Divine Mercy Sunday.

I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy. (Diary 1109)

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It doesn't matter if your parish holds special devotions for the feast day or not, nor does it matter if your parish priest is into the devotion or not. Either way, the feast has been established for the Second Sunday of Easter, which began Saturday evening with vespers and the vigil Mass. In establishing the feast, the Church has decreed that a plenary indulgence can be received under the usual conditions; confession, communion, prayers for the Holy Father: Pater, Ave, Creed, and detachment from sin, etc. Click here for details.

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In the revelations to St. Faustina, our Lord said this:

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On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will I contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy. (Diary 699) - Source

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It is generally understood that the confession of sin may take place any time during Lent, or as in the requirements for gaining a plenary indulgence, 8 days before or after the feast. Many people make a big deal about such "toties quoties" indulgences claiming that one has to be completely free of the least attachment to even venial sin in order to gain the indulgence or pardon. Good enough - but if that is the case, then you are probably already dead - so don't get too scrupulous over it. Trust in the Divine Mercy and never place limits upon God.

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In other words - do not let anything stop you from running to the Divine Mercy with confidence and love. Our Lord himself established the feast to attract the greatest sinners, and even the not so great - the lukewarm, the fallen away, the sanctimonious, the cino, the poor, the rich. Trust is the key. One does not have to be perfect - far from it.

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"The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy." - Source

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Image: Icon by George Bogdanopoulos 1986.

The Pope of Divine Mercy

Jesus, I trust in you!

I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.  …  Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will. - Christ to St. Faustina.
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Terry of Idle Speculations posted the photo I am using here in an entry informing us that the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy will be included in the Liturgy for the Mass of Beatification of Pope John Paul II.
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I'm so happy for this - if I understand correctly, the Chaplet will be recited at some point within the Mass?  The Divine Chaplet is the one prayer Our Lord especially urged to be propagated throughout the world, and prayed every day during the Novena, which concludes today.  In fact he asked St. Faustina to pray it unceasingly.  He promised that if the most wretched sinner, the most fallen, hard hearted, repeat offender recited this Chaplet even once, that soul would not fail to receive His grace.  I can tell you from experience this is absolutely true.  The Divine Chaplet proves 'there is no pit so deep that his love and mercy is not deeper still.' (Betsy Ten Boom)
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Another reason I rejoice that the Chaplet may be enclosed within the Liturgy for the Beatification is because I've come to understand it as a liturgical prayer - that is, a prayer based upon the source and summit of the Liturgy, the Eucharist.  I experience it as a prayer that is able to unite one deeply to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  I believe the prayers of the Chaplet express what the priest does at Mass:  At Mass, the priest offers the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Father in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.  Holy Mass is the memorial of His sorrowful passion, in season and out of season as it were - that is in Lent and Eastertide, Advent and Christmastide, after Pentecost and Ordinary time. 
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It seems to me that the Chaplet is a form of prayer deeply uniting the soul to the liturgy - a sort of spiritual  active participation in the prayer of the Church outside the celebration of the Mass or the Liturgy of the Hours.  The Chaplet is a means that unites us to every Mass offered throughout the world, to the silent, loving action of Our Lord in the Eucharist - in other words, to the unceasing prayer of Christ before the Eternal Father.  I'm convinced it can unite us so deeply to Christ that it can become a form of spiritual communion - a means of union with God.
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(These thoughts are simply my private opinion of course, to my knowledge neither the Diary of St. Faustina, nor the Church have ever expressed the devotion of the Chaplet in this way.  The promises of Christ attached to the Chaplet are sufficient to convince any one to pray the Chaplet with devotion.)
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From John Paul II:  (H/T Idle Speculations)
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"The Message of Divine Mercy has always been near and dear to me. It is as if history had inscribed it in the tragic experience of the Second World War. In those difficult years it was a particular support and an inexhaustible source of hope, not only for the people of Krakow but for the entire nation.

