You're Killin' Me, Billy (Gates)

The realization that most people in our current society think that I’m a religious fanatic was not something I foresaw in my future when I said my ‘yes’ to whatever God was to ask me to do with my life. Back then, although I vowed my allegiance to God and promised to work for the good of the kingdom, I was just crossing the threshold from being of the world to seeking the eternal...so even though I meant it, I could’ve never guessed what that promise actually entailed.  In short, I imagined doing God’s work and in doing so, I would more or less, get encouragement and support from many; for what could be a more noble endeavor? I must of brushed over all that talk of the persecution of Christ’s followers in the bible :-) Many can understand this sort of thing if they relate it to the vocation to married life. That is, most of us couldn’t anticipate the work and suffering that goes into authentically loving a spouse. Not to mention that attaining a joyful, balanced, and happy marriage would require a sort of dying to yourself. This truth is basic spiritual knowledge for if God is love and He sent His son to die a horrible and excruciating death for our salvation, we can see that suffering is necessary in this life and can be redemptive. And although I’m guilty of asking the cup to be passed on many an occasion, it is through that difficult suffering that the best fruit has been produced time and time again. That’s just the way it’s designed, so we might as well ask for the graces to embrace it so that we can do a better job in carrying our crosses and offering them up...there are souls that rely on this act whether they know it or not! 

Good stuff on redemptive suffering:
"There is no substitute for experience, especially the experience of suffering...
Wherever the Pope (John Paul II) goes, and to whatever group he speaks, his message on suffering is always the same: Be patient and endure the cross of Christ, but at the same time seek to find ways of relieving human suffering caused by hatred, injustice and greed."
Read the whole here by Fr. Hardon here:
http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Martyrs/Martyrs_006.htm

http://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/redemptive-suffering/667/


Many times we are given the gift of getting to see the good fruit produced from our work or suffering on this side of heaven, but many times we will not be permitted to see the good gained until after our earthly deaths. If you are weak like me, and perhaps need a bit of motivation outside of a perfect act of love, I find that thinking of the everlasting merit and envisioning a great triumph, such as aiding in saving a soul, softens the temporal discomfort and difficulty. 

If you’re ready to admit what goes on with Christians of this day, it’s not hard to surmise what my reality actually is. That said, I am one blessed woman and have been afforded great graces, gifts, and a certain solace through and after each trial or ‘battle’. My life is filled with frequent laughter, joy, and peace. I also have a very special, devout family and a few close friends who support me...I am one of the lucky few in that. If you'd like to start helping the kingdom, the Church gives us some good direction in how to do so. For our benefit, Corporal Works of Mercy and Spiritual Works of Mercy are laid out for us:

I'd like to point out that some of the corporal works are intertwined with that of social justice work. Work like helping the poor, homeless, elderly and vulnerable, fighting for minorities, etc. does still warrant some praise from this culture. It is important to note that though this work is essential to do, sometimes certain forms of it can get mixed up in the whole ‘equality’ in gender and race, sexual identity, and reproductive ‘rights’ confusion of the day. This can be problematic (via sometimes you're inadvertentley condoning things that are not in line with the faith), however there is usually a way to avoid direct compliance in these misguided services.  We can see many instances where this work is taken over by government programs which are not founded with pure intentions, nor with honorable men. Sadly these programs often end up enabling many by making it far too seductive to rely on the government.  By failing to educate the whole person and/or offer true opportunities to help oneself when possible,  band-aids are put on the problem and, too often, the incentive to succeed is taken away. There's a thin line between helping and enabling. This truth is important to keep in mind when you want to see a friend or family member happy, but encourage them (by words or just by keeping quiet) when they are attaining that 'happiness' through immoral means. 

I find that many underestimate or ignore the importance of the spiritual works even though we have several chances each day to take part in them. The very important work of fighting to save babies,  for real health care, for religious freedom, for the education of the whole person, and authentically loving others through sharing the light, that is the word of God, gets you shushed and written off. Never mind the nonexistent ‘attaboy’ praises. Instead, when you are sharing truth, people are screaming, suing, and slandering you for all your (mostly unpaid) work. It's no wonder people aren't lining up to take part! Indeed, we are living in a diabolical world so infused with confusion that we can’t call a man a male because of his biology or a baby in the womb a person, so what else can be expected? What’s a just man to do? 

Endure. I believe this is the main message for the faithful today. We must faithfully endure and be a sign of hope (Jesus) to the world. Endure the mocking, endure the punches, endure the heart wrenching illustrations of our country (and world) being swallowed by the great darkness of the culture of death right before our very eyes. Endure the dismal state of our church with knowledge that it will NOT remain like this for much longer.  Endure the loss of ministries and the abundance of the lukewarm that eventually leads to loss of faith. Know that we will someday see our Church placed in it's proper place and filled with believers who are steadfast in their faith. 

Mallet's 'The Age of Ministries is Ending'

Endure the whole of this storm that is gaining vicious momentum at this time. How? First and foremost by CLINGING to Jesus Christ who is our ONLY refuge. If you want the shortcut there, it’s through Our Blessed Mother. Secondly, by praying, a lot, and from the heart. Thirdly, by true faith which is love in action. By enduring not ignoring the state of the world. Just by speaking up every now and again you can be that light that will shine amidst the darkness of this day. The catastrophic dismantling of the family is due, in part, by too many of us staying silent on the passing of disordered laws, acceptance of unnatural relationships, and even the backing of deeds done stemming from mental disorders. When faced with situations like this we need to step up and really LOVE the person which, in many cases, means gently guiding them to the truth (which differs from their desires and feelings).  For those of you who cannot see it yet, God is shaking us down! That’s right, He’s separating the faithful from the unbelievers at this very time; even from within our own Church. He has to... for it has been written.

I find it fascinating in the way it is unfolding. All this chaos and all this mess is not a punishment from God as we have seen in the old testament, but rather, it is a natural and direct consequence to our decision as a whole to keep God out of picture and worse, our fight to go against His word and direction for order.  

St. Paul writes: 

"upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thess 2:11)

and

"Understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power." (2 Tim 3:2-5)

and the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

The Church's ultimate trial

675 Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.⁵⁷⁴ The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth⁵⁷⁵ will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.⁵⁷⁶

676 The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism,⁵⁷⁷ especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism.⁵⁷⁸

677 The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection.⁵⁷⁹ The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven.⁵⁸⁰ God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.⁵

***So, let's get back to what I started with (got to love a good tangent) I never foresaw many of the difficulties that I would face, but God sure did- and he prepped me for them all my life. Of course He did- as He preps each one of you for your mission. The conditioning is just different for each person as their God-given mission is as unique as their DNA. I believe a bit of my prep had to do with building some pretty thick skin which is coming in pretty darn handy at about this time in my life ;-)  When I was working against the kingdom, I made this strengthening process much more difficult than it had to be, but God works with all our decisions (even the bad ones) to produce good.

