We're back!!

After almost a year of post-less days, we're getting re-engaged in the battle for our culture. The election of President Obama and the corruption in Washington has sparked some of the resurgence, but it also has to do with prayerfully reflecting on whether or not we're going to just lie down as society declines or if we're going to do something, anything, to push back.

Looking at our children and trying to foresee what the future is going to be like for them, we're not going to lie down. Our children need to know we care and that we're not apathetic to the world's problems.

The Catholic Vote

The people at GrassRootsFilms.com have put together another wonderfully skillful audio-video production for CatholicVote.com. Check out this incredible video...

Faith and Family Live! The daily blog of Catholic Living.

My wife and I are subscribers to Faith & Family magazine. We really love the content and how we don't have to worry about the kids opening it up to something objectionable (like so many other magazines and publications). Everything is family-focused and pro-marriage; and while many of the articles are written for my wife, there's also plenty of interesting reading for me. If anything, I believe the magazine helps me to better appreciate what my wife does for our family when I consider all of the thought and energy that goes in the daily routines of people like her.

Fortunately for all of us, Faith & Family Live! has just become available. It's a daily blog (like this one) to suppliment their magazine content. And like this blog, we all can submit comments and contribute as well. It's like a great big gathering of like-minded people coming together to share in the joys of marriage and family life.

The blog content comes from very talented ladies -- Danielle Bean, Rachel Balducci, Lisa Hendey, Arwen Mosher, and Rebecca Teti. Each of these links will take you to their profile and content on the Faith & Family Live! blog. I have also added the site to my list of blogs. I would HIGHLY encourage you to check them out. You'll be happy you did!

One last thing, if you contribute to their site before midnight on Sunday, July 20th, you will be eligible to win one of over 80 great prizes. Click here for more details of their Grand Opening Giveaway.

IHM National Homeschool Conference

Speaking of Catholic homeschooling, we have to mention this fantastic homeschool conference -- The Immaculate Heart of Mary Homeschool and Parent Conference in Chantilly, Virginia. Although this year's conference has passed, the dates have been set for next year -- June 12th & 13th, 2009.

Although we had wanted to go this year because of the great lineup of speakers and topics and vendors, two things kept us from attending -- finances (or rather, the lack thereof) and the pending delivery of our second child. As disappointed as we are about not being able to attend, we can joyfully say that we're enjoying the time at home with our newborn. And as a consolation, we will soon be ordering the conference talks on CD! Last year's talks have been played repeatedly in our home and in the car because of the great wealth of information shared by the insightful & inspirational speakers.

If all goes well, we hope to attend the conference in 2009. At that point, our youngest, Gabriel, will be 11 months old and our oldest, Michael, 3 years old. We'll really need to take advantage of the conference in order to better prepare ourselves for the pre-school and kindergarten activities Michael will soon be undertaking. It's never too early to prepare, especially when it comes to something as important as our children's education.

If anybody attended the Immaculate Heart of Mary conferences in 2008 (or previous years), please let us know what you thought of the conference. Are you planning on attending the conference in 2009?

Case for Homeschooling - Exhibit 1

Our family and friends know that my wife and I have been seriously considering Catholic Homeschooling (and yes, there is a difference between Catholic Homeschooling and other forms of Homeschooling - a discussion for another time). Although we don't watch much TV in our home, yesterday my wife and I were watching a little bit of the news when we saw a terrifying story that reinforced our motives for homeschooling our children.

The news story very calmly explained how the local law enforcement officers were receiving special training in how to react to a school shooting situation like those seen across the country, the most notable likely being the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. Using real children with masks on to protect themselves from the paintball shots, they ran through the halls in simulated scenarios. Interviewed children spoke of how scared some of them were even though they knew this to be a simulation. The officers spoke about the necessity of the training.

Now I don't doubt the need for the training. Columbine is just one example of many. I'm glad that law enforcement is taking the measures needed to prepare themselves for all sorts of hostile situations. But doesn't this news story miss a key point... that public schools (hereafter called government schools [1]) are now considered hostile territory with a very real threat potential that a fellow student could very easily kill our children for even the most minor of motives?

There are many underlying reasons why children are killing children -- far too many to go in to now. And while those reasons do need to be addressed with solutions, I would like to take this time to focus on the current situation and a response. To do this, let me put the current situation in other terms.

