God or god?

Since when has God become god? More and more in print god is replacing God. I have seen it online, in books, magazines and other publications. I guess it shouldn't be surprising since God has been edged out of public places, schools and lives. Now He's being shorted His Own Name?

When someone thanks God, I assume they mean the God of Christianity and Judaism. When I read 'I thank god for her' am I to assume that this person worships the god of .. what? Money, fairydust, botox? Because that is what I think.

This minimization of God is happening far too frequently to be chalked up to typographical errors. Isn't it time for us to take a stand and take back our country? For far too long the atheists and others have slowly erased God from our country. They do not have the right to take God's Own Name from Him!

Has anyone else noticed this?

Saying Sorry

I have noticed that many people don't know how to apologize. They seem to think a simple 'sorry' is adequate. It usually it is not because it is not enough. Just a 'sorry' could mean I'm sorry I got caught, I'm sorry you are mad or I am sorry I have to listen to you crab about this thing I did.

When my daughter was little, she would have to say what and why she was sorry. I think that teaches cause and effect as well as empathy.

So, if we need to apologize to each other more fully, how much more of an apology plus sorrow do we owe God for all the offenses we cause Him?

Here are two acts of contrition that I came across recently. I really like them because they are more complete.


Forgive me my sins, O Lord,
forgive me my sins;
the sins of my youth, the sins of my age,
the sins of my soul, the sins of my body;
my idle sins, my serious voluntary sins,
the sins I know,
the sins I have concealed so long,
and which are now hidden from my memory.
I am truly sorry for every sin,
mortal and venial,
for all the sins of my childhood up to the present hour.
I know my sins have wounded Thy tender Heart,
O my Savior,
let me be freed from the bonds of evil
through the most bitter Passion of my Redeemer.
O my Jesus, forget and forgive what I have been. Amen.

here's a similar one, from the irish:

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me.
O God, forgive me for all the sins of my life;
The sins of my youth and the sins of my age,
The sins of my body and the sins of my soul,
The sins I have confessed and the sins I have forgotten,
The sins against others in thought, word, and deed,
My sins of omission.
O, my God, I am sorry for all my sins, because You are so good;
And I will not sin again with the help of God.
God be merciful to me, a sinner.
Divine Heart of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying,
Deliver the holy souls in purgatory.

Blind Hatred

Some coward hung two hate filled home made signs on a footbridge spanning the highway near my Dad's house. One said KKK and the other was the confederate flag. My first thought was, "I must have seen that wrong", my second thought was, "I should call the police. Someone should take those down". My next thought was, "Duh. I'm someone. I will take those down". So I did. My heart was pounding. I had adrenaline, fear and anger pumping through me. I still do, three hours later. I was so wishing that the coward who hung those (in the dead of night, no doubt) would confront me.

How is it possible for people to rationalize hating a group of people based on a common trait? How is it possible to believe that ALL people of one type are bad, evil, etc? How is such blind hatred possible? Think about how stupid the following sounds:

~ all people with freckles are sub-human.
~ all people with curly hair are evil
~ all people with big feet are bad

If someone said any of those things, I believe that people would laugh at how ridiculous it is. Because such blanket hatred is absurd and without foundation. There are good and bad people of every shape, size, gender and color. We are all children of God, beloved by God and worthy of respect because we are made in the image and likeness of God - even that sad soul who hung those signs.

Please pray for those who are filled with blind hatred and prejudice. Please pray for those who may have seen the sign and were hurt.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us sinners.