A little update on a trial I’m going through which I mentioned in my last post- that is my Maggie showing symptoms of autism. As I said before, I really did not want to go there. There as in her symptoms being triggered by vaccines. Honestly, here was an instance where I asked that the cup be passed. I mean I’m already quite the outcast for not only being a 'Jesus freak', but as one who is a devout Catholic who believes in all of it. I certainly did NOT want to add being anti-vax to my identity. That is one small swimming pool to be part of! And make no mistake- I too desire to be part of a community (we all do)... but what I desire is not what really matters. That is to say, that even if you stand alone for God, you are to do so and, hopefully, with joy. Here's a prayer I took from someone and tweaked a bit for myself:

‘God, please send your Holy Spirit to enlighten, strengthen, and guide me in this daunting endeavour and always. 

Please show me only that which I need to know in order to do the work you have planned for me (in this case to help heal my daughter, Maggie, and other children that share her condition).

Help me to adequately discern what to share and what to keep private’

I have learned a lot this month! As any mama with a sick child does, I have delved into what I could do to help in Maggie’s recovery. I will not write much more about Maggie’s story at this time, but I would like to enthusiastically report that we have seen tremendous steps towards recovery! But still I ask you to keep her in your prayers as we have a ways to go.

I'll add that when a mother tells you that something is wrong with her child, the empathetic response would be to acknowledge her statement, offer an ear, and perhaps some support. Regardless of what YOU think or what YOU have seen, try not to downplay her concerns. I know many of you who do this have good intentions and I've done it myself on occasion. I know most of you just don’t want this mama to worry anymore, but here's the deal- we know what we’re talking about and, chances are, it’s taken us a walk down a hellish highway and back to even be able to voice to you our observations. Our concerns have already been dismissed by countless doctors and other medical field workers. Trust me when I tell you, we have been made to feel crazy and disillusioned. This all the while witnessing the neurological downfall of our precious children after certain vaccinations.  Doctors say things like “this 105+ fever is normal; but bring her to the ER if she goes limp”, or ‘she’s just developing her other skills right now’ (because she can no longer speak), and ‘she’s just tired- are you making sure she gets enough sleep?’, or “she’s anemic because of too much milk” (well doc she hasn’t had a drop of milk because she can’t tolerate it but I’m not gonna tell you that again after the lecture I got last time), and “sure she’s small but she’s not starving or anything- give her some extra fig newtons”, or a just plain “I don’t think you’re certain when you say she hasn’t looked you in the eyes, answered to her name, or engaged with you in 5 months”. Can you imagine the frustration? So after you realize you’ll be getting no guidance from the doc (of course when they turn about two and can’t do the normal stuff, then they’ll send you in for a torturous evaluation, proceed to tell you that your kid is indeed on the spectrum and that you can’t do much except some behavioral therapies and meds. These meds will keep their immune systems taxed and their brains inflamed, but hey, maybe they’ll stay zoned out long enough for you to get some work done). So with that 'help' you start to find some actual remedies that work (thank you internet and DAN! doctors) and start to heal your child on your own. Then this happens:

“No one believes he had anything wrong with him to begin with. People think these recovered children were misdiagnosed. The reason recovery is controversial is because we are healing these kids by treating the injuries caused by the vaccines or the environmental toxins rather than the autism itself. When we treat these things, the symptoms of the autism get better. The medical community is terrified to get within 10 feet of detoxing metals out of these kids because it will point the finger directly at what everyone is so scared to admit. Vaccines CAN trigger autism.” -pg.22 in ‘Mother Warriors’

So to end this emotionally charged segment, I will tell you that vaccines, as they are distributed now, are absolutely, unnecessarily dangerous and we are being deceived. If you can’t bear to look into the truth of vaccines and you have a small child, please, at the very least, carefully monitor them physically and behaviorally before and after their scheduled shots. (taking videos help) Most serious adverse reactions may occur on days 4-6 and 14-16 post vax. (guess when my Sophie girl had her first hospitalization?) Look for high fevers, rashes, and most telling, changes in temperament. If you notice any of these, start spreading out those shots- no matter what. I wish I monitored Maggie- I would’ve seen that her system couldn’t handle the normal schedule of shots as she exhibited signs after her 6 month vax round. Think your child handled his vaccines just fine? Chronic skin problems, allergies, asthma, hyperactivity, ear infections, chronic colds and coughs, delayed speech and walking, and behavioral issues are just some of the less severe vaccine reactions that may affect your child (for life). This is not far fetched folks. Once you understand how the body responds and behaves to toxic injections it will make perfect sense. Like parenting isn't hard enough, now dealing with these chronic conditions is the norm- but hey if this stuff helps in your feelings that you just can't handle more kiddos- well that's just an added bonus to the agenda at large.
In case you can stomach a closer look into vaccines here’s just a couple links:

Watch one or two of these very COMMON stories: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G_Mm3aTaA8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMcO4PHnFWs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPw08IRikH4
And this from a former Merk employee (big vax manufacturer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUduiwgHMQs

Don't get me started on Dr. Offit:
http://vaccinepapers.org/dr-paul-offits-aluminum-deceptions-academic-misconduct/

This is informative:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36_qz2beMaE

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/six-reasons-to-say-no-to-vaccination/

If you're Catholic and/or pro-life:
https://cogforlife.org/vaccines-abortions/

 

I’m going to try to keep this part short, but it is chock full of layers-dark and deadly ones at that.

