7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 83

Posted on June 27, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — This Week’s Post: You May Be Imagining It Our journey with God is a supernatural one and in order to see with supernatural eyes, our vision must be healed. If we evaluate the world with our natural eyes, we will only see injustice.

“Do you ever look around at what others have and say to God, “What about me? Don’t You love me too?”

— 2 — Struggling?: If you are struggling, go read this post by Maura from Made In His Image. #holyperspective

—3 — The Veil: A reader sent the quote below from the sequel to Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea. I have never read the series but what a beautiful meditation on the lifted veil revealing ‘realities.” Thank you, Mary my awesome reader!

“It was as if a veil that had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her view a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities.” (about the protagonist Anne’s experience with her friend Gilbert)

— 4 — We Need Each Other: Kari Kampakis wrote a great article about Why Women Need Their Girlfriends.

— 5 — Avoid Heartache: Your Holy Family Ministries has a great series called Dating With A Purpose and I especially like the advice about Emotional Chastity discussed in How To Avoid Heartache In Dating.

— 6 — Lead Me On: Audrey Assad’s song has a line in it about God’s ‘rod and staff‘ being a ‘strange mercy.’ It is true that even the Lord’s discipline is love. His staff, with the hook at the end, saves us from ourselves and brings us back from our wonderings.

“I fear no evil, for You are with me
You set this table before my enemies
And You anoint me – You overflow my cup
And they will follow me, Your goodness and Your love.

Your rod and Your staff are a strange mercy“

— 7 — Saint Gregory Nazianzen (330-390), Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Set on Rock quote:

One evening I was walking beside the sea; as Scripture says: “The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing” (Jn 6,18). The waves rose up at a distance and crashed onto the shore, smashing against the rocks, breaking and changing into spume and spray. Small stones, seaweed and the lightest of shells were carried by the water and thrown onto the shore, but the rocks stood as firm and unyielding as though all were calm, even in the midst of those waves that had just struck them…

I drew a lesson from that sight. Wasn’t that sea like our life and the human condition? There, too, is to be found much bitterness and instability. And aren’t the winds the temptations that assail us and all the unforeseen blows of life? This is what I think David was thinking about when he exclaimed: “Save me, O God, for the waters threaten my life! Snatch me from the waters of the deep! I have reached the watery depths and the flood overwhelms me” (Ps 68:2).

Amongst those who are put to the test there are some who seem to me to be like those light, lifeless objects that allow themselves to be carried away without offering the slightest resistance. There is no stability in them; they don’t have the counterbalance of a wise mind that struggles against assaults. Others seem to me to be like rocks who are worthy of that Rock on whom we are set and whom we worship. Molded by the reasoning of true wisdom, these rise above their common weakness and bear everything with unshakeable constancy.

God love and bless you!

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7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 82

Posted on June 20, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — This Week’s Post: It Is Not Your Imagination. This post had a great response and I received a number of emails from girls about it. So glad it helped! This song by Audrey Assad describes, to me, how God moves in our lives:

— 2 — Jen: I had lunch with the amazing Jen from Jumping in Puddles last Friday and can you believe that not one photo was taken? I will have to lock it in my memory the good old-fashioned way. Love her!!

—3 — VOCES8: I received a CD from the VOCES8 choir. It is wonderful! I plan to do a review. Here is their tag line:

Teaching, healing, and connecting communities…through Music.

— 4 — Whew! What a week!: My life has experienced a change this week (it is good). This change has taken up more of my thoughts and emotions so please bear with me over the next couple of months as I adjust to some new demands. Along those lines…

— 5 — I Am Having Trouble

— 6 — With QT #5 and #6

— 7 — and QT #7

God love and bless you!

p.s.s. Check out all my posts listed by category here!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 81

Posted on June 13, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — This Week’s Post: Antonio and Maria This guest post, written by my Mom, recounted the story of how my Grandparents met! It may have appeared to you that my Grandmother was forced to marry my Grandfather. But, I hope this comment will clear that up and provide a broader perspective:

“I think what it highlighted to me is that women have had some sort of suffering
to deal with in every generation. Our generation is suffering from non-committal men and the over-sexualization of the human person. My grandmother had to deal with not having complete say so in her life. She wanted to go to school and we take that for granted. In the end, whatever our suffering is, we can depend upon the Lord to be with us, that He knows about it ahead of time and that He has somehow permitted it for His glory.”

