We should not be giving our Guardian Angel a name. This is the height of insensitivity, presumption, and arrogance. Our angels are not our pets that we name; they already have a name. It is profoundly disrespectful to name a being who not only has a name already, but of whom we do not have any authority.

Naming is directly connected to having dominion or authority of the creature being named. This is why God allowed Adam to name the animals because He gave Adam dominion over the animals. As parents we have authority over our children and thus may name them. We have dominion over our pets so we may name them even if they have been given a name by a previous owner.

We need to respect the individuality and dignity of our angel who is an intelligent being who has been named by God Himself.

There is no need to know the name of our angel. We may have a profound devotion with our Angel without ever knowing his name. This, we can refer to our angel as "My Angel."

In similar manner we need to be extremely careful about "asking" our angel his name. It is possible that our angel may reveal his name and with that we need to be very circumspect of the validity of that communication. The communication may not be from our Angel. In asking for our angel's name, however, we are truly risking getting a response that is not from our angel.

This involves communication with the spiritual realm. Especially if we are so desirous of an answer from our Angel, the devil may fool us.

It is also possible for the "answer" from our Angel is really our own wishful imagination.

The bottomline is that there is absolutely no reason to know our angel's name for any reason. To flirt with trying to know this information can get us into trouble, and to presume to name our angel is profoundly presumptuous and arrogant.

How Many Named Angels?

 

The Church recognizes only three named angels: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

Other angels such as Uriel are from apocryphal sources and are not recognized by the Church.

New agers give veneration to many named angels out of these apocryphal writings. Catholics, however, should only recognized the three named angels recognized by the Church and not indulge in apocryphal works for information on angels.

 

The traditional First Thanksgiving was offered by the Plymouth Plantation colonists and Wampanoag Indians in 1621 in which an autumn harvest feast was shared. This harvest meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. Although this feast is considered by many to the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. Native American groups throughout the Americas, including the Pueblo, Cherokee, Creek and many others organized harvest festivals, ceremonial dances, and other celebrations of thanks for centuries before the arrival of Europeans in North America.

There are several other dates in contention to be the "first" thanksgiving. The earliest Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida.

 

Since Baptism removes not only original sin, but also any personal sin, catechumens do not need to receive the Sacrament of Confession before their Baptism.

In any event they cannot receive any other Sacrament until they are Baptized.

Canon 842.1 states: A person who has not received baptism cannot be admitted validly to the other sacraments.

Who did you Vote for?

 

We certainly hope that the 64% who voted for Obama were not Catholic. More than 100 Catholic bishops spoke out about the moral duty of Catholics to not vote for any candidate who is pro-abortion. There is no politician more pro-abortion than Obama. Our next President has promised to pass legislation that would invalidate all State restrictions to abortion from conception to birth. He is supportive of infanticide voting four times against legislation that would make illegal killing of babies who survive attempted abortions. There is absolute no way that any Catholic, or any other Christian, can vote for Obama without sinning. You know who you are and you will be held accountable before God for the millions of babies that you will have helped die.

Rene Henry Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi gives summarizes this well:

"This is Bishop Rene H. Gracida, reminding all Catholics that they must vote in this election with an informed conscience. A Catholic cannot be said to have voted in this election with a good conscience if they have voted for a pro-abortion candidate. Barack Hussein Obama is a pro-abortion candidate."

For other statements from many bishops on this issue see U.S. Bishops Address Catholic Politicians and Voters.

If all Catholic had voted with moral courage, as well as Evangelicals and other Christians, Obama would not be the President-Elect right now. While McCain is not the best choice that could be, McCain is light-years better than the baby-killing Obama.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

 

The motto of Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (For the greater glory of God) is the motto of St. Ignatius Loyola and the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

The motto is often represented by the initials A.M.D.G. This motto is also used by many non-Jesuit schools, universities, and organizations. Pope John Paul II often used this initial after his signature.

In Jesuit schools the students are often asked to place AMDG on their papers to remind them that their papers, schoolwork, and education are all for the greater glory of God.

The Original Halloween treat

 

It was actually on All Souls day, November 2nd, that the poor children went door to door begging for food and in returned promised to pray for the dead loved one from that household.

The food they received were little cakes called "soul cakes". Soul cakes were donuts (a cake with a hole in the center making a circle, representing eternity).

Today candy has replaced the true soul cake and the holiday has corrupted into a culture of death and pagan practices.

For a discussion on whether or not a Christian should participant in Halloween celebrations see an essay on that topic.

Are You Registered to Vote?

 

We are happy to see that most people in our poll are registered to vote.

This election, more than any other election at least in the last 40 years, is critically important. This election is as much a referendum on moral integrity as it is about any political policy or personality.

We hope that everyone who is eligibel will thoughtfully consider the issues and vote this coming November 4th.