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Showing posts with the label Catholic

Daniel Fast Handbook

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 8th of April 2022     You may have heard about fasting, but what is a Daniel fast?  Depending on the tradition or denomination a Daniel fast can be at different times of the year.  For instance, it may be at the beginning of the year or in lent.

Hail Mary In Latin

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date  of February 2022 If you want to take your worship to the next level, start learning Latin.  Praying in Latin can be a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.  Just learn one line at a time until you have mastered it. 

The Order of Mass: Liturgy of the Word

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 4th of December 2021 Are you feeling lost in Catholic Mass?  Are you wondering what is being said?  You don't have to stand there feeling left out; just read this blog as part of a series and all will become clear.  This is a series of blogs aimed at giving you a better understanding of what is said in Mass.   The Order of Mass: Introductory Rite   The Order of Mass: Liturgy of the Word The Order of Mass: Liturgy of the Eucharist The Order of Mass: Concluding Rites   The Order Of Holy Mass Holy Mass First Part Second Part Introductory Rite Liturgy of the Word Liturgy of the Eucharist Concluding Rites Opening Prayer The Act of Penance   Confiteor The Gloria Readings Gospels Homily Nicene Creed Prayer of the Faithful  The Offertory Eucharist Prayer Our Father Holy Communion Concluding Prayer Dismissal Liturgy of the word

The Order of Mass: Introductory Rite

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 27th of November 2021 Holy Mass is a wonderful experience for Catholics all over the world. However, if you are new to this, you might be wondering what is going on.  If you have not read it already, I have a blog that shows you four prayers to learn for Holy Mass .  Mass is separated into two parts with different sections, see table. The Order Of Holy Mass Holy Mass First Part Second Part Introductory Rite Liturgy of the Word Liturgy of the Eucharist Concluding Rites Opening Prayer The Act of Penance   Confiteor The Gloria Readings Gospels Homily Nicene Creed Prayer of the Faithful  The Offertory  Eucharist Prayer Our Father Holy Communion Concluding Prayer Dismissal If you have read the last blog for Mass, you will know I have covered Something for each of the four sections: The Confiteor, the Nicene Creed, the Our Fath

4 Prayers to help you get started with Mass

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 20th of November 2021 These four prayers will help you on your way to learning Holy Mass because they hold key places.  I will not cover the whole of Mass in this blog or any part of it in detail, but I will help you get started.  If you put the effort in and learn the these prayers, your experience of Mass will greatly improve. The Confiteor I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God This prayer is usually said near the beginning of Mass in the Act of Penance after the welcoming.  It differs from other versions in two ways. One, through my thought is repeated three time with through my most grievous fault o

Pentecost Pasta

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 17th of May 2021     With Pentecost only days away at the weekend we need a dinner with a story to tell!  Since red is the colour of Pentecost, this dish is mainly red. Red pepper, red lentil pasta and tomatoes, which are red.  Undoubtedly many of you will be fasting for nine days before Pentecost and some of you will find all of this new.  Whatever stage of understanding you are at, you will all understand a really great dinner!  Since you are vegan or are looking to try something vegan, you will be used to trying something new.  If you want to stick to some Sunday dinner like meal. you can.  If you are looking to explore new dishes, this is a great place to start. Ingredients Red lentil pasta x 50g Red lentils x 30g Red bell pepper x 40g Red chilli pepper (to symbolise flames) x 1/2 Red onion x 40g Carrot x 30g Leak x 40g Mushrooms 50g Quorn vegan pieces  x 50g Garlic cloves x 3 Vegan cheese alternative to grate on top Vegetable stock x 150ml Mint s

My Lenten Diary: week 4

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Written by  McDonald, T.    |  Date 23rd of March 2021 The feeling that no one is here has returned making this week increasingly more difficult.  Earlier in the week, the news from the Vatican stating that the Church couldn't bless gay unions has highlighted a massive chasm in the Church with the gays on one side and the heterosexuals on the other.  Anyone that speaks out against the gays comes under attack and is threatened with legal action. Subsequently, the Church has become a really unhappy place because of the attempts to make us 'Love the gays.'  I have begun to feel unwelcome as a straight man in Church.  All i want is God.  More and more i wish Jesus was here to sort this whole mess out.  While in Church, i feel that we are all under the monitoring eye's of the liberal overlords policing our thoughts.  Furthermore, it is less and less like Church doctoring that we are learning and more and more like liberal brainwashing. Are we losing the Church? I am hungry.

