out in 2009, but still haven't decided if I need a portable Bible or an ipad or just a good version of any size that fits me.

Which reminds me...  I need to find a good easy-to-read large print Catholic Bible for a friend. Got any ideas?

A cheerleader-less Superbowl? G-L-A-D or S-A-D?

The Steelers and the Packers are among the few NFL teams that do not have a cheer squad.  If you need a nearly-bikini-clad woman to get someone interested in a football game, there's a problem somewhere.  You can see the whole article here.

Having been devoted to dance routines and back flips for so many years herself, Jamie Beckman said she’ll feel a pang of sadness that cheerleaders won’t be there as the Steelers take on the Packers. She does add however that she feels the cheerleaders associated with men’s sports have developed a “certain creepy, sexist feeling” given that the focus is often on young women donning bright stage makeup and midriff-baring tops, while projecting rah-rahs for the men, which potentially sets a dangerous example to young, impressionable girls. 

“Little girls should grow up with the drive and ability to pursue their passions, whether through sports or through something like dance, and if all they see the women on TV doing is wearing lipstick and waving pom-poms, then there's a problem,” Beckman added. “Will I personally miss the cheerleaders? I might — as a former cheerleader, I still love to watch the routines, and I still like catching the cheerleading competitions on ESPN. But I have to say, as I grew older and left my cheer career behind, I realized that during NFL games, when the cameraman shoots a blond cheerleader right before the station goes to commercial, it ain't because he's trying to capture her athleticism.”