Abbey-Roads

Noah released a dove...

2012-01-31T00:04:00.003-06:00

But the dove could find no place to perch, and it returned to him in the ark, for there was water over all the earth. Putting out his hand, he caught the dove and drew it back to him inside the ark. - Genesis 8

Then the pope released two doves to ask for peace. One remained on his window sill, while the other flew a few yards, but then returned to the safe refuge of the papal apartment... for there was conflict over all the earth.

Out damn spot!

2012-01-30T11:50:00.003-06:00

Gay won't go away - at least that's what the NY Times says.

Even though Frank Bruni, a writer for the NYT concedes that it ain't necessarily so, that gay people are born this way - or rather, that way - he seems to draw the conclusion that in the end - it really doesn't matter. My own theory has shifted throughout the years, especially during the last few spent writing this blog, and getting all sorts of feedback from gays and straights and those in between. It's like some the personalist project - each person is unique...

There are of course many same sex attracted persons who agree with Bruni and insist that the why or wherefore - how they got this way, doesn't matter. Even those folks with SSA who embrace Catholic teaching and choose to live chastely will often agree the genesis of their same sex attraction doesn't matter. Perhaps it explains why more and more of these folks identify as gay and Catholic - something I used to take issue with but decided there are more important things to worry about. In essence - it's none of my business. Anyway, the Catechism says as much.

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,¹⁴¹ tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."¹⁴² They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

What I find interesting in Bruni's article however, is the fact that he points to a woman, an actress, who said she chose to be gay... and started a little tempest in a teapot in the process:

Cynthia Nixon, 45, whose comments in The New York Times Magazine last Sunday raised those very questions.

For 15 years, until 2003, she was in a relationship with a man. They had two children together. She then formed a new family with a woman, to whom she’s engaged. And she told The Times’s Alex Witchel that homosexuality for her “is a choice.”

“For many people it’s not,” she conceded, but added that they “don’t get to define my gayness for me.” NYT

All things being fair, one must ask: Then why do gay people get so upset when they hear of men and women with unwanted homosexual attraction changing their orientation, or at least attempting to do so through reparative therapy? No one forces gay people into reparative therapy these days, nor does the Catholic Church demand SSA persons attempt to change their sexual orientation. The fact is, some people seek such therapy, and some of them appear to come through it successfully. Perhaps Cynthia Nixon's case may help gay activists lighten up a bit on that issue.

Although I doubt these discussions will ever be resolved to everyone's satisfaction. For the Catholic Church, what matters most in the case of individuals with SSA is their salvation and sanctification.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. - CCC

One must keep in mind that the Church condemns the 'acts', not the individual. Since homosexual acts are contrary to natural and divine law, the Church has no authority to approve of homosexual behavior. The Church has the authority to forgive sins, but She cannot declare that a sin is no longer a sin. Likewise, the Church defends traditional marriage against civil attempts to redefine it. Essentially what secular people and homosexuals who reject Catholic teaching find troubling is that the Church declares homosexual acts to be immoral - while civil law does not. It seems to me that is the root of the conflict.

That said, the Church never binds up burdens too heavy to carry for Her sons and daughters. Every Catholic is called to chastity according to their state in life. The person with SSA is no different. Individuals are not expected to live solitary lives cut off from friends and family. The Church offers support through the sacraments, pastoral care, and for those who desire it, access to support groups such as Courage, while allowing for the 'support of disinterested friendship'.

In some cases, I believe that means men (and women) can live together in chaste friendship. I say that because there are men (and women) who share their lives with a friend, while remaining chaste and live in accord with Church teaching - and who have no desire to have their friendship/relationship represented as a marriage. I know men who have mutually worked out all of their end of life legal details through wills, power of attorney, beneficiary benefits and so on. At some point in their lives, they agreed to live chastely in accord with Church teaching - remaining together providing moral support for one another.

As Bruni noted and many adults with lifelong SSA would agree,

“Most people’s sexual attractions are pretty much fixed” once they take root, said Jack Drescher, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who has written extensively about homosexuality. NYT

So, who's to tell a 45 year old man who is repulsed by the idea of sleeping with a woman, who came out in 9th grade, that he 'just thinks he's gay'? The Church doesn't.

But like I said - some people want to be free of SSA and choose to be straight - so let them. Cynthia Nixon chose to be gay. It seems simple, but it doesn't end there, does it.

The point of the article seems to be a bit of damage control for the Cynthia Nixon statement, as well as to dispel fears that it is a game changer, while supporting the lobby for same sex marriage:

We don’t need to be born this way to refute the ludicrous assertion that homosexuality poses some special threat to the stability of the American family. We need only note that heterosexuality — as practiced by the likes of Newt Gingrich and John Edwards, for example — isn’t any lucky charm, and yet no one’s trying to heal the straights.

We don’t need to be born this way to call out Chris Christie, currently trying to avoid responsibility for a decision about same-sex marriage in New Jersey, for being a political wimp. Andrew Cuomo showed courage and foresight in fighting successfully for such legislation in New York. Christie, who fancies himself a dauntless brawler, should do the same in the state next door. NYT

Superficially, I have to admit that I can get caught up in the propaganda and I don't always immediately understand how legalizing same sex marriage will lead to the collapse of Western Civilization or the destabilization of the family - I happen to be one of those people who think the collapse has been well under way for several decades now. As one who was raised in an incredibly unstable family, on the surface at least, gay families I've seen in the media appear happier and more solid than what I experienced. That is a subjective observation of course. Many of us thought the same thing about no-fault divorce, contraception and abortion at one time - what harm could these things do? Yet we see the cumulative effects these things have had on culture... which brings us to the issue of gay marriage. Think it through - objectively.

I'm against it.

Comments on comments.

2012-01-29T12:27:00.003-06:00

For some reason a copy/notification of every one's comments does not always make it to my email. Some comments do, but not all of them. So unless I get to my blog before you delete your comments, I have no idea what you wrote. Other commenters may have responded to a particular comment, and I can usually figure things out that way - but I still don't always know what was written. That's fine - you can get away with just about anything on this blog - but I usually will eliminate the remaining ghost comments. Again - no complaints from me. Although in some ways the ghost comments hanging out there are kind of fun - any thoughts on it? Should I leave them or delete them?

Here's another thought - on faith.

Kind of off topic - or not: "We should see all the events of our lives, whether agreeable or painful, in the light of faith in order to live truly by the spirit of faith...

In the injustices of men which we may have to undergo, we would also often discover the justice of God and, when wrongly accused of faults, we would see a well-merited punishment for hidden sins for which no one reproves us. We would also comprehend the meaning of the divine trials and of the purification which God has in view when He sends them to us." The Spirit of Faith and Its Progress, Garrigou-Lagrange

Considering that in the past I have been so well served by anonymous, sometimes even mean-spirited comments, I have decided to re-open comments for those who wish to remain Anonymous.

Disclaimer: I also reserve the right to remove any comment I choose. Arbitrarily. And I laugh.

When the Son of Man returns, will he find any faith on earth?

2012-01-29T00:05:00.005-06:00

A critical moment.

“In vast areas of the earth the faith risks being extinguished, like a flame without fuel,” the Pope told assembled members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who met in a plenary session on Friday.

“We are facing a profound crisis of faith, a loss of a religious sense which represents one of the greatest challenges for the Church today.” - CNA

Bernini and ecstasy...

2012-01-28T05:14:00.006-06:00

Shut up Simon Schama.

I mean that in the nicest way possible, BTW. Ever since Freud, it appears that art historians (and sensualists) have been attributing an underlying eroticism to the works of Bernini - most famously the Transverberation of St. Teresa of Avila, the sculpture 'floating' above the altar in the Cornaro Chapel situated within the Discalced Carmelite church of Santa Maria Vittoria, Rome. Other scholars have suggested - and taught - similar theories, going so far as to claim St. Teresa of Jesus is literally depicted as experiencing an orgasm. Error. I'm afraid these notions readily take hold in the collective imagination of our highly sexualized culture where even Bl. John Paul's Theology of the Body is misinterpreted for popular consumption and profit. How unfortunate.

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini was perhaps something of a mystic himself. It was the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius which formed and informed his spirituality, subsequently helping him grasp the works of the great mystics such as Teresa of Avila. He was therefore able to translate and depict spiritual ecstasy in stone. Just as successfully he demonstrated the holy death of Blessed Ludovica, as well as the martyrdom of St. Sebastian - neither of which can be confused as erotic experiences, yet both clearly depict the physical characteristics of mystical rapture.

Spiritual ecstasy is above and beyond physical orgasm - although as John of the Cross notes in his discussion of spiritual lust in beginners, impure movements can be experienced in the sensory part of the soul - but that is definitely not what St. Teresa experienced in the Transverberation. (It is not my intention to discuss the doctrine of John of the Cross here, I simply want to acknowledge that our lower nature, our senses can be affected by spiritual experience. If the reader is interested, they can read what the Saint has to say in this regard in The Dark Night, Bk I, Chapter 4.)

I'm convinced that to promote theories on Roman Catholic mystical experience, including referencing mysteries of the faith such as the Consumatum est of Christ Crucified, (not to mention the significance of the Paschal candle at Easter) in sexual terms is inappropriate and misguided - no matter how well intentioned the source.

"They neither marry or are given in marriage." That is how Christ told us it will be in heaven. The mystics - those who arrive at transforming union, experience the closest thing possible to the Beatific Vision on this earth: Mystical marriage can neither be imagined, much less comprehended, by the carnal mind. ^"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." - 1 Corinthians 2:14

Art: The Death of Bl. Ludovica Albertoni, Bernini, Altieri Chapel
St. Sebastian, Bernini

I'm back: A post about nothing.

2012-01-27T22:47:00.000-06:00

It's amazing.

What is?

Internet addiction.

By the time I got my new laptop - today - I was just beginning to get used to being offline. In fact - I actually found stuff to do - like reading - lots of it. This evening I have been busy setting up programs and stuff - I don't like doing it - it's like work. I also answered a couple of emails - others I had to let go for now. Too many emails and not enough time - or something like that.

The posts I had been working on no longer seem important.

I began a couple of paintings during the break. That's better.

I didn't miss anything, did I. That is not a question.

BREAKING: Important information....

2012-01-25T15:53:00.000-06:00

At first I thought I was being abducted. There I was, all busy preparing to write a really interesting blog post on Catholic Orgasmic Mysticism - then my computer froze and I suddenly lost Internet connection. I tried to reboot and did all of the stuff a tech savy guy could do, but then the computer just crashed - it went black. It soon dawned on me that the sun spot activity most likely affected my access and blew up my lap top. Although, just the night before I had two dreams in succession dealing with putting a cork back in a wine bottle - the cork wouldn't fit so I had to 'cut it off'. I know! The same thought occurred to me: 'Put a cork in it!' and 'cut it off!' - Someone does not want me to post on orgasmic mystical experience. Just yet.

I'm on the lamb now, however. I'm hiding out at a Kinko's at an undisclosed location, which means I don't know where I am, and that also explains why I think I may have been abducted. I may not be making any sense, because I'm going through net withdrawal at the same time. I'm serious. I don't know what to do with myself. I keep wondering what is going on in the blogosphere and I can't find out. What if access was denied to everyone? How would we let other people who don't know how smart we are, know our opinions on stuff? How would we get our doctrines and dogmas out there? Seeing how I was totally cut off from discussing orgasmic mystical experience, you know what I'm talking about. The world is not a beetr place. If you doubt me, then consider it this way: What if I accepted - nay - lived on donations from devout fools - and the net was down? I was cut off - no Paypal no nothing? I would starve.

Yes dear readers, I'm shaken and somewhat stirred, but I'm okay! I should be back online soon - I actually know when that will happen, but I don't want to tell you so you will check back multiple times and drive my stats through the roof.

We love you family!

Bob and Penny Lord

Facebook makes people sad...

2012-01-23T11:52:00.002-06:00

Actually, I found it really annoying.

Which is why I dropped it. I got tired of all the friend requests and the writing on the wall crap. As it is, I have a hard time replying to comments on my blog - in addition to monitoring them, as well as answering emails promptly. I spend far too much time online as it is, and for what? Trivial pursuit. Today I spent about 15 minutes apologizing to people because I forgot to add emoticons or "LOL's" to my jokey emails, until I decided I was wasting my time. There comes a point when one simply can't take the blame because someone I hardly know got their feelings hurt. Oops! I did it again. Was it something I said Ms. Spears?

So anyway - Facebook makes people sad. Too bad. The so-called study claims it is due - in part - to the fact people feel bad that their lives aren't as happy and fun as those Facebook BFF's who post happy photos and good times:

Facebook photos generally depict smiling, cheerful people having good times, conveying a sense of happiness. Of course everyone likes to smile for the camera, so that good cheer may be inflated or false. As others view the photos, they may believe this conveyed sense of intense happiness is real, making them think that their friends are much happier than they are.

These same people were probably raised in front of a TV set and bombarded with television shows full of deliriously happy people, not to mention all of those ads full of people peeing their pants over some product that is supposed to make them happy and fulfilled if they buy it/use it. We are numskulls, aren't we.

Yep. But do you know what is really going on here? At least what I think is going on in most cases? I'm thinking it is related to the Commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" as well as the Tenth Commandment which narrows it down - You shall not covet . . .

2540 Envy represents a form of sadness and therefore a refusal of charity; the baptized person should struggle against it by exercising good will. Envy often comes from pride; the baptized person should train himself to live in humility:

Would you like to see God glorified by you? Then rejoice in your brother's progress and you will immediately give glory to God. Because his servant could conquer envy by rejoicing in the merits of others, God will be praised.³²⁹ - CCC

DISCLAIMER: I may be wrong of course. I'm often wrong. I make mistakes in judgment. I'm an envious, jealous person, and you all make me really sad. Kidding! LOL! ;) That's not true. What? Well I did mean it when I said I might be wrong - but the rest is just a joke.

Art: The deliriously happy housewife.

The 39 Steps... Marking the March for Life...

2012-01-23T00:03:00.001-06:00

This year, legalized abortion is 39 years long...

Washington D.C., Jan 22, 2012 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- An 80 percent abortion rate of those with disabilities shows the need to restore a fundamental respect for human dignity in America, said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia.

He underscored that the plight of disabled babies highlights “a struggle within the American soul” that will shape the future of the nation.

“These children with disabilities are not a burden; they’re a priceless gift to all of us,” the archbishop said. “They’re a doorway to the real meaning of our humanity.”

“Abortion kills a child, it wounds a precious part of a woman’s own dignity and identity, and it steals hope,” the archbishop said. “That’s why it’s wrong. That’s why it needs to end. That’s why we march.” - Finish reading CNA

Art: Our Most Holy Mother of Light. Read more here.

Most Holy Mother of Light, change the hearts of sinners and crush the evil of abortion. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Lead us not into temptation.

2012-01-22T13:56:00.077-06:00

Why are we tempted?

One answer, as Pope Benedict points out in his first volume of Jesus of Nazareth: "In order to mature, in order to make real progress on the path leading from a superficial piety into profound oneness with God's will, man needs to be tried. Just as the juice of the grape needs to ferment in order to produce a fine wine, so too man needs purifications and transformations; they are dangerous for him, because they present an opportunity for him to fall, and yet they are indispensable as paths on which he comes to himself and to God."

Blessed Laura Vicuna

2012-01-22T00:10:00.000-06:00

Patroness of the abused.

Laura died due to complications of illness and physical abuse at the hands of her mother's lover, Manuel Mora. He beat her unconscious as she tried to run from him. Laura died a few days later at the age of thirteen. Numerous times before her death, Laura heroically resisted Mora's efforts to seduce her, fleeing the house whenever the situation worsened. She offered her life in sacrifice for her mother's conversion. After her death, Laura's mother found out about her offering and left Mora. Laura's feast day is January 22.

I ask Laura's intercession for myself. Just like her, I too had prayed to be spared from a life of sin, her prayer was answered and God accepted her sacrifice. It didn't work out as well for me.

Blessed Laura Vicuna pray for us. Pray for those most abandoned and alone. Pray especially for those children who are victims of sexual abuse, violence, and neglect. Pray for those survivors who continue to suffer and mourn.

Link:

Brief biography, Bl. Laura Vicuna

Calls by the Spanish faithful to remove the photograph "Inferno" by Sergio Parra

2012-01-21T12:15:00.004-06:00

Inferno, Sergi Parra

I'm rather liberal when it comes to art, for instance, I wasn't immediately offended by the African style Dung Madonna, since it seemed to me to be a sincere attempt at portraying the Madonna in primitive simplicity, reminiscent of tribal art, not to mention, dung was/is a material of many uses. Of course people can and will disagree with me, and that is their prerogative to do so. Unfortunately, after the initial hoopla, I eventually found out the artist embellished the work with representations of female orifices... and the political, anti-religious sentiments became obvious to me. I soon understood the offense.

I must admit I do from time to time, find secular interpretations of religious people and themes by contemporary artists to be offensive, chiefly because it seems to be the intent of the artist - the works are usually meant to be offensive, or at least provocative. Likewise, I find it disturbing that many secular artists usually know very little about the themes they choose to exploit, themselves apparently lacking any in depth understanding of anything academic outside of their subjective interest. Although, who can fault an art major for not comprehending natural law or Catholic moral teaching? Nevertheless, I can appreciate in their work such things as composition, technique and style without personally liking a particular piece. Yet if it be a politicized work, it strikes me less as a work of art and more a piece of propaganda.

A few years ago there was a magnificent corpus or crucified body representing Christ made entirely of chocolate. It was beautifully done, yet the purpose was highly suspect; the nudity, the fact it was made of chocolate, and on display in a commercial setting during Holy Week and Easter - it wasn't appropriate.

That said, Parra's work is offensive in the extreme. At first when I read about it I imagined it to be a nude model with the actual cross covering the genital area - as in Christ holding the cross, instead I discovered a small painting - holy card - of the Crucifixion by Diego Velazquez covers the genitals - the actual photo is shown above, but I cropped out the genital area. Clearly the work is anti-Catholic, exhibited in Catholic Spain. To take the work of Velazquez and make a G-string/posing strap out of it is offensive enough, but to mock the crucifixion of Christ is blasphemy and an abomination. The boycott and petition to remove the work is right and just.

