Rain, Rain...

After days and days of down pouring, it finally happened....


the rain went away!  


And now it seems that summer is here to stay!


We enjoyed a non-rainy evening tonight and took Molly on her first stroller ride!

We walked to the neighborhood park... one of a few fun things on our list of "summer activities".

I need more activity ideas though!  With summer here to stay, the kids are going to need some planned activities to keep everyone sane... and off of a sugar high!

If you have any suggestions for fun ideas for summer outings or activities, please share!  As you can see by the size of the lollipops, I'm going to need all the help I can get! 

A Proud and Not So Proud Parenting Moment

The hard work is paying off... at least for today, or at least for a moment of today!  So I'm going to relish in that moment... no matter how brief it may turn out to be!


Noah has had a tremendously difficult time learning to share... not with his friends, only with his SISTER!  You might recall this post several months ago in which I thought we had had a breakthrough with "it" - the sharing issue.  If it was a breakthrough, unfortunately, it was extremely short lived!


With the addition of our newest little one, the mornings have proven to be a bit of a challenge. For me and for Noah and Emily.  I simply don't seem to have enough hands or enough time to do everything that everyone needs done in the mornings!  As a result, these days, "morning" in my household usually extends from 7:30 am until lunchtime and it is nothing short of chaotic!


But, today...


Today was different... at least for a moment or two.


When I awoke this morning, I didn't hear any little voices calling "Moooommmyyy!".  I knew the kids were awake because I could hear them, but there wasn't any shouting, fighting, or hollering for me.  


It was a much, much different scenario than the usual.


Because Molly was still asleep, I decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity and take a shower.  When I finished, Noah appeared in my bathroom.


He was completely dressed.  Including shoes and glasses!


And then he proudly announced to me...


"Mommy, me and Emily did all the puzzles.  We each had our own pieces to put in the puzzles.  AND we put them all away!"


After giving him sufficient amounts of praise for his independence, he said the following...


"You know.... people always say that sharing is more fun.  I think I'm starting to think they are right!"


Alleluia!  He got it... he finally got it!


He got it... at least for a moment.  But it doesn't matter... he finally got what I have been repeating like a broken record for months... that it is, in fact, more fun to share!


And then, it continued with Noah saying... 


"And now we are going to go and color while you finish getting ready!"


What?!?!  Again, I took advantage of this too-good-to-be-true moment, and blew dry my hair.  When I was finished, I stepped out into the kitchen and this is what I saw...

Yep!  It was a proud parenting moment for sure.  And the fact that I was actually showered with semi-styled hair was just the icing on the cake!


Later...


a not so proud moment occurred.


I was shuffling the kids out the door to run some errands.  After all, I had to take advantage of the aforementioned shower and hair thing!  I had my keys in hand, 2 kids in the garage on their way to the van, and I was in the process of turning on the alarm system, when Noah asked me where we were going.  


I responded that we were going to run some errands, to which he wanted to know what kind of errands.  Thank goodness the kid has the curious mind that he does because it forced me to tell him that one of the errands was getting diapers for Molly.


Molly!!!!


Where was Molly?!  

I don't know how it is even possible to forget this sweet angel face, but regrettably, it happened! 


She wasn't even in her car seat!  
I almost walked out the door and left my 2 month baby in her room!


So there you have it!  A day with a proud and not-so-proud parenting moment! 


And speaking of that sweet little girl... the one who almost got left behind... she is two months old today.  

Though it's hard to believe, we've had two months filled with lots of moments with Miss Molly... some proud, some not-so-much, some frustrating, some joyful, some emotional, some incoherent... but mostly, the moments from the past two months have been filled with overwhelming thanksgiving for this sweet little girl who has been entrusted to our care.  

Thank you, Jesus, for each and every moment you give me with my children!  

Eating... Mr. Monk Style

We call Noah "Mr. Monk" after the show "Monk" that features an obsessive compulsive detective with all kinds of funny idiosyncrasies.  


Noah has all kinds of his own idiosyncrasies that make us laugh and make him uniquely him.  


He hates to be dirty or messy.  He doesn't finger paint or touch sticky things.  He doesn't like to walk in the rain for fear of his shoes getting dirty.  If his clothes get dirty while playing outside, he voluntarily comes inside to change them.  He doesn't touch the dog treats because he doesn't like the way they feel.  He doesn't "pet" at the "petting zoo".  The other day, he wouldn't play on a friend's floor because he said there was dog hair everywhere.  He puts his toys in the proper "spots" we have designated for them.  He doesn't leave toothpaste "yuck" in the sink.  He never misses the potty.  Plain and simple... the kid is clean!


