Today is the feast of St. Faustina Kowalska. Besides my patron saint and confirmation saint, I have a special devotion to St. Faustina for two reasons: 1. Ever since I was little, my favorite picture of Jesus is the Divine Mercy picture, which, without St. Faustina's apparition, would not exist. and 2. St. Faustina was born in Poland, one of my favorite countries. (I am somewhat Polish myself, and I get to go to Poland next year for World Youth Day!)

Here is a boring but interesting video about St. Faustina from Catholic Online. Click here

And here is a website for a short description: Click Here

I Share my Name with a Christian Singer

       I like to listen to songs on Spotify. One day I typed in my first and middle name (Abigail Grace) into the search bar and found that there is a Christian singer who shares my name! Of course, being as curious as I am, I clicked on the songs, and found one that I really liked. It is called "Here is Our God." Now I wish I could show it to you via YouTube or something, but it must be quite new, since it is only on Spotify, unless you want to buy it via iTunes. I suggest you listen to it through Spotify if you have an account, though.
       Also, I looked up the lyrics, but they're nowhere to be seen. No even through Spotify. So I listened to the song piece by piece and wrote down the lyrics myself. This I can share with you, and so I will:

"Here is Our God"

by Abigail Grace

The earth and stars are bowing down to Christ

 Who is clothed in white

The glory is bestowed to him who died

So you may live

And he is coming soon

                                                                                      

The clouds will rule back

Saints fall down to worship

The sovereign king

And we will dance and sing

Here is our God

Clothed in majesty

Here is our King

Who has set the captives free

Here is Jesus, our Savior

He has set us free from death

Alleluia all praise to Him

Our Redeemer who has washed our sin

Oh alleluia all praise to Him

Our Redeemer who has washed our sin

Oh alleluia all praise to Him

Our Redeemer who has washed our sin

Here is our God

Clothed in majesty

Here is our King

Who has set the captives free

Here is Jesus, our Savior

He has set us free from death

The Government is Falling Apart

       Many people probably look at this title and exclaim, "What? Why would the government be falling apart?" Well, it certainly doesn't seem this way. But really, it is happening, again. First I want to talk about something everyone should know is wrong: murder. The Declaration of Independence says that every man has the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. So, since everyone has the right to life, murder is against this. It is wrong, it is evil, it is illegal. Yet, some people think it okay to kill. I'm talking about mothers. Not just any mothers, but mothers who are pregnant with a live human being inside their wombs, and think it okay to get rid of this being and throw him or her away. How should this be okay? From the moment of conception, this fetus lives. Within 18 days, this little being has heartbeat! Here is a clip from a website about the growth of a fetus:

       "Did You Know?  18 days a baby's heart begins to beat  43 days brain coordinates movement  7 weeks a baby can hiccup  8 weeks organs can function  9 weeks has permanent, individual fingerprints  10 weeks can feel pain  12 weeks a baby can smile, suck their thumb and make a fist  Over 2 million couples wait to adopt– including children of all races & those with special needs Any textbook will confirm what every doctor knows: LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION"--"Did You Know?" The Facts About Life (2012): Pro Life Across America. Web.

       So since this fetus lives and breathes, then how can it be okay to have an abortion? Maybe someone says, "Well an abortion is okay because it's not murder." Well, yes it is murder. The definition of murder is "the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another."--Google Dictionary  And one of the definitions of death is "the permanent ending of vital processes in a cell or tissue"--Google Dictionary Since at 18 days, this fetus has a heartbeat, then to physically stop this heartbeat, by abortion, is murder. By not letting these innocent babies have the right to Life, we are going against our Declaration of Independence that our Founding Fathers made for us. The U.S. Government is going against what its Founding Fathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence! These Founding Fathers had to win the Revolutionary war against the British and they founded our government. So why are we going against this? This is not going to make our governmental system better, in fact it is destroying the system, not to mention millions upon millions of innocent lives! And we think this is okay! How can we be so cruel to think that any kind of murder to born or unborn can be okay? It can't.

       Some mothers might say, "It's my body, so I am allowed to do anything I need." Well this is a lie. It's not your body, it's the body of another human being. So no, you do not have the right to kill this being. This baby is in your body because you have been chosen to become his or her mother. That is an honor. It's a gift. Don't throw that gift away. This baby is a resemblance of you. He is your son. She is your daughter. If this daughter could speak, she would say, "Why are you going to kill me, Mommy?" Don't make your baby want to say this. Please...don't have an abortion. There is a better option. People are waiting to adopt. Don't throw your baby away.

World Youth Day 2016

     

       I'm raising money so I can go to World Youth Day next year in Krakow, Poland! I have never been anywhere outside of the United States besides Peru, when I was nine. I'm excited, not only to be at World Youth Day and see Pope Francis, but also because I can visit Poland, which will be very special to me since I am somewhat Polish, my last name being Kalinowski. The fee is very high, but I have been doing a good job with fund raising, so I believe in myself.

