I wanted to mention that I am saying a special prayer for all of the readers of this forum, both a prayer of intercession and a prayer of thanksgiving, most particularly for those with whom I have had the pleasure of interacting thus far.

This is a nice group. I have participated in several similar Catholic forums or blogs and have found in them so much bitterness and strangeness and have often come away from them unedified and bewildered. But not here. This forum has a very convivial atmosphere about it. At least as far as I've noticed and experienced.

Thank you for your Christian witness.

Thank you for your prayers, my brother. Prayers for you as well.

We are, regretably, not always convivial, but I do think we generally try hard to maintain a sense of community. The vast majority of us have learned from elsewhere that educating and being educated, praying for one another, discussion, and even debate are intensely more satisfying, useful, and pleasing to God than argumentation, heavy duty apologetics, and using Canons (or, as so often misused on-line 'cannons' ) to hurl anathemas.

"We are, regretably, not always convivial..."

Well, I'm sure there must be the occasional dust up, the players here all being human, after all, and not angelic...but I've experienced other communities in which thundering anathemas, angry restorts, indignant theatrics, bizarre conspiracy/apocalyptic paranoia, and the disturbing phenomenon of the blind-leading-the-blind are all things that are not occasional, but habitual and characteristic.

This community is not like those communities. The atmosphere is more temperate, more thoughtful, more restrained, more charitable, the conversation more elevated, and it seems altogether healthier than some of those other communities I have in mind, so I'm glad to have discovered it.

So many of us have posted on here for so long, we have become a cyber family of sorts. It is a cyber home where folks listen to our
Lord and His Holy Spirit. So thank you for your prayers! Glad you are finding a home on here.

I myself have received so much prayer and encouragement through these last crazy years of loosing my husband, and now dealing with my dad. There have been times when the craziness of life has been so great,only to stop in here and find prayer going on for me. And, I have not given anyone a clue of what is happening.

That is the love of the Lord!

Pani Rose:

Greetings. Thank you for sharing. I'm so sorry to hear about your travails. I'm always comforted to know that somebody out there, somewhere, is saying a prayer for me. It only seems right to return the favor. I'll certainly remember you in prayer tonight Pani Rose.

I see that you're from Irondale. I was just there in April, on pilgrimage to the Shrine and to EWTN. You're fortunate to be so close to Mother!

Speaking of "Mother" here's a nice prayer that I've recently discovered and like very much; perhaps you know it...

Your memory is more radiant than the sun, and more lovely than the moon, blessed and holy Mary, Mother of God, for the sun gives its light by day, and the moon by night, but your beauty shines over the church ceaselessly. So come and pray with us. You are like a tree that grows by running water, whose crown reaches to the heavens, whose fruits give sustenance to all. Come now and pray with us.

I'll pray for you, Pani Rose. Please pray for me, too.

Peace.

James