And that cleanliness extends to his eating habits as well.  


He won't eat peanut butter between crackers because it is too messy.  He uses a napkin.... always.  If a piece of food falls on the table, he shrieks until it is cleaned up.  He won't eat grilled cheese if the cheese is "coming out" of the bread.  He always uses a piece of flatware (unless it's chicken fingers or french fries).  He rarely even has a crumb left at his "spot" at the table.  


And in Noah's world, the worst offense of all is having his food touch other food!  He simply cannot stand it!  The only exception to this very steadfast rule is mashed potatoes and noodles... he will allow the noodles to be on top of the potatoes.  That is the one and only rare exception.  


So, naturally, the eating utensils can only touch ONE food item on his plate.  There can be absolutely NO crossover use of utensils... not in the world of our Mr. Monk!  As you might imagine, we go through a lot of forks in this household....

I've tried to tell Noah that when he goes to school, he is only going to be given ONE fork with which to eat ALL of his food.  He's not ready to make that big of a transition yet.  He still counts all of the food on his plate and announces to me how many forks/spoons he will need to accomplish his eating for that meal!  Good thing we have a year to work on transitioning to the one fork method!

Please Keep Praying for Wavy

Remember this sweet face?

For those of you who have followed Matt & Molly's journey to adopt Wavy, I would like to ask you to continue to keep them in your prayers.


They recently heard that the Supreme Court of Kansas IS going to hear their case...


Sadly, their journey is not yet over.  


An appeal that the birth father made to the Supreme Court of Kansas was the final legal option available to him.  Matt & Molly were so hopeful that he would not make that appeal.  He did so on the last day that he could do it.  


After hearing that crushing news, they were then hopeful that the Court would choose NOT to hear the case.  Once again, their hopes and dreams for finality were shattered when they learned that the Court will, in fact, hear the case.


Molly has shared many of her heartfelt feelings regarding this devastating news on Wavy's blog.  It is obvious through reading her words that they have taken this news harder than any other "hard" news they have heard in the past.  They are desperate for this journey to be over and desperate to have peace in their lives.


Molly wrote such a sweet post tonight.  In it, she talked about how God created her family so perfectly.  And her prayer was that each of us would pray that Wavy would continue to be able to stay in the place that God placed her... in their sweet and loving family.

Please join me in continuing to pray for Matt & Molly.  If you are a friend who has been praying or following their story and need their blog address again, please leave me a comment and I will direct you to the right place so you can stay up to date on their continuing journey.


Thank You!

Did you cry...

when your firstborn "graduated" from preschool?

I did!


And so did he.  


As I drove him to preschool, for the very last time (tear), I asked Noah if he was excited or sad.  As huge tears welled up in his eyes and a look, similar to the one he had when he found out Molly was going to be a girl, appeared on his face, he told me he was sad.  


I already knew that.  I could see it written all over his precious face.  


He was sad because he "was going to miss Miss Lori".  
So was I.


Noah had an incredibly wonderful preschool year this year.  His teacher was exactly what you think a preschool teacher should be... warm, loving, kind, fun.  He learned through playtime, story telling, art projects, and music.  It was wonderful.  

He loved it.  And so did I.


And now, it's over.  


While I'm excited to see what his kindergarten year will hold next year, I can't help but feel a bit sad.  I'm going to miss picking out a special something for "show & tell" each week, opening up those special home-made preschool gifts he always makes me for Christmas and Mother's Day, seeing art work with his handprints and footprints appear out of his backpack on a regular basis, listening to his sweet and silly preschool songs, and hearing stories about all the fun things he "played" with at school.

I know that kindergarten will still allow for some of this, but it won't be the same.  These days, kindergarten is serious business.  There isn't as much time for the things that make preschool so much fun.  There will be new things that I will delight in, but it will never be the same as the carefree days of preschool.


Noah is growing up.  


And I'm happy, proud, and sad...
all at the same time! 

Fortunately, I have a little girl who is beyond ready to have her turn to go to school!  

*******

Looking Back...

This Year:  2009-2010
Little Lambs Preschool
Miss Lori
Age 4 - 5

2nd Year:  2008-2009

Callahan North Preschool

Mrs. Tonya & Mrs. Bonnie
Age 3 - 4

1st Year: 2007-2008

Basic Beginnings Preschool

Miss Michelle
Age 2.5 - 3

And then it got even better...

