I saw this website and took the challenge. You have to type in all 50 states, correctly spelled, in 10 minutes! As soon as you click on the link the timer starts so get to typing right away.  I had 7:21 left on the clock when I finished  See how you do!

http://www.ironicsans.com/state22.html

Now this is entertaining! 

 

 

 

1. (b) This and the second line of the Hail Mary are found in Luke’s Gospel (1:28, 42).

2. (b) The Latin root of this word simply means “to show,” as in the word “demonstrate.” Some monstrances have gold rays like the sun around the host.

3. (a) “Eggs Benedict” (consisting of eggs, hollandaise sauce and other ingredients) was a favorite breakfast dish of Pope Benedict XIII during the years of his papacy (1724-1730).

4. (d) Christmas 1223, Francis arranged for a real-life nativity scene. The town of Grecchio gave us our word “creche.”

5. (b) The Old Testament mentions pilgrimages to Bethel as well as to other places. Christians still make pilgrimages to venerate the holy places of Jesus’ life, or the lives of the saints, or the locations of miracles. Prayer and penance are aspects of pilgrimages of any age.

6. (a) The Immaculate Conception (December 8) refers to Mary being conceived without sin in her mother’s womb. Some Catholics confuse this with the Virgin Birth of Jesus.

7. (b) See Matthew 1:23. By taking on human flesh, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became “God with us” in a new way.

8. (d) He was a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Notre Dame, named for Our Lady, was founded in 1842.

9. (d) St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, is supposed to have given three bags of gold to three daughters who needed dowries, which is why a pawnbroker’s sign has three gold balls. We celebrate his feast day on December 6.

10. (c) Mohammed (570-632) received the Koran, the holy Scriptures of Islam, from Allah (the Muslim name for God) in 610. The word “Islam” is Arabic for “submission to God’s will.”

11. (a) Before Vatican II, most people knew both the Latin and the English versions of “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

12. (c) Jerome lived from 345-420. His translation has had a profound influence on the Church.

13. (c) The Qumran scrolls are thought to be the remains of the library of a Jewish “monastic” community called Essenes. These scrolls have enriched biblical studies enormously.

14. (c) The word is a direct borrowing from the Greek.

15. (a) The red, burning lamp is called the “sanctuary lamp.” It reminds us of the Real Presence of Jesus in the tabernacle.

16. (d) See Matthew 3:4. Some translations say “locusts” for grasshoppers. Locusts were not an uncommon food at the time.

17. (c) During Advent, violet reminds us that we are awaiting a King. During Lent, the color reminds us of penance.

18. (d) Juan Diego himself was recently canonized. Our Lady’s image on his tilma (or cloak) can still be seen. In the United States, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December

19. (c) Blessed Kateri (1656-1680) was a young Mohawk girl who converted to Christianity, and who cared for the sick and the aged. She lived a life of penance and prayer and was known for her great holiness. Her feast day is July 14.

20. (d) Johannes Gutenberg’s astonishing contribution to civilization was the invention and manufacture of moveable types for each letter of the alphabet. Most of its pages contain two columns of type, each 42 lines long.

This really doesn't seem to fit me, but then again, I am Gemini, so it may turn out differently if I take the quiz again next week!

 

 

 

1. The famous words of the angel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation were
(a) “Glory to God in the highest!”; (b) “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!”; (c) “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!”; (d) “Lord, I am not worthy”

2. An elaborate gold vessel used to display the Eucha-rist at benediction or during a procession is called a
(a) chalice; (b) monstrance; (c) stole; (d) cruet

3. The pope who gave his name to a popular egg dish was
(a) Benedict XIII; (b) Boniface IX; (c) John Paul II; (d) John XXIII

4. The custom of having a nativity scene at Christmas
(a) originated with St. Francis of Assisi; (b) started in the thirteenth century; (c) began near the Italian town of Grecchio; (d) all of the above

5. In the Middle Ages many people went on pilgrimages because
(a) border crossings were easier in those days; (b) pilgrimages were acts of devotion, a means of asking for a saint’s intercession, or a substitute for harsh penances; (c) pilgrimages were trendy after Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales; (d) bishops were partial to them

6. On the liturgical calendar, Mary’s birthday is celebrated on
September 8 because (a) that date is nine months after the feast of the Immaculate Conception; (b) a pope wanted Mary’s birthday celebrated on the date of his own birthday; (c) the Church needed a Marian feast in the fall; (d) none of the above

7. The name Emmanuel means
(a) Holy God, we praise thy name; (b) God is with us; (c) Savior of the world; (d) Hark the herald, angels sing