Someone else is trying to shake us down, only this shakedown is not an act of mercy nor is it aimed in bringing people to the light-. Of course we know that the devil has always been up to that, but in this instance I’m talking about a mere human with a ton of money, power, prestige...and the most evil of direction. I present to you Bill Gates (and his posse). I’m not on some smear campaign and barely took note of ‘ol Billy until I came across the fact that he has a whole lot to do with three integral things that directly affect all of our lives and those of our children. I pray for this man and his family- He needs many more prayers than he has money, so I beckon you to add him to your prayer lists as conversion is possible for the most serious of sinners. (Apparently he sporadically attends a Catholic Church with his wife and kids but he's not sure he believes in God:
 http://www.catholic.com/blog/karl-keating/is-bill-gates-insane

As usual, I seek to give you some information to sift through so that you could help in prayer, word, and action. Please take note of Gate’s meddling with his character in mind and then reconsider your support for vaccines, our food supply, and our education system (as they are now). I will simply share with you some of Billy’s work and words and you will notice how his hand is currently immersed in our medicine (primarily in terms of vaccines), our food (big corp Monsanto), and our children’s education (shall we say calculated evil in Common Core). If you have just a couple minutes, watch this  video for a good synopsis of what he’s been up to. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/406118029526831/?multi_permalinks=687185544753410&notif_t=group_highlights&notif_id=1463828875264237

listen at minute 2:39 for a more detailed version of his Ted Talks presentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUJMR3BUm2s

Common Core is awful. I'd love to explain at length here, but that's for another post. If you don't think it stinks you haven't looked into it thoroughly. How did this evil agenda come into most all of our schools so quickly? Why aren't the schools that know that it stinks dropping it? Because it's unrolling (and bankrolling) was all carefully planned out by some powerful people with dark ideas. Of course, they were able to dupe many with their sneaky roll out scheme and through their greater good terminology that this was all created to help the children. Bologna.  

" If the interest that billionaires like the Gates and other Common Core advocates displayed in revising educational standards were merely about dumbing down the math and language skills of children across America, that would be bad enough. But the ramifications of this process do not stop at the ability to add, subtract, or spell. They go right to the heart of a vision for society that was laid out over a century ago, and perhaps most baldly articulated by President Woodrow Wilson (in his 1909 address to the Teachers Association)  where he admitted:
“We want one class of persons to have a liberal [classical] education, and we want another class of persons, a very much larger class, of necessity, in every society, to forego the privileges of a liberal education and fit themselves to perform specific difficult manual tasks.” -https://www.corbettreport.com/why-common-core-must-be-opposed/ 

Look here to get a glimpse of it's one size fits all education plan:

http://reason.com/blog/2014/09/30/watch-bill-gates-confirm-everybodys-wor

Look here to see some of his Common Core funding:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/12/22/how-bill-gates-bankrolled-common-core-in-2014/

Here's some insight as to how CC came into schools so swiftly. You'll have to copy and paste it into your url as it's locked:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-bill-gates-pulled-off-the-swift-common-core-revolution/2014/06/07/a830e32e-ec34-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html

Now, shall we talk food? If you watched the Gates video you saw how much money he has in Monsanto and that is some bad news especially given that Monsanto has said that it's goal is to control 100% of our food! Now let’s connect some more dots. Let’s talk Zika. If you google this you will find many articles discrediting the following: 

"As the Zika epidemic “spreads explosively” around the world, pregnant travelers have been put on pause due to the virus’s suspected association with microcephaly, the congenital condition in which a baby’s head is abnormally small.

While the link between the mosquito-borne virus and microcephaly has yet to be scientifically proven, Argentinian and Brazilian doctors have suggested an alternate culprit: pesticides. The report, written by the Argentine group Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST), suspects that pyriproxyfen—a larvicide added to drinking water to stop the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks—has caused the birth defects.

The authors said that the pesticide, known by its commercial name SumiLarv, is manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, a Japanese subsidiary of Monsanto.”
-http://ecowatch.com/2016/02/12/larvicide-cause-not-zika/

Here's a video where this theory is explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRjCnCyhHd0

and this:http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/vaccines-gm-mosquitoes-and-bill-gates-whats-really-behind-the-zika-fear-campaign/

AND they have started spraying in NYC, Now as I understand it, they have sprayed before for things like west Nile...let's just hope they are really using the nontoxic stuff.
http://pix11.com/2016/05/13/these-nyc-areas-will-be-sprayed-with-zika-preventing-larvicides/

Since we’ve covered a lot of ground here today, I will not give you any more information about Monsanto, but I leave you with this:

The AP reported Virginia Pressler, director of the Department of Health said:

“One of the things that this emergency declaration from the governor will allow us to do is that we can in fact enforce that we will come and take care of mosquitoes on a property that someone is refusing, because it is a public health emergency,”

 

Their logo is so fresh...looks so natural.

Now this is more like it.




And a final note of the Gate's meddling is when I recently heard that the Gates foundation has partnered with some more governments, nonprofits, and philanthropic orgs. to collect gender data (primarily of women of childbearing years and our children entering school), I thought this can't be good..and it's not, as their goals seem to be to collect a bunch of data on us even if it infringes on our rights and to get as many women on birth control as possible (and to increase sterilizations). 
Don't let the women's rights lingo fool you- this doesn't sound right:
  "Information on women’s economic activity, health, education, physical security, and other topics can be derived from big data sources as diverse as cell phones, remote sensors, and internet use. Analysis of cell phone data usage patterns can allow inferences to be made about women’s socioeconomic welfare, mobility patterns, and financial activity. Remote sensors could help reveal epidemiological trends of concern to women and provide information on physical access to markets, schools, clinics, and other essential services. Internet use, especially the expression of thoughts and emotions on social media platforms, could suggest insights into a wide variety of topics related to women’s welfare, including mental health, women’s political engagement, and societal attitudes about gender roles."
Taken from their website here:
http://data2x.org/partnerships/big-data-gender/


So say it with me, say it loud and proud, 
"Back off Billy G!"

God has been pushed away, ignored, and mocked for a very long time now. (this clock paints a devastating picture of our disobedience and selfishness): 

http://www.numberofabortions.com/

He is now permitting us to live amongst the hell we’ve created for ourselves. For a time that is. Soon all of us will have to choose a side- this is why this time of Mercy is so very, VERY important. This is why I try so hard to get people to answer the call- we must evangelize like never before. What an exciting time to be living in! Even though it is probable that it will take devastating warfare, disease, illness, government controlled tragedies, and even a probable economic collapse for people to tum to God, I eagerly await the aftermath of this time of great suffering which promises mass conversions, a rebuilding of our Church, a unification of the faithful, and most importantly, placing God back in the center of our lives and society. How I yearn for that day when we will exist in a world where God-fearing men are working together. There will still be those who give into the seductions of the evil one and it certainly won’t be heaven, but it will be blissful in that we will return to praising God and restoring order.  

