Greetings, All!
       I apologize for the lateness of this blog post.  The December Areopagus will be held tomorrow, December 19th, at seven p.m.  Rendezvous point:  The Kots' house.  I will not post their address on the blog, but I have already sent it out this past Saturday and today in my reminder e-mails.  If you have not received these e-mails, or lost them somehow, and need the Kots' address, please e-mail me at tgagnon@centurytel.net.  Please bring plenty of questions for Odysseus the Box and a delicious snack for us all to eat.
                    Have a Joyous Advent!
                            
                       In Christ,
                                  Evelyn             
           

           Salutations!

                Last month's meeting at the Peddemors' was wonderful and had a surprise for the Areopagites present.  Father RJ, a priest friend of Father Ward, began the meeting with a short talk on St. Catherine of Siena and then answered a few questions live and from the box before Father Ward took over.  Many thanks to Father RJ and to our host family!  Father Ward continued the meeting with a discussion on Cicero's Discourses on Old Age.  We then continued asking (and answering) our questions.  The following matters were included:

•      What is blasphemy?  This question also led to a live question:  Is it okay, in writing a story, to make the "bad guys" swear?
•       If Adam had not taken the apple from Eve, would she only have been cast out of the Garden of Eden?
•       Does the Church have any teachings about concealed weapons?
•       Is it okay to go pleasure shopping (for fun) on Sunday?
•       How can you help a loved one who is trying to fight a pornography addiction?
•       What do you think of tattoos on men and women?  Do you think it is bad?
•       When saying my daily Rosary, I find it helps to have it on my ipad.  Does this count as prayer as long as I still meditate?
•        Why do we leave the last line from the Bible off when we say the Our Father?
•        I know someone who swears often and takes the Lord's name in vain.  The first few times this happened I gently rebuked, but this person just blew up and became angry.  Lately I just asked God for forgiveness and to bless this person in my head instead of speaking.  Should I do more?            
•        What are the Church's views on adoption?  It seems to me that if one has a child that they can't support, they obviously cannot abort or murder the baby, but they could put it up for adoption.  Additionally, it seems that if one could not have children, for good reasons, the person could adopt a child.  Is it wrong to think this?

            Our next meeting will be at the Kot's house on the third Friday of the month, December 19th, at seven p.m.  A reminder posted on the Blog and an e-mailed reminder will follow later this week.
      Have a Blessed Advent, Everyone!

                             In Christ,
                                  Evelyn Gagnon

St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us!
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!