Anna, from a non-Catholic to a Catholic, you inspire me. Your manner on this forum is a testimony before Christ and the church. I am most humbled by your gentle writings here.

-- Oliver Fischer (spicenut@excite.com), March 15, 2003

Answers

Oh, my. What a sweet way to begin my morning...

Truly, any compliments to me should be credited to my mother, may she rest in peace.

She always taught me that, "You attract more flies with honey, than with vinegar!" Often (surprisingly often!) a kind word can heal malice, a bruised ego, hurt feelings, anger, jealousy, etc.

I still need to remind myself of that lesson often, and practice what I preach daily!

But thank you for your kind words to me today, Oliver. (((hugs)))

God Bless!

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 15, 2003.

Anna, hug me too. your li'l sis...

-- Theresa (Rodntee4Jesus @aol.com), March 15, 2003.

I am sorry, I did not see your other post until now (Racist Remarks Are Not Made By Me) I do apologize for my above comment, my fault. I have read more of your postings, they really are good, and, Anna, I do pay tribute to you.

-- Daniel Burnett (DanielDudeWHS@aol.com), March 15, 2003.

Anna is an example to us all. Anna, can you tell us a bit about yourself, your experience with the Lord and how he has affected your life ?

I always enjoy testimonies.

8-)

-- Oliver Fischer (spicenut@excite.com), March 16, 2003.

You're all so dear.

It's been a long day today, but I will certainly try to compose a little something for you tomorrow.

Suffice it to say, for now, that no matter how hard I have tried to mess up my life, the Good Lord Jesus has always shown His Love to me and pulled me through every difficulty.

Pax Christi.

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 16, 2003.

I agree with Oliver. The best thread I read from Anna was that about the turtles! What insight into the nuances of our catholic faith! Keep going!

-- Jay Offenbach (JayOffen@aol.com), March 17, 2003.

I'm sorry...I've really tried to come up with some awe-inspiring testimony about myself!

I'm just not "that" special. God has been exceedingly good to me, and so often I have not even appreciated it, (except, perhaps by hindsight.)

If we are known by our fruits, then I will simply tell you that God has abundantly blessed my husband and me with 12 beautiful, healthy children. Soon, I will be a grandmother for the first time!

God is Love, and He has poured forth so much of Himself into my life, from my childhood on. (My email name above is the nickname my father gave me as a little girl.)

It is the Lord who is kind, gracious, generous and good, not Anna. If I, truly a constant sinner!--in any way reflect God's goodness-- then it is He is to be praised!!!

(Remember, pride goeth before a fall; so please don't raise me up so high! I'm afraid of heights.)

Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee.

Pax Christi,

your lil' sis...

-- Anna <>< (FloweroftheHour@hotmail.com), March 17, 2003.

Anna, I'm one of your fans also! :)

I love reading your posts, as you are very kind, and you know your faith well. You share that faith in a nice way.

I hope your child that you recently gave birth to, is doing well?

I wish the moderator would delete those foul threads against you, and wonder what's taking him so long? I'm sorry to see that you are the victim of a very sick and twisted mind.

-- Gordon (gvink@yahoo.com), March 19, 2003.

Gordon,

If the Moderator deletes the foul threads about me, then I hope he will delete this one as well.

I am not worthy of the praises heaped upon me. They easily despoil me of any shred of humility which I desire to attain...That is why I asked Naomi to bump the other one instead, though that one is scandalous, and I hope it doesn't cause others to sin...

It's really a no-win situation, unless a heart or two are turned...

Luke 21:17 Pax Christi.

-- Anna <>< (flower@youkow.com), March 19, 2003.

Elle,

I only came to this forum around January.

There was some kind of upheaval going on that I wasn't privvy to, and John left for a while. I saw little of his posts. However, he has always addressed me in a very respectable manner, and I am glad he is back now.

Regarding Isabel, I don't know where your accusations about her come from. I'm really not into digging up dirt on people.

Both individuals have shown kindness and caring, as far as I have personally experienced.

I think I recall that Isabel and I took on different opinions regarding the what-looks-unavoidable-war with Iraq, but really, I don't know how I feel about the War, so I can't argue definitively about it, now can I?