Sweet Mags and Sourdough

Well this was supposed to be a blog post about bread making...and we’ll get there, but as it often goes these days, God had other plans for this one. (Okay, perhaps this should be three separate posts, but I've got a household to run people!) Since my last post a month ago (I don’t space them out on purpose that way, I just get to work when the spirit moves me ;-)  A LOT has happened. A whole bunch of personal stuff, the kind I am not super comfy sharing on the world wide web. BUT after I prayed about it and realized that the big guy was asking me to share this, I say YES. So here it goes.

Anybody who knows me, knows that once my Maggie was born- I fell in love with her in a uniquely special way. She was my sweet girl from day one. Sweet Mags. I even posted a pic of her last summer captioned ‘this is Maggie’s resting face’ as she beamed ear to ear with her infectious smile. It took nothing for her to smile, laugh, and babble- she was the sweetest, most bright eyed, most content baby I’d ever met, let alone birthed! I’m hoping I could hold it together here as I tell you what transpired in the following months. 

The short of it is that my sweet Maggie changed...seemingly overnight. Her eyes went dim, her smiles disappeared- no more laughter, no more adorable blabber. Period. I have to tell you that after I realized she wasn’t just having a bad day, or 60 in a row, I would literally stand on my head for this girl just to get a peak at a Maggasmile; to prove that my sweet girl was still there...but all my efforts were to no avail. Now when you’re in it, as in a period of time such as this, when your world is being turned upside down, you go through a few steps. Starting with asking yourself if you’re imagining this distinct behavior change, or maybe you’re doing something different in her bedtime routine, or maybe she’s just not feeling well, or perhaps she’s just going through a phase, developing differently- but for goodness sake, normally...and a slew of about a million other thoughts. Maggie would scream 3/4 of the night, arching her back and squirming about until she became so exhausted that she finally would fall asleep. There was little Joe or I could do to console her. When morning came she would wake up pretty miserable...and like that she would stay for most of the day. She earned the name Madgie which is still in constant use. And so life went on and Mags came with... mostly fixed to my hip with her sullen expression and strange infatuations. She especially hated crowds. At Mass and at family gatherings she would hang on tight to me or Joe and rarely, if ever, give in to people’s efforts to break her stern expression. (this fact is very telling as I have some real baby whisperers in my family). Forget about acknowledging, let alone playing with, her cousins or engaging in a game of see-saw with Nana. It was (and still is) a daily occurrence to hear comments about her grumpiness, her contemplative stare, her crankiness, and her quirks...of course all comments are punctuated with a joke on the end or a little note of ‘well she’s just shy’. These people mean no harm- they don’t know that each comment is a punch to the gut for me....because I know that something went wrong with my girl and, in a small way, they are confirming it. Despite Maggie being almost ready to walk at 10 months just like her older brother did, she just started walking last week at 17 months. Maggie has yet to double her birth weight. She has just started to respond to her name which is still a challenge if she’s focused on something else and has just learned to hold her own bottle. Though she's still serious most of the time, it does not go unnoticed that I can get her to smile when I put in some extra and persistent effort. I am thanking God for these milestones and His guidance as I am confident that if I went ahead with her scheduled 15 month round of vaccinations, she would not have hit them. 

So what happened to Maggie? Well, we’re still piecing it together, and I hesitate to say as she has not been diagnosed. But we’ve got an idea and we’re working on the remedy.  I just want to say that Maggie is healthy and, Praise God, she doesn’t have a life threatening disease or anything...and in the grand scheme of things, she’s okay.  I really think she’s going to get past this as we’ve caught it early on and I’m already seeing signs of progress. Once again, I find myself marveling at God’s timing and of the divine orchestration of my life- He loves me as He loves you- and He guides me as He’ll guide you if you ask and ‘stay tuned’. He’s there even when I’m trembling, even when it seems too big to tackle, and even when the rest of the world thinks I'm nutso. God is so good and so merciful all of the time even though we humans always mess things up. Note: If God does permit my Mags to regress further, OF COURSE I will welcome, care for, and love her as I love all my children unconditionally. I would continue to thank Him and praise Him for blessing me with her- regardless of her needs, albeit I would persist in finding therapies and remedies to reverse the symptoms as much as possible. God is ALWAYS good even though He permits (does not punish us with)some difficult things for us to endure; since he's a merciful God and has given us free will- it makes sense for Him to allow for a culture to "reap what it has sown." (BTW that unique love for Maggie has never swayed or diminished, it has only grown). 

This was one of the readings at the Vigil Mass tonight....
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples

and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships

to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14)

Example of her eyes in every picture before the change.

Example of her eyes in too many pictures after the change.

I’ve grown to love social media...sure I’ve had to tweak it on more than one occasion to make sure I’m getting what’s good for my soul and blocking what’s not, but now since that’s done, Facebook has been especially good to me! One of the many blessings from it is that I have one Facebook friend that posts on vaccine related issues. For years I would scroll past her posts as I could not even fathom delving into that topic as I have small children getting vaccinated on the regular. To be honest, I resisted looking into vaccines because my intuition told me that I would not be psyched on what I found out. So I ignored them...I would rationalize that it’s a lose-lose topic, that I, along with all my siblings, were vaccinated, and that I had a few other hot button issues on my plate that I had to conserve energy for ;-) But as I’ve said before, God puts the right people (or posts) and the right circumstances in your life all at the right time. Today, right now, I am beyond thankful for this person’s avid posting on the subject. Without her bringing awareness to this issue I would’ve been starting from scratch, or not at all, in one of the most overwhelming and serious topics of the day. The moral of this little story is to please post what you’re passionate about even if you don’t FEEL like dealing with differing opinions!- you can truly change the game (or in this case, someone’s quality of life) in that way. So if you’re reading this Ms. Avid Vax Poster- thank you for your courage and persistence. 

At this point I am not anti-vaccine, but I am for safe vaccines- I don't think anyone in the safe-vax community wants to see vaccine preventable diseases come back. So if we’re gonna inject actual known poisons and toxins into our small children, let’s do it one dose at a time so they have less of a chance of incurring adverse reactions and/or instantly regress into autism or some other condition that can alter their lives and yours FOREVER. (About that single dosing...we have a ways to go in banding together and demanding them, as vaccines are no longer offered in that way here in America) I had no idea how many vaccines were combined together for a single shot...all for the sake of making a buck and for Dr./Nurse/Insurance/Healthcare efficiency.  AND better yet, let’s find a way to make these vaccines green (without the heavy metals which are the main culprit in brain damage leading to Autism, SIDS, Allergies, Asthma, ADD, etc.) And PLEASE offer them WITHOUT aborted fetal cells listed as an ingredient.
The following will break your heart if you're pro-life:
http://www.rtl.org/prolife_issues/LifeNotes/VaccinesAbortion_FetalTissue.html
 My goal in sharing this with you is not to convince you that all vaccines are bad, rather it's to share some undeniable links that I have seen with my own eyes. As usual, I’ll ask you to acknowledge truth and call things what they are, in this case the blatant corruption of the CDC and plenty other organizations that is sadly running amok beneath the guise of health, safety, and greater-good terminology. I won’t get into the current problems with vaccines too much here (as they are extensive), nor will I get into the year and a half I spent in and out of the hospital with my Sophie girl and the probable correlation of her own health issues to her vaccination appointments.