— 2 — Jen: I am having lunch with the amazing Jen from Jumping in Puddles this morning!! #so excited!

—3 — Meg: Meg from Held By His Pierced Hands is staying at our house this week! She is helping the camp counselors at our Parish’s Summer Camp get spiritually ready with daily Theology classes! If you remember, I wrote about this Summer Camp program last year. This year, the camp has 270 children attending each week and 65 camp counselors! #ourcupisoverflowing

— 4 — Girl’s Movie Night: 12 or so of those wonderful Summer camp counselors will be descending upon our house tonight for Girl’s Movie Night! Please pray that my house stays clean while I am having fun with Jen today!!:)

— 5 — Not Alone Series: The girls are on Summer break but they are planning to do a Book Club. Head on over to their Facebook page to join them! Looks like some great reading!

— 6 — Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Saint Raphael Arnaiz Baron (1911-1938), a Spanish Trappist monk:

I sought for truth and did not find it; I sought for charity and only found in men some sparks which did not satisfy my eager heart; I sought for peace and saw that there is no peace on earth. The illusion passed, peacefully, without making me aware of it. It was the Lord who permitted me to be mistaken in order to bring me to him. He made me see, and now how happy I am! “What are you looking for among men,” he says to me. “What are you seeking for in the earthly life which is your pilgrimage? What is the peace you want?” How good the Lord is… Now I see clearly that true peace is in God, real charity in Jesus, that Christ is the sole truth…Now that you have given me light to see and understand, give me, Lord, a very, very large heart to love these people who are your children, my brothers, in whom my overwhelming pride sees failings while, on the other hand, I don’t see them in myself! If you have given to the least of these others, what have you given to me? All things you dispose well. My soul deplores its old ways and habits, it no longer looks for perfection in others and it no longer grieves because it can’t find anywhere “to rest its head” (Mt 8,20). It now has everything. You, my God, are what fills my soul; you are my delight, my peace, my tranquillity. You, Lord, are my refuge, my fortress, life, light, comfort, my one truth and my sole love. I am happy; I have it all!

— 7 — Audrey Assad: Have you heard her latest, Death Be Not Proud? Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNEruHID6-k

God love and bless you!

p.s.s. Check out all my posts listed by category here!

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For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 80

Posted on June 6, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — This Week’s Post: Love in DRC ~ Katie’s Mission Trip This was my favorite part:

“They have nothing and yet they have everything. They know what is important in life and focus on the things that matter: God, family, faith, friends, joy! They know how to celebrate – and while I was there we had our fair share of partying, dancing, singing, and celebrating! Mass was never under 3 hours – the opening processional hymn at the Church in the village was almost 20 minutes long! But no one was bored or looking at their watch. They were humbled and grateful to be able to worship their God.”

— 2 — Next Week’s Post: Upon my request, my Mom documented 7 short stories of her family, including the story of how her parents met. My Mom is one of twelve children born to a young couple from Italy who immigrated to the US about 100 years ago. The plan is for me to type up the 7 stories and turn it into a book with photos. Then, the books will be presented to our relatives at our family reunion at the end of July. I am sooooo excited about it! Some stories are difficult to get through without tearing up.

Well, as I was typing up the first story, which is the one about how my Grandparents met, I realized that I could share that story here. So, next week’s guest post will be by my Mom! Oh, but I have to ask her permission first. 🙂

—3 — June 8th: Happy Pentecost Sunday! I have been teasing Gregg that since Pentecost is the same day as my Birthday this year, the Holy Spirit and I are like this (then I cross my fingers like a bff sign)! No, seriously, He really has been speaking to me in a way unlike any other year! Love Him.

— 4 — Not Alone Series: This week’s NAS topic was: One Year Anniversary of the Not Alone Series!!! Year in Review: How has your life changed in the past year? How has this community impacted you? Have fun with this! Fave post? What would you like to see more of?