I think it is important to note that some artists, though they resort to erotica and sexualization of sacred subjects, themselves may be on a path seeking what is true, authentic, and beautiful, and their work may display that process. Their exploration and search for truth, sorting the good from the bad, and so on, in all of its rawness, just might be their response to an interior call. Although we the viewer may find it offensive, I'm not sure we need to condemn the artist. It's kind of a love the sinner, hate the sin deal going on here.

Thoughts for the feast of St. Agnes.

2012-01-21T00:09:00.001-06:00

"For St. Agnes martyrdom meant agreeing to spend her young life, generously and freely, completely and without reserve, so that the Gospel could be announced as the truth and beauty which illuminates existence. ... In martyrdom Agnes also confirmed the other decisive element of her life: her virginity for Christ and the Church. Her path to the compete gift of self in martyrdom was, in fact, prepared by her informed, free and mature choice of virginity, testimony of her desire to belong entirely to Christ. ... While still young Agnes had learned that being a disciple of the Lord means loving Him, even at the cost of one's life". - Pope Benedict XVI on Priestly Life

A beautiful witness...

2012-01-21T00:07:00.005-06:00

From a recovering lesbian.

"And finally, I could NOT disagree with you more that we are called to live a celibate life if we are gays or lesbians who wish to be faithful to Jesus. Celibacy is a discipline, but CHASTITY is the right ordering of our sexuality and THAT is what we are called to. Perhaps you have not read books like Beyond Gay or any of the testimonies of those who have been helped by Courage, the ministry for Catholics who struggle with same-sex attraction. If you had, you’d know that God’s call is more than just being celibate or following the rules about sex. It is about changing your heart and soul and reordering those desires that have become so distorted. You sorely underestimate God if you imagine that the best we can do with His grace is celibacy." - A 37-year-old Catholic woman who has been happily married for nearly 15 years. We have five children that I homeschool. I also struggle daily with same-sex attraction.

Beautifully stated.

UPDATE: Sorry, I closed comments because they were STUPID!

Bloggers in Michigan try harder...

2012-01-20T15:52:00.001-06:00

But they are no match for Minnesota bloggers.

Exposing the real St. Sebastian - redux.

2012-01-20T12:12:00.001-06:00

Because it bears repeating. (I know! I said 'bears'!)*

Look - everyone needs their patron saints, but it might not be so wise to try and remold them into our own image and make up things about them. Take St. Sebastian, whose feast we celebrate today...

Who was he anyway?

Is it true what some people say?

The dates of St. Sebastian's martyrdom are not known. In fact very little is actually known about him save that he was a Roman soldier martyred under Diocletian and he was buried on the Appian Way where the catacombs (his tomb) exist today. (St. Philip Neri used to pass his nights there in prayer.) Sebastian's feast day is January 20. St. Ambrose claims Sebastian was born in Milan, others claim Gaul as his birthplace.

The classic story is that St. Sebastian was an officer in the Roman army and arrested for being a Christian. He was sentenced to death to be shot with arrows. Bound to a column or a tree, the archers left him for dead. St. Irene, the widow of another martyr discovered he was still alive when she went to collect his body for burial. She nursed him back to health and it is said that Sebastian continued to witness and evangelize his fellow troops. (In the ancient hagiographies there is a lengthy exhortation to martyrdom supposedly spoken by Sebastian. It's a beautiful treatise and may be found in an Orthodox book called, "The Arena" by Archbishop Brianchinov.) Eventually the Emperor learned of Sebastian's recovery and had him arrested once again and ordered him to be battered to death with cudgels, which finally killed him.

Sebastian has been venerated since the earliest centuries but it was in the Renaissance that his cult became widespread in the West, due mainly to the many painters who chose to depict his dramatic martyrdom. He is most always depicted as a young, robust, athletic, and handsome man - nearly naked and bound to a tree, shot through with arrows. For centuries he has been the patron of athletes and soldiers and because of his faith and courage he became popular as a role model for boys and men.

I do not know how long ago the homosexual community decided St. Sebastian was their special patron, but somewhere along the line they did. There is absolutely no historical foundation for this claim. Anyone may claim a saint to be their personal patron but it is not morally permissible to claim a saint as a patron for a sinful way of life. How did this distortion arise?

To be sure it is the celebration of the male physique when painters depict him half naked - it is also probably the reality of the circumstances surrounding the execution. However, homosexuality is much about physical attraction and narcissism, hence the attraction to a naked saint. His being tied to a tree may appeal to the more base behaviors some homosexuals engage in, known as bondage and discipline. I would wager the entire myth is based upon wishful (if not lustful) thinking.

There exist fictional accounts of his life which claim he was a homosexual officer attached to the Roman Imperial Court. The only tale that could possibly be accepted, for those prone to flights of fancy, is the one which claims he was martyred because he renounced and condemned homosexuality (for the modern mind: homosexual acts) in and through his conversion to Christianity, which resulted in his death. Naturally active homosexuals reject that story, which in turn happens to be another novel fabrication anyway. I think it was just a crime to be Christian that got him martyred, but I digress.

Those who wish to promote homosexuality sometimes attempt to out anybody and everybody as being gay, I regard it as simple conjecture by guilty bystanders at best, although sometimes it is a deliberate, grandiose lie. (Everyone knows Liberace was straight. What?)

However, as a martyr, St. Sebastian's intercession is powerful with God, and since by his baptism he became a "whole" and uncorrupted man, he would indeed be a good patron for anyone struggling with un-chastity and or same-sex attraction - especially men - or lesbian weight lifters. What?

Likewise, I'm not sure there is anything to worry about for those few who erroneously believe Sebastian was a 'gay' saint. I'm convinced the Saint's charity would compel him to pray for their conversion, regardless of their misunderstanding, and if they keep praying, even though they see things in a different way than the Church, perhaps, since the door of their heart is already open, the Holy Spirit will help them accept the truth and see things another way.

*'bears' - 'bares'. get it? Sebastian is sometimes shown bare-naked.

Art: I have often painted St. Sebastian, the martyr shot with arrows, left to die, only to be revived and submit himself for martyrdom again. In a sense, for me, he became an allegory for what happens to a person who has been sexually abused in childhood. The image shown here by Rotella, is particularly poignant since the saint is visible only as an outline, his body simply a shell, his identity obscured.

Blogs and bloggers - vicious attack poodles.

2012-01-20T12:11:00.000-06:00

It's getting out of hand. Nasty retorts, attacking innocent commenters, spewing venom on public figures, maligning one another. For what, I ask? For what? Oh the humanity! Vindictive vixens!

What?

Forty years ago this year.

2012-01-19T12:46:00.001-06:00

"Do you not know that God's kindness to you is an invitation to you to repent?" - Rom. 2:4

Forty years ago this year I experienced a profound, life changing conversion...

But it was only the beginning. Since then... Well, as I look back, all I see is infidelity and failings more numerous than I would like to relate. I've dedicated this year to the work of conversion, since time is short, the day is far spent... although I don't like to admit it.

Anyway, I found the following, which might help me to be more intent upon trying to remove the log in my own eye, as opposed to my misguided attempts to remove the speck from my brother's eye...

"If you want to be a true, zealous son of the Church, you can do so in fulfillment of the commandments of the Gospel in regard to your neighbor.

Do not dare to convict him.
Do not dare to teach him.
Do not dare to condemn or reproach him.

To correct your neighbor in this way is not an act of faith, but of foolish zeal, self-opinion and pride. Poeman the Great was asked, 'What is faith?' The great man replied that faith consists in remaining in humility and showing mercy; that is to say, in humbling oneself before one's neighbors and forgiving them all discourtesies and offences, all their sins.

As foolish zealots make out that faith is the prime cause of their zeal, they must express themselves in humility regarding our neighbors and in mercy towards them. Let us leave the work of judging and convicting people to those persons whose shoulders is laid the duty of judging and ruling their brethren.

'He who is moved by false zeal', said St. Isaac the Syrian, 'is suffering from a severe disorder. O man, you who think to use your zeal against the infirmities of others, you have renounced the health of your own soul. You had better bestow your care on the healing of yourself, and if you want to heal the sick, know that the sick need nursing, rather than reprimand... 'You who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak' (Rom. 15:1) ... 'Correct a sinner in a spirit of meekness and gentleness.' (Gal. 6:1)" - The Arena

Art: Christ liberating the prisoners of Dachau. This is behind the altar in the Resurrection chapel built by the Russian Orthodox Church on the grounds of Dachau. I posted it because I like it and it expresses a certain hope and confidence in the Divine Mercy, and the power of the Resurrection.

Something to consider...

2012-01-19T00:02:00.003-06:00

"St. Poeman the Great relates that a certain monk, carried away by zeal, was subjected to the following temptation. He saw another monk lying with a woman. For a long time he wrestled with the thought that urged him to stop them from sinning. At last he gave them a kick with his foot shouting: 'Stop it!' Suddenly he realized that it was only two sheaves of palm branches." - Counsels For the Spiritual Life of Monks

Digging up the past.

2012-01-18T21:22:00.007-06:00

She's gonna blow!

Marianne Gingrich is out to destroy Newt - she's going to spill the beans - and some people are pissed.

I don't care.

Did you know that Lawrence Welk was a wife beater? - in other words - he beat up his wife. What? I wanted to make it clear that readers understood that he beat up his wife and not just random wives in the audience, so I said the same thing twice. What?*

How do I know? Well, my mother always told us that as she and my dad danced together in our living room, to the music of the Champagne Orchestra on the Lawrence Welk Show, while it aired each Saturday night.

Here's a curious factoid: At the time, few people knew Mamie Eisenhower was an alcoholic - or so I was told later, by an actor who played her in an underground film titled, "Tricia's Wedding". Mrs. Eisenhower was never glamorous - so I don't think anyone really cared.*

This post has nothing to do with anything.

*Correction:

I cannot find any verification regarding Mr. Welk's treatment of his wife. As noted, it is just something my mother frequently repeated - she probably read it in a magazine. From all accounts, Welk was a virtuous man devoted to his family and his faith.

Likewise, the rumors about Mrs. Eisenhower are false. Mamie suffered from Meniere's Disease, a disorder of the inner ear. It caused her to suffer bouts of severe dizziness that caused her to stumble at times. This resulted in false rumors that she was an alcoholic based on her public stumbling.

As it turns out, this post is indeed about something and is quite significant, especially as it concerns tale bearing and repeating unsubstantiated rumors. Mea culpa.

He got that right.

2012-01-18T14:50:00.001-06:00

Fr Z, I mean:

“The typical Catholic”

We are, in fact, as “typical Catholics”, a Church of sinners.

The possibility of salvation consists in knowing just that about ourselves.

I’d rather be associated with home-wreckers, abortionists and alcoholics who know they are sinners, than with smug elitist “saints” whose presumption may very well land them in Hell.

In Finnegan’s Wake, James Joyce suggests that the Catholic Church can be described as “Here comes everybody.”

Christ is the only Just One.

Never forget, if you are despondent about your present state or worried that perhaps you have done something dreadful and are afraid that you cannot get out of the jam you are in, that there is no sin that we little mortals can commit that the omnipotent power of God cannot take away provided we are truly sorry and we intend to amend our lives.

Though your sins be as red as scarlet, they will become white, by washed away in the Blood of the Lamb.

This is not a covering over of the sins, that might still stain us. This is not an ignoring of our sins, as if by slick bookkeeping.

When you confess your sins to a priest confessor and he gives you absolution those sins are gone.

They are taken away. They are no more.

They are removed from you and will never be held against you.

They have been cleansed and eradicated by Christ Himself acting in the person of the priest.

You will have the memory of the sin, but not it’s guilt. You will have to do penance for the harm, but you will not have to suffer separation from God for eternity.

Sinners, “everybody”, go to confession. - Rev. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Some personal thoughts on a cold day...

2012-01-18T11:39:00.002-06:00

For the most part, reading - good reading - is far more important than writing. Likewise, thinking - meditation - is far more important than speaking - which is one reason why they say silence is golden.

I think there are very few real contemplatives outside of monasteries and hermitages. That said, I do think there may be many, many, spiritual/religious/devout/prayerful people who have experienced contemplative graces. Some of these good people have from time to time believed themselves to be contemplatives already, because of a particular signal grace, or the delight they find in spiritual things. Presumption is sly as a fox.

What does that mean? Many of us can mistake our so-called spiritual insights to be important.

One cannot turn straw into gold.

That's all.

Chaste friendship...

2012-01-18T00:05:00.011-06:00

You may distinguish between worldly friendship and that which is good and holy ..., worldly friendship is profuse in honeyed words, passionate endearments, commendations of beauty and sensual charms, while true friendship speaks a simple honest language, lauding nothing save the Grace of God, its one and only foundation.

False friendship upsets the mind, makes its victim to totter in the ways of purity and devotion, inducing affected, mincing looks, sensual caresses, inordinate sighings, petty complaints of not being loved, slight but questionable familiarities, gallantries, embraces, and the like, which are sure precursors of evil; whereas true friendship is modest and straightforward in every glance, loving and pure in caresses, has no sighs save for Heaven, no complaints save that God is not loved sufficiently.

Wordly friendship confuses the judgment, so that men think themselves right while doing evil, and assume their excuses and pretexts to be valid reasoning. They fear the light and love darkness; but true friendship is clear-sighted, and hides nothing—rather seeks to be seen of good men. Lastly, false friendship turns to evil desires, upbraidings, slander, deceit, sorrow, confusion and jealousies, too often ending in downright sin; but pure friendship is always the same—modest, courteous and loving—knowing no change save an increasingly pure and perfect union, a type of the blessed friendships of Heaven.

When people indulge in looks, words or actions which they would not like to be seen by their parents, husbands/wives or confessors, it is a sure sign that they are damaging their conscience and their honour. Our Lady was troubled when the Angel appeared to her in human form, because she was alone, and he spoke to her with flattering although heavenly words. O Saviour of the world, if purity itself fears an Angel in human shape, how much more need that our impurity should fear men, although they take the likeness of an Angel, if they speak words of earthliness and sensuality. - Introduction to the Devout Life

I suspect this will be barely understandable to some who seem to feel the need to describe even the love of Christ as sensual and erotic...

Image: Newman and St. John

Michael Voris in Minneapolis.... What?

2012-01-17T14:00:00.000-06:00

Mickey! Mickey! Mickey!

Caution: The Hofbräuhaus style shouting and table pounding towards the end of the video may be slightly offensive to more delicate dispositions and/or sensitive temperaments. What?

H/T to Ray-dar.

H/T to Real Catholic TV

Thinking about sexual attraction and infatuation as 'romantic love' in friendship...

2012-01-17T13:57:00.000-06:00

"Whatever is founded on mere sensuality, vanity, or frivolity, is unworthy to be called friendship. I mean such attractions as are purely external; a sweet voice, personal beauty, and the cleverness or outward show which have great weight with some. You will often hear ~~women and~~ ~~young people~~ gay men unhesitatingly decide that such an one is very delightful, very admirable, because he is good-looking, well-dressed, sings, or dances, or talks well. Even charlatans esteem the wittiest clown amongst them as their best man. But all these things are purely sensual, and the connections built on such foundation must be vain and frivolous, more fitly to be called trifling than friendship. They spring up chiefly among ~~young people~~, gay men who are easily fascinated by personal attractions, dress, and gossip—friendships in which the tailor and hairdresser have the chief part. How can such friendships be other than shortlived, melting away like snow wreaths in the sun!" - St. Francis De Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

Born this way?

2012-01-17T13:38:00.000-06:00

Gay and Catholic.

Many Catholics are convinced people with homosexual attraction are indeed born gay. The Church doesn't really teach that - although people in the Church do.

I'm coming across a lot of born this way talk from gay Catholics. There is a point - a period of time in one's life when that notion seems to be absolutely true. Guided by our emotions and passions, we think we are what we feel. we think our attractions reveal what we are, that our sensate experiences - as in sensuality - define us. I believe it much more complex than that. I came across a fine article written by a man who refuses to be defined by his same sex attraction. I know many people will disagree with what the author has to say, but I'm convinced his story is very important for Catholics to take into consideration. Please keep an open mind.

I am Not Gay . . . I am David

Are people born "gay" or do they choose to be gay?

The answer to both questions is no—although in many passionate debates generated by this topic, we are quick to dismiss objectivity. In reality, these questions provide a smoke screen to a much bigger problem that is pervasive in our society, in religious circles, politics, and clinical settings. The problem I speak of is the idea that homosexuality is an identity.

I used to believe I was a "gay" person. I had been attracted to the same gender for as long as I could remember. Because this attraction was present from early on in my life, without my conscious choice, I concluded that I must have been born this way. After all, that’s a logical conclusion . . . right?

The attraction I had to the same gender when I was a little boy was normal and similar to what many boys experience. Boys look for heroes, role models who they respect and want to emulate. For me, the attraction to men started out with normal admiration but then began to take some dysfunctional turns. As a child, I was often made fun of and told by my peers that I wasn’t like them. This made me question what the difference between us was. At this point, shades of covetousness characterized my admiration. I secretly wondered, "If I looked like so-and-so, would I be accepted?"

In puberty, this attraction or admiration became eroticized. The derogative homosexual label was given to me by my peers, and I yielded to their accusations because I truly did have a sexualized same-sex attraction. Eventually, I embraced this label and called myself "gay."

Although I didn’t freely choose same-sex attractions, I did willfully choose to act upon them. My decision to sin brought me intense pain, loneliness, and—worst of all—separation from God. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith explained this reality in a statement that observed, "As in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents one’s own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. The Church, in rejecting erroneous opinions regarding homosexuality, does not limit personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically understood."[1]

Eventually, in my brokenness, I responded to the Lord’s loving call to forgiveness and healing. He has brought me through the valley of shame and out of the darkness of my past and shined His light of truth upon the many lies I believed about myself—especially the one that claimed that I was a "gay" person. - Continue reading...

Please continue reading the entire article before commenting.

Please pray for Gerald and Barbara Heil and their family...