I was already feeling encouraged and celebratory over the ever-so-little smiles that Miss Molly has been treating me to these past few days, but today, I'm celebrating again...


this time, over SLEEP... glorious SLEEP!

My sweet girl slept 7 1/2 hours STRAIGHT last night!


When she finally woke at 7 am, I fed her, re-swaddled her, and put her back down for another 3 hours!

That meant that I actually got to take a shower without hearing a screaming baby in the background.  I even shaved my legs!  And when I stepped out, this is what I saw...

Yep!  A wide-eyed baby girl that was NOT crying!


As if that weren't enough to celebrate, there was more...

I put her in her crib and she watched her mobile for nearly 20 minutes!  I made ALL the beds, unloaded the dishwasher and put on clothes that did not resemble pajamas!  And that, my friends, is a major accomplishment these days!


Oh... did I mention that all of this happened on a morning that I happened to be watching two extra little ones?   Maybe God gave me that little gift of sleep knowing that I would need it today, or maybe Miss Molly is taking a turn for the better.  


Either way, I'm celebrating today! 


And the vanilla Oreo's... well, they are a part of the celebration and are almost gone!

Celebrating a VERY BIG Little Thing!

To say that I NEEDED today would be quite an understatement!


I really, really, really needed today!


You see, my sweet little Miss Molly is colicky.  Very colicky.


I didn't think that it would be possible, given the law of averages, that my 3rd baby would be my 3rd colicky baby, but I should've known better when she cried the entire night in the hospital!


It's never a good sign when you have to take your 2 day old baby to the pediatrician because she won't stop crying!  At that young age, they usually tell you she is crying because she is hungry and to feed her some formula until your milk comes in.  But when your milk comes in gushing like Old Faithful, you know that milk supply and hunger are not the reasons for her continued, painful cries!


So, by day 7 of her short life, I knew what we were facing for a 3rd time... the dreaded colic.


This time, I decided to take matters into my own hands!  At 2 weeks of age, I started taking Molly to a chiropractor who claims he has a 100% success rate in "curing colic", usually within 2-3 weeks.  Let's just say that this so-called "baby whisperer" had never met a Holtzman baby!  I'm afraid Molly is proving to be a bit of a deterrent to his "too good to be true" success rate!


So, for the past nearly 7 weeks, we've endured endless hours of Molly's painful, gut-wrenching cries.  We've tried everything to calm her and make her comfortable...


We've gone to the chiropractor every day for 5 weeks and the pediatrician four times.  We've done gas drops, swings, swaddles, shhhing, bouncy chairs, vacuum cleaners, heartbeat CD's, car rides - you name it, we've tried it!  All to no avail.  Poor Molly cries all.the.time!


And then there's my diet!


The "baby whisperer" chiropractor (who has yet to prove himself to be that) put me on a diet which eliminated almost every food imaginable.  The theory was that these foods can make a baby more gassy and complicate the colic symptoms.  I have followed the "Molly Tummy Diet" (as Noah calls it) religiously for 5 weeks.  And let me tell you, it has made me G.R.O.U.C.H.Y!


What, you may be wondering, would make me so grouchy about a diet?  Well, if a food was not listed on this list, I couldn't eat it...


Plain chicken
Plain turkey
White bread
White pasta
Carrots
Potatoes
Butter
Vanilla Ice Cream
Vanilla Yogurt
Cheese
Milk


Yep!  That's IT!  No fruit, no vegetables, no nuts, no spices, no rice, no CHOCOLATE, and worst of all... no CAFFEINE!  As a matter of fact, the ONLY thing I can drink on this lousy diet is PLAIN water!


That fact alone is enough to make a sleep deprived, emotionally unstable mother of 3 crazy!  If you know me well, you know that I LOVE my Diet Cokes!  It was the very first thing I asked for after giving birth to Molly!  For 2 short weeks after her birth, I delighted in being able to make my daily "Sonic Run" to get my Diet Coke... somehow, those Diet Cokes, well, they just made me feel better!  


And then they were gone!


The only consolation was that I could have vanilla ice cream.  My other weakness is sweets... specifically ice cream.  In fact, if I could only have one food for the rest of my life, I would probably choose ice cream!  I ate it every night while I was pregnant (which I'm paying for now!) and every night for 5 weeks on the "Molly Tummy Diet".  It was my little treat at the end of the night after Molly was finally sleeping.  


I'm writing in the past tense because my eating world was once again turned upside down when I took Molly to the pediatrician last week.  She found a bit of blood in her stool and told me that it was an indication that she has a dairy sensitivity.  So, now, I've eliminated dairy from the restricted "Molly Tummy Diet" too, leaving only white bread, pasta, and chicken for the majority of my meals!


And my sweet tooth has been raging ever since!


So....


All of that was a very long way of saying that my caffeine-deprived, sugar-craving, hungry, exhausted self just needed a little something to help me remember that although it seems like it will never happen, Molly will eventually get better and she will be happy... sometime!


And so today, as I laid her down on her changing table to change her diaper, I was treated to nearly 15 minutes of pleasant, calm, content, dare I say HAPPY, baby time with my little Molly!


And I got this...

Now I know it isn't an all-out grin, but it is the beginnings of a smile and it is something so different than the painful, scared, crying faces I have become so accustomed to.  To me, it was a smile, her first one... a little reminder that she is, in fact, healthy and will eventually be smiling all the time.


And I really needed to see it!


And just to make me even happier, I heard a few sweet "coo's" too!  I was so happy and excited that I eagerly told Noah and Emily to come and "talk" with their baby sissy!

Emily even "read" her a book!

So, today, I'm celebrating a VERY BIG "little thing"... Molly's "smile" (or pleasant look) and her "cooing".  


Thank you, Jesus, for my sweet girl and for reminding me that I CAN do this and that she will eventually grin with delight!


And if that wasn't enough to celebrate, I went to the grocery store tonight and guess what I found...

Yep!  Vanilla Oreos don't have ANY dairy in them!  They have a whole bunch of other bad stuff in them, but no dairy!

And today, I really needed them too!


As Noah saw these atop my kitchen counter, he inquired about them by asking me if I had tried them yet.  I responded that I had, indeed, "tried" them.  As he opened up the top of the package, he sweetly said...


"Oh yep!  I can see that you tried them because I can see a row is missing!"


As I said...


I really needed them!

Faith - Born Again

Faith.


I often write about faith as part of my blogging.  That's because my faith is such an integral part of who I am.  Most people who know me well know that my faith is very important to me.


Last Fall, I was with a group of girls (all of whom are Southern gals!) and we began discussing matters of faith.  When one of the girls asked me what church I went to, I was as surprised by her reaction as she was to my answer!


You see...  I am a Christian.


I believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became man to dwell on Earth so that he could die on a cross to save us from our sins.  In doing so, He opened up the gates of Heaven so that all who believe might have eternal life.


I am a Christian.


And I am a Catholic.


When I told my sweet friend this, she was visibly surprised.  Maybe even shocked!


When I inquired about her reaction, she simply said...


"You are the first Catholic I have ever met that knows anything about scripture."


Sadly, this is an impression far too many people have about Christians who worship in the Catholic Church. 


So I've decided to begin writing a bit more about my faith.  The purpose in doing so is, first and foremost, to record our family events and "scrapbook" about my role as a mother and wife (as is the purpose with all of my posts!).  Perhaps a secondary purpose would be to explain more about the Catholic faith because I believe it is so often misunderstood.

Born Again.

I remember the first time I was asked if I was "Born Again".  I really didn't know how to respond.  I attended 13 years of Catholic school so naturally, all of my friends were Catholic, my parents friends were Catholic, pretty much everyone I knew was Catholic!  So, this question about being "Born Again" was unfamiliar to me.


After marrying a born and raised Southern Baptist and living in the "Bible Belt" for 5 years, I was asked many, many questions about the Catholic faith... many, if not most, of which I was not able to adequately answer.  The "Born Again" question was one such question!  Those inquiries led me to re-examine the faith I had grown up with.  This time, my head and my heart wanted to fully understand the faith I proclaimed to practice.


The result?  I fell more deeply in love with my faith.


I can now confidently say that I was "Born Again" on the day I was baptized.


What does that mean?


That phrase, "Born Again", comes from the book of John.... precisely John 3:1-5.  


Let me set the stage for these verses...


A man named Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the night.  He is not one of Jesus' followers.  In fact, he is a Pharisee... one of Jesus' persecutors.  He has seen the things that Jesus has been doing and he is curious.  So he goes to visit Jesus in the night, when no one will see him.  He simply says to Jesus..


"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him."


And in verse 3, Jesus says responds by telling Nicodemus...


"Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."


Some translations of this verse read "no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again."  


But you can't stop there!


Perhaps the more important verses would be John 3:4-5 - the next ones!