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This was also my personal experience, which I took with me to the See of Peter and which in a sense forms the image of this Pontificate.
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I give thanks to Divine Providence that I have been enabled to contribute personally to the fulfilment of Christ's will, through the institution of the Feast of Divine Mercy. Here, near the relics of Blessed Faustina Kowalska, I give thanks also for the gift of her beatification. I pray unceasingly that God will have "mercy on us and the whole world" (Chaplet)." - Shrine of Divine Mercy, Krakow, 7 June 1997
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Our Lord's Promises Attached to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy:

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“The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My Mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (Diary 754)
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“When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their hearts with peace and the hour of their death will be a happy one.” (Diary 1541)
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“No soul that has called upon My mercy has been brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul that placed its trust in My goodness.” (Diary 1541)
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“When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as a just judge but as a Merciful Savior.” (Diary 1541)
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“Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death.” (Diary 687)
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“Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy.” (Diary 687) - Source
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The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. They are currently members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The club began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League, and spent its first season in Los Angeles, California before moving to San Diego in 1961. The Chargers play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium. Ever since the Rams and the Raiders left Los Angeles in 1994, the Chargers are currently the only professional football team based in Southern California.

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The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL), and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL.

As of 2010, the Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championships (11) of any NHL franchise based in the United States, and are third overall in total NHL championships, behind the Montreal Canadiens (24) and Toronto Maple Leafs (13). They currently play home games in the 20,066 capacity Joe Louis Arena after having spent over 40 years playing in Olympia Stadium.

Between the 1933–34 and 1965–66 seasons, the Red Wings missed the playoffs only four times. More recently, the Red Wings have made the playoffs in 25 of the last 27 seasons, including the last 20 in a row (1991–2011). This is the longest current streak of post-season appearances in all of North American professional sports.

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In architecture, the facade of a building is often the most important from a design standpoint, as it sets the tone for the rest of the building. Many facades are historic, and local zoning regulations or other laws greatly restrict or even forbid their alteration.

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Rosie Alice Huntington-Whiteley (born 18 April 1987) is a British model best known for modelling for Victoria's Secret and for replacing Megan Fox as the lead female character in the upcoming Transformers: Dark of the Moon, part of the Transformers franchise.

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The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins play home games at Sun Life Stadium in the northern suburb of Miami Gardens, and have their headquarters at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility in Davie, Florida.

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Angus Turner Jones (born October 8, 1993) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jake Harper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men (2003–present).

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The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, joined the NFL in 1976 as expansion teams. Seattle is the only team to have played in both the AFC (American Football Conference) and NFC Championship Games. The Seahawks' first and only Super Bowl appearance was in 2006 for Super Bowl XL. In 2010, they became the first ever NFL team to win a division title or a playoff berth in a complete season with a record below .500 (7-9). Six days after clinching their division, they also became the first NFL team to win a playoff game with a 7-9 record, as they defeated the defending champion New Orleans Saints 41-36.

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The Dallas Cowboys are an American football team that plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The team plays its home games at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth which finished construction in time for the 2009 season. The Cowboys joined the NFL as a 1960 expansion team. The team's national following might best be represented by its NFL record of consecutive home sell-outs. The Cowboys' streak of 160 sold-out regular and post-season games began in 1990, and included 79 straight sellouts at their former home, Texas Stadium, and 81 straight sell-outs on the road. The franchise shares the record for most Super Bowl appearances (8) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, corresponding to most NFC championships (8). The Cowboys are the only NFL team to record 20 consecutive winning seasons (1966–1985), in which they only missed the playoffs twice (1974 and 1984), an NFL record that remains unbroken and unchallenged. It remains one of the longest winning streaks in all of professional sports.

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Ryan Mallett (born June 5, 1988), nicknamed "Big Tex", is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League, taken in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Mallett spent his freshman year at the University of Michigan.

Today is the last day of the Divine Mercy Novena...

And tomorrow, the Second Sunday of Easter, is the Feast of Divine Mercy.
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"Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'  I did not come to call the righteous but sinners." - Matthew 9:13

What is most important...

Jesus, I trust in you.

