Thank God my family is totally opposite. If someone spoke of seeing a medium or the likes at our family gathering you can bet we'd all start throwing holy water on them and climbing over each other to put a scapular around their neck! They'd get a scolding and a catechism lesson before leaving our party.
Not bad. It's actually closer to "euro-divyeh" or "euro-divyey", with the accent on the last "yeh" or "yey" and the end sound being very quick and soft. We know a lot about her life, because as the wife of an army officer, the Tsar's secret service took a lot of interest in her odd behaviors, so we have many reports written up about things she did. For example, in one cemetery there was a church dedicated to Mary Theotokos being built. The workers were always surprised to arrive to work to find just the right number of bricks hauled up to their places so they didn't have to stop work to get more bricks. Because of this, the church was completed in half the time planned. It was later revealed that Xenia would work through the night hauling bricks up the scaffolding, so the church to her beloved Theotokos would be finished sooner.
A good book on this that might open their eyes to the danger is Malachi Martin's "Hostage to the Devil."
On a more cheerful note I notice in my own family that as they get older they turn more and more to God. In my own experience the rosary is a great antidote.
From what I understand, the fact that Satan had already seen t he face of God, and was close to Him, meant that his rebellion was so deliberate that he cannot be forgiven. Satan is also angered by the fact that God sent His only-begotten Son to die on the cross to save us. He is angry that we can be forgiven many times over, and that we can receive Holy Communion. So we do not understand fully, but because he thought that he was greater than God, he lost his chance. St. Michael drove him out of heaven, and said, "Who is like unto God!"
On different note...yesterday's homily. Our retired Monsignor told a story, of how when he goes to parishioners dinners, they always ask him to say grace. He says he can tell by kids expression if that a normal event. But what his point was how many of us say grace at home but more importantly how many say it at restaurants...in public. He mentioned how many of us are too embarrassed. I guess you ask how it relates. Maybe we don't say grace in public because we feel people with think we are bonkers. Pretty good homily this week.
Yep Padrid....as St. Padre Pio said, " the rosary is the weapon!" How simple a solution for the worlds ills...if everyone would believe it! She appeared on earth to tell us....so who are we to question its power. Pray the rosary for your family and the world....And trust in the power of it. Our Lady does not lie
I find it a little embarrasing blessing myself passing a Church, especially on public transport. But I try to force myself remembering the words of Jesus. Matthew 10:33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. I found it so refreshing in Italy were they bless themselves not only passing Churches but religious statues too. Since there are Churches and statues everywhere you could be kind of always blessing yourself. No bad thing. I love it in Ireland when walking in the middle of nowhere and I meet a little shrine. It feels like coming home...