Oh goodness, I just love these girls. I have spotlighted this series in my 7QTs ever since the first one and reading them each week is my guilty pleasure. Hey, don’t bother me, I am reading the NAS girls’ posts! ha ha

I read all their posts this week and reminisced right along with them on their favorite post and how they have changed as a result of being in the NAS community. Thank you Jen and Morgan for being such amazing hosts! Congratulations and love to all!

You are not broken.
You are not lost.
You are not left behind.

And you are not alone.

— 5 — Jen: My 7QTs may or may not be late next week because I am having lunch with the amazing Jen from Jumping in Puddles!! I am going to give her the biggest hug!

— 6 — Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Brett Elizabeth Wilson for her post over at The Chastity Project called: To The Man Who Won’t Sleep With Me She discusses what can easily be described as a ‘near occasion of sin’ and the reasons to avoid it. Bravo Brett! You can Follow her on her blog, Prodigal Sister ~ A blog for women escaping uncertainty and on Facebook and Twitter! This was the part of her post that I think is good for us to think about:

“IT WAS A CONSOLATION FOR THE MARRIAGE I DIDN’T HAVE.”

— 7 — Switchfoot: We have been rocking out to this song:

God love and bless you!

p.s.s. Check out all my posts listed by category here!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 79

Posted on May 30, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — This Week’s Post: The Veil of Chastity Interviews Marcus Guevara ~ Part 2 . Thank you again to Marcus for the interview! I agree with Jen’s tweet “Some great stuff from a guy’s perspective!”

— 2 — Next Week’s Post: Keep an eye out for another awesome guest post! I feel so blessed to share these guest posts with you.

—3 — May 30: Where did May go?

— 4 — Not Alone Series: This week’s NAS topic was: Social Media ~ Lots to think about!!

— 5 — Spotlight On: 5 Ways The Eucharist Erases Original Sin ~ Loved this!

— 6 — Spotlight On: Best Friend or Boyfriend ~ Should you tell him you like him? ~ Wise words from Courtney Kissinger!

“Guys can enjoy all the benefits of having a best friend who is a girl (aka, not a girlfriend) without having to commit to a dating relationship. They have someone they can call if they want to talk (or not, because they’re not dating), someone they can always hang out with (or not, because they’re not dating), someone to ask what they should wear (or not…) — all while keeping their eyes peeled for someone who they do want to date and commit to.“

— 7 — Devin Rose: Have you read his book, The Protestant Dilemma? Everyone is raving about it!

God love and bless you!

p.s.s. Check out all my posts listed by category here!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 78

Posted on May 23, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — Jen Picked Me~ Follow Up: I can officially say that I have experienced my 15 minutes of fame. Jen has a lot of readership and you can imagine how my stats jumped last week when she mention this blog in her 7QTs! Spike-a-roo! Things have simmered down now but I really enjoyed the new followers here and on Facebook and Twitter. I was the random lucky winner but hopefully I have not used up all my luck with that draw. I bought 2 of Jen’s books with the $50 gift card and then of course I had some money left and so I had to buy a top to wear.

— 2 — This Week’s Post: The Veil of Chastity Interviews Marcus Guevara . What a great Part 1 Interview of Marcus from Thirsting For Truth! Don’t forget to check out his ministry and his amazing video. Don’t forget his Go Fund Me project if you are inspired to use your Treasure to support his Talent. You can find Marcus via his website, Facebook and you can follow him on Twitter! Part 2 of his interview will be posted on Monday!

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—3 — Not Alone Series: This week’s NAS topic was: Building and Keeping Community: We LOVE the NAS community, but creating a real-life community is essential to our lives! What have been your struggles in making friends as a young adult? Do you have any advice for those struggling to build community post-college?

Great insight provided by all the girls but the one that had me agreeing the most was by Britt from Proverbial Girlfriend when she shared that some friendships are “just for a season” and that it is okay when this happens.