Nicodemus is confused by Jesus' statement (I would've been to!) and he asks him to clarify by asking in verse 4...


"How can a person once grown old be born again?  Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?"


Good Question!  Jesus clarifies in verse 5 by saying the exact same thing as He did in verse 3, but he adds something to it.  He says...


"Amen, Amen I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit."


The Catholic church teaches that in this narrative with Nicodemus, Jesus is telling us that to be "Born Again" of WATER and SPIRIT is be be baptized.  Therefore, Catholics believe that it is through Baptism that we are "Born Again". 

How do you get to that conclusion, you might ask.


You see, in order to understand scripture, it has to be read within its context.  What is the context in which Jesus has this narrative with Nicodemus?  


This "Born Again" narrative is sandwiched within a Baptismal framework.  It's kind of like an Oreo cookie... the yummy, middle part is the narrative with Nicodemus.  But that yummy narrative is sandwiched in between 2 other Baptismal "cookies".  


What in the world am I talking about?


A few verses before this conversation takes place, what happens?


Jesus himself is BAPTIZED by John the Baptist!   The top cookie!


John 1:32-33 says...


"I saw the SPIRIT come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him.  I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit."


It is only a few chapters later that Jesus himself refers again to this water and spirit!


And what happens immediately after Jesus has this conversation with Nicodemus?


Jesus himself goes out BAPTIZING others!  The bottom cookie!


John 3:22 says...


"After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing."


So, when you read John 3:3-5 within it's context, it becomes more clear that the WATER & SPIRIT Jesus is referring to is the baptismal water that gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The "born again" narrative is sandwiched between Jesus getting baptized and him going out baptizing others - a complete Oreo :)


One thing that I learned (and became fascinated by) as I re-examined my faith through its scriptural roots was that it is very difficult to understand the New Testament without a thorough understanding of the Old Testament.


Why?


Remember that ALL of Jesus' followers were Jews.  Jesus himself was a practicing Jew.  The people to whom Jesus preached were very well-steeped in the contents of the Old Testament scriptures.  That was their "context" for being a part of God's family.


So when Jesus teaches, he uses images and terms that are familiar to them from their Old Testament background.  He talks in a way that they would have understood.


So the idea of being saved through water is something that his followers would have been very familiar with... many times in the Old Testament, sin was washed away through water and God's people were saved through water.


Take Noah for example.  The entire world had fallen into sin.  One family - Noah's family - was saved through water while the rest of the sinful world was washed away in those flood waters.  The story of Noah prefigured Baptism, just as it says in 1 Peter 3:31...


"...God waited patiently in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water.  This prefigured baptism, which saves you now."


And what about Moses and the Israelites?  


When Moses was leading "God's people" out of slavery in Egypt, they were being chased and followed by Pharoah's men (they represent sin).  When they got to the Red Sea, Moses held up his arm and the waters literally parted.  Moses and the Israelites walked through on dry land - they were saved through water.  After they crossed through, the waters reunited and Pharoah's men were washed away in those waters.  Once again, sin was washed away through water.


Finally, remember what happened before the Israelites were FINALLY able to cross over into the Promised Land?


Yep!  They had to cross through water - the Jordan River.  Not coincidentally, this is the same River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus!


The Promised Land is representative of Heaven.  So in order to get to "Heaven", they had to "go through the water"!


There are many other OT prefigurements, but suffice it to say that Jesus' audience would have been very familiar with the concept of being saved through water.  All of these Old Testament happenings were prefigurements for the Baptism that Jesus would introduce when He walked the earth.


So, the next question might be...

Why do Catholics baptize babies?

Not all Christian faiths baptize babies.  Some do, others don't.  The reason some don't is that those faiths believe Baptism only to be an outward sign of a profession of faith.  They do not believe that anything supernatural takes place during Baptism... it is merely a public witness to their "born again" decision.  It follows then, that since babies can't make that decision for themselves, there is no need to baptize them.  Baptism is reserved for a time, later in life, when a child is of an age and can make that "born again" decision.


The first and most important reason that Catholics baptize babies is that we do not believe that Baptism is merely symbolic of our belief in Christ as our savior.  Rather, we believe that Baptism is regenerational.  We believe that something supernatural happens during Baptism... namely that the person who is baptized is saved through the baptismal waters, sin is washed away, and the person is made a new creation.  The baptized person becomes a child of God who is an heir to the Kingdom of Heaven.  

What sin could a baby have to be washed away, you might ask?