By the way if you’re about my age, you received approximately 14 vaccines before the age of 5 and they were more spaced out and less combined.  Now a child will normally receive 42 by that same age, mostly in combined doses, and less spread out over time. After lifting the veil and seeing how many more vax's are ‘coming soon’ just waiting for government approval, or worse, mandatory requirement...I am now, more than ever, joining the fight to protect our parental freedoms to choose how to vaccinate our own children as we see fit. These rights (as well as a bunch of other fundamental ones) are being stripped away from us RIGHT NOW. No doctor knows your child the way you do. Many docs and nurses swore to me there was no correlation in my girls cases...and I believe most of them believe that as that is what's in the script. Mama’s, you’ve heard it before-trust your intuition. We are given the task of raising our babes as best we can. It is of utmost importance to not allow the government to dictate to us what is best for our kids. That should have no place anywhere, especially here in America, in the 21st century no less. I think you’d be mighty surprised at what’s going on behind the facade in this area.

Megan, from livingwhole.org writes: “Are you aware that there are more than 23 vaccines that contain aborted baby DNA, cellular debris, cells, and protein? These include, Adenovirus, Polio, Dtap/Polio/HiB Combo, Hep A, Hep A/Hep B Combo, MMR, MMRV Pro Quad, Rabies, Varicella, and the Shingles vaccine, and there are more in the pipeline. A lot more...

We are talking about hundreds, if not thousands of aborted babies who have been and continue to be dissected in order to obtain the perfect cell line for the vaccines you just promoted in your article. It’s listed on the CDC’s vaccine adjuvants and additives list...”CDC website

Read more of what she has to say here: livingwhole.org

This link is to "Children of God for Life- The Pro-Life World Leader for Ethical Vaccines, Medicines, and Consumer Products" https://cogforlife.org/

This trailer is for the movie Vaxxed, which despite being banned, boycotted, and slandered, continues to be screened in select areas because people are fighting for it to be shown. You should ask yourselves why they want this particular movie crushed and never to be seen by the public. See Vaxxed trailer here:
https://vimeo.com/159566038

I’m linking some clips featuring celebrities, mostly because they’re a good intro into what the big hoopla is all about. 

DeNiro Interview

Jenny gives a good intro.

Ummm Lisa, didn’t you say something about bread making like a day ago on this post? Ahh, why yes, yes I did. Oh dear she’s really lost it. Fear not, I’ll begin to connect the dots real soon. 

Some of you may know that in my previous life as a sort of agnostic I had a different passion for a little while. The subject was nutrition- learning all about food, where it came from, how it was made, which types had the best nutrients, where to get them, etc. True to form, I devoured books on the subject and coincidentally met an eccentric individual who put what I was learning into real life form. He’d take me to farms and we’d buy meats, eggs, and veggies there and he’d share his findings and truths about food. That’s pretty much all I ate for a couple of years- and I never felt or looked better. My newfound health wasn’t just because I was 23 and totally self-involved focused mostly on myself in looks and worldly pleasures- It was because the foods I ate were far superior to those that I had eaten all my life. Now I’m not saying they tasted all that much better than the meals I had eaten throughout my life (though they would’ve if I prepared them with any sort of effort). You see, I have a mama who could make a shoe taste good and she fed me the food of peoples dreams for many years. What I’m saying is that the foods I consumed during that time were as untouched, fresh, and whole as possible...just as God intended them to be. We’re talking traditional foods from animals that ate what they were designed to eat- mainly grass with some dirt and insects sprinkled through. Chickens, cows, pigs, etc were free to roam in pastures and their meat, eggs, and milk had all that nutrition gold built in. There was virtually no chemical/antibiotic interference except for the damage that had already been done to the environment and was simply not preventable despite the farmer’s efforts. (Think water and air pollution) The veggies had no pesticides sprayed upon them and the whole farm was as picturesque as you’d imagine. This is the proper way to grow food. It makes sense, not just on a nutrition level, but also on an ecological and ethical one.  It doesn’t take much research to understand this basic agricultural truth but like any good subject matter, it is simple yet complicated when further studied. I can’t go into it further at this time, so let me just say that if you haven’t looked into why local farms are the cats meow, I urge you to do so. Of course, I’ll link some resources to get you started and will dedicate a post or two to just this topic in the future. If you’ve never bought local you might be hesitant to do so for a few reasons, one being you’ve heard it’s pricey. It’s true that quality food means more money, but you’ll save on medical bills for sure. And it’s more affordable than you might think if you do it right. For it to work on a budget you’d have to make use of most all the animal parts and even those veggies you’ve never heard of. You’ll have to eat less meat and buy in bulk  (think ordering a half of a cow and storing it in your freezer- they cut, butcher, and package it for you silly!...you’ll be looking at packages of ground beef, ribs, etc. similar to what you buy at the store but without all those labels!)  We joined a Meat and Eggs CSA and a Produce CSA this year and I plan to post how our ‘Eat Well and Eat Local’ experiment goes. I mean our family of 5 is getting by on one average salary and we’re trying our darnest to keep it that way! You'll still find me at Price Chopper each week, but I'll be buying less there.  I will carefully keep track of the money spent on local foods and document the loot as well as share our difficulties and joys in storing, prepping, and consuming them in this upcoming 20+ week growing season. Most all local farms welcome you to come visit- they are proud of their work and rightly so. What a great way to spend an afternoon and get the kids excited about what they'll be eating this summer while educating them a bit more about food.

Think more of this...

and less of this.

This excerpt is from   http://www.franciscanfamilyfarms.com/:

"Cows were designed to eat grass.  They have a digestive system that is fine-tuned to convert grass into useful energy.  As they wander about eating grass, they return a large helping of fertilizer to the soil, so that the next time that they pass through, that grass will have grown (along with water and the sun – no tilling, seeding, or herbicide required) to provide another wonderful meal.  This process is as natural as can be.  Any human lucky enough to eat such a cow will be taking in a portion of all that the cow has eaten in its life – that beef will be lean, delicious, and high in healthy fats.

But today, instead of working with that natural relationship, we take our cattle to feedlots and feed them large quantities of corn.  On the surface, that would seem to be a more efficient way to get lots of beef… we can grow corn in massive quantities on the best land (of course, that requires lots of diesel fuel, synthetic fertilizers, and specially formulated herbicides), ship the corn to the cattle feed lots (more diesel), ship the cattle to the feedlots (likely with a subdermal implant of growth hormone already in place), feed the corn to the cows (which puts on lots of marbling – mostly unhealthy fat), and then find a way to deal with massive quantities of manure in one location (leaching into the water supply and requiring lots more diesel to cart away).  The end result is a less healthy cow which required a great deal of human effort and nonrenewable resources to produce.

The same kinds of practices are true with other types of agriculture… and we’re just left wondering why we’ve chosen to move so far way from God’s original design.  So many things that we’ve done to work against these natural systems have had ill effects – Do we know what the impact of growth hormones in our milk have on children?  Are we creating resistant bacteria by feeding antibiotics to animals every day?  Do we need to spray large amounts of chemical products all over our foods?  The list could go on.  Our ancestors managed to have a varied, healthy diet without all of these innovations.  We believe that the time is now to go back to raising our food using the systems that our Creator set in place for this planet."

Weston Price

Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions
Dangerous Grains
Franciscan Family Farms
A local farm we use for grass fed meat and eggs
A local farm we use for produce

LISA, bread...remember? Okay, okay. 

So during this optimal health (of body) period of time, I never ate bread (or any grains). They were off limits as the negative health issues that came along with that beautiful hunk of processed grain were just not worth it. Then I found myself married and unable to keep the perpetrator out of my pantry! So I indulged, gained weight..and felt pretty crummy (pun intended) most of the time. My hubby and I are gluten sensitive- like many who have spent a lifetime eating super processed grains are whether they know it or not. Then, like a light shining down from heaven upon my Netflix menu, I saw it. ‘Cooked’ episode 3  titled Air. Whoa. Watch it... and prepare for some good news. The main suggestion in that episode is that wheat, when fermented properly, that is, made in the traditional way (as in the kind of bread Jesus ate) was actually quite nutritious, filling, tasty, and affordable. Michael Pollan claims that a single grain of wheat holds most all the nutrients and minerals that we needed to survive...the key is to unlock them from it’s protective shell so that we could access them, digest, and absorb them. How? In short, by using a natural starter (not dried yeast) which aids in fermentation. This supposedly makes all the difference! 

And so I started making my own bread. Note: We are at the beginning of this little bread experiment, but I promise to update you on our bodies reaction to it and overall health as the months go on. I aim to make 1-2 sizable loaves per week, but it is quite the process for this rookie bread-making gal, so we'll see. Locals, if you're interested in trying some real bread you can swing by Rock Hill Bakehouse as the owner assured me 80% of their bread is made with a natural starter. (Not sure how long it ferments for or what ratio the whole grain flour to white flour is). If you want a glorious day trip option where you can feed your soul and body with the best stuff...take a trip to the Divine Mercy Shrine in gorgeous Stockbridge, MA. Then head down the street to The Berkshire Mountain Bakery in Housatonic where the baker profiled in Cooked, Richard Bourdon, bakes his beauties!

Divine Mercy Shrine

Berkshire Mountain Bakery

Rock Hill Bakehouse

Cooked

Netfilx link to episode

Some good recipes for this type of slow fermented sourdough bread:

The Clever Carrot

how to video

                      

That brings me to my conclusion. We are living in really cray-zay times. We need to question most everything, especially when it comes to what we are putting into our own

minds and bodies, those of our children, and our loved ones. The government’s organizations like the FDA, CDC, etc, though initially set up to safeguard our food and medicine, are no longer out for our best interests (follow the money trail if you’re still skeptical). I know it’s all so much, but we are called to do our best and right now if you even give a darn, you are helping the greater good. We’re all connected and every decision has consequences even when we can’t see them or fathom these intricate connections. Don’t get overwhelmed by that concept as it’s all part of the greatest story ever told, just pray more!

The following is by Mark Mallett:

“During another concert tour through the United States after Hurricane Katrina, the Lord began to show me how corruption had entered into the very foundations of society, from the economy, to the food chain, to politics, science and medicine. The Lord described it as “cancer” that cannot be treated with medicine, but has to be “cut out” in what amounts to a Cosmic Surgery.”

If foundations are destroyed, what can the just one do? (Ps 11:3)

Mark's Blog

Oh no you didn't...just insult my mama.

The other day I was given a printout titled, "Why do Christians Celebrate Easter?" by a woman who I admire as she has dedicated much of her life and work to saving babies. She is Protestant and I am Catholic (in case you didn't catch that tidbit about me yet ;-) So why even bring up our different religious beliefs...well, because I am learning a difficult lesson that is worth sharing as it might help others navigate their efforts in ecumenicalism. 

The printout explored why we celebrate Easter when we do. In it's exploration it talked about how people used to worship the pagan god, Ishtar as well as other gods and stated that Easter is, in fact, derived from these pagan practices. There were quite a few lines that seemed to make sense at first glance as far as where certain Easter traditions may have evolved from. There was also a main, albeit heartbreaking, hypothesis woven through this piece; dare I say that it was the actual objective to this article? What was the proposition ....that the Catholic Church is responsible for bringing in and propagating these pagan worshipping traditions. Here's a few of the most telling lines in the article:

"By now the readers of this tract should have made the connection that paganism has infiltrated the contemporary 'Christian' churches, and further study indicates that this paganism came in by way of the Roman Catholic System.

and

"The truth is that the forty days of Lent, eggs, rabbits, hot cross buns and the Easter ham have everything to do with the ancients pagan religion of Mystery Babylon. These are antichrist activities!"

and

"Worshippers were to meditate upon the sacred mysteries of Baal and Tammuz, and make the sign of 'T' in front of their hearts as they worshipped."

and, my personal favorite, the line that enraged and hurt me most bitterly as I realized that the undeniable, chosen by God  Himself, Mother of Our Lord and Savior, is being mocked, insulted, and placed in such blatant low standing in some protestant circles as to suggest Mary is not only unworthy of devotion, but actually part of and head of an outrageous web of deceit and lies meant to bring worship to the devil. This line also gave birth to the title of this post as I age myself back to a childhood of 'yo mamma' jokes:

"Ishtar, who was now worshipped as the 'Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, continued to build her mystery religion."