8. The famous University of Notre Dame located outside of South Bend, Indiana, was founded by
(a) Peter Lombard; (b)John Neumann; (c) Francis Xavier; (d) Edward F. Sorin

9. St. Nicholas (fourth century) is the patron saint of
(a) children; (b) sailors; (c) pawnbrokers; (d) all of the above

10. Mohammed, prophet and founder of Islam, was born
(a) in present-day Israel; (b) within 100 years of Jesus; (c) in the sixth century; (d) in the twelfth century

11. “Adeste Fideles” is the Latin name for the popular Christmas carol,
(a) “O Come, All Ye Faithful”; (b) “O Little Town of Bethlehem”; (c) “Silent Night”; (d) “Hark the Herald, Angels Sing”

12. The Church Father who single-handedly translated the Bible from its original Greek and Hebrew into Latin was St.
(a) Julian of Norwich; (b) Benedict; (c) Jerome; (d) Thomas More

13. The Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered at Qumran in the
(a) 1850s; (b) 1920s; (c) 1940s; (d) 1990s

14. The literal meaning of the word “Eucharist” is
(a) faith; (b) hope; (c) thanksgiving; (d) generosity

15. The sign that the Blessed Sacrament is present in a tabernacle is
(a) a red, burning lamp; (b) flowers; (c) candlesticks; (d) statues

16. The Bible tells us that in the desert, John the Baptist ate
(a) date-nut bread; (b) loaves and fishes; (c) yogurt; (d) grasshoppers and wild honey

17. Advent’s traditional liturgical color is
(a) red; (b) green; (c) violet; (d) black

18. Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe honors the Blessed Mother in her appearance
(a) to Juan Diego, an Aztec convert; (b) near Mexico City; (c) in the sixteenth century; (d) all of the above

19. The first Native American to be beatified (the step before becoming a saint) was
(a) Geronimo; (b) Chief Red Cloud; (c) Kateri Tekakwitha; (d) Apache Dan

20. The Gutenburg Bible of 1452-1456
(a) was printed in Latin; (b) is sometimes called the 42-line Bible; (c) was printed with movable type; (d) all of the above

 

 

 

It's Between You and God by Mother Theresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
    Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
    Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
    Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
    Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight.
    Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous.
    Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
    Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
    Give the world the best you have anyway.
Why?
Because in the final analysis, all of this is between you and God….
    It was never between you and them anyway.

 

 

It’s not about having what you want; it's wanting what you've got.   Daddy, how was I born? Sign of the times? A little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy, how was I born?' The father answers: 'Well son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said: Scroll down...You'll love this... . 'You got Male!''

For fathers, who have given us life and love, that we may show them love and affection today and all days, we pray to God, our Father.

For fathers who have lost a child through death, that they may find hope, and solace in your never ending love, we pray to you, O God, our Father.

For fathers who have died, that God may welcome them into that peaceful place that is without ending, we pray to you, O God, our Father.

God our Father,
in your wisdom and love you made all things.
Bless those fathers who have taken upon themselves, the responsibility of parenting.
Bless those who have lost a spouse to death ... or divorce
who are parenting their children alone.
Strengthen them by your love that they may be and become
the loving, caring persons they are meant to be.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Ernest Hemingway once said that the world is a fine place and worth fighting for...  

Once, I had a dream about God.    He and I were sitting on a fencerow, watching the sunset.

“It’s beautiful,” I said.

“Yes,” He agreed. “It is beautiful.”

When I said it, it sounded cold and hollow. But when He said beautiful, it felt like the word came alive.

“But I wish you could have seen it the way it use to be, the way I meant it to be,” God said. It looked like He was starting to cry. I could see the tears. “It was so beautiful then.”

“What do we do, Lord?” I asked. “It’s so flawed now. So full of pain and evil.”

“Oh Cole,” He said. “Don’t be afraid. All this won’t last forever. Someday, I’m coming back. We’re going to burn everything down and build it up. This world is going to be restored.”

“But what do we do in the mean time?” I asked.

“Fight for what you can, Cole. Because this world is worth fighting for…”  

 

   Hemingway was wrong when he said the world is a fine place. It’s rotten and sick. Just watch CNN. But he was right when he said it’s worth fighting for.  Some days, I just need to be reminded of it.

[edit] There seems to be some confusion about the meaning of this image. This collage symbolizes the world, full of both beautiful and ugly things, a frightening mixture of good and evil. There are serial killers, mass murderers, death, drugs, addiction, sin. But there is also love, faith, hope, courage, and beauty. When you put it all together, it's both wonderful and terrifying. But it's still worth fighting for, despite all the evil