Weird News

Spider invasion in Missouri home
Weldon Spring, Mo. ---------------- A family was driven from their suburban St. Louis home by thousands of venomous spiders that fell from the ceiling and oozed from the walls.
                                                          Brian and Susan Trost bought the $450,000 home overlooking two golf holes at Whitmoor Country Club in Weldon Spring in October 2007 and soon afterward started seeing brown recluse spriders everywhere, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
                                                          The home, now owned by the Federal National Mortgage Association, was covered with nine tarps this week and workers filled it with a gas that permeated the walls to kill the spiders and their eggs.
                                                          "There'll be nothing alive in there after this," said Tim McCarthy, president of the company hired to fix the problem.

When your gargoyles go missing
Worcester, Mass. ------------------ Church officials and preservationists are trying to figure out what happened to several 1 1/2-ton gargoyles from a Massachusetts church.
                                                        The church in Worcester is a one-fifth-scale replica of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  It was built in the 1890s and was formely known as the Chestnut Street Congregational Church.  It now is owned by an Assembly of God congregation and is on the market for $2.5 million.
                                                         The crumbling building was slated for demolition a decade ago but was saved with the help of Preservation Worcester.
                                                          The group's director told the Telegram & Gazette the 3,000-pound gargoyles were removed for safety reasons.  The company's assets were sold at auction, and the fear is the gargoyles were, too.

Don't question the King's rings
Bloomfield, N.M. ------------------- A New Mexico man is suing Burger King after he says a manager attacked him for complaining about cold onion rings.
                                                         KRQE-TV reports the lawsuit filed in state district court says Robert Deyapp was assaulted in June 2013 when he told a manager at the fast-food restaurant in the northwestern New Mexico city of Bloomfield about his cold order.
                                                         The lawsuit claims that when Deyapp asked for a refund, manager Francisco Berrera lunged at him with a stun gun and switchblade.

We forgive you, news-napper
Lakeland, Fla. ---------------------- Some 54 years after stealing several newspaper racks, a U.S. Navy veteran has sent a letter of apology and a check for $200 to the Ledger of Lakeland, Fla.
                                                         Bernard Schermerhorn says he's followed the rules for most of his 73 years, but caved to peer pressure as a teenager and went along with a friend's scheme to steal several racks from the Ledger.
                                                         Schermerhorn, who lives in Le Mesa, Calif., told the newspaper the check would more than cover the damage and theft of about $10.
                                                         Publisher Kevin Drake says he's sending Schermerhorn a thank-you letter and will donate the money.

Why Do Catholics Do That ?

                                  Why do Catholics say that Jesus is true God and true man?
                                 
                                  Jesus, as the Son of God, assumed a human nature and became one with us in all things except sin (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #470). 
                                 That made him true God and true man.
                                 This is a great mystery of our faith: (John 1:14).
                                 The divine nature and human nature united in the person of Jesus "without confusion or division" (Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 541). 
                                 Jesus is "Emmanuel," God with us.

Growing strong through spiritual trqaining

                                   The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (Confession) is a place where we can speak directly to God and get his invaluable help for renewing our lives.  To truly benefit from this connection, it's best to approach this Sacrament with sincerity, openness to change, and to welcome the inevitable trials that help us resist temptation.

                                   Sincerity is the key.
                                   Holiness, like healthiness, is an ongoing process.  It starts with a sincere desire to live the way God wants not the way society suggests.  Progress toward holiness means avoiding sin but also living with virtue.

                                   Keep moving forward.
                                   Although we may want to be healed, if we continue to damage our souls by not avoiding temptation, we won't progress.  We must change.  Fortunatelly, we can seek forgiveness in Confession and start fresh.
    
                                   Seek the priest's advice.
                                   After all, it is Jesus speaking through him.  This is our special time with the Lord who wants to help us overcome our weaknesses.

                                   View trials as training.
                                   Jesus wants us to use Confession to learn to overcome all that separates us from him.  When we fail to resist temptation, we can thank God for the trial and start again.  Jesus wants so much to help us to grow closer to him.  He created this Sacrament as a way for him to lead and guide us.

One Minute Meditations

St. Joachim and St. Anne
What we know of these two saints comes from tradition.  We know that they were Jesus' grandparants and that they raised Mary, Jesus' mother.  We also know that they were faithful jews who raised their daughter in a devout jewish home.  Her unshakeable faith, her devotion to the laws of her religion, her comfort with being mother and wife, and her steadiness in moments of crisis indicate the values with which she was raised.

Remember..............
Jesus gave us a great gift when he created the Sacrament of Confession (John 20:23).  He knew we would want to hear the words of absolution to know he forgives us.  Remember that no matter what happens, you are just one Confession away from coming home.

Begin to change
"Yesterday is gone.  Tommorrow has not yet come.  We have only today.  Let us begin."    Blessed Teresa of Calcutta                   

F. Y. I.

Actually Stated
by  Sienna Miller, actress
"I think the more positive approach you have to smoking, the less harmful it is."

Still on th Books
In Kalamazoo, Michigan, it is against the law to serenade your girlfriend.

Table Tidbits
The first tomatoes imported into Europe were golden in color, prompting the nickname "golden apples."

Swooping In
A peregrine falcon can dive up to 200 miles an hour to capture prey in flight.

Famous First
The world's first shopping cart appeared in the aisles of the Piggly Wiggly supermarket in Oklahoma on June 4, 1937.

Traded Title
Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker" was originally called "The Poet," intended to depict Dante as he pondered his epic poem "The Inferno."

F. Y. I.

Quotable
by  Henry Miller, American Writer
"All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without benefit of experience."

Celebrate This
Sept. 30, is Ask a Stupid Question Day.

Longstanding Habit
Male emperor penguins will stand without eating for up to two months while the female goes to feed.

Symbol Of Old
Crossing one's fingers, a modern gesture for good luck, was once used as a sign of peace among believers during ancient Christian persecution.

Far-Fetched Phobias
Globophobia is the fear of balloons popping.

True HeartBreak?
It does not actually break, but after an emotionally traumatic event, the heart is temporarily shocked by the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream.