The CatholiCity Message

Volume VI, Number 10 – May 29, 2002

Dear CatholiCity Citizen,

We have a theme today: blasts from the past. Yes, in our inevitable quest to do something different in this Message, we've decided to recycle some old stuff. We guarantee smiles. But we have new stuff, too. So let's get started...

NEW QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth, the Blessed Sacrament. There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the one true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that."
J.R.R. Tolkien

1. PRINCIPLES AND HABITS OF A LOVING MARRIAGE
Pray together every day, out loud, as a couple.
Rely completely on God's Divine Providence.
Tithe 10%.
Don't try to force your will on your spouse.
Offer each other constant and copious affection.
Listen carefully and watch closely.
Show love by small acts of charity.
Ask your guardian angel for help.
Spend long periods of time together--"Couch Time."
Take the long view.
Encourage generously and encourage often.
Don't interrupt rudely or use uncivil tones of voice.
Change quickly and change easily for the better.
Ask Our Lady for all things, great and small.

2. MONGO COMBO
Are you a pack rat or a tosser? We're tosser-outers of stuff ourselves. This keeps our need for storage and closet space to a minimum. We once saw a lady on TV who said that if you haven't used it in a year, you'll probably never use it, so go ahead and throw it away. If it's a relatively inexpensive item, and you really do end up needing whatever-it-was, you can just buy another one. You save money in the long run by living in a smaller home. We're of Scottish heritage. Combine that with Catholicism, and you get the Mary Foundation.

JOKE OF THE WEEK
(from a previous CatholiCity Message)

A man is getting his haircut. "It's been three weeks since you came in, where have you been?" the barber asks.

"I went to Rome with my wife."

"Italy?" the barber scoffs. "It costs a fortune to fly there, and the seats are so cramped."

"On the contrary," said the man, "we got $250 round-trip fares off the Internet, and got bumped up to First Class because they overbooked coach."

"Well," said the barber, "what hotel did you stay in?"

"The Rome Hilton," said the man.

"What a dump!" the barber cried. "Lousy service and the food is worse."

"As a matter of fact," replied the man, "the hotel had just been renovated for ten million dollars. The service and meals were superb, and they upgraded us to the presidential suite because of a minor computer glitch at no extra cost."

"Hmmpph," the barber grunted. "I guess you tried to see the pope, too. With those big crowds, he probably looked like a tiny speck."

"You'll find this hard to believe," said the man, "but while we were walking in Saint Peter's Square, a Swiss Guardsman tapped me on the shoulder, and said the Holy Father wanted to treat us to lunch. Apparently, the pope likes to do this with pilgrims every once in a while. We got a whole tour of the Vatican, saw his private apartment, and of course, the lunch with the Holy Father was simply wonderful."

The barber laughed. "Incredible. You lucky dog. I bet there were a lot of other pilgrims there."

"Nope. Just me and my wife," said the man.

"Well, he didn't talk to you, did he?" the barber said doubtfully. "What would the pope have to say to a guy like you."

"In fact, he did talk to me, in English," said the man. "As we were leaving, he shook my hand, thanked me for our company, and then he asked me something I'll never forget for as long as I live."

"And what was that?" asked the barber.

"He wanted to know where I got my lousy haircut."

OLD QUOTES OF THE WEEK
(from previous CatholiCity Messages)

"I praise wedlock, I praise marriage: but it is because they produce virgins."
Saint Jerome

"A man's good work is effected by doing what he does; a woman's by being what she is."
G.K. Chesterton

"If the man is the head of the family, the woman is the heart, and as he occupies the chief place in ruling, so she may and ought to claim for herself the chief place in love."
Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubii

PRAYER OF THE WEEK
Let's all 70,000+ CatholiCity Citizens pray with each other today for the poorest of the poor, who, according to Mother Teresa, are those who do not know God. Let's pray for the fallen away and the unbelievers among our families and friends, to Our Lady, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...

"Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me, Amen."

DID YOU KNOW...
there are dozens of CatholiCity Citizens who will take your personal prayer requests online and pray just for you? We use this supernatural service quite often ourselves. You can sign up to pray for others. You can submit your intentions here on this little jewel of a page in CatholiCity:

http://www.catholicity.com/prayersdevotions/

Thanks for hanging in there today. Keep smiling.

With Christ,

Your Friends at CatholiCity