Adam & Eve's sin in the garden separated mankind from God.  We, too, inherited the sin of our first parents.  We call it "original sin".  Babies, too, inherit this sin.


During Baptism, real spiritual work takes place...


Sin, both personal sin (if applicable) and original sin, is washed away!  Just as the bible tells us it does in Acts 22:16 when Ananias tells St. Paul immediately following his conversion...


"Now, why delay?  Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon his name."


Secondly, the baptized person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit and is infused with sanctifying grace - the grace that Adam lost by his sin in the Garden.


Put simply, the Catholic faith baptizes babies because the "spiritual work" that Baptism accomplishes is not dependent on whether or not the person who is being baptized understands it!  There is no need to reach an "age of reason" in order to have original sin removed and receive the special graces of Baptism.  It "works", so to speak, whether or not the person receiving it understands it.


Again, remember Jesus' audience.  They are all Jews.


If you take off your shoes and put on your Jewish sandals (i.e. read scripture through the lens of what a Jewish person would have understood), you will begin to see that Jesus' followers had a deep understanding of the covenant relationships God established throughout history with his people.


In the time of Moses, God established a covenant with his people and he gave them a sign of that covenant.  Each person who wanted to be included in God's covenant family was first circumcised.  Even Jesus himself was circumcised according to the law of the old covenant.  And guess when people were circumcised?  On the 8th day of life... as a baby!


So circumcision was the sign of the Old Covenant and babies were included.


When Jesus came, he ushered in a New Covenant, one that replaced the Old Covenant.  This covenant was bigger and better - it was for everyone - not just the Jews!  And the sign of the New Covenant is Baptism.  If babies were included in the Old Covenant, why would they be excluded from this bigger and better covenant?


We believe that they are not.


On the day of Pentecost, when Peter preaches what can be called the first Gospel message, those who are in the room listening believe that Jesus was, in fact, the savior.  They want to be included as a follower of Christ and so they ask Peter in Acts 3:38...


"What are we to do?..."


Peter responds by saying in Acts 3:38-39...


"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off."


So, in a nutshell, that is why Catholics baptize babies!

But what about a relationship with Jesus?


Contrary to what some think, Catholics absolutely believe that a personal relationship with Jesus is essential.  The saving grace received at Baptism can easily be lost if a person is not engaged in an ongoing personal relationship with Jesus.  Of course, if lost, it can be restored through repentance!


When we baptize infants, we baptize them on the faith of their parents.  The parents make a promise to do all that they can to give the baby a Christian upbringing.  At some point in time, that baptized child has to stand on their own two feet though.  They can choose to maintain their baptismal grace through conscience contact with God or they can choose to reject the grace of Baptism through sin, rebellion, complacency, or disbelief.  


So, YES!  Catholics absolutely teach, profess and believe in having a close, personal, real relationship with Jesus!  That is why we were created... to know, love, and serve God!


As a matter of fact, Pope Benedict just recently wrote...


"...life in its totality is a relationship with Him who is the source of life."  

What about an unbaptized believer?


Given that we believe that Baptism saves us, you might question what happens to an unbaptized believer, or to babies/children who are not baptized, or to people who have never heard the Gospel message...


While the church teaches that Baptism is the ordinary way to be saved, it does not mean that there are not other ways to be saved.  We believe that Jesus gave us the sacrament of Baptism as the ordinary means of salvation, but as the author of the sacrament itself, Jesus is certainly not bound by his sacraments!  Salvation belongs to God alone... it is His to give out and He can do that in any way in which He chooses. 


So, once again, YES!  Unbaptized people can be and ARE saved!


I could write more as I have such a desire for the Catholic church to be understood, but I never intended to write this much in the first place!


I sat down to post some pictures of sweet Molly on her special day and weeks later, this is what it turned into!


If you made it through my novel and are desiring more information, please read this article:  http://www.davidmacd.com/catholic/born_again_catholics.htm


It is much more concise than anything I could write and answers most any and every question you could have about whether or not Catholics are "Born Again"!   


So there you have it!  I am a Catholic-Chrisitan wife and mom who was "Born Again" on the day I was baptized.  I believe that Jesus Christ is my savior... one who I know and who I strive to know more personally every day of my life!  As my "About Me" says... I am simply a "child of God who is running the race" and trying to teach my children to do the same!

Molly Clare

Born Again & Baptized in Christ

 April 11, 2010

Emily Kate

Born Again & Baptized in Christ

February 3, 2008

Noah Robert

Born Again & Baptized in Christ

May 8, 2005