Motion Sensor Holy Water Fonts

This BBC article comes with a video showing the font in action.

Another Ave Maria Commercial

Every few months an ad comes on tv that uses Ave Maria as a soundtrack.  This time it’s for cosmetics maker Pola

see commercial here

It is the one at the top of the page.

Discerment in Progress

I blame my recent lack of posting on St Therese.  At the beginning of the month I wrote that I said a novena to her however because I had so much to think about I said for my intention all that is on my heart.  Its funny how the heart can hide things even from the person in whose chest it beats.   As some readers might recall I have said she seems to have taken an interest in me for the past couple of years trying to get my attention for some reason.  After the novena this getting my attention only seemed to increase as I couldnt escape her quotes, her photo, her statue and each time it was like she was staring right at me and saying “follow me, follow me to Christ.”  So naturally my first reaction was something like aaaah, go away, leave me alone,  but she didnt   So I gave in and said what, what do you want? Now it is only because my family & friends dont know about this blog that I can say what it seems she wants from me.  Something I never expected and that is to follow her literally.  To think about becoming a Carmelite nun.  (o_O)  To give up everything in reparation for sins and for the conversion of sinners.  That is why I havent posted lately because Ive spent my free time looking into this.

Updated to add

Well I talked to a priest today for some guidance (three weeks after this started) and that helped a lot. It was definitely a conversation I never thought Id have. No verdict yet just to keep praying and wanting to do God`s will not my own, which is hard for me but he said there would be graces if its meant to be. Ask Mary for her intercession etc. I was kind of hoping he would say Im nuts and to completely forget it because if he did then I could take the easy selfish way out but that didnt happen.

The priest asked me what sort of ministry I felt attracted to such as teaching and I said that for the past year or more I felt drawn to offer prayers and sufferings for the reparation of sins and the conversion of sinners. I had no idea until just recently that the Carmelites are one of the orders that focus on that.  Eek.

I emailed a couple of communities with some questions I had and will see what they say. I knew very little about religious communities, their lifestyles, and formation until just a couple of weeks ago.

Japanese Conversion & Vocation Stories

I was looking at the Daughters of St Paul`s website here and in their section titled who are we they have their vocation stories.    Each story is quite short and can be read in two or so minutes.

Second Worldwide Rosary for Unborn October 16-18

The second annual Worldwide Rosary for Unborn Babies is scheduled to take place from Friday Oct. 16 to Sunday Oct. 18.

Participants in the event will pray at least one Rosary on any of these days for the intention of an end to the killing of the unborn.

St. Michael the Archangel Organization is also seeking volunteers to publicize the Worldwide Rosary and to translate information into other languages.

The group’s website is here

above article from here

Blue LEDs for Suicide Prevention

JR to install ’soothing’ blue LEDS on Yamanote Line platforms to prevent suicides

As a measure to prevent suicides at train platforms, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) has announced it will install “emotionally soothing” blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on all platforms on its Yamanote Line by the end of October.

Although seven Yamanote Line stations, including Tokyo, Yurakucho and Osaki, already have blue LEDs on their platforms, JR East will install the lights at 58 spots at all 29 stations on the line by the end of next month at a cost of 20 million yen.

However, whether blue LEDs are actually effective in preventing suicides hasn’t been scientifically proven, but some say they are expected to “help relieve mental stress and soothe the mind.”

full article

I`m in favor working to prevent suicides but this measure costs 20 million yen and has not been scientifically proven and there`s one more problem.  What if the suicidal person is color blind and can’t see blue?  Tough luck for them I guess.  I think ads with a free phone number to call that connects the caller to a help line would be far more useful.

Swine Flu Measures Update

Back in May when the Swine Flu scare started many churches in Japan, under orders from their diocese, took certain steps that they thought would help prevent the spread of the flu, or at least make people feel like some action was being taken. Steps such as no more holy water in the fonts, and to not receive the Eucharist on the tongue. Much to my dismay these measures are STILL in effect even though recent news says the flu is not expected to mutate, and is no worse the the ordinary seasonal flu. I do have my own bottle of holy water now though.

Apologies

Sorry `bout the long absence it has been a pretty busy time but from this post on I will be back to my regularly scheduled blogging.

Summer Holidays

What do you mean  holidays Vee8 didnt you just go to Hawaii?  Weeell yes but that was Golden Week way back in May.   Now its time for summer holidays so I will try to blog as often as I can however my sparse as of late blogging may become sparser.  I pray that anyone who reads this has a safe and wonder summer.

Religion couple’s common ground

By NATSUKO FUKUE

Staff writer

Zuzana Koike, a 29-year-old Austrian national of Slovak extraction, never thought she would even visit Japan before meeting and marrying Takeshi Koike, 38, a lecturer at Daito Bunka University in Tokyo.

The two met in 2000 at a gathering of the Catholic Students’ Union at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where Zuzana was an undergraduate student and Takeshi was engaged in postgraduate linguistics study. Zuzana grew up in a Catholic family, while Takeshi, inspired by Mother Teresa, was baptized after finishing college in Japan.

Full article here

Despite  the title religion is not a common theme throughout the interview so I was disappointed.  Aside from a brief mention in the above excerpt, and stating that they had a church wedding no deeper questions were asked about religion in their lives.    Do they even go to church on Sunday?  Did they have their children baptized?  Basically if they are practising Catholics how are the in laws dealing with that?  But the interviewer doesn’t ask and instead barely avoids asking the wife if she can use chopsticks and eat natto.