— 4 — Flash Mass: Our Pastor, Father Ray, celebrated his 30 year Anniversary of his Ordination to the Priesthood on Tuesday. So, my Parish organized a “Flash Mass” and surprised him. What is a Flash Mass? It is an impromptu celebration of Mass. High School and College young adults started it in our County where a text would be sent out on a random night telling them of the location and time. Boy, they never had anything like this when I was a young adult. So, on Tuesday night our Church came alive with young and old along with a very talented and enthusiastic recent college grad playing the organ. I mean, he had it cranked and everyone was singing hymns. Ancient hymns. Ahhh. Lots of incense too. As I was sitting there, I thought, this is the best place on Earth.

— 5 — Spotlight On: Pope Francis! Amen Papa!

“Carrying around an unhealed, gaping soul wound will cause you to leak love. To hold love, you must seek healing from the LORD. Don’t try to treat it with drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. TRUE HEALING paves the way for TRUE HAPPINESS.”

— 6 — Love Letters: Gregg and I started to email each other in September 2001. I still have all of our email correspondence and every once in a while go through and read those emails. This week, I had a question from a reader asking me when I told my family that I was participating in on-line dating. The funny thing is that I waited until Gregg was visiting for the 2nd time before telling my family. Up until that point, I told (lied to) my Mom (sorry again Mom) that I had met Gregg at “some Catholic event.” The way I finally told my family is that I emailed my Dad. He passed away in 2008 and I am so grateful that I still have his sweet and supportive response:

“…I have always accepted your judgment in who you go out with or who you intend to marry. YOU AND GREG HAVE MY BLESSING. He sounds like a great guy and i cannot wait until i meet him. From the way it sound i think you are both lucky, him
for finding you and beating out all those other guys, and you for finding such a nice guy as Greg…love ya, Dad”

dated March 14, 2002

My Dad gladly gives me away!

— 7 — Acts of the Apostles 15:22-31: The readings from this week have revealed the need for a hierarchy in the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Even the brand new baby church experienced disputes that needed to be resolved by “the apostles and presbyters.” They wrote a letter and delivered it to Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia and this is how it started off:

‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us….”

God love and bless you!

p.s.s. Check out all my posts listed by category here!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 77

Posted on May 16, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — Jen Picked Me(!!): Imagine turning off your Kindle at night after reading #SOTG and waking up to find a personal email from the author, Jen Fulwiler, telling you that you won her contest! She is so nice and even indicated in her 7QTs that she is “familiar” with this blog. Oh, and she said she was going to visit and “browse the archives”. My first reaction was that of a Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes winner. The people with the big signs show up at your door and you can’t think about the money because your house isn’t quite ready for guests. Please forgive me for any spelling or grammatical errors here in my blog house. I didn’t know in advance that I was going to have guests!

When I replied to Jen’s gracious email, I tried to not act like Billy in the movie Bolt:

Billy: “Bolt, I’ve admired you for such a long time and there is something I’ve always wanted to tell you if I ever get a chance to met you…”

Blake: “Ep, ep, okay Billy. That was horrifying. What you just did.”

A warm welcome to new readers landing here from Jen’s blog. Thank you, Jen!

— 2 — This Week’s Post: Give Him 3 Dates where I address this scenario:

Scenario: You go out with a guy, you both enjoy the date and he says he would like to go out again. But, you are not sure if you are feeling a spark or not. Should you go out with him again?

—3 — Big Exciting News: Marcus Guevara from Thirsting For Truth sent me his answers to my interview questions and this post will be up on Monday! You remember Marcus, right? He started the ministry, Thirsting For Truth and he created this amazing video. He also has a Go Fund Me project if you are inspired to use your Treasure to support his Talent. You can find Marcus via his website, Facebook and you can follow him on Twitter! Here is an example interview question and I am sure you will find his answer very interesting:

“Does your vocation of marriage to Dianne specifically feel as if it was God’s plan for you as if you were made for each other? Are you able to look back on your life and see God leading you through various sufferings and circumstances, towards Dianne? In other words, in your opinion, is God in the middle of our vocation or is it all just a roll of the dice?”