2012-01-17T12:19:00.001-06:00

Gerald and Barbara Heil were the only Americans still unaccounted for from the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which was carrying 4,200 people, including 120 Americans, when it hit rocks on Friday night near the island of Giglio off the Italian coast and ended resting on its side. - Source

The retired couple are devout Catholics from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, and parishoners of the church of St. Pius X. They are still missing.

Under thy protection we seek refuge, O Holy Mother of God;
In our needs, despise not our petitions,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.

Photo credit.
More information here.

Some Teachings of St. Antony of Egypt

2012-01-17T00:01:00.000-06:00

Today is the feast day of St. Antony.

Some brothers came to find Abba Anthony to tell him about the visions they were having, and to find out from him if they were true or if they came from the demons. They had a donkey, which died on the way. When they reached the place where the old man was, he said to them before they could ask him anything, 'How was it that the little donkey died on the way here?' They said, 'How do you know about that, Father?' And he told them, 'The demons showed me what happened.' So they said, 'That was what we came to question you about, for fear we were being deceived, for we have visions which often turn out to be true.' Thus the old man convinced them, by the example of the donkey, that their visions came from the demons.

Abba Anthony said, 'I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, "What can get through from such snares?" Then I heard a voice saying to me, "Humility."'

The brothers praised a monk before Abba Anthony. When the monk came to see him, Anthony wanted to know how he would bear insults; and seeing that he could not bear them at all, he said to him, 'You are like a village magnificently decorated on the outside, but destroyed from within by robbers.'

If Tebow can do this...

2012-01-16T09:54:00.006-06:00

SO CAN I...

Why can't ~~Catholics~~ I kneel for Communion?

Or genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament? (I really do though.)

Or make a sign of reverence while passing a church? (Sign of the Cross.) (I do that too.)

Or say grace before meals in public places? (I do that too.)

But really, back to my original point - kneeling for Communion - ~~let's do it~~. I should do it.

And it should go without saying: Kneel through the Eucharistic Prayer and the Consecration. - Go without saying for me - oh, and I do.

Even dogs do it.

I updated the post so no one feels like I'm telling anyone what to do. Updates in red. What?

The Father Spaulding Mysteries...

2012-01-16T00:08:00.003-06:00

... And Medjugorje.

Diane at Te Deum Laudemus has an update on the Fr. Spaulding case, as well as an interesting discussion making the connection between Medjugorje and the Scottsdale Visionaries. I clearly recall when the Scottsdale thing began, since I was part of a prayer group at a downtown parish which included devout pilgrims who had been to Medjugorje and who believed they were able to discern the authenticity of just about every new apparition and locution which made its way down the pike. Back in the late 1980's through the '90's, things developed so quickly, it became a sort pandemic of mystical phenomena.

Anyway - this is what Diane has to say about it all...

Fr. Spaulding, Medjugorje, and the "Scottsdale Visionaries"

What I want to explore here, is a bit of Fr. Spaulding's history with regard to an entirely different matter: The "Scottsdale Visionaries", and Medjugorje. I had read about the case being sent to the Vatican by the Diocese of Phoenix, and thought I had recognized the face; but, I set it aside until I got an email from Andrew Rabel, Australian correspondent for Inside the Vatican magazine who visited Assumption Grotto in September of 2009. With his permission, I share a part of that email:

In the early 1990's, he took a group of young people from his parish, St Maria Goretti in Scottsdale, to Medjugorje on pilgrimage. Shortly after he returned, he claimed that he and some of the young people, were claiming revelations. (Just as an interesting aside. I believe this is the most striking Medjugorje copycat event that has happened in the world, ie another group of young people in a parish claiming visions!)[...]

One of the young people in the parish, later moved to another part of the United States, and claimed to have continuing apparitions. These events to Mrs Gianna Talone Sullivan, were condemned by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, in the strongest terms.

We'll get to what happened in the Archdiocese of Baltimore in a moment.

There are many "offshoots" from Medjugorje - people claiming to have visions, private revelations, and other phenomena following a visit to that place or involvement with the visionaries. I have to agree with Andrew, that the case in Scottsdale was remarkably similar in that it involved a priest and a group of young visionaries. This all began after several pilgrimages to Medjugorje: - Finish reading here

Link:

Another interesting source of what went on in the 80's and 90's, as well as background on the Scottsdale claims, may be found here: The U.S. Marian Apparition Burn-out.

John Kirby at the Walker

2012-01-16T00:01:00.002-06:00

I had been looking forward to a retrospective of John Kirby's work to open at the Walker Art Center/Gallery in Minneapolis. I epected to read about the opening in Sunday's paper, since it was scheduled to open January 13. I called the Walker yesterday and they had no idea what I was talking about - in factamundo - they had never even heard of John Kirby. I was then sure I had entered the Twilight Zone...

Then it dawned on me. There must be a Walker Art Gallery in the UK. It is in Liverpool.

My loss.

Painting: Lost Boys, John Kirby

Only manly men need apply...

2012-01-15T13:35:00.013-06:00

Another opinion.

In an earlier post on the subject I realized I may have made a mistake, to the extent I did not take all things into consideration as it concerns the vice of effeminacy in a cleric or religious, or at least the perception of, by the faithful.

That said, I remembered a very good, serious post on the subject I had come across about a year earlier. It relates to seminary training and the vice of effeminacy. It offers some very good information and practical advice.

This is an article that I wrote during my years of seminary formation but I was advised to wait to have it published until after my priestly ordination. It deals with a touchy subject, that will offend many involved in the work of seminary formation, but with the current atmosphere of scandals and talk of a more thorough screening process for seminarians, I believe it is a topic that must be dealt with. Sioux Falls is a rural farming diocese that is having great success in vocations with both numbers and quality and one of the consistent complaints or difficulties our new seminarians have had in adjusting to seminary life is the issue of effeminacy. The fact of the matter is they are not used to and are uncomfortable living in an environment that is often effeminate. Recently one of our seminarians from a farm family was embarrassed to say that he would not want his brother to visit his dorm because of the way the men acted on his floor. While not, perhaps, stating it in the most precise manner it was understood by all when he said that many seminarians on his floor, “acted like a bunch of women.”

Saint Thomas includes effeminacy under the vices opposed to perseverance. It is from the Latin Mollities, which literally means “softness.” Mollities is the verb used in 1 Corinthians 6:9 which deals with the sexual sin of sodomy. It involves being inordinately passive or receptive. It may be true that some cultural prejudices are being revealed here with this comparison because a vice is a vice, whether it is found in a man or a woman, but it is also true that some vices are more perverse or disordered when found specifically in men or women.

What Saint Thomas means by persevering is when “a man does not forsake a good on account of long endurance or difficulties and toils.” An “effeminate man is one who withdraws from good on account of sorrows caused by lack of pleasures, yielding as it were to a weak motion.” Thomas states that this effeminacy is caused in two ways. First, by custom, where a man is accustomed to enjoy pleasures and it is, therefore, more difficult for him to endure the lack of them. Second, by natural disposition, less persevering through frailty of temperament, and this is where Thomas compares men with women and also mentions the homosexual act of sodomy and the receiver in this act as being effeminate or like a woman. The vice of delicacy for Thomas considers those who cannot endure toils or anything that diminishes pleasure, and thus delicacy is a kind of effeminacy. Thomas quotes from Deuteronomy 28:56, “The tender and delicate woman, that could not go upon the ground, nor set down her foot for softness.” In priestly or seminary life we are not called to such softness, and these issues must be addressed in formation.

Saint Thomas also speaks on modesty concerning the outward movements of the body. Here, he quotes Saint Ambrose in stating that, “Beauty of conduct consists in becoming behavior towards others, according to their sex and person.” Thomas states that, “Outward movements are a sign of the inward disposition” and quotes Ecclesiastics 19:29-30, “You can tell a person by his appearance . . . the way a person dresses, the way he laughs, the way he walks, tell you what he is.” Saint Ambrose adds that, “The habit of mind is seen in the gesture of the body,” and that “the body’s movement is an index of the soul.” Ambrose goes on to say, “Let nature guide the movement: if nature fail in any respect, surely effort will supply the defect.” This effort is lacking in almost all seminary formation. Such things should be noticed and discussed by seminary faculty in both external and internal formation, as they can often be signs of deeper issues.

Saint Thomas, moreover, asserts the truth that it is often from our outward movements that other men form their judgment about us. Thomas encourages us to study our outward movements so that if they are inordinate in any way, they may be corrected. Such things need to be addressed in formation because they have a definite effect on our ability to be and bring Christ to others. Does the seminary deal with a seminarian that sways when he walks, who has limp wrists, who acts like a drama queen or who lisps? It must. This not about a witch hunt but being honest enough to admit that such external behavior affects our ability to share Christ. I knew a seminarian that spoke in a very effeminate manner, and to his credit he recognized this impediment to his future preaching the Gospel, and on his own sought help from a speech instructor. The seminary did not see this glaring problem and did not move this man to get assistance. That is the problem.

When we are at the altar or preaching the Gospel, we are Jesus Christ and must do our best to image him to our people. Anything we do that takes people’s attention away from this reality must be addressed. Over dramatic movements, purposeful lisps, swaying, in short, effeminate behavior removes attention from Christ and His word and puts it on the priest. This is not just distracting to other men but I know my sisters will roll their eyes when the Liberace-like priest celebrates himself while celebrating the Mass. - Continue reading here.

This grabbed my attention the other day while I was looking for something else...

2012-01-15T00:02:00.007-06:00

"The danger of a dictatorship of opinion is growing, and anyone who doesn't share the prevailing opinion is excluded, so that even good people no longer dare to stand by (such) nonconformists. Any future anti-Christian dictatorship would probably be much more subtle than anything we have known until now. It will appear to be friendly to religion, but on the condition that its own models of behavior and thinking not be called into question." - Cardinal Ratzinger, Salt of the Earth, On the State of the Church (1996)

The Michael Voris Affair

2012-01-14T11:11:00.004-06:00

On the Canon Law 'Catholic' trade-name dispute.

It just might not be as much about Canon Law as some people would like you to think it is.

I do not think this is just another conspiracy theory either. JoeK of Defend Us In Battle blog wrote a very respectful and rather insightful commentary/critique of the controversy generated by the Archdiocese of Detroit involving Michael Voris and his unauthorized use of the term "Catholic" in the 'branding' of his company, "Real Catholic TV". (Talk about brand loyalty.) Anyway - I'll let you read what JoeK has to say on the subject:

The only portion of this dispute that turns on Canon law is the Canon law question of whether the AOD can Canonically prohibit RCTV from using the name 'Catholic.' Beyond that, this matter has nothing to do with Canon law. In the most recent Vortex, Voris himself admits that they will not be making Canonical arguments about this issue. He issues a call to prayer.

If this isn't about popular opinion, blogs, and what people "think" why are so many "gigs" being wasted on it? Why has Dr. Peters written three blog posts about it? Why does Father Z. put up posts that essentially are copies of Dr. Peters' posts, only so that people can use his [Fr. Z's] com-box for discussion? Why have other blogs who rarely write about such things made this a "hot topic" on their blogs? I will tell you why, again. This was meant to be, and has become, a public opinion battle.

The reason that so many are on Voris' side in this is simple: walk into a parish anywhere and you are likely to find what he talks about on the Vortex everyday. This is true in the Archdiocese of Detroit, I was a parishioner there in several parishes. Bloggers who write and talk about the faith everyday know that Voris is on to something, even if they don't like his method, tone, or hair. He is willing to say in public, what most are only willing to say to their close friends: there are serious problems in our parishes and it seems that priests and Bishops turn a blind eye to them. This being the case, when a Bishop, who many consider to be very orthodox and loyal to the Church, comes out and tries to silence that voice... people are left in a quandary.

The faithful want an authentic version of the faith. They want to hear the Pope say something, and then witness it in their parish. Parents want to teach their children about the faith, and have it affirmed in homilies at Mass. The youth want a faith that they are willing to go against the culture for. People know what is real when they see it, and frankly... in many parishes - THEY DON'T SEE IT. So when someone like Voris says what many have been thinking, they gravitate to him. He becomes the "real" to them. So when matters like this come up, and complex Canonical issues are involved in what has been made to be a "popular opinion" battle, people will do what they can to back their man. That being said, I don't believe that "might makes right," I am simply observing the landscape.

This isn't about Canon law. Archdioceses don't put out press releases on issues preemptively to make the point that they need to deal with a Canonical issue. Someone convinced the good Archbishop that they could achieve whatever ultimate end they are seeking by waging this in the public realm. They were wrong. The good Archbishop should root out his faulty advisers and start addressing the real problem here: modernism and heterodoxy run amok. The world is in upheaval, and people want a strong bold leader. They want words and action. One entity in this dispute has waged a war of words, the other has waged a war of words and action. Specifically prayer.

So realize... this isn't about Canon law. I know I am some lowly ole' blogger in Alaska, but my email is on the sidebar if anyone wants to discuss this further. As always, the com-box is open as well. I just hope the good Archbishop realizes that the longer he lets those in the AOD wage this war attempting to convince people that this is about Canon law, the worse it becomes for him. The blogosphere is speaking, and it isn't echoing many praises of the AOD. - JoeK: Defend us In Battle

Editor's note: People should start reading more of the 'outsider' blogs and 'independent' sites - after awhile, all the members of the '.comblogerates' and 'news portals' seem to just parrot one another on the big news stories, and no one dares speak out of line - and if you do, you don't get promoted anymore. Not a good thing.

You vill conform - and be nice to the right people!

Here's a thought....

2012-01-14T00:01:00.007-06:00

Whatever is received is received according to the mode of the receiver.

Walk like a man.

2012-01-13T15:26:00.005-06:00

Rash judgment concerning the mannerisms and vocal inflections of other men.

Many years ago, I fired an employee for misconduct. I really liked the guy, but my bosses did not. He was a very good artist/painter and a talented worker. He had a drinking problem and had been through company sponsored - paid for - treatment. Nevertheless he had other issues which made it difficult for him to fit the mold, as it were. I did everything right - verbal warnings, written warnings, finally termination. In the process we talked about his performance and he shared a lot of personal concerns with me. I mistakenly went beyond empathy and attempted to counsel him, believing he just might be in denial about an issue or two. Big mistake, both in judgment and application.

Managers should never, ever attempt to be therapists; however, I suspected the guy had issues concerning sexual orientation and wondered if that was not at the root of his alcoholism and workplace issues. I know - I was young and deluded and didn't understand things myself. Needless to say - what a huge mistake!

The poor guy was totally blown away by my intervention. Though his mannerism and expressions were incredibly effeminate, and his humor was as outrageous as Rip Taylor's, he was as straight as an arrow. I eventually discovered he lived happily with a real-girl girlfriend and they were in love and enjoyed a rich sex life. He was totally insulted by my insinuation. He told me he had to endure such suspicions ever since his youth - he assured me that he was very confident in his masculinity, and despite the knowledge of how his mannerisms were perceived, he explained to me that he was not in need of behavior modification to fit in. Indeed, he threatened to sue me for harrassment, and even slander if I persisted in such talk.

That situation taught me never to assume or accuse people of being this way or that way - unless I know for sure - and even then to leave it alone, especially as it applies to secular employment. Likewise, it is never an employer's job to advise or counsel an employee on personal issues, period. But I digress.

Another story.

Evidently concerned pewsitters have a few issues with their priests not being masculine enough. I came across a post on WDTPRS asking "Should priests with effeminate manners work to correct them?" A reader posed the following question:

I hope you will not take this the wrong way but given certain sad realities of our time, do you think priests who are unusually effeminate in manner (e.g. speech) should work to minimize this aspect of their personality? Just the other day my wife’s friend told her she’s fairly certain her pastor is homosexual, but I have known of him for a number a years and am certain he is a holy, orthodox, priest. In fact, she also related how he alienated a good number of parishioners when he first came to their typically-liberal parish, which I take as a sign of his faithfulness.

Father answered, "Yes."

Is it really our concern?

Once I read on another man's blog, (during the homo-priest scandal deal, fueled in part by the "Good Bye Good Men" scare) that he could tell that his priest was a homosexual - a big flaming fag. Either the blogger had great gaydar or he was making a rash judgement based upon the priest's 'manners and traits of speech.' Pity.

I know so many priests who have so-called effeminate traits it is not funny. But are all of them effeminate? Or are they refined, or perhaps, somewhat decorus? Liturgical, monastic decorum can sometimes appear as effeminate to some people. How does one differentiate? Discounting religious behavior, what if a priest struck a pose like Jack Benny one day when he was perplexed about a question - in front of some burly truckdriver with Jesse Ventura style sensibilities? See the contrast in personalities? I've known very good men with feminine characteristics; slight lisps, hissy esses, all the stereotypical mannerisms. It does not ever mean a man is gay or has homosexual inclination.

I will admit I have known priests who have effeminate characteristics which can be exaggerated when accompanied by humor or frivolity - in other words, they camp. Sometimes they carry on. That's an entirely different matter however, although even then it can be more closely related to habits of levity and loquaciousness. A while back I read a comment somewhere concerning a famous priest who began a religious house and the person inquiring into the life complained of the 'campy' humor and inside jokes between the two priests in the community. One priest was a convert from a protestant group where he had been a gay minister. I suppose in that case, there were perhaps grounds for the man's concern. Perhaps in such a case, that type of behavior can and probably should be modified, or better put, mortified.

However, when a man has been raised with good gender role models, made it through the incumbant peer pressure in school as a youth, and cleared all the hurdles and mastered all of the fine points of training and grooming in seminary, I expect that his demeanor and pattern of speech or vocal inflection as it is today, is pretty much an integral part of his temperament and personality. At the very least, I would compare it to a man who has a Southern accent - some men retain an accent, others don't. Nevertheless, there is no requirement to get rid of the accent - nor is it a necessity. And it shouldn't make a difference for his ministry.

Bonus:

Below are some reminders from the Catechism for myself and my readers to keep in mind when speculating and discussing the personal foibles of others.

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.²⁷⁸ He becomes guilty:

- of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;

- of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them;²⁷⁹

- of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

2479 Detraction and calumny destroy the reputation and honor of one's neighbor. Honor is the social witness given to human dignity, and everyone enjoys a natural right to the honor of his name and reputation and to respect. Thus, detraction and calumny offend against the virtues of justice and charity.