I repeat, OH NO YOU DIDN'T. 

Hmmmm, what mystery religion could you be referring to?

Which brings me to speak of the difficult lesson that I am learning which is that many protestants think of Catholicism as a non christian religion, and worse, a heretical, idol worshipping, blaspheming, antichrist driven one. You see, I, as a Catholic, apparently insult many of you with my sign of the cross (which is odd as you too, my brethren, believe in the Holy Trinity), I offend you with my Rosary (which is equally strange because those prayers and meditations are taken directly from scripture), and my intercessory prayers make you squirm as you falsely think that I am worshipping and praying to dead people......the list of my Catholic identity-driven behaviors and practices add insult and offense to you. You are insulted by these things that are essential in helping me grow in my faith and helps in my practice of it, but can you not see the error of your ways? Where is this hatred for Catholicism coming from? I am hoping you are not aware of it's true origin because if you are, it increases your culpability in breaking commandment #8.

Jesus is not smiling...and God will not be mocked. 

Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows,

because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit.^f

Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up.^g

So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all,^h but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith.^*  Galatians 6, 7-10

How can such disunity among Christians be pleasing to him? I need only to think of the promise that someday we will all be united again and that the Catholic church must be a 'sign of contradiction' even in regards to other christian faith communities to put my personal, hurt feelings aside. The big picture of salvation history is truly awesome and I marvel at how God's plan for His church unfolds before us. I look forward to that day when we Christians are all joined together again and am beyond excited for people to come to know some of the fullness of Catholicism and embark on their journeys into exploring the depths, mysteries, and beauties it holds.

I've always harped on, and still believe, that our protestant brothers and sisters have many strong points that we Catholics could really benefit from by mimicking them in those traits. Protestants are great community builders offering amazing support systems. They often have entertaining services, not to mention some pretty hip pastors. And, at least in these parts, have a large young member population which offers a whole slew of enticing attributes- everything from music choice, church social events, community dinners, special small groups that help forge friendships while speaking about God, common interests, mom groups, book groups, playgroups, preschools and even daycare. I credit them and they inspire me in these ways. It would be nice and most welcome, but more than that, extremely POWERFUL if, at the very least, Catholicism was truly respected in thought, word, and action. Do you realize the power (directed in giving glory to God) we will have when we unite? 

My response to the printout:

I read the printout you gave me and just wanted to offer a response. I love that you’re passionate about truth- so am I! I have done a bit of research and can see where the author got the idea that Easter and it’s traditions are derived from Ishtar and other pagan gods.  While I can understand his or her confusion and subsequent anger and frustration on the topic, I feel they’re not looking at the big picture of salvation history nor are they paying attention to some of the important details! First off, they directly say that the Roman Catholic Church brought this paganism...I wish I could say I’m surprised at the the anti-Catholic rhetoric that was inundated in that piece, but sadly I am not in the slightest. Debunking misconceptions about the Catholic church can quickly turn into a full time job as there are hundreds of them, and sadly, millions that believe them. 

“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.”

- Fulton J. Sheen  

I’d like to think that you didn’t give me this article that directly attacks and insults my faith to suggest to me that my Catholic faith is actually full of anti-christ driven delusions, but rather that you gave it to me to have me question why we celebrate Easter when we do- and for that, I thank you.

I don’t mean any disrespect in responding to this piece that you shared with me, but it is my duty to defend the Catholic faith, especially when falsehoods are directly attributed to our most holy Catholic Church. As a devout Catholic, I am learning that beneath the amicable facade that most protestants exhibit towards Catholics, there is actually much more hostility than I even thought right beneath the surface. The content in this article is especially deceiving because it has some truths mixed with falsehoods. The line about Ishtar being worshipped as the “Mother of God and Queen of Heaven” continuing to build her ‘mystery religion’ is NOT subtle, but despicable, disrespectful to your brethren, and downright heartbreaking to me. That aside,  I don’t disagree that Easter has nothing to do with bunnies and eggs, but I do strongly disagree that we, as united brothers and sisters in Christ, should not be celebrating the day of Our Lord and Savior’s resurrection. To be honest, even if we do celebrate Easter on the day that was once set aside for worshipping a pagan God, who cares?! We might actually want to consider it a ‘job well done’ in dethroning that pagan god and replacing it with a day of praise, worship, and celebration of the rightful King, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The devil must've been fuming when Christians ‘took’ one of the days when people would worship him most, in this case, as he took on the guise of the pagan goddess Ishtar, and now, instead worship the true God, Jesus Christ. The fact is, even if the origins of celebrating mass at sunrise were that of pagan worship of the 'Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and Spring and the annual sacrifices associated with her'- it isn’t any longer! Praise God! We Christians have a universal day to celebrate the greatest, most awesome, event ever! Heaven rejoices with us every Easter.

Here are a few excerpts and links in case you feel called to look into it further. Again, I love and respect you as my sister in Christ. Thank you for the dialogue.

In Christ, -Lisa

*Is Easter Pagan?
by Jimmy Akin 04/04/2012 

You often hear that Easter is "a pagan holiday." This claim is made, variously, by some Christian Fundamentalists (who want to do away with or re-brand Easter), by some atheists (who want to undermine Christianity), and by some neo-pagans (who want to undermine Christianity and claim Easter for their own).

People advancing this argument will argue that rabbits, eggs, and other symbols associated with Easter are fertility symbols--and we all know that fertility symbols are a dead giveaway for paganism, right?

They'll also say that the very name "Easter" is itself a giveaway--that it's derived from the Mesopotamian goddess "Ishtar." (Hear how her name even sounds like "Easter"?)

Or else they'll say that it's derived from an Anglo-Saxon goddess named "Eostre." And when they say th, they even have a saint and scholar--who just happens to be a doctor of the Church!--on their side. (It's the Venerable Bede.)

But there's more to this story than they suppose.

In fact, it turns out, only a person whose native language is English, or perhaps German, would even advance this kind of argument. If your horizons are a bit broader, the true origin of Easter is devastatingly obvious.

In this video, I go into the whys and wherefores of it all.