— 4 — Not Alone Series: This week’s NAS topic was: If You Were Called To The Religious Life: While most of us feel called to marriage, it is important to see the beauty in all vocations! If/when you were discerning religious life, which communities interest(ed) you? What do you see as the positives of that vocation? Lots of honest discussion about this possibility. Head on over to Morgan’s blog to read about what the girls had to say!

— 5 — Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag. Please, please pray for her and all those suffering in Sudan. I was extra teary at Mass this morning giving thanks to God for the privilege of worshiping and receiving Him in freedom. Meriam is one of us and her plight may one day be ours. Her words to the judge who sentenced her to death by hanging were reminiscent of all the martyrs , “I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy.” St Josephine Bakhita (see #6), intercede for our sister Meriam! Here is her story:

Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag (aka Adraf Al-Hadi Mohammed Abdullah) a pregnant Sudanese woman was convicted today (14 May 2014) of apostasy for converting to Christianity from Muslim – Sudan has a majority Muslim population, which is governed by one form of Sharia, an Islamic law, and the government rules that apostasy is a crime punishable by death – in this case, due to her pregnancy, the sentence will be delayed 2 years so she may give birth and then be hung until dead. Mrs Ibrahim Ishag was also convicted of adultery on the grounds that her marriage to a Christian man from South Sudan was void under Sudan’s version of Islamic law, which says Muslim women cannot marry non-Muslims – for this “adultery,” she was sentenced to 100 lashes. Amnesty International said Mrs Ibrahim Ishag was raised Orthodox Christian, her mother’s religion, because her Muslim father was absent during her childhood. But the Sudan government recognizes only the father’s religion in respect to the female child: a female child takes the father’s religion under Sudan’s Islamic law regardless if the father is present or even alive ([115]

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Meriam and her husband

— 6 — St. Josephine Bakhita: Pray for us! You can read her story here.

— 7 — Pope Paul VI to be beatified October 19, 2014: Which just happens to be mine and Gregg’s 12 wedding anniversary. Pope Paul VI, please pray for us and for this blog which is dedicated to you and others who have made such a profound difference in my life!

Pope Paul VI visits the Holy Land, 1964.

God love and bless you!

p.s.s. Check out all my posts listed by category here!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 77

Posted on May 9, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — This Week’s Post: Dating Non-Strategically There is a difference between helping things along and trying to control the outcome. Respond to him in a way that is true to who you are and what you need. Then, trust in the Lord.

“in addition to God’s will, it takes the cooperation of two knuckleheads to make a marriage vocation. The only control you have is over what you do. It all requires a great deal of trust and dependence on the Lord.”

— 2 — Not Alone Series: This week’s NAS topic was: Favorite Saints! The girls shared their favorite Saint related to marriage and chastity and how s/he helped them during their time of singleness. I wrote about my fave Saint in a guest post. Notice that I don’t just have one! Great job, NAS girls!

—3 — Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Katie Hartfiel for her post over at the Chastity Project! The post, Chastity Before Marriage Fosters Chastity In Marriage, was spot on. You know Katie, right? I wrote about her here and you can check out her amazing ministry here. Don’t forget to follow her on Facebook and Twitter!

— 4 — Gregg’s Surgery: Yes, he had surgery this week. It wasn’t anything serious but still they had to put him under. He is recovering very well and we are thankful for that! There was a sad moment for me when the nurses explained that they “are doing vasectomies in the smaller O.R.’s next to the regular O.R.’s” 😦

Sigh… I get that it makes ‘logical’ sense to couples when they enter a certain age to snip snip their fertility away. It eliminates the need for the female to be on BCPs and it prevents unwanted babies later in life. I get it. But, it still saddens me. How can fear of a baby drive someone to make such a decision? So near a sensitive location? In such a holy aspect of our being?

We did share with people some of the details of Gregg’s surgery just to keep them from thinking that he was getting snipped. I mean, everyone is doing it, right? No. Sigh.

On a good note, the nurses were amazing! Check out Jen’s post where she honors her fellow nurses!

— 5 — Upcoming Posts: Oh girls, get ready for some guest posts from MEN! I have lined up interviews with 2 men who are working in Catholic ministry! Both are married and have children. They will answer my nosey questions about their experiences dating their wife. Oh, yes, I ask them about The Veil and The One and God’s Leading!