Blondes really are more fun.

2012-01-13T12:59:00.001-06:00

Best post of the week...

Creative Minority Report published a report that Austria has now outlawed dumb blond jokes. Seriously. In addition, he posted a wonderful dumb blond joke and an even better dumb blond video. (Shown above.)

BTW - Is that a plastic wig Mrs. Gringrich wears? It never moves - and it is very yellow blond... I don't think it's real hair.

Distractions at adoration.

2012-01-13T00:02:00.047-06:00

I spend Thursdays at adoration now - my parish canceled the Wednesday slot for awhile - long story - but not a bad one. So if you're looking for me.

So anyway - I usually try to turn my distractions into prayer, but one distraction caught my attention yesterday - for a second or two longer than usual...

Editor's note: The remainder of this post has been removed after careful consideration as it could lead to unnecessary speculation as well as harmful distractions for those of you who read this blog, while at Mass and in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. The original distraction I discussed here was a temptation and distraction I experienced at prayer. When such temptations/distractions arise it is always good to ignore them, make acts of faith, hope, and love in opposition to such thoughts and continue in prayer, resuming meditation, sacred reading, or whatever vocal prayer you may be using. Distractions come and go - and if you are in quiet prayer, let such thoughts blow about like leaves in the breeze and pay no attention to them. If they disturb you, offer them as a prayer and a sacrifice, keeping in mind Teresa of Avila's counsel, 'let nothing disturb you.' Later, if a problem continues to haunt you, submit it to your spiritual director or confessor for scrutiny and clarification. Never worry about things you cannot know about or is out of your control. Trust in God.

I apologize for my indiscretion.

Fr. Hardon... Mother Teresa... tainted saints?

2012-01-12T10:45:00.011-06:00

Really?

Just when I think I have heard it all and nothing could ever shock me ever again, I come across this crap:

Tainted Saint: Mother Teresa defended pedophile priest.

Documents obtained by SF Weekly suggest that Mother Teresa knew one of her favorite priests was removed from ministry for sexually abusing a Bay Area boy in 1993, and that she nevertheless urged his bosses to return him to work as soon as possible. The priest resumed active ministry, as well as his predatory habits. Eight additional complaints were lodged against him in the coming years by various families, leading to his eventual arrest on sex-abuse charges in 2005.

The priest was Donald McGuire, a former Jesuit who has been convicted of molesting boys in federal and state courts and is serving a 25-year federal prison sentence. McGuire, now 81 years old, taught at the University of San Francisco in the late 1970s, and held frequent spiritual retreats for families in San Francisco and Walnut Creek throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He also ministered extensively to the Missionaries of Charity during that time.

In a 1994 letter to McGuire's Jesuit superior in Chicago, it appears that Mother Teresa acknowledged she had learned of the "sad events which took [McGuire] from his priestly ministry these past seven months," and that McGuire "admitted imprudence in his behavior," but she wished to see him put back on the job. The letter was written after McGuire had been sent to a psychiatric hospital following an abuse complaint to the Jesuits by a family in Walnut Creek.

"I understand how grave is the scandal touching the priesthood in the U.S.A. and how careful we must be to guard the purity and reputation of that priesthood," the letter states.

"I must say, however, that I have confidence and trust in Fr. McGuire and wish to see his vital ministry resume as soon as possible."

I doubt this is the big deal they want to make it.

Despite what the news story says, along with the quotes from a dead atheist's slanderous book says, even if this is true, and I doubt it is entirely credible, but even if it is true, I'm convinced M. Teresa did not know all the details. And if she did, she did not believe them. I have to doubt Fr. Hardon filled her in on all the dirty details, especially since he himself believed Fr. McGuire's version of the story, rather than what the plaintiffs had to say. Hardon most likely would have told Teresa he was convinced of his innocence and that the priest, albeit acted imprudently, did not do anything that bad. So what did Hardon do?

But statements by Hardon in his letters could complicate that process. The documents reveal McGuire admitted to Hardon that he was taking showers with the teenage boy from Walnut Creek whose complaint led to McGuire's psychiatric treatment. He also acknowledged soliciting body massages from the boy and letting him read pornography in the room they shared on trips together.

Despite these admissions, Hardon concluded that his fellow Jesuit's actions were "objectively defensible," albeit "highly imprudent," and told McGuire's bosses that he "should be prudently allowed to engage in priestly ministry."

One of the best-documented instances of abuse in McGuire's record is one in which neither the victim nor his family chose to pursue litigation against the church. Jesuit records show that in April 1993, a devout Catholic man in Walnut Creek came forward with the complaint that his 16-year-old son, who traveled with McGuire as his personal assistant, had looked at pornographic magazines, showered, and masturbated with the priest.

Following this complaint, McGuire was removed from active ministry and sent to Saint John Vianney Center, a psychiatric-treatment facility for clerics in Pennsylvania. It was there that Hardon — whom the victim's family had requested investigate their allegations — interviewed McGuire and chose to exonerate him. After six hours of face-to-face talks at the hospital, Hardon wrote to McGuire in a January 1994 letter, "I firmly expressed my belief in your innocence of any sexual misbehavior."

McGuire returned to his order at the beginning of 1994, but his future, including the extent to which he would be allowed to interact with families and children as a priest, was still unclear. Hardon's letter to McGuire reveals that the errant Jesuit still worried that the sex-abuse allegations lodged against him would mar his prospects for continued work with Mother Teresa, work that considerably enhanced McGuire's prestige among other Catholics to whom he ministered.

"You expressed your deep fear that despite your proven innocence of all charges, somehow you would nevertheless not be allowed to continue your retreat ministry to Mother Teresa's sisters," Hardon wrote. At the conclusion of his letter, Hardon indicated that the matter would soon be resolved in direct consultation with the "Saint of Calcutta" herself.

"And so, Don, this is the state of the question on this eve of my departure for Calcutta, India, where, with your permission, I will be communicating with Mother Teresa about your situation and your future," he wrote. - Read the entire story here.

Holy naivete?

Fr. Fessio and Phil Lawler seem to think the story is true and cast a negative shadow on Fr. Hardon. (Read the entire article.) Although, I have to believe Fr. Hardon was most likely misled...

The father of the Walnut Creek boy whose abuse allegation prompted McGuire's psychiatric treatment in 1993 said the information in the new documents is unfortunate, but not shocking. "That McGuire fooled Father Hardon and Mother Teresa like he did so many others is disappointing, but not a surprise," he said. "It shows that a person doesn't have to be a mind-reader in order to be a saint."

Charity believes all things...

Nevertheless, the story is undeniably screwed up and incomprehensible to normal people: An adult priest with a teenage assistant, shower together, give massages, use porn - but supposedly no lingering sensual experience:

Hardon's letter to McGuire, as well as the letter that appears to have been written by Mother Teresa, indicate it was Hardon who personally carried news of McGuire's situation to Calcutta. It is thus important to understand how much Hardon knew when he visited Mother Teresa in January 1994. On this front, newly uncovered documents show the Jesuit in an unflattering light, and may have a serious impact on his prospects for sainthood.

In addition to his January 1994 letter to McGuire, Hardon wrote a detailed explication of his knowledge of and involvement in McGuire's case to Schaeffer, the Jesuits' Chicago provincial, in November 1993. The father of the alleged abuse victim from Walnut Creek had requested that Hardon personally intercede to assess exactly what McGuire had done to the teenage boy. At the time, Hardon was an internationally known and beloved priest who had staked his reputation on championing a conservative strain of Catholicism, not dissimilar to McGuire's, that was often at odds with the beliefs of his more liberal-minded fellow Jesuits.

During a visit to Saint John Vianney, Hardon had a frank conversation with McGuire in which the latter admitted to taking showers with his alleged victim, asking the boy to massage his body, and allowing him to possess pornography in the room they shared while traveling. McGuire denied additional allegations that he had touched the boy's genitals and watched him masturbate.

Hardon was apparently satisfied with what he heard. As he wrote to Schaeffer:

"Regarding showering, Fr. Don said that it was true, but the picture is not one of a lingering sensual experience. It was rather the picture of two firemen, responding to an emergency, one of whom was seriously handicapped and in need of support and care from the other." - Source

Everyone makes mistakes...

In my personal opinion, if the stories are true, they do not tarnish Bl. Teresa's reputation, nor does it affect my devotion to Fr. Hardon. Looks to me as if even the best amongst us can make a mistake in judgement sometimes. Now that Mother Teresa is in heaven, perhaps she will obtain a miracle to make all things well concerning these allegations and those involved.

Here's a thought...

2012-01-12T00:04:00.005-06:00

"Conversion may be a seemingly/relatively instant event, but it does not bring with it all the values, attitudes, and habits which render the ideal practically possible. Normally years intervene while the convert tries to become what he is. The same is true of prayer; after the initial fireworks, decades of plodding fidelity follow before prayer becomes instinctual. A contemplative, as Bernard of Clairvaux reminds us, is not merely one for whom to live is Christ, but one for whom this has been the case for a long time. The practical effect of this is that a monk has to endure living with his own patent imperfections, even though he desires nothing more than to be quit of them.

An associated source of difficulty can be found in the intrinsic changeableness of spiritual life. This theme, addressed under the headings of alternatio and vicissitudo, is one of Bernard's most characteristic emphases. Life can be difficult simply because as soon as we develop skills to handle one set of circumstances, everything changes, our aptitudes become irrelevant and we are confronted with new and fearsome challenges. The temptation is either to stop trying altogether or to go back to doing the things which used to work, blocking from our mind the thought that such wooden 'fidelity' seems to be accomplishing little. It seems to be part of God's pedagogy for the monk that he is always left wrong-footed; he is not allowed to save himself, no matter how desperately he desires it." - Michael Casey, ocso

So even if you were born this way...

2012-01-12T00:01:00.002-06:00

Clearly, (an) understanding of original sin is essential when we are speaking of the moral quality of human inclinations. Because of original sin, a certain disorder resides in the human heart such that one often desires that which is contrary to the moral law. Therefore, even if homosexual inclinations are entirely inherited, this does not mean that they necessarily correspond with human nature in the original sense, as God intended it. Moreover, as Christ made clear in his preaching, it is the original, created order that has normative weight to it, not this transitory fallen state:

Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate” (Mt 19.3-6).

Thus, the inclinations that arise in the human heart must be tested according to objective moral norms because the human nature we encounter in this age of history, though wounded by sin, is still called to the same norms of behavior intended by God “from the beginning.” Why? Because God created us “out of love for love” (John Paul II, 1981, no. 11); His wise, loving plan permeates all of created reality. Therefore, to follow the norms given to us by our Creator and Redeemer is in no way an imposition or alienation but a call to happiness. The moral law given to us by God is a blueprint by which human beings can achieve their fulfillment. This implies another fundamental truth of Christian anthropology: human nature is wounded, but it is not totally corrupted. Man still has freedom. Though weakened by sin and prone to misuse, the human person still possesses the ability to make free moral choices and, by cooperating with God’s grace, grow in holiness and maturity.

Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s responsibility. By free will one shapes one’s own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when direct toward God, our beatitude (CCC, no. 1731).

The proper, beatifying use of freedom requires God’s grace. Only with His help can we properly see the truth and act in accord with it. Thankfully, God desires all men to be saved and abundantly supplies the means for it to happen. - Andrew J. Sodergren, M.S. John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family

Through the envy of the devil...

2012-01-11T12:32:00.000-06:00

Sin entered the world.

Idle Speculations has a provocative essay on the subject of envy and discord. I recommend it to all bloggers. God bless us every one!

Envy is one of the seven deadly sins.

Basil Cole OP in The Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology defines it thus:

"Envy is a sadness at the success or good achieved by another. Someone’s good fortune or even virtue is seen by someone captivated by this vice as a personal threat.
Its offspring are tale-bearing, detraction, joy at another’s misfortune, and grief at another’s prosperity.
The Catechism adds to this notion that it is a refusal of charity (§2540), which would be a rejoicing in the goodness of someone else as a gift from God to the community"

Envy is an offence of the Second Great Command: "Love Your Neighbour as Yourself". It was set out in the Tenth Commandment which according to the Catechism (§2534) "concerns the intentions of the heart; with the ninth, it summarizes all the precepts of the Law." - Envy and Jealousy

Envy's twin is discord.

We see this in life - it is the source of much of our conflict and unhappiness: "You envy and you cannot acquire, so you quarrel and fight." - James 4. It is a spiritual sin we can often fail to see in ourselves, especially when we are consumed by the acquisition of, or the defense of, our so-called rights; and more grossly, when we are either enslaved by our passions through mortal sin, or while in a spiritual combat to overcome sin - especially the more obvious and dramatic sins of the flesh.

The sinful character of envy comes more clearly to light when we compare it – for example – to zeal:

Whereas the envious man “begrudges” the goods of another and sees them as a threat to his own status, his glory or reputation, the zealous man does not grieve over the goods others possess, but desires to acquire them himself. “The zeal of Thy house hath eaten me up.”

The envious man considers the goods – spiritual or material – of others as his own evil. The zealous man preserves the goodness of things in others – but wishes to enjoy the same goodness proper to these goods. And he is virtuous in doing so if it is a moral good he wishes to acquire. The envious man destroys goodness in others in seeing it as an evil for himself which makes him smaller, less honored, less pious, less intelligent, less esteemed and – less lovable.

We see here why envy belongs to the deadly sins: Its essential character is directed against the love of God, God Himself, Who is the source of all goodness – in us and in all men. And if envy is sorrow for the increase of God’s grace in our neighbor, “it is accounted a sin against the Holy Ghost, because thereby a man envies, as it were, the Holy Ghost Himself, Who is glorified in His works.”

Envy weeps at those who rejoice and rejoices at those who weep. Weeping over our neighbor’s good – which is envy, gives rise to joy in his evil.

Of course: Also envy is committed as a grave and mortal sin only if both – our knowledge and our will – fully embrace this sadness over our neighbor’s goods. St. Thomas says:

“Nevertheless, in every kind of mortal sin we find certain imperfect movements in the sensuality, which are venial sins: … so in [regard to]… envy we find sometimes even in perfect men certain first movements, which are venial sins.” - Courageous Priests

I'm not sure where I am going with this - but it is something I am meditating and examining my conscience on.

Art: Allegories of the Virtues and Vices - Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. Detail Invidia (envy).

The Pope and The Women of The View...

2012-01-11T00:01:00.022-06:00

Yesterday, the ladies on The View made fun of Pope Benedict XVI because of what he had to say about gay marriage. So what did the Pope say?

Pope Benedict XVI has a warning for all mankind: Gay marriage is one of a number of threats to the family unit that holds the potential to undermine “the future of humanity itself.” This warning, which is sure to cause angst and pain among those who disagree with its sentiment, comes as other Catholic figures are using strong language to condemn pro-same-sex marriage policies.

During an address to diplomats from nearly 180 nations, the pope discussed the importance of education and the need to reinforce the traditional man and wife paradigm. According to the Daily Mail, these were some of the pope’s strongest comments yet about gay marriage, as he said that the family unit is necessary to sustain both education and development.

“This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society,” he said. “Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself. The family unit is fundamental for the educational process and for the development both of individuals and states.” - Source

Modern Popes are accustomed to being ignored and laughed at. A predecessor of Benedict XVI, Pope Benedict XV had a peace plan for Europe* that was ignored; while Paul VI was not only ignored, but ridiculed for his prophetic encyclical, Humanae Vitae - On the Regulation of Birth.

*On 1 August 1917, Benedict issued a seven point peace plan stating that: (1) "the moral force of right . . . be substituted for the material force of arms," (2) there must be "simultaneous and reciprocal diminution of armaments," (3) a mechanism for "international arbitration" must be established," (4) "true liberty and common rights over the sea" should exist, (5) there should be a "renunciation of war indemnities," (6) occupied territories should be evacuated, and (7) there should be "an examination . . . of rival claims." Great Britain reacted favourably but President Woodrow Wilson rejected the plan. Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary were favorable but Germany replied ambiguously. Benedict also called for outlawing conscription, a call he repeated in 1921. Some of the proposals eventually were included in Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points call for peace in January 1918. - Wiki

Michael Voris in the Twin Cities - Tonight: The War For the Soul of Catholicism

2012-01-10T11:53:00.004-06:00

Minneapolis/St. Paul welcomes Michael Voris.

Where:

St. Augustine's Catholic Church

In the basement of St. Augustine's Catholic Church.
408 3rd St N.
South St Paul, MN 55075

When:
Tonight 1/10/2012

What:

The War For the Soul of Catholicism

After a month off, the AOTM welcomes back Michael Voris on January 10 to kick off the New Year.

In all ages the faith is a battle and ours is no different. What makes these days particularly difficult is the confusion and disorientation so often present in those very places from which clarity and order should come. Even those who strive to be faithful Catholics can sincerely wonder whose example to follow. During particular troubled times in the history of the Church, it has been said that "Peter is sleeping" - a brief examination of Church history will reveal that our age is not the first to experience a lack of leadership. Amidst scandals and dereliction of authority, these same sentiments ring true today. As the influence of the Church weakens, culture has turned rapidly anti-Christian and grows increasingly so year by year. So what can we do about it?

Join us on January 10th as Michael Voris provides his insights on how to battle for the soul of Catholicism. In addition to his standard presentation, Mr. Voris will be asked probing, practical questions that go to the heart of the dilemma we face. How are our energies best spent in a culture so hostile to the Catholic faith? Where do we draw the line between taking a stand and unjustified disobedience, both in terms of the obedience we owe to civil and religious authority? To whom do we look for direction? What is the place for Catholic action in culture at large and must we accept that we're fighting a losing battle? There are no simple answers, but that doesn't mean we can pretend these aren't important questions. On January 10, 2012 The Argument of the Month will ask them. What will Mr. Voris answer?

Michael Voris

What's on the Menu

Appetizer

Brat Bites & Rye Toast with Dip

Dinner

Apple Glazed Roasted Pork

This Pork is covered a rich apple glazed and slow roasted until it is so tender it falls off the bone.
Served with garlic mashed potatoes (eat them with or with out the gravy) and baby carrots steamed and covered in a sweet glaze.

