Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 505

My Radio Show on Immaculate Conception

This show was on the new station in Baton Rouge ("next door" to Jimmy Swaggart). You can listen to the archived show here. You will have to move the tab to about the middle of the show which is where i talk about the Immaculate Conception.

The Pope, the Word of God & The Holy Land

I love taking pilgrims to the Holy Land. My certification card for teaching at the holy sites was just renewed and on the way in the mail. I will be leading six groups of pilgrims to the Holy Land in 2011. I can confirm what the Pope recently said about the land of Israel:

The Word of God and the Holy Land, which is the Fifth Gospel

In Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation "Verbum Domini" he speaks eloquently about the "The Word of God and the Holy Land."

The Pope writes in paragraph 89: "As we call to mind the Word of God who became flesh in the womb of Mary of Nazareth, our heart now turns to the land where the mystery of our salvation was accomplished, and from which the word of God spread to the ends of the earth. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word became flesh in a specific time and place, in a strip of land on the edges of the Roman Empire.

The more we appreciate the universality and the uniqueness of Christ's person, the more we look with gratitude to that land where Jesus was born, where he lived and where he gave his life for us.

"The stones on which our Redeemer walked are still charged with his memory and continue to 'cry out' the Good News.

For this reason, the Synod Fathers recalled the felicitous phrase that speaks of the Holy Land as 'the Fifth Gospel.' How important it is that in those places there be Christian communities, notwithstanding any number of hardships!

The Synod of Bishops expressed profound closeness to all those Christians who dwell in the land of Jesus and bear witness to their faith in the Risen One. Christians there are called to serve not only as 'a beacon of faith for the universal Church, but also as a leaven of harmony, wisdom, and equilibrium in the life of a society which traditionally has been, and continues to be, pluralistic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious.'

"The Holy Land today remains a goal of pilgrimage for the Christian people, a place of prayer and penance, as was testified to in antiquity by authors like Saint Jerome.

The more we turn our eyes and our hearts to the earthly Jerusalem, the more will our yearning be kindled for the heavenly Jerusalem, the true goal of every pilgrimage, along with our eager desire that the name of Jesus, the one name which brings salvation, may be acknowledged by all (cf. Acts 4:12)."

To join us in February, a perfect time of year when it is cooler and there are no crowds, visit www.SteveGoes.com.

Radio Shows & a Talk on Feast of Immaculate Conception

Don't forget that Wednesday is a holy day of obligation for Catholics. it is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I will doing two radio shows Wednesday morning: 1) first on the new Catholic station in Baton Rouge Louisiana at 6:30 AM Eastern time,and 2) on Relevant Radio at 7:00 AM.

In the evening I will be speaking at the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo Ohio. I would suggest coming here just to see the magnificent church. The first time I walked in I felt like I was entering one of the stunning churches of Europe. This talk will be at 7:00 PM after the 6:00 Mass.

Dear oh Deer!

Last week my son shot and butchered a deer on our land and we have been eating venison ever since. It took the family a day to skin, butcher and prepare the meat. Almost everyone was involved. My daughter-in-law had been reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter and how they had to hunt for their food on the frontier. How far we are from that today.

Anyway, here is a picture of my son Jesse skinning and preparing the meat in our garage.

Great having a family!

The picture to the right was sent by Tim Staples. Reminds me of my grandkids. I thought it was pretty cute.

You have to click on the images to see them bigger or to read the little kid's words.

Black Friday vs. Adoration

A friend wrote:

"Writing an article about "Black Friday" at our parish. First Friday Adoration – not enough people sign up to sit with our Lord. A few of us fill in and make sure He is not alone.

"Few weeks later local paper shows people literally camping out in the cold outside of Wal-Mart. Four of us at morning Mass. How do people expect to make life's journey without food for the road?

"Church survival is promised. No mention of size, if I recall. Maybe a small remnant."

(Picture: Black Friday crowds rushing a door before the sun rises.)

Humorous Diversion

Angelic Twaddle is a blog that has humor with a conscience. You may want to check in with Louis Hall for a light diversion once in a whiile at www.Angelic-Twaddle.blogspot.com. Louis is father of six and they are all homeschooled.

Does Richard Dawkins Exist or is He a Dangerous Dillusion?

Try To Catch Us Now!

NOTICE: On our 34th anniversary Janet and I were notified to our great joy that grandchild #9 is on the way.

Jesse and Anna are overjoyed to announce they are pregnant. They are delighted and we are full of joy!

Celebrating Today!

Today Janet and I have been married 34 years – and loving it! First best decision of my life. (The second was for our family to become Catholic.)

Janet is the best friend, partner, lover, gift, and mother to my children that God could have ever dreamt up. Thank you God and thank you Janet.

And thanks to her parents for raising her so well and letting that young punk kid (me at 21years old) marry her :-)

Today we will celebrate by going to Mass, then staying home and cooking dinner together along with a bottle of Amarone Italian wine and watching an old movie (back when they still knew how to make them).

New Catholic Scripture Study (CSS) Bible

And lots of other good things to buy for Christmas!

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