Marquee Madness

Is it just me or is this a rather disrespectful and immature display of foolishness?

Marquee Madness

What's wrong with this picture?

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I don't even know what to say...

Marquee Madness

And here I always thought it was someone who followed Christ.  Silly me...

Marquee Madness

No holiday today...just some local Catholic humor.

Marquee Madness

WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND:

...that if you're going to get sick, do it NOW.  Otherwise, you don't get no blessin.

...that all you healthy people skip mass this weekend. 

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I couldn't resist commenting further...there's just so much that COULD be said:

Maybe this is where I went wrong?  Had I taken my dogs to be blessed with holy water in the Trinitarian name, perhaps they would have been more domestic and less demonic?  Perhaps I had been spared the guilt and my children the grief?  Yeah...perhaps NOT.

So, what does a pet blessing sound like anyway?  Is it different for a gerbil than for a horse?  What if you brought your pet calf or pig and the priest inadvertently prayed,  "Bless, O Lord, this food which we are about to receive"?  Would you leave the church? 

For those of you sentimental saps who might consider participating in such a ritual (or for those of you who might be tempted to throw G.K. Chesterton's earthiness at me, or who might care to lecture me on the virtue of recognizing and thereby deliberately dedicating all we are and have to God), let me just share this so you can see the slippery slope on which your mindset has placed you:

Pet Memorial Products for Clergy - Doesn't this just tug at your heart?  I'm sure it tugs at mine too...of course it would have to be made of something other than stone in order to feel it.

Or here is a lovely sentiment which you may find riveting from a website which offers pet blessings for those from every religious persuasion:

Animals, like the human animal, are living, breathing, feeling, loving, soul-filled children of God.

We all get tired, we all get wet in the rain.

We all experience loneliness, we all experience pain.

We all thirst for water, and we all thirst for love.

We are all Children of God, Who's Angels watch over us from high up above.

We all breathe, we all play, we all feel.

We all get hungry and we all appreciate a satisfying meal.

We are all born, and we all deserve to live life.

Nobody should be left behind, or be subjected to a dissecter's deadly knife.

We all die, and we are all born into everlasting love and life in Heaven.... in paradise.

Where, as one spiritual family, we all share love, and we all get treated nice.

In Heaven, we all gather together, one species, one race, one religion, and all of us have lots of fun.

In Heaven, we all realize, that we all are really ONE.

We are all one.

One life.

One Soul.

One Spiritual Family.

This is serious business, folks!  Don't let your pet be left out...this weekend only!   

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Does anyone besides me find it slightly disturbing that these events are occurring on the same day? 

Just meditate on that one for a bit.

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This Divine Science church stands a couple doors down from my Church and provided the original inspiration for this series:



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WHAT??!!!  Jesus has a cell phone?!  And...why didn't I know this?? Apparently my pastors have been holding out on me...telling me I have to do this whole "prayer" thing.   

But the LEAST these people could do is give me His number.  I mean...really.  I can't text Him if I don't even know His number!

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Well, now...wish I had known this service was available before I underwent that bloody painful tonsillectomy!

My boys and I had a hearty chuckle when we saw this sign this morning!  I thought that surely this "blessing of the throats" was symbolic for something else...like the words of my mouth or my voice lifted in song to the Lord or something...ANYTHING! 

So I looked it up.  And guess what?  I was wrong.  The blessing is aptly titled and is intended to keep away the sore throats by the application of a candle wick and the sign of the cross.  Oi-vay.  I thought the Roman Catholics had abandoned a lot of the old superstitions!