— 6 — SOTG: I started reading Jen Fulwiler’s book, Something Other Than God and, oh my goodness, is it riveting. It is like she invited me into her life and nosey me is just loving it. I hardly recognize the Jen revealed in the first third of the book. Seriously, you will love this book. I will do a review when I am done reading it. In the meantime…..

— 7 — Jen Fulwiler Tweeted Me Back: I feel like a geeky fan for doing this, but I must. Oh, darn. Twitter will not connect to WordPress. Okay, you will have to just trust me that she tweeted back to me. She has this one part of the book where she describes her hyper-concern for her newborn baby. She marked a spot on the floor to let people know that they could not take the baby past that line for fear that somehow the baby would launch himself over the balcony. I told Jen in my tweet that I was able to totally relate to this neurotic first time Mom story. When we first had our son, I would ask Gregg every night if he locked the door. I had this exaggerated fear that someone would come in our house and steal him. Thankfully, I was able to relax and now I realize that prayer for peace is the only answer to this exaggerated fear. The “peace that surpasses all understanding.” Phil 4:7

Happy Mother’s Day to all! Put lots of lovins’ on your Moms this weekend!

God love and bless you!

p.s.s. Check out all my posts listed by category here!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 76

Posted on May 2, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — This Week’s Post: What To Do When He Stalls Summary: Avoid being the buddy, put him on the spot (What did you have in mind?) and practice the 3-date rule.

— 2 — Not Alone Series: This week’s NAS topic was: Hey! They are out of topics. I missed them this week! If you have any topics you would like them to write about, contact Jen or Morgan. I am sure they would appreciate your suggestions! Oh, and check out Jen’s adorable new blog design! Speaking of Jen, I will have the pleasure of meeting her in June when she is visiting her Dad who lives about an hour and half away. Funny thing is that he lives in the same town in which I was born and where my Mom still lives. Smallll world!

—3 — Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Biltrix for the post, Birth Control and Spirituality. Do you know about Biltrix? The authors include 4 gentlemen, 3 of whom are holy Priests. Check them out. You can follow them on Twitter!

— 4 — My Response Time: Slowww. I feel terrible about how slow my response time has been to emails lately. I work full-time and can’t do any Veil email /blog stuff at work (duh). Plus Gregg and I share a computer here at home (along with our 9-year-old who occasionally gets to do minecrack…mine craft). In addition to that, I like to pray about my response. All this to say that I appreciate your patience. I can’t express how much I love your emails!! My response usually includes analysis (ha ha) by both Gregg and me. Most times we agree but sometimes my response is “Gregg thinks you should do X and I think you should do Y.” My Divine Mercy Chaplet list contains the names of all the girls who have written to me. I also include details next to names to remind Gregg and myself later about who is who. This also helps me to pray for you. The weekend is usually when I catch up on email so keep an eye out for me over the next couple of days! Again, thank you for your patience! You girls are the best.

— 5 — Upcoming Posts: Katie will be doing a guest post where she will share all about her mission trip to Democratic Republic of the Congo! Also, a reader asked me to do a “To My College Self” post which caused me to chuckle a bit. Lordy. That one will be easy! Oh, and I am going to do a post on Henry the 8th. Yeah. He was not a Holy Spouse. I’ll tell you why and I will make sure it is interesting and relevant! More good stuff in the hopper!

— 6 — Thank God Tobit Is In The Bible: Did you see the post by the Catholic Sistas called Thank God Tobit Is In The Bible? Do you know about and follow the Sistas? They have over 30 different contributors. You can follow them on Twitter!

— 7 — Saint Irenaeus of Lyons: (born 130AD Martyr 208AD), Bishop, Theologian and Martyr from his writings: Against The Heresies, IV, 37:

God made man a free agent… to obey the behests of God voluntarily, and not by God’s compulsion. For there is no coercion with God, but a good will towards us that is present with Him continually.