Dessert

Cinnamon Crumble with Ice Cream

AOTM General Event Information

6:00pm Social Hour and Appetizers

7:00pm Dinner

7:30pm Main Presentation

8:30pm Dessert

8:45pm Q&A

$12 at the door (The total cost for the night) You will get great appetizers and beverages, hear one of the best inspirational stories you have ever heard about manhood and faith. Do all this while you listen and enjoy a fabulous "Manly Meal”. Men of all creeds and ages are welcome to join in the good humor, food, and fellowship. Priests and seminarians get in free but will not be shown partiality in debate. Fathers are encouraged to bring their minor sons.

NO WOMEN ALLOWED.

More on the Cardinal George apology.

2012-01-10T11:06:00.003-06:00

I guess I'm not the only one who thought it 'troubling'.

His primary justification or at least his public justification was that his analogy was hurtful. I wonder if he would publicly state that homosexual acts are "abominable." Surely, that would be "hurtful" to those who identify as homosexual, and yet that's how Scripture characterizes them.

The notion that the presence of hurt feelings means that Cardinal George has done something wrong suggests that the ethical legitimacy of public speech is determined by the subjective response of hearers. But consistently applied, that principle would prohibit all expressions of moral propositions.

Although it's unpleasant to say something that results in hurt feelings and at times hurt feelings result from our sinful words, sometimes "hurt" or bad feelings result from an encounter with truth.

Anyone who bothered to read his original comments knows that he did not suggest that all homosexuals are "like members of the Klan." His comments were about "some" homosexual activists. Moreover he expressed his "hope" that the "gay pride" parade would not "morph" into something like the marches the KKK led against the Catholic Church. - Catholic Citizens

Personally, I'm not trying to make a federal case out of this, nor do I see a need to call in the canonists or the CDF, but I think, if you study the matter closely, one can agree in principle with the article cited above.

Likewise, all I intended when I stated that the coercion and intimidation worked - hence the apology from the Cardinal is that it seems to me the tactics of intimidation and coercion really did work. What I mean by tactics of intimidation and coercion in this case is: I interpret the flood of complaints and general outcry against what the Cardinal's statement a form of intimidation - I may be wrong, and perhaps the Cardinal was not at all intimidated, perhaps he was moved by witnessing sheep without a shepherd. I don't know. However, the Always Our Children style of emotional coercion seemed to work on him since in his apology he made it clear he took into consideration, "the fact that these are people we know and love and are part of our families." I may sound cold, but I'm simply trying to be objective here - something very much needed when it comes to this subject. That said, the fact that many gay activists are praising the Cardinal's apology just may prove my point.

Holding out false hopes does not serve the truth.

Don't listen to me though - it is only my personal reaction to the apology. I'm not vilifying the Cardinal - I really do think it was a very kind, gracious gesture. I am not at all against trying to soothe hurt feelings, which left alone can result in greater anger and hostility. However, the real point in the Cardinal's apology I found particularly troubling is this statement:

"The question is, 'Does respect mean that we have to change our teaching?' That's an ongoing discussion, of course. … I still go back to the fact that these are people we know and love and are part of our families. That's the most important point right now."- Source

To my knowledge, there is no discussion, and there can be no discussion involving changing Church teaching on faith and morals, which declares homosexual acts as gravely sinful, thus prohibiting any recognition of same sex marriage. It is my understanding and conviction that the Church does not have the authority to redefine marriage, any more that it has the authority to redefine the priesthood and thus permit women priests.

So did the Cardinal do a bad thing? No. Did he confuse the faithful? I don't know - but his statement left me a tad befuddled and strikes me as compromise. But what else is new?

An illustrious testimony and defense of marriage...

2012-01-09T16:11:00.002-06:00

On the nature and dignity of Christian marriage.

By matrimony, therefore, the souls of the contracting parties are joined and knit together more directly and more intimately than are their bodies, and that not by any passing affection of sense of spirit, but by a deliberate and firm act of the will; and from this union of souls by God's decree, a sacred and inviolable bond arises. Hence the nature of this contract, which is proper and peculiar to it alone, makes it entirely different both from the union of animals entered into by the blind instinct of nature alone in which neither reason nor free will plays a part, and also from the haphazard unions of men, which are far removed from all true and honorable unions of will and enjoy none of the rights of family life.

From this it is clear that legitimately constituted authority has the right and therefore the duty to restrict, to prevent, and to punish those base unions which are opposed to reason and to nature; but since it is a matter which flows from human nature itself, no less certain is the teaching of Our predecessor, Leo XIII of happy memory: "In choosing a state of life there is no doubt but that it is in the power and discretion of each one to prefer one or the other: either to embrace the counsel of virginity given by Jesus Christ, or to bind himself in the bonds of matrimony. To take away from man the natural and primeval right of marriage, to circumscribe in any way the principal ends of marriage laid down in the beginning by God Himself in the words 'Increase and multiply,' is beyond the power of any human law."

Therefore the sacred partnership of true marriage is constituted both by the will of God and the will of man. From God comes the very institution of marriage, the ends for which it was instituted, the laws that govern it, the blessings that flow from it; while man, through generous surrender of his own person made to another for the whole span of life, becomes, with the help and cooperation of God, the author of each particular marriage, with the duties and blessings annexed thereto from divine institution. - Casti Connubii 7-9, Pius XI

Hillary Clinton: Headmistress of Discipline.

2012-01-09T12:55:00.001-06:00

Hillary believes in the coercive power of the State to promote LGBT rights... “laws have a teaching effect.” You vill obey!

“The Obama administration defends the human rights of LGBT people as part of our comprehensive human rights policy,” Secretary Clinton affirms. And to those who object, remember: “laws have a teaching effect.”

“Progress comes from changes in laws,” Clinton explains. “In many places, including my own country, legal protections have preceded, not followed, broader recognition of rights. Laws have a teaching effect….It is often the case that laws must change before fears about change dissipate.” - Hillary Clinton Pushes for Coercive Power of the State. And even more here.

Oh yes she did.

Busted: More Medjugorje myths exposed.

2012-01-09T00:01:00.004-06:00

Concerning Bishop Pavao Žanić (May 20, 1918 – January 11, 2000)

Why did the late Bishop oppose the apparitions? It appears several journalists, in the process of attempting to defame him, may have helped bring the actual truth to light.

From the beginning in 1981, Bishop Žanić was apparently open to the phenomenon, because, as a Catholic bishop, he believed in the possibility of apparitions of the Madonna in the world. In that context we can understand his struggle against the atheistic, unbelieving Communists with respect to his protection of the Franciscans and the “seers” of Medjugorje. But he was always very cautious regarding the phenomenon under way in that parish. One example is the moment in which he caught the “seer” Mirjana in a contradiction, when she lied under oath on July 21, 1981: “We went to look for the sheep...” no, no: “Sorry, we went out to smoke...” Or think of when he wrote to the Apostolic Nuncio on August 19, 1981: “In my soul a judgment about all this has not crystallized. Hallucinations? Supernatural?” Or when he wrote to Pope John Paul II on September 6, 1981: “I spoke with the young seers. They are seeing 'something', but to me it is not clear if this is a supernatural phenomenon or not”, as we reported in Mirror of Justice, 2001. Therefore he made the distinction between the seers' phantasms and subjective visions and the objective reality of the apparitions and messages of the Madonna which have been verified.

The real turning point for the bishop took place after January 14, 1982, when the three “seers” Vicka, Marija, and Jakov went to him to convey the “message from the Gospa” according to which the Bishop had been “rash” in the Herzegovina case. In that conversation, the Bishop asked the children several times if there had been any messages relating to the “curates”, about which he had already been informed. The seers denied it categorically.

But on April 3, 1982 Vicka and Jakov went to the Bishop, again at the Gospa's orders, to tell him that the disobedient curates of Mostar “did nothing wrong”! At this point when it became clear that the “Medjugorje phenomenon” was inserting itself into the “Herzegovina case”, there was a real change and rupture. And there was no longer a possibility of turning back. A long series of arguments persuaded the Bishop more and more that it was only a case of fraud and lies in service of the sad “Herzegovina case”. Bishop Žanić “crystallized” his attitude out of all this: with his message to the parish priests in December 1982, with the Position of October 1984, especially with the two diocesan Commissions (1982-1986). And also at Medjugorje, from the altar, during the Holy Mass, in the homily of July 25, 1987, on the occasion of the feast of St. James, patron of the parish, he solemnly affirmed with all clarity and resolution, that at Medjugorje there were no authentic apparitions! - Source

Works for me.

An excellent source for accurate information concerning Medjugorje: Louis Bélanger MEDJUPEDIA – From now on, no more lying…

Disclaimer: I remain open to all that the Church finally decrees regarding the authenticity of the events at Medjugorje. It is also my understanding that the current Bishop Peric remains skeptical of the apparition claims and does not approve. That too, works for me.

An 'Outsider' Artist: Martin Ramirez

2012-01-08T12:44:00.000-06:00

Tarmo Pasto, an art and psychology professor at Sacramento State University took an interest in the work of Martin Ramirez. Pasto, at left, and Ramirez hold up one of the patient's large drawings at DeWitt State Hospital in Auburn, circa 1950s.

First - a quick Wiki bio:

Martín Ramírez (March 31, 1895 – February 17, 1963) was a self-taught artist who spent most of his adult life institutionalized in California mental hospitals, diagnosed as a catatonic schizophrenic.

He was born in 1895.

Having migrated to the United States from Tepatitlan, Mexico in 1925, Ramírez was institutionalized in 1931, first at Stockton State Hospital in Stockton, California, then, beginning in 1948, at DeWitt State Hospital in Auburn, near Sacramento, where he made the drawings and collages for which he is now known. At DeWitt, a visiting professor of psychology and art, Tarmo Pasto, came across Ramírez's work and began to save the large-scale works Ramírez made using available materials, including brown paper bags, scraps of examining-table paper, and book pages glued together with a paste made of potatoes and saliva. His works display an idiosyncratic iconography that reflect both Mexican folk traditions and twentieth-century modernization: images of Madonnas, horseback riders, and trains entering and exiting tunnels proliferate in the work, along with undulating fields of concentric lines that describe landscapes, tunnels, theatrical prosceniums, and decorative patterns.

He died in 1963. - WikiSource

I fell in love with this man's work after I saw a CBS presentation on his art. I know many so called 'normal' people, aka 'ordinary' people, as well as traditionalists do not like 'modern art', so many may not appreciate this man's work, or may dismiss it because Mr. Ramirez was a mental patient. Likewise, referencing his art as 'folk art' strikes me as somewhat dismissive as well. To each his own. I love this man's work. Below is one of my favorites - although I have so many. His work reminds me very much of the santeros paintings of rural New Mexico, as well some of the glyphs and design motifs of the ancient Aztecs.

This collage is framed by multiple patterns of parallel lines, and a comforting structure resembling an altar. In the middle is a cathedral, an homage to Martin Ramirez' deep faith in Catholicism. Rising above all is a horse and rider, reflecting the artist's unfulfilled dream to be a successful rancher. Untitled (Landscape) Circa 1952.

Martin Ramirez

The debate and media bias...

2012-01-08T11:30:00.004-06:00

Gingrich nailed it.

Gingrich and Romney both took jabs at liberal media elites during the debate.

“I just want to raise a point about the news media bias,” Gingrich said after a rhetorical skirmish about gay marriage. “You don’t hear the opposite question asked.

“Should the Catholic Church be forced to close its adoption services in Massachusetts because it won’t accept gay couples, which is exactly what the state has done? Should the Catholic Church be driven out of providing charitable services in the District of Columbia because it won’t give in to secular bigotry? Should the Catholic Church find itself discriminated against by the Obama administration on key delivery of services because of the bias and the bigotry of the administration?”

“The bigotry question goes both ways,” Gingrich added. “And there’s a lot more anti-Christian bigotry today than there is concerning the other side. And none of it gets covered by the news media.”

Romney seconded Gingrich. “As you can tell, the people in this room feel that Speaker Gingrich is absolutely right and I do too,” Romney said after the former speaker’s comments earned him a loud applause.* - Source

*“As you can tell, the people in this room feel that Speaker Gingrich is absolutely right,” said Romney, “and I do, too. And I was in a state where the supreme court stepped in and said marriage is a relationship required under the constitution for people of the same sex to be able to marry. And John Adams, who wrote the constitution, would be surprised. And it did exactly as Speaker Gingrich indicated. What happened was Catholic Charities, that placed almost half all the adopted children in our state, was forced to step out of being able to provide adoptive services. And the state tried to find other places to help children –We have to recognize that this decision about what we call marriage has consequence which goes far beyond a loving couple wanting to form a long-term relationship –that they can do within the law now. Calling it marriage creates a whole host of problems for families, for the law, for the practice of religion, for education. Let me say this, 3,000 years of human history shouldn’t be discarded so quickly.”

Ah, that Stephanopoulos - he's a cute little shit, ain't he? Little bigot - and his sister is a nun.

H/T to PML

Epiphany

2012-01-08T00:01:00.007-06:00

Epiphany celebrates three mysteries of light*, or rather, three public manifestations of God in Christ.

The adoration and homage paid by the Magi to the Infant Christ.

The Baptism of Christ.

The Wedding at Cana.

After tomorrow's feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Church begins Ordinary Time. I love Ordinary Time, much in the same way I prefer Low Masses to High Masses.

*I'm not speaking in the sense of the mysteries of the Rosary here. Although in Blessed John Paul's addition to the Rosary, known as the Mysteries of Light, two aspects of the Epiphany are included: The Wedding at Cana, and The Baptism. While in the Seven Joys Rosary, the Adoration of the Magi is the only mystery of the Epiphany included.

Cardinal George apologized...

2012-01-07T13:11:00.010-06:00

And so must I.

My post "Are gay activists the new neo-Nazis?" was equally offensive (as cardinal george's remarks) to my personal friends and those who read my blog. It is a struggle to not become engaged in hyperbole when one confronts controversial subjects - especially the conflict between the Catholic Church and the gay equal rights movement. My post did not purpose or intend to accuse gay activists of actually being Nazis, much less a new manifestation of the KKK - I just happened to pick up on the term Mark Shea uses in reference to a range of tactics used by some of the more vociferous gay activists - he calls them gay brownshirts. (The origins of the real Nazi brownshirts can be found here. There was a gay element within the group - hence the adaptation. My apologies.)

Although I did not go into great detail in that post, my point was that it may not be so radical an idea, when one seriously considers some of the tactics employed by Act Up against the Church in the'80's, as well as the harassment and black listing of contributors in support of California's Proposition 8 which eliminated the right of same sex couples to marry. Not to mention the 'outing' of otherwise conservative politicians, priests and religious who reject unwanted same sex attraction. I have also had friends who have been gay activists, whose tactics, and or plan, was to adopt the tactics of groups such as the Red Brigades in Italy. Then there is the Rainbow Sash people who like to disrupt Communion distribution on Pentecost. So there are radical elements within the gay political movement. Yet, whatever source their tactics may be reminiscent of, be it Fascist, Marxist, or American Republican/Democratic campaign strategy, resulting in political intimidation and coercion - there exists a perceived threat to religious liberty, no matter how one labels it.

The Cardinal said he mis-spoke out of fear. Thus, on some level, the threats and the outcry against what he said, how he said it, and what he stands for, obviously worked. Many seem to be appeased by his apology. Feelings were hurt and the apologies appear to be accepted.

I am personally distressed that what I said has been taken to mean that I believe all gays and lesbians are like members of the Klan. I do not believe that; it is obviously not true. Many people have friends and family members who are gay or lesbian, as have I. We love them; they are part of our lives, part of who we are. I am deeply sorry for the hurt that my remarks have brought to the hearts of gays and lesbians and their families.

I can only say that my remarks were motivated by fear for the Church's liberty. This is a larger topic that cannot be explored in this expression of personal sorrow and sympathy for those who were wounded by what I said. - Source

I too apologize if feelings were hurt. As the Archbishop of Minneapolis and St. Paul cautioned his priests when promulgating Church teaching in defense of marriage stated:

In doing so, we must never vilify or caricaturize those who argue otherwise. Indeed, we must acknowledge that all men and women are God’s sons and daughters. But it is this very truth and the fact that the truth is one and bears no contradiction that the Church and her ministers must witness here and now. - Archbishop Nienstedt

I believe that is very good advice and advice I hope to adhere to in future posts on the subject. Although I must say, I believe I have been very hospitable on this blog, speaking from my own experience regarding a life long struggle. Yet I have to be clear and to the point, especially since I know how easy it is to be dissuaded from authentic Catholic doctrine and to compromise moral teaching simply because the alternative seems too hard, too narrow a road to travel. I know how easily one can be seduced by romantic notions and Modern Family scenarios of domestic bliss. The world and popular culture has a tremendous impact upon even the most committed person... That said, I think Church people better buck up, playing at the heart strings of one another is sentimentalism and leads to misplaced charity - which is worse than any sort of liturgical abuse.

With all due respect for any differences of opinion on this subject, I am sorry if I offended individuals who are my friends and read this blog. Please keep in mind that I am not a spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Church. It's just me here - writing all by myself.

That said, it seems to me that neither is Cardinal George speaking for the Roman Catholic Church, especially when he says things like this:

George said although church teaching does not judge same-sex relationships as morally acceptable, it does encourage the faithful to "respect everyone."

"The question is, 'Does respect mean that we have to change our teaching?' That's an ongoing discussion, of course. … I still go back to the fact that these are people we know and love and are part of our families. That's the most important point right now." - Source

I am not aware of any discussion to change Church teaching.

Photo: Cardinal George.

Virgin martyrs...

2012-01-07T00:03:00.008-06:00

Blessed Pierina Morosini, virgin, martyr.

What is required?

Dawn Eden has an excellent comment regarding the issue of virgin martyrs who may have been violated before actual death. Very few Catholics seem to know about this stuff, much less understand it. This is what Dawn has to say about it:

What is required for a saint to qualify as a virgin saint?

Bottom line: St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas taught that virgins who are raped do not forfeit their virginity. What is more, according to Aquinas, a holy virgin who is raped not only retains her virginity; she receives a second crown in heaven for having endured the outrage of being violated. He adds that she remains a virgin in the eyes of the Church even if her rape results in her bearing a child.