The Divine Mercy.
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It seems to me that the Divine Mercy encompasses all the events of our day: The wars, the storms, the tsunamis, the earthquakes, the Royal Wedding, the Beatification, and so on.  Every event, every joy and sorrow, every person is seen by the Risen Christ.  It occurred to me this morning while praying the chaplet that the prayers of the novena are intended to reveal that - or better said, meant to reveal the presence of Christ to each and every group of souls in the family of mankind.  And within the varied categories of humanity, no matter ones status, state in life, ethnicity, religious affiliation, non-believer, souls in purgatory, what have you - the Lord seeks to reveal himself and his merciful love to each and every individual.  Thus he asks us to participate in and through the prayers of the novena, exercising ourselves in mercy and love by our prayer for one another, specifically, one by one, day by day - a group of souls and every particular soul within that group.  It is an unimaginable grace to be justified by the Divine Mercy.
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Let us remember those who continue to suffer from natural disaster and war and ethnic conflicts.  I received an email from a friend asking for prayers especially for the children, victims of the recent tornadoes:
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"It is with a heavy heart that I write you this morning asking for prayers for the children affected by tornadoes yesterday.  Children's Hospital is full and many of the critically injured children are just known only as "Disaster patient ####"  due to no known identity.  There is no telling how many more children will be coming today as the clean up process begins across our area." 
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Art: The Descent into Hell, TINTORETTO

The Royal Wedding

Yes.  I actually got up to watch it on television.
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I was very impressed.  It wasn't at all stuffy, rather it was youthful, joyful and inspiring.  Any fears about the state of their souls due to the fact the bride and groom had been 'domestic partners' before sanctifying their union in Holy Matrimony, dissolved for me by the religious commitment of their wedding vows, blessed by their church.  I appreciated very much how the ministers emphasized the true character and meaning of marriage between man and wife.  For once, after so many years of dysfunction, the Royal Family actually looked happy and seemed to be at ease amongst their British subjects.  The whole event emphasized the importance of family, fidelity, and duty, bound together by cords of genuine love.  As such it seem to me a lovely prelude to the beatification of Venerable John Paul II this Sunday.
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(Yes, I felt bad considering how Westminster was once Roman Catholic, but I trust that will be remedied in God's own time.)

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Kate Middleton wedding dress: top designers give their verdicts

Karl Lagerfeld, Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Lacroix and others unite in praise of Kate Middleton's wedding dress, which was designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.

Mercy and Trust, Confidence and Love.

Jesus, I trust in you.

For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. - Psalm 103: 14
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It seems to me that the hallmarks of the Divine Mercy devotion align perfectly with the 'little way' of St. Therese of the Child Jesus...
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Mother Agnes of Jesus on her sister and her heroic virtue of hope:
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"Trust in God had become her special characteristic.  She once told me that she had been struck from childhood by this verse from the Book of Job: 'Even if he were to kill me, I would continue to hope in him.'
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She expected as much from God's justice as she did from his mercy, 'How nice it is to think that God is just!' she said.  'It means he takes our weakness into account and knows full well how frail we are by nature.'  She also said she would prefer to live without consolation, because that way she could give God greater proof of her trust in him."  St. Therese By Those Who Knew Her, testimonies for the process.
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Ven. John Paul II also alludes to the justice of God and his mercy in the encyclical, Dives Misericordia,  discussing the parable of the Prodigal Son: 
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In the parable of the prodigal son, the term "justice" is not used even once; just as in the original text the term "mercy" is not used either. Nevertheless, the relationship between justice and love, that is manifested as mercy, is inscribed with great exactness in the content of the Gospel parable. It becomes more evident that love is transformed into mercy when it is necessary to go beyond the precise norm of justice-precise and often too narrow. - On The Mercy of God, John Paul II

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Lara Logan (born 29 March 1971) is a South African television and radio journalist and war correspondent. She is currently the chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, a correspondent for 60 Minutes and appears in segments for CBS Evening News.

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The San Francisco 49ers (often referred to as the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team plays its home games in San Francisco, California, while the club's headquarters and practice facility are located in nearby Santa Clara. The 49ers began play in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and joined the NFL in 1950 after the AAFC merged into the older league. The team was the first NFL franchise to win five Super Bowls. San Francisco is second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl wins (6) and tied with the Dallas Cowboys with 5 each. Their five league titles (which include the pre-NFL and pre-Super Bowl periods) place them in a four-way tie for fifth behind the Green Bay Packers (13), the Chicago Bears (9), the New York Giants (7), and the Steelers (6). The 49ers are also the only team to win more than one Super Bowl without losing any.