If you think the video is helpful, please share it with friends--especially those who have heard or who themselves make the "Easter is pagan" claim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVjrMylfoJE

*Truth about Lent 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvsOFWxbyRM&list=PLlorkdR6Me8v6Ikbma8SYB4Li-vP9_ALQ

and 

http://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/LENT.htm

*Was Easter Originally A Pagan Holiday?- Father William Saunders 

Recently a Moslem co-worker made the comment that Easter was originally a pagan holiday. Where would he get such a notion?—A reader in Alexandria

I think your Moslem co-worker is confused to say the least. In accord with the gospels, Easter is unequivocally the solemn feast celebrating the resurrection of Christ. In the Western tradition of the Church, Easter has been celebrated on the first Sunday following the new full moon which occurs on or immediately after the vernal or Spring equinox. This dating was established by the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. As such, the dates for Easter may range from March 22 to April 25. (The Orthodox Churches follow a different dating system and will thereby celebrate Easter one, four, or five weeks later).

The confusion in the mind of the co-worker lies in the etymology of the word itself. In the original language of the gospels, the Greek word <pascha> is used for the Aramaic form of the Hebrew word <pesach>, which means Passover. During the first three centuries of the Church, <Pasch> referred specifically to the celebration of Christ's passion and death; by the end of the fourth century, it also included the Easter Vigil; and by the end of the fifth century, it referred to Easter itself. In all, the term signified Christ as the new Passover Lamb. Together, the mystery of the Last Supper, the sacrifice of Good Friday and the resurrection of Easter form the new Passover - the new Pasch.

Latin used the Greek-Hebrew root for its word <Pascha> and other derivatives to signify Easter or the Easter mysteries: for instance, the Easter Vigil in Latin is <Sabbato Sancto de Vigilia Paschali> and in the First Preface of Easter, the priest prays, <"...Cum Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus"> ("When Christ our Pasch was sacrificed"). The Romance languages later used the Hebrew-Greek-Latin root for their words denoting Easter: Italian, <Pasqua>; Spanish, <Pascua> and French, <Paques>. Even some non-Romance languages employ the Hebrew-Greek-Latin root: Scotch, <Pask>; Dutch, <Paschen>; Swedish, <Pask> and the German dialect along the lower Rhine, <Paisken>.

However, according to St. Bede (d. 735), the great historian of the Middle Ages, the title Easter seems to originate in English around the eighth century A.D. The word Easter is derived from the word <Eoster>, the name of the Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and Spring, and the annual sacrifices associated with her. If this is the origin of our word Easter, then the Church "baptized" the name, using it to denote that first Easter Sunday morning when Christ, our Light, rose from the grave and when the women found the tomb empty just as dawn was breaking.

Another possibility which arises from more recent research suggests the early Church referred to Easter week as <hebdomada alba> ("white week"), from the white garments worn by the newly baptized. Some mistranslated the word to mean "the shining light of day" or "the shining dawn," and therefore used the Teutonic root <eostarun>, the Old German plural for "dawn", as the basis for the German <Ostern> and for the English equivalent "Easter". In early English translations of the Bible made by Tyndale and Coverdale, the word "Easter" was substituted for the word "Passover," in some verses.

Even though the etymological root of "Easter" may be linked to the name of a pagan goddess or pagan ceremonies, the feast which the word describes is Christian without question. Exactly why the English language did not utilize to the Hebrew-Greek-Latin root is a mystery. Unlike Christmas which was set on December 25 and "baptized" the former Roman pagan Feast of the Sun, Easter is a unique celebration. Any confusion, therefore, rests with etymology, not theology.”

http://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/EASTPAG.htm

The truth about easter eggs.

http://www.catholic.org/news/hf/faith/story.php?id=67961

Some salvation history in relation to this. 

http://archive.salvationhistory.com/online/beginner/course2_lesson3.cfm.htm

Truthfully, I have known of the anti-Catholic attitudes that many of my protestant brothers and sisters feel towards us, but I haven't experienced it on a personal level until recently. That makes sense as I went from a Catholic upbringing, to falling away from the Church, to having my St. Paul conversion. Though I've studied a few denominations,  I never dabbled in practicing any one of the thousands that exist thanks to Martin Luther's initial split (you might want to look into his life, teachings, and personal decisions a bit more if you're set on following his church or one of the many that followed from that schism from Rome) 

The following is from a friend, a former protestant:  "If you have no trust at all in the Catholic Church, then why do you trust the collection of scriptures? And the thing is, if you accept the protestant edited Bible, then you 1) have to trust the Catholic Church, and then 2) trust Martin Luther that the Church was right about most of the books and there were no additional letters that should have been included, BUT that they were wrong about those few books that he took out. But who the heck is Martin J Luther? (I just made up the J, lolol). Seriously - Who the heck is he that you should trust him? Why the automatic doubt in the Catholic Church, and the automatic trust of Martin Luther? 

If you have never done it, look up the writings of Martin Luther. See the kinds of things he said and whether he sounds like a man who was led by the Holy Spirit in his "revisions" and splitting off from the Church. This is a dude who took vows before God to be a celibate monk, and then he broke them. He then married a nun who also broke her vows. He was seething with hatred of Jews and literally called them pigs and encouraged people to throw animal poop at them in the streets. Seriously. (Google Martin Luther and dung balls, lol. Sad but true.) And if you then looked up Catholic saints and Catholic miracles, prepare to be amazed. Honestly, this is something that protestants usually have no concept of (and I certainly didn't when I was protestant): how charismatic the Catholic Church is... full of super holy, heroicly holy saints who did wonders, resurrected people from the dead, did super-human feats, practiced selfless acts of charity, had visions, conversed with God, battled with demons, etc, etc. Contrast those people with Martin Luther." 

Here's the deal, we are all called to love and respect each other, but the thing is, that doesn't mean acting as a doormat for some to trample upon and aid in disseminating falsehoods. It is our duty to defend our faith and do our best to do it in a loving way. Though it's true that sometimes we are called too 'turn the other cheek', we cannot use that as an excuse to not defend our most Holy Catholic Church. If that was the case, why even try to participate in the spiritual works of mercy or even preach the gospels?

Talk about God's timing...I went to daily mass this week and this touched my heart:

Responsorial Psalm

PS 69:8-10, 21-22, 31 AND 33-34

R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

For your sake I bear insult,

and shame covers my face.

I have become an outcast to my brothers,

a stranger to my mother’s sons,

because zeal for your house consumes me,

and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.

R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak,

I looked for sympathy, but there was none;

for consolers, not one could I find.

Rather they put gall in my food,

and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

I will praise the name of God in song,

and I will glorify him with thanksgiving:

“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;

you who seek God, may your hearts revive!

For the LORD hears the poor,

and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”