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I’ve always loved KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken. I know, I know, it’s not the healthiest food in the world. But the combination of 11 herbs and spices is nothing short of a miracle. I thought it interesting that today, Ash Wednesday, one of my favorite fast food restaurants would have a “religious” story!

This story should give us pretty good reason to consider KFC a blessing!

Does anyone out there know the secret of the 11 herbs and spices? If the Pope agrees to bless this new KFC Fish Sandwich, I think it would only be fair that they give the church a little hint about how they make their chicken so tasty!

Peace!

Fr. Leo

Posted in Restaurants | 6 Comments »

Greetings of peace to all of you!

This is my first official Blog Posting on this site. So, please forgive me if I “bleep” “flop” or “blop” in my first “blog.” Who made up that word “blog” anyway? Maybe the same person who created s’mores.

It’s exciting to read the emails, postings and to even get phone calls from enthusiastic supporters of our mission. It’s great that the Grace Before Meals Team can hear of your enthusiasm and encouragement, especially as we all get into high gear for promoting one of our messages: Stonger Families, Better Food!

The fact is we’re all hungering for something. Let’s not overlook the blessings! The food on the table and the people gathered around it. That’s my hope: to come a little closer to our table as a family and to The Table as God’s Family!

In the upcoming blog sessions and in the weekly email blasts, you’ll all have a chance to get to know me better, to get to know each other better, and most importantly, get to know better the One who invites us to His Table… where the Food is an “eternal banquet.”

So, let’s begin with the Ironic Task of talking about Food as we begin the Season of Lent. It’s normally a time when we give up the extras (second helpings, dessert… and my personal difficulty…chocolate), as a way to develop compassion for people who go without. It’s also a season of more prayer and almsgiving to the poor. It’s probably Divine Providence that my first blog falls on Ash Wednesday, because the food that I am supposed to serve isn’t just for the stomach… but spiritual food for the mind and soul. That’s the purpose of Grace Before Meals! That’s why I think it’s a Providential Privelege that we begin TODAY!

In the coming Email Blasts I’ll be sending out tasty, fun and easy “Fridays of Lent” recipes. Also, I’ll be offering a few tips, consideration, table conversation questions, and some ideas about the grace you can pray as a family before your meals. But for now, please feel free and let me know what you may be looking for from me, this website, and our Grace Before Meals Family.

By the way, the people who just posted blogs from Raleigh, NC… Thank you! For people who may not fully understand what they were talking about, I’ll explain. I was invited to speak at the Ignited by Truth Catholic Conference in Raleigh. It started as a grass roots movement, and it spread, like wildfire (Get it? Ignited? wildFIRE…? Ok, I’ll get to the point). In my best Southern accent, “Y’all rock!”

If anyone has pictures, please send it along and we’ll try our best to post them.

This conference was attended by, I’d estimate over 1,000 people - many of them heard my message about PBJ. No, not peanut butter and jelly (although PB&J is Church approved Food for Ash Wednesday). Instead, PB&J stood for Patience, Balance, Joy! So, on this day of Ash Wednesday - a day of fasting and penance, I think I’ll have myself some spiritual PB&J. In fact, I think I’ll SUPER SIZE IT!

Now, here’s a commercial: Tell everyone you know to come and visit the site and (more importantly) to please REGISTER. It helps us promote the show’s message and serves as a convincing sign for future networks that people will be interested in a TV show like this in your area. So, give us a hand and spread the Word.

For now, I’ll let you all go, as I’m sure you have much to do, and I too have some Ash Wednesday Ashes to distribute. In the meantime, I’m not afraid to ask that you do what you can to spread this message as Cyberspace Missionaries and to please pray for me and the whole GBM (Grace Before Meals) team and their families!

Have a Blessed Feast Day!

Fr. Leo

Posted in Greetings | 4 Comments »