But Isabel at least joined in the conversation when Shane X and Blayze (two wiccans) entered the forum. She didn't avoid them like the plague, or cast them into hell...As the whole thread got deleted, I don't really remember what she said to them, but I was rather looking forward to a friendly dialogue...

ah, well...I'm not the Moderator, so I don't say what stays and what gets deleted...or who gets blocked. (Lucky for YOU! ha ha. jk)

Take care. Perhaps we can become friends in Christ, after all?

Pax Christi.

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 19, 2003.

Elle,

Also, remember, Jesus conversed with tax collectors and prostitutes, and was condemned by the Pharisees for doing so.

Civilized conversation shows your respect for the dignity of each human person, even if you adamantly disagree with his or her opinions. We are called to hate the sin, but love the sinner.

See those italics? John taught me how to do that! Thanks, John! There's give and take here, Elle. We can't always agree. But we can always show respect for one another's dignity.

Pax Christi.

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 19, 2003.

You're welcome, Anna! Good job!

I just want to let you know that if you make a mistake in the closing tag (the one with the slash), you will fail to turn off whatever feature you're using. You have probably seen the effect of that -- where the feature keeps going to the end of the message, sometimes carring over into the next message. That is why, after posting a message, you should "reload" the page and check your work. If you have failed to turn off a feature, you should create a new "answer," and you should start it with at least a couple of closing tags (with slashes). That usually will turn off the feature.
JFG

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), March 19, 2003.

You see, elle and Naomi?

The racist/anti-semitic post above will most likely be deleted, but it was not submitted by me nor Christine.

The spammer is proving my point.

I hope the Moderator gets this spammer's IP Address and reports him to his internet provider. Until then, we will be forced to defend our own honor and integrity, which takes away from why we're getting on this forum in the first place, which is to grow in and share our Faith.

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 20, 2003.

Thanks, Anna, for your kind comments. But I am just ignoring those comments made about me, because they are absolutely baseless. I am not racist, nor have I ever made racist comments on this forum. I haven't even seen one where the spammer has used my name, but since I can't keep up with every thread, it is possible that they have. As far as homophobic, well that word is given to anyone who finds homosexuality morally wrong. So be it, better to be verbally attacked by this person than to compromise my faith. After all, Christ went through much worse. And anyone who knows me well enough from this forum, (though they may not always agree with me) knows I am not worried about people like 'elle'.

Take care, Anne.

-- Isabel (isabel@yahoo.com), March 20, 2003.

True, Isabel, I cannot disagree.

Yet, a work of mercy is to admonish the sinner, and there is that 8th Commandment: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

While none of us believes nor appreciates the slander and insults against you and John, I simply feel that folks like elle and Naomi have souls also, and one day they may (if they don't already) experience a hunger for spiritual Truth.

I'd like them to know that they will find open arms and a welcome in the Catholic Church, and that we are not "bigotted, racist, (nor) homophobic," individually nor institutionally, but rather are a people of life and of love.

Pax Christi.

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 20, 2003.

'As far as homophobic, well that word is given to anyone who finds homosexuality morally wrong. So be it'

What, if I have read this correctly, you are saying here is that homosexuallity is wrong, who are you to judge this?You are not God and have no right to judge anyone

-- Naomi Ripper (IloveAmandaHolden@hotmail.com), March 20, 2003.

anna,

i am glad to see that recentely we are on better terms and i hope you accept my apology. my dislike of isadel grew from the way she agreed with john on many of his ignorant arrogant and stupid posts. when john acted out in a angry fashoin she agreed with him instead of asking him to calm down. hence they ganged up on people and alianated them from the site or just humiliated them.

my earlier message was a joking message not homophobius realyy. i am not homophobic and i dont like homophobs(one of the reason i dislike john). i appreciate ur acceptance something that john could learn from you. i still beleive that by protecting and agreeing with john u encourage his arrogance and de=rive him to make more outlandish claims of knowledge. u should seperate urself from his ideas more often and if isabel is a good person as you say she is she will recognise her mistakes as i have done and apologise if not she is as bad as john. who so far after many pleeds has proved to stubborn and proud to say sorry.