That is the doctrine of our glorious Church, and more people need to be made aware of it. There are a lot of Catholics out there who are hurting because they suffered sexual abuse and are under the misapprehension that the Church perceives them as being stained by what was done to them against their will. It is my hope that my upcoming book My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints will dispel such myths and help victims find the healing that is available only in and through Christ in His Church. - Dawn Patrol

Saturday Update:

It was Fr. Z who originally posted on the topic and received some interesting comments, most interesting and informative of all however, is Dawn Eden's good response reprinted here:

dawneden says:

6 January 2012 at 9:37 pm
When I researched this question for my upcoming book My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints, I found that much of what Catholics believe the Church teaches on this matter–such as that rape is somehow voluntary if a woman is violated–is completely erroneous.

The actual teaching of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church is that the measure of whether a holy virgin who is raped qualifies as a virgin martyr (also known as a martyr of chastity) is not whether she was violated, but whether she resisted.

As Father Z would say, full stop.

Exhibit A: St. Augustine, City of God, Book I, Chapter 18. The chapter is titled “Of the Violence Which May Be Done to the Body by Another’s Lust, While the Mind Remains Inviolate.” That should tell you something right there. Augustine, writing about the virgin martyrs of the early Church, lashes out at pagans who claim that virgins who had been violated were no longer virgins: “What sane man can suppose that, if his body be seized and forcibly made use of to satisfy the lust of another, he thereby loses his purity?”

Exhibit B: In the Acts of the third-century martyr St. Lucy (which were first quoted by St. Aldhelm in the seventh century, but were probably written much earlier), when a Roman consul threatens St. Lucy with rape unless she recants her Christian faith, she replies, “If you cause me to be violated against my will, my chastity will receive a double crown.”
Exhibit C: St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Supplement, q. 96, a. 5, ad 4.

Quoting the Acts of St. Lucy, Aquinas writes that a virgin martyr who was raped will receive a double reward in heaven—“one for observing virginity, the other for the outrage she has suffered.” He adds that “[even] supposing that one thus violated should conceive, she would not for that reason forfeit her virginity.”

In researching My Peace I Give You, I was told by a senior investigator of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, in no uncertain terms, that the teaching of St. Augustine still stands.

It is a terrible loss for all Catholics that victims of rape are being told that, because saints like Maria Goretti were not violated, they themselves are somehow considered by the Church to have stained themselves by “letting” themselves be raped. We, as a Church, need to get our message in line with our own Fathers and Doctors if we are to begin to address the sexual abuse crisis in the culture at large, which the media is only beginning to acknowledge in the wake of the Penn State outrage.

Please say a prayer, as you read this, for anyone reading this who is a sexual-abuse survivor. Every Catholic bears a personal responsibility to show them, and all who have suffered injustice, the way to the healing that can be found only in Christ in His Church. Ave crux, spes unica.

Though your sins be as scarlet...

Finally, for those who may have lost their virginity, always remember, "the blood of Jesus makes fallen souls virginal." The holy Archbishop Luis M. Martinez wrote that someplace, and I have never forgotten it.

Santorum is not Catholic enough?

2012-01-07T00:02:00.039-06:00

I've noted a few Catholic blog posts claiming that.

I think Gingrich was on EWTN with Raymond Arroyo last night. Do you suppose he is Catholic enough?

Nope - I have seen blog reports that he may not be - in fact one esteemed Catholic blogster questioned the motives for his conversion - perhaps he converted just because he admired JPII a little too much? Not good enough, I guess.

It seems to me that many people think you have to be Republican if you are Catholic and if you are a Republican Catholic you have to make sure which Catholic running for nomination is really Catholic enough. On one blog I read a comment condemning another well known blogger because she said something ever so slightly favorable about Clinton - "she (the bad lady) is no Republican."

That's all.

Photo: Political analyst, Dr. Cindy Munchausen, WTF, President of the Actun Sanitarium, a financial think tank exploring how to increase personal revenue through religion and politics. Dr. Cindy is the author of "Santorum, Santorum" - her recently updated biographical/historical novel on the Senator, soon to be made into a musical, currently only available through Amazon at WTHITAA website.

Bishop Zavala, Bishop Zavala, where did I hear that name before?

2012-01-06T00:01:00.000-06:00

Oh! Wait! I know...

He was the one who wasn't happy with the Catholic blogosphere:

In a June 2010 speech to the annual Catholic Media Association convention in New Orleans, Bishop Zavala took aim at the unwieldy Catholic blogosphere, saying he and his brother bishops were “very troubled by blogs and other elements of media that assume the role of Magisterium and judge others in the Church. Such actions shatter the communion of the Church that we hold so precious.”

So who is Bishop Zavala?

Gabino Zavala, an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since 1994, has resigned his position after revealing to his superiors he had fathered two children, apparently while holding the auxiliary’s post. - Finish reading at California Catholic (I wonder if they have permission to use the term 'Catholic'?

Photo: Bishop Zavala at Grandparent's Day Mass. What?

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine: A Sinister Site?

2012-01-05T12:35:00.005-06:00

Christian 'art experts' seem to think so.

As their website states: "The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and the seat of its Bishop." St. John the Divine is an architectural marvel in this day and age, a cathedral constructed in medieval style with traditional stonework - worked by skilled masons... eh, eh, eh. The all inclusive community at the Cathedral openly welcomes all types of people... even gays. Cross your fingers and shout exorcism prayers as fast you can and get out of there! Just kidding - but conspiracy theorists have a ball with that place. Especially as it concerns the art and architecture - the black helicopter shaped sanctuary light, and, and, and... Okay - I made up the sanctuary light design bit - but it could happen.

John the Divine is not a Catholic church, it isn't even a part of the new ordinariate - which was more or less formed because faithful Anglicans wanted to get away from their liberal counterparts at churches such as St. John the Divine. No doubt it is a very liberal church. But as such, it remains just a protestant church, the edifice of which is constructed in the ancient manner of the great medieval Gothic and Romanesque style Cathedrals of Europe. The traditional ornamentation is executed in the traditional manner - chiseled by hand by skilled artisans. The art and symbolism is decidedly modern and reflects the locality wherein the church is situated, with all its contemporary nuance and features.

Typical of the architectural style of the old cathedrals, the entrance is surrounded by scenes of the Last Judgement, and in the article referenced here, particular scenes from the Book of Revelation are depicted in contemporary imagery: For example, scenes depicting NYC being destroyed - the World Trade Center towers visible, and so on. This has always been a perfectly acceptable way in which to express end times motifs - especially since the original intent of sculpting such images in the first place was to evangelize the illiterate of the time and place. A notion obviously lost on our highly educated and sophisticated society today.

The article, Prophetic Pillars on St. John the Divine, attempts to lay out all of the sinister symbols embedded in the art and architecture of the Cathedral and makes the claim there are occult images and 'prophecy' pointing towards the establishment of one world religion, and United Nations domination, leading to the rule of the Antichrist. For instance the author sites a Kabbalah Tree of Life symbol - something not unknown in medieval times - the Christian variety of which even Bl. Raymond Lull delved into - before or after his conversion I'm not certain. Nevertheless, it is not so unprecedented - despite the fact it is considered part of the "New Age". I'm not sure it is a covert symbol in this case however.

On another pillar photo depicting the resurrection of the dead and a labyrinth - also very ancient - the author makes this notation:

A scene depicting a birth from some kind of flower, surrounded by mummies and above a lamb with its legs tied. Who is being born? Is the Anti-Christ who is said by the Book of Revelation to the beast “coming up out of the earth; and had two horns like a lamb“? Underneath is a spiral vortex (symbolizing change of consciousness?) and people apparently praising or worshipping the figure.

Even if the stone carving depicted exactly what the author implies, how can that be construed as sinister when in fact it depicts what is written in the last book of the Bible? Which is in itself prophecy - and most suitable for an entrance to a Christian place of worship.

It is one of the more stupid articles and discussions (read the comments) on art and architecture I have ever come across since the embedded phallus on the Crucifix of San Damiano story. Except maybe for the snake on the rosary crucifix story - that was just ignorance of Scripture. (The reference goes back to the Book of Numbers 21 and corresponds to Christ's statement in the Gospel of John 3:14; "Just as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the desert, etc." Old crucifixes sometimes have a variety of symbols on them. - sometimes illustrating the moon and the sun, along with the phases of the moon.

My advice, don't be superstitious.

Photo: Taken from "Prophetic Pillars" see more here. The art and architecture is fantastic.

News bites...

2012-01-04T11:37:00.001-06:00

The Bishop has two kids.

VATICAN CITY Jan 4 (Reuters) - An assistant bishop of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles in the United States has resigned because he had a secret family, including two teenage children.

The Vatican said on Wednesday that Pope Benedict had accepted the resignation of Gabino Zavala, an auxiliary bishop of the diocese which has been plagued by sexual scandals. - More here.

Stuff like this is not even shocking any longer. Apparently Fr. Maciel wasn't the anomaly many of us thought. And we move on...

L'Voris.

Michael Voris is coming to the Twin Cities to speak at the Argument of the Month club. It should be a sell out. Badger Catholic has the details here.

The canonist Ed Peters has commented on the situation involving Michael Voris and Real Catholic TV and the notice from the Archdiocese of Detroit that they are in violation of Canon Canon 216 which states: “Nevertheless, no undertaking is to claim the name ‘Catholic’ without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority.” He posts objectively on the matter, click here to read.

The Archdiocese is well within its rights to ask that they stop using the name 'Catholic' - since they do not speak for the Catholic Church in any official capacity, and of course there are other Catholic broadcasting enterprises, so to claim, "Real Catholic" may be a bit presumptuous, if not annoying to bishops who really are supposed to be the real, authoritative teachers of the Catholic faith.

Michele Bachmann

Her speech today was very good - I find I agree with her on practically everything she stands for. I admire her tenacity and courage. How unfortunate that she is just cast aside - but the endless debates proved whose convictions were genuine and I believe Bachmann made a difference. I'm behind Santorum now. I'm not convinced anyone can beat Obama however - unless it is Romney - but I don't trust him, and I doubt he would win.

Photo: Kramer's living room. For me it expresses the idea of the blog as a talk show. Kinda.

The Annointing of the Sick

2012-01-04T00:02:00.003-06:00

“Stand up and go; your faith has saved you” (Lk 17:19)

In his message for the 20th Annual World Day of the Sick, Pope Benedict XVI said that he "would like to place emphasis upon the “sacraments of healing”, that is to say upon the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and that of the Anointing of the Sick, which have their natural completion in Eucharistic Communion."

He particularly calls attention to the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which I agree deserves greater consideration. I've often thought the sacrament would be efficacious for people who suffer from depression and various forms of mental illness and other addictive disorders. Perhaps it is already in use for people in recovery, I don't know.

The encounter of Jesus with the ten lepers, narrated by the Gospel of Saint Luke (cf. Lk 17:11-19), and in particular the words that the Lord addresses to one of them, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you” (v. 19), help us to become aware of the importance of faith for those who, burdened by suffering and illness, draw near to the Lord. In their encounter with him they can truly experience that he who believes is never alone! God, indeed, in his Son, does not abandon us to our anguish and sufferings, but is close to us, helps us to bear them, and wishes to heal us in the depths of our hearts (cf. Mk 2:1-12).
[...]
3. From a reading of the Gospels it emerges clearly that Jesus always showed special concern for sick people. He not only sent out his disciples to tend their wounds (cf. Mt 10:8; Lk 9:2; 10:9) but also instituted for them a specific sacrament: the Anointing of the Sick. The Letter of James attests to the presence of this sacramental act already in the first Christian community (cf. 5:14-16): by the Anointing of the Sick, accompanied by the prayer of the elders, the whole of the Church commends the sick to the suffering and glorified Lord so that he may alleviate their sufferings and save them; indeed she exhorts them to unite themselves spiritually to the passion and death of Christ so as to contribute thereby to the good of the People of God.
[...]
This sacrament deserves greater consideration today both in theological reflection and in pastoral ministry among the sick. Through a proper appreciation of the content of the liturgical prayers that are adapted to the various human situations connected with illness, and not only when a person is at the end of his or her life (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1514), the Anointing of the Sick should not be held to be almost “a minor sacrament” when compared to the others. Attention to and pastoral care for sick people, while, on the one hand, a sign of God’s tenderness towards those who are suffering, on the other brings spiritual advantage to priests and the whole Christian community as well, in the awareness that what is done to the least, is done to Jesus himself (cf. Mt 25:40).

4. As regards the “sacraments of healing”, Saint Augustine affirms: “God heals all your infirmities. Do not be afraid, therefore, all your infirmities will be healed … You must only allow him to cure you and you must not reject his hands” (Exposition on Psalm 102, 5; PL 36, 1319-1320). These are precious instruments of God’s grace which help a sick person to conform himself or herself ever more fully to the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ. - Vatican Radio

Photo: Blessed John Paul II during the anointing of the sick at St. George's, Southwark, 1982.

Holy crap! Ted Haggard stars on Celebrity Wife Swap.

2012-01-03T20:32:00.005-06:00

Nuts.

I like Xfinity ads...

2012-01-03T16:57:00.000-06:00

The wife in this commercial reminds me of what I think Charlotte of Cheeky Pink Girl might be like.

Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus

2012-01-03T13:42:00.002-06:00

JESUS!

Today, January 3, is the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus as restored to the Novus Ordo calendar by Blessed Pope John Paul II.

The Holy Name is a powerful prayer. The Holy Name Jesus is a prayer in itself and contains the entire Gospel. JESUS.

Different schools of prayer place much emphasis upon the formula known as the Jesus prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner." It is a way of prayer for lay people and monks, known especially in the East. It is an ancient practice. Those who practice it unceasingly and exclusively are sometimes known as hesychasts, and they employ a technique of breathing to coincide with the recitation of the prayer. Some remain suspicious of the 'controlled' practice, suggesting it is a form of quietism - a criticism some people also make regarding the practice known as Centering Prayer. Many people find themselves attracted to such mystical techniques, but the Holy Spirit is not limited by nor subject to technique. That said, there is nothing wrong with praying the Jesus prayer in the hope of praying unceasingly and as a means to union with God. (CCC 2616)

Nevertheless, the Holy Name alone, JESUS, is sufficient in itself. The Holy Name contains all, encapsulates all, embraces all, consumes all: To the extent that it is the very heart of the Hail Mary, and every prayer of the liturgy is offered in that same Holy Name - 'through Jesus Christ'.

Amen.

I did it...

2012-01-03T13:03:00.001-06:00

I fell.

I wasn't going to do it, but I gave in. I posted about Fr. Corapi - to 'cash in' on his recent news - or rather, the lack thereof. He disappeared from the Internet - he went offline - no explanation, without a trace. (Although, for all the interest he generates, couldn't someone have gone to Kalispell and staked him out? Aren't there Catholics in Kalispell who read the gossip blogs?)

So anyway, as I admitted before, I'm not really interested in him except to push people's buttons. This morning I have come across several blogs that have jumped on the story, always counselling discretion and prayer and the deepest concern of course... while throwing open the doors for criticism and speculation - in charity. How spiritually helpful can you get?

I know, you don't have to tell me - But terry, you are re-posting on him now. What can I say?

Anyway - I'm seriously trying to leave the guy - Corapi - alone. He's living his life as he sees fit. It was only because he turned into a celebrity evangelist that he became the object of everyones concern. He became a star, and then his light went out. It happens. That said, I've known many ordinary Catholics, priests and religious and laity who have left the Church for one reason or another - they do just fine with their lives. They get married, raise a family, attend another church - or not - and they live out their lives as they see fit - without fanfare.

It happens - go figure.

Different holidays, different feast days.

2012-01-02T12:34:00.003-06:00

New Year's Day Two: The legal holiday today.

Today is a legal holiday in the US - yesterday was the actual New Year's Day - but today is everyone else's holiday or day off because the real holiday fell on a Sunday. So the Rose Bowl Parade happened today instead of yesterday. Oh! And get this. The local parish church is closed for the secular holiday. I know! You can't even get in.

Church people have the best of both worlds - for those who love their days off. Although, Church holy days are sometimes transferred if they land on a Sunday - so you might have a Sunday obligation with a holy day obligation a couple of days later. No wait - that's not right, is it? Although, if some holy days land on an inconvenient day, they can be transferred to a Sunday - thus 2 birds are knocked off with one stone - that is more like it. Likewise if a solemnity other than Christmas falls on a Monday or even a Saturday - the holy day of obligation rule is often times suspended, and Father gets a holiday. Huh? What if St. Pat's day falls on a Friday in Lent? The fast is usually suspended - so you can eat meat with your beer.

It's confusing, isn't it. But it gets stranger. For instance, those who use the EF of Mass follow the old calendar and celebrate today as the feast of the Holy Name, yet the feast, which was restored to the reformed calendar by JPII is now observed on January 3. Isn't that quizant, Ollie? Now you may not think it's a big deal, but it can confuse people who make novenas - when to begin them? When to conclude them? What day is Mass on? What if the parish is closed like mine is today and you wanted a procession or something?

No wonder I never know how to dress... which explains why I always wear jeans to Mass. Not really - it's my habit - religious people have habits. What?

So when does the New Year really begin? No one really knows, do they... Chinese people have their own, as do Jews, and we Catholics do too - when you consider Advent is the new liturgical year - yet there are two calendars. Something has to be done about that.

Oh yes! Then there is Kwanza. Never mind - that is just for black people.

Photo: From my collection of favorites: Pope receiving Catholic Cats in audience. It could happen.

The little Russian saint, Seraphim Sarovsky.

2012-01-02T00:02:00.002-06:00

I scanned my little icon of St. Seraphim of Sarov - shown here, which dates to the year of his canonization (1903) and was made at his monastery.

He is a favorite saint of mine whose feast falls on the birthday of little Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. They are very much alike, since their spirituality was directed especially towards lay people and sinners in the world. They teach us that it is good to know we are imperfect and to remain so as long as the Holy Spirit is pleased to leave us there... and even to delight in it. How wonderful when everyone condemns you - your own conscience included - for then you are surely fitted to receive the mercy of God in abundance. It is very much like what St. Francis referred to as the 'perfect joy' - it is something the imperfect can actually know and experience.

