The Central Point of the Bible

The middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 118.
The shortest chapter of the Bible is Psalm 117.
The longest chapter of the Bible is Psalm 119.

There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118.
There are 594 chapters after Psalm 118.
594 + 594 = 1188

The center verse of the central chapter of the Bible is Psalm 118:8:

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

And isn't that the point?  To everything?  To trust in the Lord?  Isn't that the central point of our lives and of everything we are trying to teach in the lives of our children?

Then do it.  Trust in the Lord.  Reeeeeally trust Him.

Don't just pay Him lip-service by giving Him a smile and a wave when things are going well.
Don't just rail and stamp your feet at Him when things aren't going well.
Don't just throw your hands in the air and yourself on the floor and huff in exasperation when you don't know what to do.

Trust Him.  Trust in Him.  Trust in the Lord in all things.  ALL things.

Remember -- He *MADE* you!  Why did He make you?  God made you to know, love, and serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him in heaven forever.  Happy!  He made you to be HAPPY with Him!  In Heaven!  Forever!  Woo-hoo!!!

So, ultimately, you can be confident that anything He either enacts or allows in your lifetime, God somehow has it all in hand in accordance with His will, His plan for you, His desire for you that YOU be happy with HIM in heaven forever.

Wow!  Can you believe it!?  Can I get an, "Amen!"?

Now go.  Believe it.  Live it.  Trust it.  Trust in it.  Trust in the Lord.

Because that's the central point of everything.  The Bible says so!

Fortnight for Freedom

Once again, the Archdiocese of Baltimore is sponsoring the "Fortnight for Freedom" from June 21st to July 4th!  As Archbishop Lori stated in his homily during his Installation Mass:

“We defend religious liberty because we are lovers of every human person, seeing in the face of every man and woman also the face of Christ, who loved us to the very end of his earthly life and who still calls on us to love and serve our neighbor with the same love he has bestowed on us.  We do this because Archbishop John Carroll’s generation of believers and patriots bequeathed to us a precious legacy that has enabled the Church to worship in freedom, to bear witness to Christ publicly, and to do massive and amazing works of pastoral love, education, and charity in ways that are true to the faith that inspired them in the first place.”

You can visit this page on the archdiocese's website for all the details on the many activities being held, from poster contests to prayer cards to a calendar of events.  Be a part of this important celebration, support, recognize, and practice our Constitutional right to freedom of religion!

Fortnight for Freedom

Once again, the Archdiocese of Baltimore is sponsoring the "Fortnight for Freedom" from June 21st to July 4th!  As Archbishop Lori stated in his homily during his Installation Mass:

“We defend religious liberty because we are lovers of every human person, seeing in the face of every man and woman also the face of Christ, who loved us to the very end of his earthly life and who still calls on us to love and serve our neighbor with the same love he has bestowed on us.  We do this because Archbishop John Carroll’s generation of believers and patriots bequeathed to us a precious legacy that has enabled the Church to worship in freedom, to bear witness to Christ publicly, and to do massive and amazing works of pastoral love, education, and charity in ways that are true to the faith that inspired them in the first place.”

You can visit this page on the archdiocese's website for all the details on the many activities being held, from poster contests to prayer cards to a calendar of events.  Be a part of this important celebration, support, recognize, and practice our Constitutional right to freedom of religion!

Homeschooling on the Rise!

Great news!  Homeschooling is growing seven times as much as public school enrollment!  Read this and be inspired:

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/06/07/Report-Growth-in-Homeschooling-Outpacing-Public-Schools

Remember, *YOU* are your child's first and best teacher.  The Bible encourages you to educate your children and it will serve them for life:  "Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well, strongly encourages parents to teach their own children:

2221 The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute. The right and the duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable.

2222 Parents must regard their children as children of God and respect them as human persons. Showing themselves obedient to the will of the Father in heaven, they educate their children to fulfill God's law. 

2223 Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues.

 
2229 As those first responsible for the education of their children, parents have the right to choose a school for them which corresponds to their own convictions. This right is fundamental.

One of the single most common negative reasons I hear for why a parent "can't" (or won't) homeschool is, "Oh, I don't have the patience for that!"  No, maybe you don't.  But, God does.  And the Lord WILL give you the graces you need to raise your children in His ways.



Stay strong, parents!  *YOU* are the guardians of your children, not the state.

Kudos!