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The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). They play their home games in the suburb of Orchard Park, and since 2008 have played one home game per season in Toronto. The Bills began competitive play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

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Lawrence Francis O'Donnell, Jr. (born November 7, 1951) is an American political analyst, journalist, actor, producer, writer, and host of The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, a weeknight MSNBC opinion and news program that formerly aired at 10 p.m. Eastern, but moved to the 8 p.m. slot, replacing Keith Olbermann's Countdown in late January 2011. He frequently filled in as host of Countdown before getting his own show on the cable network.

O'Donnell has also appeared as a political analyst on The McLaughlin Group, The Al Franken Show, and Countdown. He was an Emmy Award-winning producer and writer for the NBC series The West Wing and creator and executive producer of the NBC series Mister Sterling. He is also an occasional actor, appearing as a recurring supporting character on the HBO series Big Love, portraying an attorney. He began his career as an aide to U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and was Staff Director for the Senate Finance Committee.

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Micheal Gary Scott (born March 15, 1965 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA) is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, is currently the manager (formerly co-manager) of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc. Prior to being co-manager, he was the regional manager of the branch, but on the September 24th, 2009 episode "The Meeting", he was made co-manager with Jim Halpert; however, they returned to their original roles in "The Manager and the Salesman". In the fifth season, Michael Scott briefly left his position to start his own company, The Michael Scott Paper Company. Dunder Mifflin purchased the Michael Scott Paper Company in an episode that aired on April 23, 2009 and as part of the agreement rehired Scott as the regional manager. In the seventh season, Michael decides to move with his new fiancée Holly Flax to Colorado to help her take care of her sick parents, thus preparing to begin a new chapter of his life and end his ties with Dunder Mifflin.

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The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Broncos began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger of 1970. The team has won two Super Bowls and six AFC Championships. They play at INVESCO Field at Mile High, and have four players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Elway, Floyd Little, Gary Zimmerman and Shannon Sharpe.

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Crystal Lynn Bowersox (born August 4, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from Elliston, Ohio who was the runner-up on the ninth season of American Idol. Bowersox's debut album, Farmer's Daughter, was released on December 14, 2010 under Jive Records.

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Cameron "Cam" Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989 in College Park, Georgia) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers. Newton was initially a member of the Florida Gators. He would later transfer to Blinn College, where his team won a national junior college football championship. Newton was then recruited by head coach Gene Chizik of Auburn University and transferred once more. He became just the third player in major college football history to pass for 20 touchdowns and rush for 20 touchdowns in a single season. On December 11, 2010, he was awarded the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding college football player despite a major controversy concerning his eligibility that embroiled the second half of the season.

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Gutierritos Lopez "Julio" Jones (born February 3, 1989) is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He played in college for the Alabama Crimson Tide. During his sophomore season with Alabama in 2009, he helped lead the Tide to an undefeated 14-0 season including a victory in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.

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The Obama Birth Certificate and the Third Secret.

Don't you people get it?  Yet?
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Indeed, the Smoking Gun website has already compiled a list of inconsistencies found in the document, including asking, “If the original document was in a bound volume (as reflected by the curvature of the left hand side of the certificate), how can the green patterned background of the document’s safety paper be so seamless?” - Obama Birth Certificate Raises As Many Questions As It Answers




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To be continued...
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Next installment: "Was that man in the cape at the United Nations the notorious Fr. Z?"  An intriguing investigative post dealing with new queries swirling about the Catholic vortex as to why a middle aged priest, supposedly incardinated to the Rome diocese, yet living the la vida loca, farmer in the dell high life in central Wisconsin, is always caught roaming New York City...  gorging himself on Chinese food and swilling martinis.  I know!  
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What?

Women and the Royal Wedding.