To read about the Holy Father Seraphim and the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, click here.

Disclaimer: Remember, the feast day devils taunt us on and around the holy days - they try to make us fall: If you do, repent immediately and humble yourself and know Our Lord is not surprised. He is there for us. If you fall again, repent again. Our Lord is not surprised. Our Lord knows not to trust us, so don't pretend and try to trust yourself. Repent again and trust only in God's mercy and love that comes to us in Christ Jesus. Confidence and love. The devils hate it that we can keep trying and seek to dissuade us from doing so.

Favorite blog photos...

2012-01-01T17:08:00.006-06:00

This is one of my favorite photos from my collection. I wish I could add sound bites, if I could, it would go like this, as if it were Wallis Simpson speaking:

"Then again he asked me: 'Supposing the Pope looked up and saw a cloud and said 'It's going to rain', would that be bound to happen?' 'Oh, yes, Father.' 'But supposing it didn't?' I thought a moment and said, 'I suppose it would be sort of raining spiritually, only we were too sinful to see it.' Oh Eddie, and then I laughed and laughed and handed him my donation."

"Oh Wally, you are such a clever - and naughty - little Duchess, aren't you, darling!" The Duke replied with a mischievous smile.

Going through photos...

2012-01-01T16:35:00.001-06:00

Did I ever show you where my trees live during the winter? This photo is from last winter - this year the trees are bigger. They are very happy down there in their little corner of the lower level.

I'm going through photos - I have a very good collection of funny photos that I use on the blog. I may post a few.

On a mission...

2012-01-01T13:48:00.002-06:00

Bloggers.

Congratulating ourselves on our intellectual and spiritual integrity and being above the fray, the gossip, the contempt and the proud man's disdain.

I suppose we all need a pat on the back sometimes.

Art: "Self portrait in a tree trunk" - Odd Nerdrum. Weinstein Gallery, SF

The Holy Mother of God

2012-01-01T00:02:00.004-06:00

In the bush seen by Moses, as burning, yet unconsumed, we recognize the glorious preservation of your virginity: O Mother of God, intercede for us.

I love today's feast more than words can express. Happy New Year to all readers, friends and enemies alike.

May God, who through the childbearing of the Blessed Virgin Mary willed in his great kindness to redeem the human race, be pleased to enrich you with his blessing. Amen.

What?

2011-12-31T12:15:00.000-06:00

Looking back...

2011-12-31T11:21:00.004-06:00

Not so much to see.

I was going to write about the past year's top stories but realized - nothing. I realized nothing - I just didn't want to have to go through the process of linking to the stories and digging up the dead again. After all, that has been kind of my motto recently: "Let the dead bury their dead" - but I'm not very good at it in practice...

However, now that I mention it...

The Corapi story. That was huge, wasn't it. I got in trouble for saying I wasn't surprised based on the fact he dyed his beard and started tanning. Other bloggers got in even more trouble for speculating, commenting, and expressing their disgust, and have since been labeled bad Catholics, and are forever under suspicion as being in cahoots with the USCCB and Fr. James Martin and the evil Jesuits. The wonderful thing about stories like these is that it reveals what a bunch of ~~assholes~~ we all can be under that thin veneer of decorous piety we like to bask in. (I mean that in the 'nicest' way BTW - as in 'who wants to cast the first stone' and 'judge not and you won't be judged', and so on.)

For me the Corapi story was a good boost to my stats. Seriously. In the end, I'm not sure I cared so much about him - we all have our lives to live and we have to deal with the decisions and choices we make, and the consequences - which go along way after everything is said - but not done. He is doing what he wants to do, living his life the way he wants to live it - or at least that is what he says. I'm not too worried however, since as one holy priest once said; "O, the Holy Virgin, when one confides in her as a child, she never loses sight of you."

I suppose if I have realized anything it is that the scandals involving other priests, nuns - Mother Nadine of the teal blue scapular for instance, and the fall of monks and monasteries - which I posted about - in the end revealed more about me than it did them. It wasn't a nice picture.

Anyway - for me the biggest story of the year was just that - I grew a bit more in self-knowledge I think - I hope. I stand accused and my detractors are vindicated. At the last judgement when everyone gets to see my sins... It won't be pretty.

I need to pray many more rosaries, and pray them devoutly.

The feast of Pope St. Sylvester...

2011-12-31T00:02:00.004-06:00

Pope.

Read more here.

The importance of the family...

2011-12-30T14:54:00.002-06:00

Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. - Ps. 128

This morning I was impressed by the fundamental importance of the family, which this feast of the Holy Family makes evident. It is obvious to me that many of us do not even comprehend how much damage has been done to the very definition of family in our time. Though I'm overly simplifying issues, I'm convinced it began decades ago when artificial contraception was introduced. I also believe the subsequent wars of the 20th century contributed in no small way to the erosion of family life and traditional morality, leading to a sort of 'tolerance' of infidelity and divorce. A great many of us so-called boomers actually come from such dysfunctional, damaged, broken families.

Today, matters are much worse simply because fewer people even get married, or if they do, stay married, and the family unit is often dispersed, or 'extended' beyond conventional parameters. Many people, with or without faith, have attempted to reinvent the ideal family; adding 'extended family members' - live in boyfriends, girlfriends, inventing same-sex marriage, and so on.

Growing up I tried to invent a family for myself with my friends - who became more of a family for me than my real family - I sort of consciously 'divorced ' my dysfunctional natural family, and 'married' my friends. I continued the fantasy in various forms, even adopting superficial family traditions I admired in literature and film. After many of my friends went their separate ways - my cats sort of became my kids, and so on. I think we see this happening around us today - people desperately trying to invent the modern family - rejecting the authentic family archetype that has already been revealed to us. It is a very great loss that the truth of family life has been obscured and turned upside down, inside out, and nearly unrecognizable.

If you are fortunate enough to get Magnificat, the Catholic magazine with the Mass readings of the day and a shortened form of morning and evening prayer, you should read the texts provided for today's feast of the Holy Family. Today's feast is so important for contemporary Catholics to contemplate and enter into. But rather than waste time with my own thoughts, I will share with you some of the better meditations on the family that I found in today's Magnificat.

"The Church is deeply convinced that only by the acceptance of the Gospel are the hopes that man legitimately places in marriage and in the family capable of being fulfilled.

Willed by God in the very act of creation, marriage and the family are interiorly ordained to fulfillment in Christ and have need of his graces in order to be healed from the wounds of sin and restored to their 'beginning,' that is, to full understanding and the full realization of God's plan..." - Bl. John Paul II

"The family is the privileged setting where every person learns to give and receive love..." - Pope Benedict XVI

So you see, if we come from homes of disorder and chaos - like I did, and God only knows how many kids today come from even worse situations, the result can only be disorder and chaos and the absence of love, leading to a confused and desperate search for the love that is unknown and unrequitted.

"The family is the fundamental project and pursuit of the human person. It is the place in which human life begins, is nurtured, and is cherished. In the family, the human person learns to love by being loved, and learns that each person has an incalculable dignity that must be respected and affirmed in small or great ways each day.

In the family, man and woman, husband and wife, mother and father, live a gift of self to each other, and, as an expression of this gift, welcome new life that is entrusted to them. Children experience, from their mother and their father, the full range of complimentary human experiences and emotions, learning naturally that the human person is a being that comes from love, and for which the pursuit of an eternal, transcendent love is the ultimate desire. In this experience of the human person as male and female, and as coming from and going to love, the family finds its role as the cradle and school of humanity." - Anna Halpine

God's grace is sufficient to remedy every situation.

Disclaimer: I don't mean to offend readers who happen to be in unconventional family arrangements. I respect your efforts and convictions, though we disagree on Church teaching, you have a great responsibility for those under your care and I pray and wish you all that is good and every blessing. God bless you. Nothing is impossible with God...

Feast of the Holy Family

2011-12-30T00:05:00.004-06:00

How much the world and the Church needs this feast, when so many no longer know what a real family is. Pope Benedict XVI:

"The family is fundamental because it is the place where there germinates in the human soul the first perception of the meaning of life," Benedict XVI affirmed.

"This perception grows in the relationship with the mother and with the father, who are not the owners of the life of the children but the first collaborators with God in the transmission of life and the faith," he added.

The Bishop of Rome went on to explain to the youth of Palermo that "the family is the 'little Church' because it transmits God, it transmits the love of Christ, by the power of the sacrament of matrimony."

"The divine love that united man and woman, and that made them parents, is able to make the seed of faith -- which is the light of life's profound meaning -- grow in the hearts of their children," the Pope said.

He added that "the family, to be a 'little Church,' must be well integrated into the 'big Church,' that is, into the family of God that Christ came to form."

"The greatest gift that we have received is to be Church," the Pontiff affirmed, "to be in Christ the sign and instrument of unity, of peace, and true freedom."

He continued: "No one can take this joy from us! No one can take this strength from us! Courage, dear young people and families of Sicily! Be saints!"

The Holy Father urged the tens of thousands of youth in the audience: "Do not be afraid to oppose evil! Together you will be like a forest that grows, perhaps silently, but capable of bearing fruit, of bringing life and of renewing your land in a profound way!" - Benedict XVI at Palermo, 10/5/10

Hi Poodle...

2011-12-30T00:01:00.011-06:00

Now try to cheer up - it's still Christmas, after all.

Are gay activists the new neo-nazis?

2011-12-29T13:00:00.009-06:00

Some people seem to think so.

Unfortunately for 'them' they may be right. On Christmas I watched The Sound of Music on television - again. One of the characters in the film, a local man from Salzburg (Herr Zeller, the Gauleiter) who obviously sided with the Nazis and intended to force Captain Von Trapp to do so as well, interrupted a conversation during the party scene just before intermission. He was rude and very brusque, spewing Nazi propaganda in an effort to refute, rebuke and silence the pro-Austrian conversation. (The character acted like that throughout the film.)

I must admit his behavior reminded me of how some 'gay activists' can respond to those who oppose legalizing same sex marriage and other hot button politicized issues wherein homosexuals demand not simply tolerance and acceptance, but societal approval. More than one Catholic blogger refers to such activists as 'brownshirts' - inferring Nazi-like tactics - hence the title of my post. Very often, the coercive comments I read from gay protesters on such blogs certainly lend credence to the theory.

Naturally that label is troubling to gay activists who sincerely believe they are fighting a civil rights war for equality, something liberal politicians and their minions seem to agree with. Thus the Roman Catholic Church is more and more regarded as the enemy and real menace to society. Especially since Cardinal George recently suggested the tactics employed by gay activists may be heading in a similar direction towards how the KKK tyrannized the Church in the early part of the 20th century. "You don't want the gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism," he said. As usual, his words were taken out of context and sound more sinister than he intended - but that is how it goes in media when soundbites become the main story.

The Cardinal further defends his statement:

That dispute was resolved last week, but the cardinal’s KKK comparison – and his new explanation of those comments – have kept the controversy boiling.

“Organizers (of the pride parade) invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church,” the cardinal said in a statement issued Tuesday. “One such organization is the Ku Klux Klan which, well into the 1940s, paraded through American cities not only to interfere with Catholic worship but also to demonstrate that Catholics stand outside of the American consensus. It is not a precedent anyone should want to emulate.” - Chicago Tribune

I definitely do agree with the Cardinal.

Going forward.

The fight for gay rights is going to become more heated in 2012 - especially in Minnesota as we approach election time and the marriage amendment comes up for a vote. I think I read someplace that in New Hampshire efforts are underway to repeal the law permitting same sex marriage. These issues volley back and forth - as we've seen in California especially. Likewise Republican presidential candidates have pledged to overturn the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. There are big issues and not so big issues. I'm against same sex marriage and homosexual acts, but who serves in the military doesn't happen to be an issue for me.

The problem for Catholics, as I see it, is the lack of clear, consistent teaching on the issue of homosexuality. To be sure, the teaching is there and it is spelled out in no uncertain terms. There are documents to prove it. Nevertheless, in practical terms there is a lot of leeway given when it comes to observance.

For instance, homosexual acts are sinful, but the orientation itself - though disordered (disorders are normal for fallen man) is not sinful. "Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder." CDF Letter, no.3

It's getting to be like a witch hunt.

Therefore men with homosexual inclination who have renounced homosexual acts and have accepted Church teaching continue to identify as gay - hence they refer to themselves as "gay Catholics". Likewise, so do their actively "gay Catholic" counterparts who do not accept Church teaching on sexuality and marriage, yet attempt to live as faithful Catholics, frequent the sacraments, maybe attend Dignity and adopt kids and send them to Catholic school. Straight people are especially confused about this situation. What to do? I don't know - it seems to me ridiculous to have to go around constantly repeating, "I live a chaste life and accept Church teaching and I'm against gay marriage."

I found an interesting comment on a Fr. Z post about an openly gay ex-priest EMHC at a parish:

Speculae says:
27 December 2011 at 11:01 am
There are a few issues here that are of concern. The first is of course the fact that this man is an ex-priest, as stated within Redemptionis Sacramentum, he should not be involved in any liturgical activity that may confuse the faithful as to his standing with regard to his priesthood.

The second is that he is an EMHC…and I just can’t abide them.

But the third is a concern for a wholly different reason. As to being “openly gay”… do you mean that he has simply said that he is a homosexual, or do you mean that he is actively homosexual. I get the impression from the comments here that the very fact of his being a homosexual is a problem in itself. If the Church is to reach out to active homosexuals we have to accept that that is what they are and support them in living a chaste life…this honesty is vital if we are to have authentic relationships with each other as members of the Body of Christ. We can’t teach that homosexuals must give up their sexual lives and then demand also that they pretend to be something that they are not once they come into the Church. We cannot claim that we offer the Truth and then once people accept it ask them to live a lie.

If by “openly gay” it is meant that he is having sexual relations with someone (or more), then of course there is a problem and he must not be allowed to function as an EMHC. - WDTPRS

It is a rather good comment, making needed distinctions - however, how does one know which type of 'openly gay' person is acting? Why do we have to know? Within that post and comments, people brought up the fact they have gay organists at church. (My parish does too - how do I know? I don't really, except he looks/dresses, walks/talks, like a girl. Do I care? No. And I have no idea if he is active or not.) In the recent past there have been news stories concerning openly gay organists and other church workers being fired from their positions. I don't understand that. Frequently in large city parishes, organists are hired help - just like a janitor - only with status.

"Labeling limits and disrespects people. "

But I digress. I for one, as I've made clear numerous times, whole heartedly accept and embrace* what the Church teaches regarding identity:

"Today, the Church... refuses to consider the person as a "heterosexual "or a "homosexual," and insists that every person has a fundamental identity: the creature of God, and by grace, His child and heir to eternal life." CDF, no.16

The Church won't put a label on anyone. To say someone is "gay" or "lesbian" or a "homosexual" is to define a whole person by just one aspect. It can lock up a person's identity and block further emotional growth. That's just the sort of labeling which gives rise to prejudice and discrimination. The Church stands against any behavior it calls immoral, but always teaches support and respect for the person. Labeling limits and disrespects people. - Source

Nevertheless, there are other sources of confusion which can compromise acceptance of Church teaching, or at least call it into question. This is seen most clearly in the prohibition of homosexuals from Holy Orders and/or the religious life. It is technically forbidden, although if a candidate lives a chaste life for 3 years or so they seem to be able to be received. I'm not saying that it is wrong or right, it is up to the competent authorities to make such decisions. I hate to bring this aspect up, but it seems the most convenient one to point out what appears to be a double standard at least in principle.

For instance, without naming names, I know there are prominent priests who are active in the Church who happen to have very gay pasts - and there are those who continue to identify as gay - at least semi-privately, and some - in this archdiocese - are pastors. That is something I don't get. They seem to 'cling' to that identity when in fact it is objectively disordered, although it seems to me it would be better to "strive to lay aside every encumbrance of sin that clings to us." [Hebrews 12: 1] To be sure, I annoy many ssa people when I say such things. I can't control what they think of me any more than I can control how they live.

That said - I'm not going to knock myself out campaigning for the marriage amendment. I'll pray and let people know I'm not a believer in same sex marriage, and I'll vote to pass the amendment, but that is about it. I'm not afraid to 'stand outside the American consensus' - that is where Christ is, as St. Paul tells us: "Let us go to him outside the camp, bearing the insult he bore. For here we have no lasting city; we are seeking one which is to come." [Hebrews 13: 13-14]

Works for me.

*embrace: It is one thing to accept Church teaching, to actually embrace it can take awhile for some people. Everything is possible with God. For those who can't accept Church teaching, I wish you well, I'm not your judge.

Looking back...

2011-12-29T00:05:00.006-06:00

Looking back on nearly six years of blogging.

I'll be ending the blog sometime in 2012 - it was always my plan. I'll have lots to say about the art of blogging and bloggers and blogists before the 'last post' goes up. True confessions and exposures...

Photo caption: "What if Chaz Bono walks into a men's room and tries to pee next to my son?"

The Lord of Misrule - redux.

2011-12-29T00:01:00.019-06:00

Bosch's Ship of Fools was directly

related to the Feast of Fools.

Works for me.

Christmas season.
.
If you partied and celebrated throughout Advent you are probably one of those who say, "I'm so glad Christmas is over!" Or you could be one of those experiencing some sort of post holiday depression. That's too bad - kind of like the foolish virgins who used up all of their oil before the bridegroom arrived, and then got locked out when the wedding feast began. The feast of Christmas really only begins on December 25, and it consists of twelve days: The Twelfth Day - traditional Epiphany - initiates carnival season, which ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday - Mardi Gras.
.
Now the Lord of Misrule goes back to Medieval times, the origins of which are traced to pagan Rome, where it was celebrated for the feast of Saturnalia. The festival tended to become rather debauched of course, and later was often condemned by the Church. Perhaps a re-adaptation of the custom, with discretion of course, could help people celebrate the Christmas season more appropriately. Such as resisting the temptation to be so caught up in the manufactured commercial observance of the holiday, which more or less ends on Christmas day night - for those who fell for the hype and partied through Advent that is.
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History...
.
"The Lord of Misrule, known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason and in France as the Prince des Sots, was an officer appointed by lot at Christmas to preside over the Feast of Fools. The Lord of Misrule was generally a peasant or sub-deacon appointed to be in charge of Christmas revelries, which often included drunkenness and wild partying, in the pagan tradition of Saturnalia. The Church held a similar festival involving a Boy Bishop. The celebration of the Feast of Fools was outlawed by the Council of Basel that sat from 1431, but it survived to be put down again by the Catholic Queen Mary I in England in 1555." - Read more.
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Anyway - if my posts are a tad more misrulish during Christmastide - you now know why... and are hereby forewarned.