Meals for Lent

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 24th of February 2021    Lent is a period of fasting and repentance.  Sometimes people give up something that they like as an offering to God and in order to spend more time with God in prayer.  For most of us, the fast means one meal with two small snacks that wouldn't make a meal if added together. Meal ideas for Lent Since the idea is to keep meals simple, i have stuck with how my Nan taught me, which is no eggs or dairy throughout the duration of Lent.  For us vegans, this means no egg or dairy alternatives and no mock meats on Wednesday and Friday.  However, many will just stick to eating less and giving up something. Latin Fried Potato Salad This is one of my favourite meals.  Full of flavour goodness and taste.  This is a light meal that will keep you going through the day. Caramelised Apple And Tempeh Basic dish that you can add to with veg and potato or even pasta if you need.  A very light meal for lent that has good levels of protein

Why I Fast Every Wednesday And Friday

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Updated 18th of February 2021    Fasting has always been apart of Christian and Jewish life.  Jesus said that people would fast when He was not with us in body and we do.   I eat only bread on Wednesday and Friday every week.  I have done this for nearly a year now after i saw a video on YouTube by a Nun called  Sister Emmanuel Maillard .   The guidelines to the fast are as follows: Eat bread only Drink water only No fasting on feast days or if you are ill No genuine medical reason for not fasting Must be of fasting age 18 to 59 I can eat as much bread as i need and drink as much water as i need.  I must admit the just sticking to water is difficult and so sometimes i will have a cup of tea, but i always stick to just having bread although sometimes i will eat more of it than others. When i say just bread, i mean just bread and no butter or spread. Why fast? Spending quality time with God brings peace to our hearts and the world Inviting the Holy Spirit in

Are You Impulsive?

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By McDonald, T.   |  Updated 8th of February 2021    Many people allow their subconscious to bully them around, making demands and expecting those demands to be met immediately.  It will fill the mind with sensations and images in order to manipulate the conscious mind into action.  If we allow the body to control the mind and be at the whim of the body, we are said to be impulsive. The body only knows it has needs. Sometimes it's useful for a person to respond to instincts say when reflex reactions save a person from harm.  However, we hear all the time about impulse buying and eating on impulse and they are never linked to anything positive.  People get into debt and lose control of their weight.  It can get worse if people give into other temptations leading to wrecked marriages or relationships and even addictions.  The Body Wants Gratification Without Thinking Of Consequences With this in mind, and if we continue with the mind and body as two separate entities analogy, the mi

The Divine Mercy

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  Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 31st of January 2021 What is the Divine Mercy? The Divine Mercy chaplet is a Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy of God.  St Faustina was visited by Jesus in visions and He gave her instructions for a painting and the chaplet of Divine Mercy.  The painting is of Christ with rays of light emitting from his heart and the words, 'Trust in Jesus' at the bottom.  The Divine Mercy chaplet is an extremely powerful prayer used to combat the evil in the world. It is easy to learn since it uses some well known prayers. What is the Chaplet for? According to the University of Glasgow (n.d.),  " ...the main purpose of Chaplet of Divine Mercy is to appease the Just Anger of the Holy Trinity. " The chaplet is a prayer we can say to ask God to forgive us and heal us.  It shows that God unlike us is willing to forgive.  We can use this prayer to pray for others and not just those in our families: we can use it to pray for the forgiveness of the w