-- elle mcpherson (elle@mcpherson.com), March 20, 2003.

Ive been thinking. I shouldn't talk to people here the way I have been. Its wrong. John youre ok and Anna you have a lot of patience. I don't know why I've been like this except maybe i need god more

-- Naomi Ripper ((IloveAmandaHolden@hotmail.com), March 20, 2003.

Ive been thinking. I shouldn't talk to people here the way I have been. Its wrong. John youre ok and Anna you have a lot of patience. I don't know why I've been like this except maybe i need god more

Lol, I didnt post this, obviously, good joke though(Tip for the future, I never hyphinate).Anna you have a lot of patience-True, if someone had spoken to me the way I spoke to Anna, I would have went nuts, she was very kind(sorry again)

John youre ok-Hahahaha, I hate the guy, hes sooooooooo sad

maybe i need god more-Does this sound like something I would say??

-- Naomi Ripper (IloveAmandaHolden@hotmail.com), March 24, 2003.

Naomi,

I have a different definition of homophobia than you. I understand it to be a "fear of homosexuals," thus shunning them or even worse, wishing them ill.

I don't wish homosexual people ill, nor do I fear them, but our Faith teaches that certain acts are sinful, and that sexual acts which deviate from the natural life-producing act are disordered and sinful. I did not make up that rule. I lack the wisdom and the knowledge--and the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit--to be able to make such judgements on my own. This is what the Church teaches, and what I believe and follow. The sexual morals which the Church teaches also forbid sex outside of marriage, and sex within marriage must be open to new life (no artificial contraception). It isn't always easy to live by these rules, but there is great joy and blessings in obeying them, thus avoiding sin.

We should not try to judge those who are struggling with these difficulties. We are all sinners, and as Jesus taught, the only folks who should throw stones are the ones who have not sinned. (That leaves no one to throw any stones!)

Elle,

You have, indeed, demonstrated a lot of humility (a very elusive Virtue, in our Faith) by apologizing several times.

In this, you are a positive example to those who've behaved pridefully and arrogantly.

Please don't think I'm patronizing you. I was trying to answer Isabelle somewhat generically, because (if memory serves,) Naomi had described himself as a Catholic, and you had not identified yourself at all.

Naomi said something to the effect that he had come to this forum to learn. I didn't know if that was your reason also, or not. So, again, if I've caused any offense, it was not my intention.

My whole point that I was making to Isabel was that by dialoguing a bit with both of you, I hoped to stop unnecessary hatred.

There are some things we should hate in this world, true. We should hate evil. But we shouldn't hate people. We may hate their words or their actions, but every person has dignity. Every person was created in God's image. I try to speak to the "person," not to his past or present words or actions.

Because someone came upon the forum and "stole" our names and e- addresses and posted bigotted and hateful posts, that person was "bearing false witness" against us. Other people read these, and thought it was us. I thought it was necessary to shine Truth on this lie, as it was breeding hatred against innocent people. And I thought that was why you were upset with me and others.

I think I might have asked once, if there was a reason for your visiting this Catholic forum...I know I was interested, but maybe I deleted it rather than posting it, who knows? I'm not the sharpest tack in this pack, as I'm sure you've noticed. So, again, forgive me, please, if you've found any of my words offensive.

Pax Christi.

P.S. I'm sincere in asking about your interest in this Catholic forum!

Sorry this post is so long; it took on a life of its own!

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 24, 2003.

Duh, sorry Naomi!

See? Re-reading this, I see you weren't defining homophobia for me, but were quoting Isabel.

Since there is no "edit" option in this forum, just please accept my apologies...again.

(I used to have good reading comprehension, really, I did!) :)

Pax Christi.

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 24, 2003.

Thats cool, easy mistake to make

-- Naomi Ripper (iloveamandaholden@hotmail.com), March 25, 2003.

Gee Naomi,

When you want to be, you can be one sweet guy! Thanks for not making me feel like more of a dummy than I already do.

God bless.

-- Anna <>< (flower@youknow.com), March 25, 2003.