Larry started it.

Christmas stressful? Here's a real 'dust-up'...

2011-12-28T13:59:00.006-06:00

Greek and Armenian monks brawl in Church of the Nativity.

They do this sometimes. When I was younger I remember the Franciscans even got involved. Going to church in the Holy Land can be like hockey. Hey - that could be a topic for a homily to attract more men to Mass. Active participation - it's a good thing.

Report with a 'before the cops got there' video here.

Faithful priest, Fr. Bernard Reiser, RIP

2011-12-28T12:34:00.000-06:00

A very dear and holy priest died this week, Fr. Bernard Reiser:

Rev. Bernard Reiser, founding pastor of Church of the Epiphany, Coon Rapids, died Tuesday evening. He was 87 years old.

Reiser recently underwent brain surgery to remove a cancerous tumor behind his eye, but he returned home to Epiphany Pines earlier this month and was at home in hospice care when he died.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Reiser was born in 1924, the son of farmers Aloys and Otillia Reiser, and was ordained into the priesthood June 4, 1949.

He was a priest in a parish in White Bear Lake for 15 years when he was called on by Archbishop Leo Binz of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in April 1964 to start a Catholic parish in Coon Rapids.

In May 1964, he was named the first pastor of Epiphany. A 70-acre farm on Hanson Boulevard was purchased. “There was nothing but sand and thistles, no trees except along Hanson Boulevard,” Reiser said in an interview with ABC Newspapers staff writer Sue Austreng earlier this year.

Reiser had a school, Epiphany Catholic School, built before the church, he said in that interview.

The school auditorium served as Epiphany Catholic Church while the church building was being constructed.

There were some 125 people attending services at Epiphany in those early days; now close to 5,000 families are members of the parish, which is one of the largest in the state.
Scott Schulte, Coon Rapids City Council member and owner of Hi-Ten Service Center at Hanson and Coon Rapids boulevards, describes Reiser as his mentor growing up.

Schulte attended Epiphany Catholic School from second- through ninth-grades and said that Reiser taught religion every day during first hour.

“Father had a great influence in my upbringing,” he said.

“He was a great man, served the community and did a lot for everyone, no matter their faith. He was an excellent man of God.”

In Reiser’s years as pastor of Epiphany, the campus expanded beyond the church and school to include Epiphany Pines senior living, an assisted living facility and Epiphany Cemetery.

Reiser retired as pastor of Epiphany in 2000, but continued to serve the Catholic church as a substitute pastor in various parishes in the state. He was also pastor emeritus at Epiphany.

In the years since his official retirement, Reiser has also been deeply involved in relief and humanitarian efforts in the Caribbean country of Haiti.

He first visited Haiti in 1996 and on his return, established Reiser Relief Inc., which since then has provided fresh water, fed the hungry, built an orphanage and eldercare facilities and funded primary schools in the impoverished country.

“We can’t forget,” Reiser said in his interview earlier this year with Sue Austreng.

“You can’t walk away from misery and do nothing.”

And since 2008, Reiser Relief Inc. has hosted an annual community fund-raiser, Keep the Wheels Turning Gala, for its projects in Haiti.

Earlier this year, Reiser was named by KARE TV as one of its “Eleven Who Care” program recipients for his and Reiser Relief’s work in Haiti.

The annual program honors the volunteer contributions of 11 outstanding, grassroots volunteers and promotes the spirit of volunteerism in the communities from nominations submitted by individuals and service organizations throughout KARE’s viewing area. - Peter Bodley, ABCNewspapers

Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs

2011-12-28T00:05:00.017-06:00

My theory as to why abortion is still legal in the United States.

The pro-life politicians are not really and truly anti-abortion. Why? Because deep down they believe only the woman has a right to make that choice. So yeah - they claim to be against abortion and go on to claim - even vow - to overturn legislation which allows it, nevertheless they lack the will to actually do so. And millions of Americans are in denial about that - and we have become hostages to the worst crop of politicians ever to campaign for office. In the meantime, countless innocents continue to be slain, and there isn't a politician or a court to overturn their death sentence.

I may be wrong of course - although no one can convince me otherwise.

Christmas Truce Pop-ups.

2011-12-27T12:34:00.004-06:00

Feast of St. John Evangelist

Pop-ups.

I suppose this post is like other blogger's 'quick takes' or 'time outs' - but I'll categorize it as 'pop-ups' and will not attach a number to it. Since it is still Christmas, I'll call these snippets 'Christmas truce pop-ups'. Short commentaries about non-controversial subjects without any passive aggressive snark. (As if I would do that!) Analyze away!

The fat lady already sang...

Christmas is over. I know I say it isn't - and the Church and the liturgy says it isn't - but it is. I was going to do a Christmas post each day for the 12 days of Christmas but decided against it - no one pays attention to Christmas after the Christmas day. Unless you happen to be a religious or are religious. Most people aren't religious.

I've never baited anyone...

If I don't blog about something controversial hardly anyone reads me. I'm tired of blogging about negative stuff however. Especially during Christmas - yes, I observe Christmas - all twelve days of it. What I dislike even more is reading the negative stuff on other blogs - people keep it up even through Christmas - along with their negative anonymous comments. I no longer allow the anonymous comments. It is for the commenter's own good - it is a sort of antidote, or prevention against their hypocrisy. They should know better than to blog or comment when they are drunk.

Tippler's feast day...

Speaking of drunks, tipplers love today's feast of St. John, since as the Saint's enemies sought to poison his wine, the saint blessed it before drinking and the poison was neutralized and the Evangelist was not harmed. Traditionally wines are blessed today - and people find another excuse to keep drinking. BTW - don't make or drink mulled wine - the alcohol evaporates.

Prayers for those suffering the effects of disaster and terror...

On a serious note, I apologize that I've failed to mention the terror in Nigeria and the bombing of Catholic churches on Christmas. We observe the feasts of the ancient martyrs during the Christmas Octave, while the martyrs of our day continue to suffer. Likewise, the people of the Philippines continue to suffer the devastating effects of the floods. These things ought keep us sober and vigilant throughout the 'holidays'. Prayers for all who actually suffer Christmas.

The repeal...

Don't ask don't tell repeal. (I find it interesting that just about everything can be repealed in this country - so why not abortion rights? I have a theory.) That said, I was impressed by Jake Tapper's interview with gay, active military men and a woman which aired Sunday on ABCNews. One would never know the soldiers were gay - well, maybe one or two of them you could tell. Nevertheless, they spoke well and expressed relief that they could now be honest about themselves and concentrate more fully on the job at hand: “The most important thing that has changed since the repeal is now we can focus on the mission" (Video here.)

Now there's a train that's already left the station. Works for me.

Bloggers we have lost this past year...

2011-12-27T00:03:00.006-06:00

What happened to them?

Angela? What happened? Where are you?

Fr. Dave? David? Mark? Maria? Hilda? John? John? Fr. John? Paul? Helene? Molly? Carole? Bonita? Sr. Mary Ellen Tracy?

If you watch the video - please note Oprah's boots. That is so not her.

Bonus Link: Meet Bonnie - a woman who lives in Wisconsin!

Extra Bonus - Self-Help Tutorial: How to resist alien abduction.

Christmas at Dogwood Cottage

2011-12-26T16:27:00.003-06:00

Too dark?

I do not know how to take good photos - sorry. Anyway - I wanted to show the mantel with all the saints. Spanish colonial figures: Mexican St. Anthony, Peruvian Bambino with silver reflector, Mexican St. Nicholas, New Mexican St. Joseph, Guatemalan Immaculada flank painting of St. Bernard.

The kitchen creche with the saints and 'miraculous' lights. Mexican nicho housing Italian Bambino nestled in angel hair, surrounded by small German wood carvings of St. Claude, St. Roch, St Dominic Savio, and St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer: No poodles were harmed to obtain these photos. The decorations are much prettier in person and at night ~~when you're drunk~~. What?

The enduring grace of Christmas.

2011-12-26T10:10:00.009-06:00

It happened.

Christmas isn't about presents - or even receiving what you want in prayer. It isn't about the giving or the receiving, or the lack there of. It isn't about lights and decorations and greetings and parties or carols or religious or secular Christmas songs and stories. It isn't about delicious food and drinks and treats and sweets. It isn't about setting up a creche in front of the courthouse or insisting upon calling a tree a Christmas tree or wearing a button that says I celebrate Christmas. It isn't about family being more important than going to church on Sunday because Christmas falls on a Sunday this year. It isn't about all of those customs and traditions that have become ritualized and formalized or just trashed over the decades.

It isn't about me or my religious and political positions, nor my moral judgements, or even my social position or influence - low or high or in-between or non-existent. It isn't about who is for us or who is against us.

It is about love.

Beloved,
let us love one another
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten of God
and has knowledge of God.
The man without love has known nothing of God
and has no knowledge of God,
for God is love.
God's love was revealed in our midst in this way:
he sent his only Son to the world
that we might have life through him.
Love then consists in this:
not that we have loved God,
but that he has loved us
and has sent his Son as an offering for our sins.
Beloved,
if God has loved us so,
we must have the same love for one another... 1 John 4

Christmas is an epiphany, not a matter of sentimentality or a commercial celebration.

Jesus Christ is the proof that God has heard our cry. And not only this! God’s love for us is so strong that he cannot remain aloof; he comes out of himself to enter into our midst and to share fully in our human condition (cf. Ex 3:7-12). The answer to our cry which God gave in Jesus infinitely transcends our expectations, achieving a solidarity which cannot be human alone, but divine. Only the God who is love, and the love which is God, could choose to save us in this way, which is certainly the lengthiest way, yet the way which respects the truth about him and about us: the way of reconciliation, dialogue and cooperation. - Benedict XVI

In thanksgiving for the one thing necessary.

Feast of Stephen

I survived Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:21:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas Day in the city!

Merry Christmas every one!

I made it. I made it through all the terrors of the night. I made it through all the awful advertising and money talk and shopping mauls. Yes mauls - people pepper sprayed, mothers fighting over Air Jordan's. Public demonstrations in support of, or against tacky Nativity scenes on public, or private property. But let's be honest - lights are lights and our inner child always gets excited when we see them - no matter how garish.

I survived all the murder stories - Minneapolis has a lot of gun happy boyfriends who shoot their girlfriends. My advice - get married - then you can get divorced instead of killing one another.

I lived through Christmas - Advent to all ye faithful - because tomorrow it is over for those people who don't need a Church to tell them what to do. Yep - some people actually take all their decor down the day after Christmas. One year a relative of mine who prides herself on neatness and efficiency took her tree down Christmas night. "Aren't you neat though, Agnes!"

I survived the depression, the recriminations, the guilt of not being the man my family and friends expected me to be - although some tell me God is even more disappointed. That's a toughie, but it won't keep me from going to him this morning, as he lays in that manger - he doesn't turn anyone away... man nor beast.

Today those who keep Christmas come to know that Christmas is above all about Christ.

So once again: Merry Christmas! And remember, today is just the beginning!

The grace of Christmas...

2011-12-24T10:44:00.004-06:00

Little Therese,

Pray for us.

Or the Christmas conversion of St. Therese.

Many good people and scholars have treated of the so-called conversion of the little Therese on Christmas, and she herself attributed great significance to it, writing:

"It was December 25, 1886, that I received the grace of leaving my childhood, in a word, the grace of my complete conversion . . . I felt charity enter into my soul, the need to forget myself and to please others; since then I've been happy!"

St. Therese is referring to something that happened one Christmas Eve after Midnight Mass:

The one event in her life which Thérèse explicitly designated as a "conversion" fulfills the criteria of a moral conversion. Many years after the event, Thérèse recalled that on returning from Midnight Mass on Christmas, 1886, she overheard her father express annoyance that at age thirteen Thérèse was still planning to be the center of Christmas customs typical of small children. Thérèse's sister, aware of how unusually sensitive Thérèse was and knowing Thérèse heard their father's remarks, was amazed to see Thérèse joyfully carry on as though she had heard nothing.

Thérèse calls this "my complete conversion" because a dramatic change happened, she says, "in an instant." The permanent change in direction is from being a girl who "was really unbearable because of [her] extreme touchiness" to a "strong and courageous" young woman whose "source of tears was dried up and has since reopened rarely and with great difficulty." She who "wasn't accustomed to doing things for [herself)" now experienced "the need to forget [herself] and to please others." She now had a great desire to work for "the conversion of sinners".

Thérèse gives this conversion a religious interpretation, but it is more accurately understood as a moral conversion. This is not to deny genuine religious aspects and implications to the event. Rather, it is to affirm that the basic change of direction Thérèse describes corresponds more closely, in three ways, to that of a moral conversion.

The primary characteristic of moral conversion is the shift from concern for self-satisfaction to a desire for a life devoted to value. Thérèse speaks principally of this event as marking a change in her criterion of decision from self-pity to concern for others. Second, moral conversion is an experience of more adult decisionmaking. A movement out of childhood is precisely the process that Thérèse identifies as most characteristic of this event; it marked her "growing up." Third, the qualities of strength and freedom of decision -- characteristics of moral conversion -- are singled out in Thérèse's later interpretations of this conversion. - Source

I think that is a rather good analysis of what happened to St. Therese - but as with everything concerning Therese - for me it misses something - the intangible, the ineffable exchange that took place between her heart and the heart of the little Jesus. Such spiritual transactions cannot be contained or limited by words, though she herself wrote about its effects... that writing being her Story of A Soul, and doctrine of the 'Little Way'. May she obtain such grace for you and for me this Holy Night.

+ Prayer +

Convert us O Lord.

O Little King, attraction of all hearts, we hail that blessed hour and moment in which you were born of the most pure Virgin Mary in the poverty of Bethlehem. You did not need earthly pomp or riches, for they could add nothing to your Infinite Majesty. Teach us that true riches are within and that it is not what we have but what we are* that counts. Amen

O Jesus, sweetest child, born in poverty at Bethlehem of Mary ever Virgin, wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid amongst the animals in a manger, announced by angels, visited first by simple shepherds; have mercy on us.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

*22. The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light. [...] He Who is "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15),(21) is Himself the perfect man. To the sons of Adam He restores the divine likeness which had been disfigured from the first sin onward. Since human nature as He assumed it was not annulled,(22) by that very fact it has been raised up to a divine dignity in our respect too. For by His incarnation the Son of God has united Himself in some fashion with every man. - GAUDIUM ET SPES

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T00:02:00.004-06:00

I like this film.

"No Catholic for you!"

2011-12-23T11:38:00.005-06:00

Detroit tells Michael Voris he is not authorized to use the word... term... "Catholic".

The Church encourages the Christian faithful to promote or sustain a variety of apostolic undertakings but, nevertheless, prohibits any such undertaking from claiming the name Catholic without the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority (see canon 216 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law). For some time, the Archdiocese of Detroit has been in communication with Mr. Michael Voris and his media partner at Real Catholic TV regarding their prominent use of the word "Catholic" in identifying and promoting their public activities disseminated from the enterprise's production facility in Ferndale, Michigan. The Archdiocese has informed Mr. Voris and Real Catholic TV, RealCatholicTV.com, that it does not regard them as being authorized to use the word "Catholic" to identify or promote their public activities. Questions about this matter may be directed to the Archdiocese of Detroit, Department of Communications. - Source

They can do that.

On the other hand, I am Catholic - and no one can take that away from me. I'm also a Catholic who blogs, but I do not put myself out there as a spokesman for the Catholic Church. I was neither authorized nor commissioned to blog. I know my place and stay away from church activities, lest I be tossed out in the street for improper credentials or not dressing appropriately.

Anyway - perhaps Michael Voris needs to head to the chancery and ask for a proper commissioning rite - like they do for lay hospitality ministers, lectors and EMHCs? The entire congregation could raise their hands during the rite of commission and Voris could maybe get a cape or something to signify he's a real Catholic.

H/T to Mark Shea - who is also Catholic and enjoys it. To Ray at Stella who sent me Fr. Z's post on the matter. Merry Christmas my Catholic friends.

Now back to regular Christmas programming, with Manny, Moe and Jack...

A dusting of snow...

2011-12-23T10:46:00.001-06:00

It is actually snowing in Minneapolis today - we've not had a significant snowfall for weeks - it has been warm and the landscape had returned to shades of brown and grey - but today there is snow. Very Christmassy!

Art: Source

Pre-Christmas prep... the last day.

2011-12-23T00:02:00.003-06:00

Christmas Cards.

I love them. I think of them as little gifts - even the photo cards. Maybe those especially. I once disliked photo cards - but in these days when fewer and fewer people send cards - they are more special than ever. They even appear on NYSD - which means they are now chic? Nah.

Smile.

Still time to get a tree...

2011-12-22T11:22:00.002-06:00

I didn't do a tree this year - but I did decorate. Garland on the mantel, with santos and candles; candles in every window, and garland around the Dresden embellished front door. It's fun, but low key.

I think the secret of Christmas is to accept things as they happen - to avoid placing limits upon what and how the holidays are 'supposed' to be. On the other hand, it's important to avoid the sometimes overwhelming tendency to place unreal expectations upon how Christmas should be celebrated - at home, in church, in the public square, and so on.

Christmas happens. Let it.

Photo: The last Christmas trees. New York Social Diary

Christmas at Bergdorf's...

2011-12-22T09:57:00.000-06:00

The Christmas windows open on Thanksgiving and usually run through Christmas. In NYC the unveiling can be like a Broadway opening.

The thing about e-card Christmas greetings...

2011-12-22T00:04:00.005-06:00

They all land in my junk/spam box.

So a big thank you to all of you who have sent them - but I never see them. Nope. I do not even know who sends them. But it's the thought that counts... so thanks.

Merry Christmas!