Market Square in Krakow, Poland

Here is a prayer for all youths attending World Youth Day this year:

God, merciful Father, 
you have revealed your love in your Son, Jesus Christ, 
and poured it out upon us in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, 
We entrust to you today the destiny of the world and of every human being." 
Entrust particularly 
of young people from all nations, peoples and languages. 
Keep them safely in the intricate paths of 
the contemporary world 
and give them the grace of a fruitful experience 
World Youth Day in Krakow.

Heavenly Father, 
make us witnesses of your mercy. 
Teach doubting, faith, 
hope resigned, 
love frigid, 
forgiveness and joy guilty sad. 
Let the spark of merciful love, 
which You lit in us, 
become a fire transforming people's hearts 
and renewing the face of the earth.

Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray for us. 
St. John Paul II, pray for us. 
Saint Sister Faustina, pray for us.

California State Fair

         I went to the California State Fair yesterday. It was really fun. Since we didn't feel like wasting $40 every time we went on one ride, we did all the free stuff. For example: we went to a cooking show and explored all the exhibits for animals, plants, art, and other cool things. We saw a motorcycle show where the guys did back flips on their motorcycles after they went up a huge jump and landed on another ramp. It was scary watching those people! I mean, there have been accidents with these types of things, and I am not a person who wants to witness one. Next we saw some Chinese acrobats. Those people are really strong and muscular. One guy stacked up about fifteen chairs and the top one was tilted. He did a one-handed handstand on the top of that contraption!
        The main reason we were at the fair is to see the 8:00pm concert that we bought tickets for. This concert was Britt Nicole, one of my ultimate favorite artists. She's a Christian pop singer/songwriter. She's really into her faith. She kept saying things like: "With God, you can do anything." and "Give your troubles to Jesus." and things like that. It was an amazing concert. I really liked it.
         Here's a song that she sang last night. She said she wrote this song for her mother. Her mother always had dreams and things she wanted to accomplish in life, but her responsibilities of being a good wife, mother, and keep the house and all that made her feel like she couldn't follow her dreams. This song is called Walk on the Water:  Click here to listen

Devotion to the Drops of Blood Lost by our Lord

Devotion to the Drops of Blood Lost by our Lord Jesus Christ on His Way to Calvary 
 

St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, with St. Matilda and St. Bridget, wishing to know something of the Passion of Jesus Christ, offered fervent and special prayers. upon which Our Lord revealed to them:

To all the faithful who shall recite for 3 years, each day, 2 Our Fathers, 2 Hail Marys and 2 Glory Bes in honor of the drops of Blood I lost, I will concede the following 5 graces:

1st: The plenary indulgence and remittance of your sins.
2nd: You will be free from the pains of Purgatory.
3rd: If you should die before completing the said 3 years, for you it will be the same as if you had completed them.
4th: It will be upon your death the same as if you had shed all your blood for the Holy Faith.
5th: I will descend from Heaven to take your soul and that of your relatives, until the fourth generation.

Blessed by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII in Rome, April 5, 1890.

Life

       Life. Life is a gift. Lives vary, no two are the same; each is unique. Many people have a "dream life", but not everybody actually fulfills it. Some dream lives have to do with fame. A lot of people want fame. There is so much to be famous for. Singing, composing, dancing, acting, writing, painting, speaking, directing, producing, and heaven knows how many different sports and inventions people are famous for. All of these things have goals in life. For example: an author wants a Newberry medal, a singer wants to win a Grammy awards, an actor wants an Oscar's, a football team wants to win the Superbowl, a soccer team wants the World Cup, a scientist wants a Nobel Prize, an astronaut wants to go to the moon, and every so many people want an Olympic gold medal. Then there are the people who don't do anything amazing. Who see everyone around them doing one thing that they're really good at: piano, gymnastics, soccer, etc. and they're in their room trying to figure out what life is for them. These people around them were destined for the things they do. They were born to do them. They started so young. That's what gets a lot of people. "If the neighbor started soccer when he was three, how can I ever be a good soccer player starting at fourteen? There is no hope." or "Oh man, Taylor Swift started crafting songs at age 5, and released an album at 16. I'm 16 now, how can I ever catch up to her?" There is a certain motto going around in people's heads that goes: "If you don't start at a young age, you'll never catch up to the famous people." What if this is the same way with the faith? St. Therese of Lisieux was a good girl all the time, and started her "Little Way" at a very young age. She was destined for sainthood. How can we, people of 18 and 37 and even 69, ever catch up to that? This is the wrong way to think.

• Andrea Bocelli didn't start opera singing till he was 34,
• Julia Child didn't even learn to cook till she was almost 40, and didn't launch her popular show till she was 50
• Laura Ingalls Wilder began writing as a columnist in her 40s, and the Little House on the Prarie books were written in her 60s
• Martha Stewart wasn't the Martha Stewart we know till she was 30
• Famous artist Claude Monet didn't start really painting till he was about 40
• And St. Augustine was not always a saint. He did some bad things in life before he eventually converted. Click here to see more.

       So you see, it's NEVER too late to make a fresh start with God. Besides, even if Taylor Swift and other people did start young, it doesn't matter. Don't compare yourself to others. God made you who you are. Here is a song by my favorite singer that shows that EVERYONE is important: Click here