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Well, I am back after a six grueling weeks of system upgrades.

I have just installed new servers, switches, and other stuff in the network at my office.

I have been so tired lately and I know the enemy has been targeting me.

Prayers would be useful, so if you can send a few up, I would appreciate it.

John Gibson

John,

Welcome back. Anyone who can do things with a computer amazes me. I will pray for you to be able to rest up.

Dan L

Goodness, Dan,

I can do "things" with computers, if bad things are things.

John, hope to see you around soon. Sleep well!

Thanks for the prayers.

Sue and I are still going round and round about moving east, she accused me of already making up my mind :::sigh:::

She wants to know that it is the rite (for lack of a better word) that I am attracted to and not the Priest (Father Loya.)

She has some questions about the size of the rite, is it growing, is it shrinking, why I want to move when we have three solid priests in our parish etc.

John

Hey John!

As a Roman Catholic who is currently leading a lady into the Catholic Church who was once a strong anti-Catholic, I would advise you to do as the Holy Spirit wishes. Only this, I wouldn't wish you to forget the rite which first incorporated you fully into the Church. Don't despise the beautiful graces and spiritual benefits in the West. If the Holy Spirit leads you out of this rite, Praised be Jesus Christ, but may he not ever harden your heart to this rite.

I will remain here to hold the fort and fight on the front lines. I will remain here continuing to be a Roman through and through and loving and accepting (in as much as I am able) the graces belonging to the East.

One quotation, if you will, this, of course, has been superceded, as have all the canons before Vatican II, but I think it is still worth posting.

"sine licentia Sedis Apostolicae ritum quem maluerint amplecti possunt"

Without the permission of the apostolic sea, they [those who wish to] are able to embrace the rite which they would have preffered.

Pius XII, Motu Proprio, Cleri sanctitati (June 2, 1957) can 8 and 11

I'm just happy that wherever you go you'll still be part of the same Church. I just hope that you still will love the beatiful things of the west.

Laudetur,

If I had known about the Eastern Churches which are in union with the pope at the time of my conversion, I probably would have ended up there.

The east resonates with my soul deeper due to their more penitential and mystical natures. Hearing the prayers, and seeing the rite only reinforced things that I had been feeling and thinking for many years.

Think of it as finding a really really comfy pair of shoes, they just fit. That is how it was with the eastern rite, from the chanting of the liturgy to the liturgy itself just it just fits too well for me to ignore.

As for fighting on the front lines, I have been involved with that battle for years, remember who it is we are fighting, we aren't fighting mere men, we are fighting with Satan himself. I am not walking away from that fight, but really putting myself more where God has been leading for years.

John Gibson

Well,

I thought that I would give an update about what is going on. Yesterday we were finally able to make it to Annunciation in Homer Glen again. That morning my wife told me flat out that she didn't want to go East. To say the least I was shocked. We talked a small amount but then went on to Annunciation.

While there I told a few people about my wife's declaration and asked for prayers on what we are going to do. I still feel called eastward.

Well after Church, my wife, said that she wanted to know more about the Rite. So I am going to be putting out a list of questions that she has about it. I believe her reluctance is due to what we know about our current parish and that we are comfortable about it. We know the problems, we know where we stand, we know the warts, the pitfalls, the factions. So we are in familiar territory.

I believe her mind was opened a wee bit after the liturgy yesterday because of the beauty, and worship of God. So... I will post her list, and I ask that you get me answers.