Although the likelihood of a school shooting is slim for most kids in government schools, I wonder how many parents would play those odds at Russian Roulette. Would any parent be willing to pull the trigger on a hypothetical gun pointed at their child with only one 1 bullet among hundreds of open chambers? Although the odds are extremely low that the single bullet would actually fire, would any loving parent be willing to accept those odds with the potential to injure or kill their child?

Until the needed solutions to the underlying problem of school shootings take effect, we still have the current situation which requires a more immediate response. One immediate response is to consider alternatives to placing our children in harm's way. And when it comes to the area of education there are alternatives! Homeschooling is the alternative.

When a family chooses to homeschool their child(ren), there is no need to expose the children to hostage training drills. Children don't have to wake up daily with a fear that one of their many fellow students is planning a way to kill them. Homeshooling parents don't have to worry that their children are going to be injured or killed. There is a peace of mind that comes with the homeschooling alternative. Unfortunately, many other parents with children in government schools have simply accepted fear as being part of their child's education experience. I'm sorry, but fear of death should not be part of the education experience for any child and I would consider it negligent of any parent to willingly expose their children to these hazards.

In time, we'll continue to discuss the case for homeschooling -- both the positive and negative reasons. This just happens to be one of the negative situations found in government schools which are driving over a million families in the U.S. to pull their kids out of the government school system and to educate them at home. If you're one of those families that have taken the leap into homeschooling, drop us a line or submit a comment to share with us your reasons for doing so.

FOOTNOTE
[1] So-called "public" schools is an inaccurate description of what they really are. If they were public schools, they would reflect the views of the public, including their religious views. In actuality, these schools reflect the secular, anti-religious views of the government.

Becoming a Catholic Family

As we come across resources we feel to be worthwhile, we will be sure to share them with you. Here's one we received in an email today which speaks directly to the topics we speak of on this site.

Becoming a Catholic Family
from St. Joseph Communications
Scott and Kimberly Hahn share the triumphs and difficulties they encountered attempting to build a Catholic family. Like you, they had to discern how to balance faith with the realities of marriage, work, educating the kids, and more. In this informative and inspirational presentation you'll gain practical knowledge and a truly Catholic theological perspective on marriage as an indissoluble, life-giving union. An inspiration for Catholic couples based on the words of Scripture and the teaching of the Church.

Setting ablaze the light

And so it begins... the Ruggiero family has begun this apostolate to bring forward topics of relevance to our lives with a Catholic perspective. We'll focus primarily on the issues that pertain to our family and all families of the world. Our readers are you -- friends, family, and the wandering visitor -- but you're not just a reader, you are a contributor. You will have the opportunity to comment on what we say or respond to what others say. Whether you agree or disagree, we want to hear from you.

You might be asking, "why this?" Well, to be completely honest, I have never been one to have an interest to enter in to the "blogosphere". In fact, I always told myself that I couldn't see myself sharing mindless, miscellaneous details of our life with others, like what kind of pizza we just ordered, the traffic-jam we encountered in town, or idle chat about the fleeting trends of the day (BORING!).

The change of mind has come through prayer... an inner sense that we, as a family, must be willing to actively shine forth the light of Christ by placing our lamp on a lampstand for all to see; not in a way to boast or showcase ourselves, but rather to demonstrate a positive alternative to the lifestyles promoted by secular society. Radiated light is never unsuccessful in displacing the darkness. In a world which will always have darkness due to the fall of man through original sin, we all must be willing to combat the darkness through the expression of Christ's light that exists in all of us.

Naturally, we seek to share Christ's love with all the people that we meet. We may not always be successful in that pursuit, either through our own sin or through missed opportunities. While we continue to pursue those ideals on a daily basis, this apostolate seeks to pair words with our actions.

Therefore, using the technology of our day to engage those we do not have regular contact with (and perhaps have never met), we can do more to reach out to all of God's children (i.e., YOU!). In essence, we can evangelize. We can share our joys and sufferings (and the joys found in suffering). We can stimulate your mind to consider things you won't hear in your regular communication circles. And hopefully, as a result, you will feel compelled to also increase your charitable and loving demonstration of Christ's light to others. Together, we can make a difference in the world.

So come back often and share in the joy of Jesus Christ, our eternal Father in Heaven. Praise be His name forever!

~The Ruggiero Family~

Related Post:
We can't just avoid sin; we must also share the light of Christ