In man, as well as in angels, He has placed the power of choice… And not merely in works, but also in faith, God has preserved the will of man free and under his own control, saying: “According to your faith be it done unto you”(Mt 9,29).

Thus He shows that there is a faith specially belonging to man, since it arises out of his personal decision. And again: “All things are possible to him that believes”(Mk 9,23), and, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so be it done unto you”(Mt 8,13). Now all such expressions demonstrate that man is in his own power with respect to faith. And for this reason: “He that believes in Him has eternal life while he who believes not the Son has not eternal life”(Jn 3,36)…

But He should not, people say, have created angels of such a nature that they were capable of transgression, nor men who immediately proved ungrateful towards Him; for they were made rational beings, endowed with the power of examining and judging, and were not formed as irrational things or of a merely animal nature… But upon this supposition, the good would have no attraction for them, nor communion with God be precious.

What is good would not be very much be sought after since it would present itself without their own proper endeavor… The good would be implanted in them of its own accord and without their concern… If men were good by nature rather than by will, they would not understand this fact, that good is a comely thing, nor would they take pleasure in it.

For how can those who are ignorant of good enjoy it? Or what credit is it to those who have not aimed at it? And what crown is it to those who have not followed in pursuit of it?… The harder we strive, so much the more valuable it is; while so much the more valuable it is, so much the more we will esteem it.

God love and bless you!

p.s.s. Check out all my posts listed by category here!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday ~ Vol 75

Posted on April 25, 2014 by theveilofchastity

— 1 — This Week’s Post: Since I took a break from last week’s Good Friday 7QTs, I am including the posts from the last two weeks. First is a Beautiful Conversion Story where Antoinette shares her conversion story to the Catholic Church. Second is Thank You For Breaking My Heart where I share the connection between The Veil and waiting on God’s plan for your life and vocation.

— 2 — Not Alone Series: This week’s NAS topic was: Marriage Head on over to Jen’s and check out what the girls had to say!

—3 — Spotlight On: This week’s spotlight is on Doug Beaumont from Soul Device for his conversion story Tiber Treading No More. Doug was an ordained Evangelical whose journey led him to the truth of the Catholic Faith founded by Jesus Christ, 33 A.D.:

“I became more and more dissatisfied with the answers given to fundamental questions such as “How was the canon (the books in our Bible) decided?” and “What makes one doctrine essential to Christianity, but not another?” Although many other factors would eventually enter in, it was primarily these two issues that drove me on. It seemed that the Bible-alone approach I was taught was an attempt to ground Christian unity in a way that generated disunity.”

— 4 — Flag Football: Our son is playing flag football again this season. So, my Saturdays will be tied up for a couple of hours with outdoor fun and sun. He has a wonderful coach and the other families are great too. I found myself praising God for leading us to this team that has blessed us so much!

— 5 — Easter Vacation: I have been off from work for most of this week due to our son’s Easter vacation. How is it possible that I could accomplish so little and be so far behind on everything?

— 6 — Dating Advice Guru: I was pleasantly surprised when the self-appointed dating advice guru, Carlos Cavallo told his readers to read my post, Stop Chasing Him. I have no idea how Carlos found my blog or that post but I really appreciate what he had to say:

“It’ll give you a fresh insight and perhaps a boost of hope if you’ve been single for a long time or been through a lot of the wrong kind of guy….That right man for you is out there.”

What I think is interesting is that Carlos appears to approach dating and love from a secular point of view. He has many items for purchase which leads women to believe that they can control the outcome of their love life. He has ‘How To’ videos ranging from How To Get Engaged And Married to How To Get Inside His Head.

Please know that I am not endorsing Carlos! He seems like a very nice guy who wants to help women. But our beliefs about love, attraction, dating and marriage seem so far apart! However, isn’t it interesting that he would direct his clients to this Stop Chasing Him post which promotes Chastity and the concept of The Veil? Kind of neat to me!

— 7 — Saint Pope John Paul II: Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII will become canonized Saints this Sunday April 27th. Everyone knows how much I love Pope John Paul II so this will be a wonderful event to witness!

God love and bless you!

p.s.s. Check out all my posts listed by category here!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!