Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican

When I was 15yrs old my mom bought a movie called the Scarlet and the Black. Over the years I fell in love with this movie and was so addicted to it, that I would watch it at least once a 5 times a month or more. The Scarlet and the Black is a TV movie based on the book by J.P. Gallagher called 'The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican'. The book and movie tell the life of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, an irish priest who is credited with saving over 6,500 POWs, Jews, and other people during WWII and the Nazi occupation of Rome. Through a network that he created with his contacts in Rome, this good Irish Priest stowed away Jews in the German College next to Nazi headquarters, The Vatican, Monasteries, Convents, Churches, and even civilian homes that were willing to hide the Jews and POWs and running the risk of being caught and killed for doing so. I am writing my Final Paper in my Holocaust on this very man and his inspiring story, I highly recommend everyone to check out his story, buy the book, and watch the movie!

Pax Tecum!

Senator who Died - Election Story.

And lo and behold, a senator died and went up to the Pearly Gates. You see, God always gives us choices all through life. He permits many things to happen. At any rate, he was at the Pearly Gates and St. Peter said "Well, you know God gives you choice and you can choose between Heaven and Hell. "Well, you mean I can investigate these?" So St. Peter said, well why don't you go down to Hell and see what it looks like and then come up to Heaven and see what choice you want to finally make." So the senator gets on the elevator and goes down, down, down, and down. Wow! He sees all the political parties and everything else, and his old cronies he worked with in the senate and everything else. They’re drinking cocktails and some of them are having fun. There is a swimming pool and they have all sorts of hors d’oeuvres. It's a blast. He starts laugh and joke and talk about the old times with his old buddies. "Man this is Hell? It's a wonderful place. I think I want to stay." St. Peter said "No, you have to go back up and make a choice." St. Peter takes him back up and they look into Heaven. Everybody is at peace. There's no wild parties. There's none of the other stuff. Everybody looks very happy. And he says "Frankly, Peter, I would rather go with buddies, they were having a great time and the devil seemed like a nice guy. I want to go to Hell." He said "Ok, I'll take you back down." And he gets down there and he gets off the elevator and, the stench would curl your nostrils. It's a waste land. It looks terrible and there is trash falling from the sky and his friends are dressed in rags. The Devil is hideous looking and is madly whipping all those who are lax in picking up the trash falling from the sky. The Devil walked up to the Senator and said welcome to hell. The Senator looked at the devil and said "Yesterday it was so wonderful, we had parties and everything was great, what happened?". The devil looked at him with a big smile and said "Yesterday we were campaigning, today you VOTED"!

The Moral of the story... beware who you vote for, it may looking like apple pie, but once you make your choice you may see the trash you just voted for.

Healing Time

It's now been almost a month since my grandfather passed away. It has been really difficult for me over the past month. He left a gaping hole in my heart and will be sorely missed. =( It is funny what an impact one person can have on the life of another. We each need to take more time out of our busy lives to spend it with those that we love, you never know when that time or opportunity is going to pass. I started to have a major conversion experience 2 weeks before my grandfather passed, I didn't know then why I was having it, but I know now. God was building me up, strengthing me for the coming tole that he was about to extract, the sheer shock and loss that I was to feel and experience. However he has been there every step of the way, and the graces that I have received from this has been immense!

God is truely a loving God.

Pax Tecum,

Michael