Not necessarily monarchists either.
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We know within the confines of traditionalist enclaves, many men love lace and trains and silk and furs and pretty colors and high heels.  We know that Puffy.  I mention that because most Americans think these tastes pertain only to women and effeminate males - but there is an entire remnant of gentlemen who like the same things as the romance obsessed contemporary lady in waiting for her knight in shinning armor.  I know!
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So I'm just saying, it's not just the girls who are anxiously awaiting THE Royal Wedding tomorrow, but high-church lovers and royalists are too.  But never mind the men - the women are actually the most interesting - especially the brides to be, wanna be, already have been, as well as their mothers in or out of wedlock.  I suggested to one friend she do a post about bridal superstitions, but since she may not be able to compose herself to do so before THE Royal Wedding airs, I thought I'd do it myself.  I have nothing to blog about anyway - especially after reading Larry's altar server's post.  (He's totally nuts I think.  Very sick people online these days, I must say.)
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Anyway - here it goes.
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Did you know white wasn't always worn by brides?  I know!  And that was before pre-marital sex became so popular!  Yet catty women of today act as if it's canon law and for virgins only.  Queen Victoria started the white wedding trend - before that women just wore their nicest dress.  So let them wear - who cares?  (Other cultures may have worn white but they don't count in WASP society.)
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Evidently - according to what I read on Angela's blog, wearing the jewelry of divorced women on your wedding day might be bad luck.  (I think I should take credit for that superstition.)
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Oh!  Oh!  Queen Victoria's wedding cake weighed a whopping 300 pounds - and from the looks of later photos, she must have eaten the whole thing herself.  What?
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I once attended a neighbor's wedding and the bride was so fat the seams burst on her wedding gown during the dollar dance, and her hair was wet from sweating so much.  I'm not sure what that means however, but ever since I've been turned off to weddings.
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More superstitions from other sources:
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The new bride must enter her home by the main door, and must not trip or fall - hence the custom of carrying the bride over the threshold.  (The heavy weight bride I mention above had a very short skinny husband.  Evidently she tripped because they divorced a couple of years later.)
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A Swedish bride puts a silver coin from her father and a gold coin from her mother in each shoe to ensure that she'll never do without.
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In Holland, a pine tree is planted outside the newlyweds' home as a symbol of fertility and luck.
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Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.
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In the symbolic language of jewels, a sapphire in a wedding ring means marital happiness.  (So don't worry about Kate.)
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Snake rings dotted with ruby eyes were popular wedding bands in Victorian England -- the coils winding into a circle symbolized eternity.   (Southern Pentecostals use real snakes.)
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In Denmark, brides and grooms traditionally cross-dressed to confuse evil spirits!  (I think that's being revived these days.)
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The tradition of a wedding cake comes from ancient Rome, where revelers broke a loaf of bread over a bride's head for fertility's sake.  (My dad did something like that at my sister's reception - only it was a whiskey bottle over the groom's head.)
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Bonus point:
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Grooms have very few, if any superstitious tabu since the man is the boss and calls all the shots.  Bark like a dog.  Kidding! (Shoulder hunch, eye squint and foolish grin.)
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And what's with these crazy hats British women wear?

Continuity?

I wonder if this is why Harry VIII chopped off their heads?

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Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer song-writer and book author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, Duff gained fame for playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She subsequently ventured into motion pictures and has many successful films to her credit including The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Cheaper by the Dozen, A Cinderella Story and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. She has most recently appeared in According to Greta and Stay Cool. As of December 2010, her upcoming films include, Bloodworth, The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, and She Wants Me.

Duff has since expanded her repertoire into pop music with the release of three RIAA-certified platinum albums: Metamorphosis, her debut studio album, was certified triple platinum and was supplemented by a further two platinum albums, Hilary Duff and Most Wanted. In 2007, she released her third studio album, Dignity, which was certified gold later than year and spawned singles "With Love" – her highest charting US single to date – and "Stranger". Best of Hilary Duff, a compilation of her greatest hits, was released in the last quarter of 2008 producing her a third #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs with the single "Reach Out". Duff has sold over thirteen million records worldwide; her contributions to the music industry have gained her commercial and critical success worldwide while Billboard ranked her the 69th Artist of the 2000s decade.

Branching into the fashion industry, Duff has also launched her own clothing lines, Stuff by Hilary Duff and Femme for DKNY Jeans, and two exclusive perfume collections with Elizabeth Arden as well as having been signed on to modelling agency IMG Models. Other business ventures include writing a young adult novel Elixir and being accredited as an executive producer for According to Greta and a producer for the films Material Girls and Beauty & the Briefcase.

Therese and Merciful Love.

"The essence of her instructions was to teach us not to be upset when we saw ourselves the personification of weakness, and to tell us to be diligent in loving, because 'love covers a multitude of sins'
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Her 'little way' consisted in boasting of her infirmities, of her utter inability to do anything good.  The gospel passage about the workers who only worked one hour and yet were paid like all the rest delighted her:  'Look, if we give ourselves up and put all our trust in God, making our little efforts and hoping for everything from his mercy, we will be just as rewarded and well paid as the greatest of saints'" - Genevieve of St. Teresa (Celine) testimony for diocesan inquiry in the canonization process of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

Fr. Pfleger suspended!

Oh!  My!  Gosh!  How could they do this? How unfair!
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Cardinal Francis George has suspended Fr. Michael Pfleger after the controversial priest refused to leave his post as pastor at St. Sabina Church, located on Chicago's South Side. - Entire story here.

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I know!  Here is a seasoned priest - a man for all seasons - totally dedicated to his flock, standing firm through criticism and attack to minister to these poor people.  Where is the justice?  He's been accused and suspended - just like that!
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What?




Yes, I will pray for him - but I have a feeling he doesn't think he needs them.  It seems to me he made his bed.

I look forward to Prince William becoming King and Catherine becoming Queen. We could do a lot worse.

As I have often made clear, I have republican sympathies, but I hope very much that Prince William and Catherine (Kate) Middleton, his wife-to-be, are very happy together.

Given that a British republic is unlikely in my lifetime, I look forward to him becoming King and her becoming Queen.

We could do a lot worse.

Birther madness...

Was Obama born?

That's the issue, right?  Huh?  So what's with Trump?  (And who would ever vote for him?)  What's with this birther madness?  How do people get themselves so wrapped up in this stuff?  Did I ever post about it?  I probably did - I just can't remember.  I'm a stats whore. 
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Photo:  I don't know who that is.

Divine Mercy image displayed in Daly Plaza, Chicago.

The Heralds of Divine Mercy have placed an image of Divine Mercy in the middle of Daly Plaza in Downtown Chicago.    To think that the image of Divine Mercy is exposed publicly for veneration in a secular public square is amazing.  The image itself is the source of great graces, as Our Lord revealed to St. Faustina:
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"I am offering people a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy.  That vessel is this image with the inscription: Jesus I trust in You... I desire that this image be venerated first in your chapel and then throughout the world." - Diary
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At another time Jesus revealed:
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"By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls; it is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works." - Diary

Jana Kramer Images

Jana Kramer Information

Jana Rae Kramer (born December 2, 1983 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American actress and country music singer.

Kramer played Noelle Davenport on Friday Night Lights and Portia Ranson on 90210. She played a sorority girl interested in Turtle in Entourage. In 2009, Kramer signed on to become a series regular in The CW's One Tree Hill as Alex, an actress who becomes the new face of Brooke's fashion line, "Clothes Over Bros". In February 2011, Kramer signed with Warner Bros. Nashville Records. Her first single, "I Won't Give Up", was released to country radio in February 2011 and was featured on an episode of One Tree Hill. Despite failing to chart on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the song reached number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On December 22, 2009, Kramer got engaged to Johnathon Schaech. The couple met on the set of the movie Prom Night and appeared as a couple in Laid to Rest. They wed on July 4, 2010 in Michigan. On August 9, 2010, it was announced that Kramer and Schaech had divorced after a little over a month of marriage.

Jay Cutler (American football) Images

Jay Cutler (American football) Information

Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He played football at Vanderbilt University. Cutler began his professional football career with the Denver Broncos, who selected him as the 11th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons with the Broncos before he was traded to the Bears in 2009.