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The Gift of Tongues. How do you feel when you read this? Are red flags popping up? Are you nodding in joy from the memory of a recent experience? Do you feel curious but unsure? We all come from different backgrounds and from different charisms in the Church. This Gift of the Holy Spirit is, in my opinion, one of THE most misunderstood, and this is largely in part due to this fact. I hope you take a moment and share what the girls have to say in regards to this controversial, yet beautiful gift of the Holy Spirit. They researched what the Catholic Church actually teaches in regards to this topic, and have added experience on both ends of the spectrum as well. As an additional note, I would like to point out that both Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict were advocators for this gift, expressing often the need to be open to these charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit, believing them to be vital to the expansion of the Church on earth in our present world. Come Holy Spirit! Enkindle in us the fire of your love! :)
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 Now here is a MUST-HAVE for older kids and teens!!! As a mom, I was blown away at the accessibility that this "superhero" brings to deep catechetical teachings. I was more than impressed by the gems in "Letters from Captain Catholic," and I HIGHLY encourage families to take advantage of "Book One" of this amazing series. Please be aware that several chapters cover sensitive topics not appropriate for younger kids, so I don't recommend buying the book and handing it off to them to read without checking it over first. That being said, the other chapters are more than appropriate for you to read to them. Each is a bite-sized "Letter" from Captain Catholic as a response to questions "he" has received from kids. They would make a great daily addition to your family religion program. Enjoy this candid interview as Jim shares how he "met" Captain Catholic. You will also get a bonus reading of one of the letters and a sneak peak into his famous PEZ collection! Yay! We have finally hit 300 subscribers...and we're moving upward quickly! :) Thank you so much for all of the support from our viewers. As you might have guessed, being a YouTube creator in the Catholic family nitch is quite a challenging and daunting task. There have been many times when we have questioned whether or not to continue. Family life alone is naturally crazy, and keeping up with homeschooling, working, all of the kids' activities and ministry work doesn't leave much time for creating videos. It's not that we have a lessening in desire to create; it's just that time continues to be our greatest challenge. The thing is, though, the ideas for more videos just keep coming. God is clearly telling us to continue, and your support and prayers motivate us to want to do more. So, please listen to some of the kids as they express their thanks as well. We praise God for His faithfulness and look forward to seeing what He has in store for us next! Also, we are looking for ideas for what we should do when we reach the 500 subscriber mark. If any ideas come to mind, let us know in the comment section of the video! May God truly bless you as we work together to spread the Catholic faith to the world!!  WANTED: SAINT COSTUME IDEAS Soooo....two years ago many of you sent in your pictures of Saint Costumes to share with others trying to come up with ideas for All Saints Day and Halloween. Given our small database and the consistent detraction from YouTube of our subscribers and views, we were quite surprised to see that people really watched it...and quite a bit! Well, fast forward two years later, we have substantially increased our database and would really like to create another video showcasing the creativity of our viewers. We would LOVE to share your amazing ideas!! PLEASE don't hesitate to send us any pictures of your child's saint costumes, even if they were taken 10 years ago! Check out John Joseph's "plea for pics". The due date is October 7th, so please take a second and send in your pictures ASAP. We truly can't wait to see them!!! And, while you're at it, you can check out the video from two years ago as well. :) Click HERE to submit your photos: Humility is an incredible virtue, and one that we fully submit ourselves to in this video! Check out our many mistakes while creating our vlogs...in this new bloopers video! (And don't worry...it's OK to laugh!) May God bless us all in each of our own lessons in humility! We've all heard a LOT about the gift of healing. Many still think that the Catholic Church doesn't support it. In truth, we were the FIRST to support and encourage this gift! During the period of "Enlightenment," when man thought he knew more than God, this gift was one of the first to be suppressed throughout the common people, and eventually was reserved only for priests and religious. Sadly, it was the suppression of this great and widely used Gift of the Holy Spirit that became the downfall for many saints during this period. These beloved souls, whose connection with the Holy Spirit was so great that they were bestowed many gifts - including that of healing - were often tormented and ostracized for using them. The lack of faith and understanding of these gifts continue to this day, although I am happy to report that great strides have been made to spread the truth and educate the laity on these topics. Happily, due to leaps of effort from many priests, sisters and lay people, and the working of the Holy Spirit Himself, the "common people" (you and I) are learning to accept and experience the fruits of these great gifts once again. Everything said in this video is in complete submission to Church teaching...so please be assured when joining the girls in this discussion! :) She's BACK! One of our most requested series to continue, this under-the-radar super hero is back to demonstrate that there is a scripture for every situation...even the peculiar! Yes, it's comedic...but the goal is to motivate us to check out the scriptures for ourselves and get to know the Bible better! (Just as a reminder, please feel free to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel to show YouTube that Catholic content is relative and desired in our culture today.) :) God bless your day! Well...the kids are back to school! Whether they are going to traditional or non-traditional school (like us as we homeschool), there are just some things that every kid needs in every grade level: erasers!! How cool would it be to be reminded of Jesus' love for them throughout the day by using their very own, handmade Sacred Heart eraser? In this clay tutorial, Justina will show them step-by-step how to make their own DIY erasers that change from ordinary to extraordinary! (And they actually work!) Have fun, and may our children have a very blessed new school year!! How do your kids see heaven and hell? Better yet, how do YOU see heaven and hell? Jim Hogan explains how misconceptions of heaven and hell can deter us from fully committing ourselves to actually wanting to go to our heavenly home. In our added bonus question, he continues this discussion with more detail, inspiring our kids (and ourselves!) to look forward with joy to being with our Creator forever!  “Train a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not swerve from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Here is a scripture that tugs at a parent’s heart! For many, this well-known Bible passage immediately conjures up a mixed bag of responses. Hope, motivation, doubt, fear…these are just some feelings that can instantly crop up when we come upon this simple verse. The intention of this verse, of course, is to inspire us to teach our children the ways of God. It attempts to motivate us to push on through the challenges confronted each day in rearing our children and recognizes that we can be overwhelmed and discouraged. In its simplicity, this profound proverb demonstrates its understanding of the human weakness and endeavors to provide an assurance of hope and success. The contemporary phrase “Don’t give up” could be considered a more recent equivalent to this scripture verse. However, it is astounding how different the implied messages are between the two. It would be far more fruitful to reflect on the Word of God that comes to us through the proverb form than to be tempted to rely on the use of the current catch-phrase. As a parent, my greatest prayer is that my children understand their identity as children of God and grasp the goal of their existence here on earth. It is imperative to me that they understand the stark difference between the culture of our world and that of the Kingdom of God that they are expected to spread. They need to recognize that to rely on the “wisdom of the world” is to usher in unnecessary pain and suffering, fickle happiness and periods of hopelessness. Are these what I wish for my children? Of course not! It is this reality that Proverbs alludes to. Parents in Old Testament times were well-aware of the clashing dissonance of the two “worlds of wisdom.” They, as we do now, longed for their children to experience the freedom, peace and joy that can only be found through the Wisdom of God, but struggled to make this clear amidst the chaos and infiltration of the “wisdom of the world” in their daily lives. Today, that goal remains the same. We want the best for our children, to protect them from a world that wants to trick them into submission and steal their souls for its own survival. Satan’s plan is a good one. But, God’s is better. Many families struggle daily in raising their children, hoping and praying for the best. Most of us know families who have had a child embrace the wisdom of the world despite every effort made to prepare them to choose differently. Perhaps ours is one of these families. If this is the case, we can do several things. First, we can reflect honestly to see if our preparation and parenting decisions truly were optimum. In a world that convinces us to fall back on the idea that “well, we did our best,” sometimes we need to realize that it is possible that some changes could have been made that would have given an even greater chance at a better outcome for our child. We are NOT PERFECT. Only the God Whom we serve is. This practice is especially beneficial if we other children waiting in the wings. It is certainly no secret in my family that my younger children are getting the benefit of this reflection now. My oldest ones are very aware that many of my parenting decisions are quite different in recent years compared to those made when they were younger! Once honestly considered, it is important to let go of any guilt that may crop up as a result. Guilt as a result of honest reflection can be a barrier to healing or a chance to motivate us to make changes for the better. If guilt is a real issue, I highly recommend and encourage you to seek out the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the guidance of a Spiritual Director. Another action we must take is one of acceptance and offering to the Lord. The child who is making choices in conjunction with the wisdom of the world is our child, but he/she is also the Lord’s beloved, and He will never abandon His beloved. The decisions being made are according to his/her own will, and we MUST let perceived responsibility on our part be offered completely up to the Creator. Sow the seeds, but let God, the Divine Sower, mature them. And, of course, pray. There is no substitute for prayer. Pray to your child’s patron saint, to his/her guardian angel, and to the ever-present love of our Blessed Mother. Proverb 22:6 is telling us the truth. I could feasibly go on to write a book about the many “prodigal son” stories I have personally experienced throughout my life. They encourage me daily to never give up the cause to follow the Lord’s command and do my best to bring up my children in the ways of God. Will I make mistakes? You can depend on it. But, with God’s help and the intercession of Our Lady and the saints, I will heed His Word and help my children - these incredible gifts that He gave me - to seek His wisdom first and continue to spread the Kingdom of God here on earth. In the next week, let’s take some time to reflect on our own take-away from Proverb 22:6. What is my initial reaction to reading it? Why might I be reacting this way? What might God be trying to tell me through it? Through this time of “sitting with God,” may we find revelation and encouragement, remembering that we once, too, were children, and Our God harbored our hearts and cultivated us in His ways so that we, also, might never swerve from them. |
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Christina NagyHi! I'm a Catholic mom who loves to encourage and support others in their journey to live the beauty of our Catholic faith in a modern world. It can be a struggle, no doubt, but God has given us the tools we need! Join my family (both immediate and extended!) and me as we take on this incredible journey of our path to holiness. You can also find us here:
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