Memento Morrie*: "Crackpot Bloggers"

"Crackpot bloggers"

Remember when Fr. Euteneuer coined that term?

That's all.

*BTW - did you realize that the film version of Tuesdays With Morrie was originally titled, Memento Morrie, but fans of the book thought it was too schmaltzie.

What?

Why would a guy in Government resign his position just because he had an affair?

Huh?

It is 2012.  CIA Director David Petraeus had an affair and he resigns?  Really?  They all have affairs.  They all screw around.

C'mon!

Story here.

Conspiracy theorists are going crazy!  With good reason.

There are many good things written since the election...

This is one of the best.

Reflection on the election.

Posted on 8 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The Roman historian Livy wrote about the terminal decline of the Roman Republic that “Nec vitia nostra nec remedia pati possumus… We can bear neither our vices nor the remedies.”

Alas, I fear that our vices have called forth precisely the leaders that reflect those vices. The vices feed the leaders, and they the vices. 

We may no longer have the collective will to make the changes that must be made to change course.

The last couple days have prompted me to reflect on the Church’s primary job: to keep as many people out of hell as possible.

People will chose to sin, die in sin, no matter what we do to help them to a different course. We must strive to help save ourselves and as many others as possible.

St Augustine one day, in his basilica in Hippo, one day was preaching a tough message. He broke off his line of thought and explained that if he didn’t preach his tough message he could not be saved. If they listen or didn’t listen he was going to preach anyway and thus save his soul. “But” he concluded, “Nolo salvus esse sine vobis! … I don’t want to be saved without you!”

Now that we in the USA are, I think, are on a course toward the iceberg, we need to think soberly about how we will approach the time and resources we have left.

During this time when Benedict XVI has called us to revive the Faith where it has died or still just slumbers, get to work.

Will our shepherds be able to bear applying the remedies?

Augustine also said that the doctor doesn’t stop cutting just because the patient is screaming for him to stop.

Think frequent confession.

Think fallen away Catholics.

Think Four Last Things.

Sabeth...

Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity.

Her memorial is November 8, or is it the 9th?  I'm not sure these days.  It doesn't matter since blesseds are usually only commemorated liturgically in their diocese or in the orders or institutes to which the belong. 

I was so in love with Therese of the Child Jesus and Carmelite spirituality, I wanted desperately to attach myself to Bl. Elizabeth.  I was disappointed however.  She wasn't Therese - nor was she that different from any fervent Carmelite... I thought.  Or was she?

Our Lady is honored as Decor Carmeli, Beauty of Carmel, her order 'blossom laden', if you will.  Carmel is an atmosphere of holiness - it is imbued with the odor of sanctity.  The Blessed Virgin's daughters are blossoms of virtue upon the vine of Carmel.  Each blossom, especially each saint, is completely unique.  Elizabeth is one of those very unique virgins imbued with doctrine, one who distilled the essential teachings of St. Teresa of Jesus and the Apostle St. Paul in a most 'ordinary' way.    I say ordinary, though in fact it be extraordinary, because her teaching is for ordinary souls.  Elizabeth understood her identity, her name in heaven, to be Praise of Glory.  She understood and experienced her entire being as the sanctuary, the tabernacle of the Most High, the dwelling place of the Blessed Trinity.  Her mission - yes - her very real 'mission' - her peculiar charism - was and remains so in heaven, to teach souls the mystery of the prayer of recollection - our heaven on earth.  Like Br. Lawrence of the Resurrection, Blessed Elizabeth understood the secret of sanctity, the secret of the indwelling of the Most Holy Trinity.   "God gives the lonely a place to live in..."  He in me, I in Him... on earth and in heaven for all eternity.

"I find Him everywhere while doing the wash as well as while praying."

"I think that in Heaven my mission will be to draw souls by helping them to go out of themselves in order to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement, and to keep them in this great silence within which will allow God to communicate Himself to them and to transform them into Himself."

O my God, Trinity whom I adore; help me to forget myself entirely that I may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You, O my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the depths of Your mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly vigilant, wholly adoring, and wholly surrendered to Your creative Action.

O my beloved Christ, crucified by love, I wish to be a bride for Your Heart; I wish to cover You with glory; I wish to love You...even unto death! But I feel my weakness, and I ask You to "clothe me with Yourself," to identify my soul with all the movements of Your Soul, to overwhelm me, to possess me, to substitute yourself for me that my life may be but a radiance of Your Life. Come into me as Adorer, as Restorer, as Savior.

O Eternal Word, Word of my God, I want to spend my life in listening to You, to become wholly teachable that I may learn all from You. Then, through all nights, all voids, all helplessness, I want to gaze on You always and remain in Your great light. O my beloved Star, so fascinate me that I may not withdraw from Your radiance.

O consuming Fire, Spirit of Love, "come upon me," and create in my soul a kind of incarnation of the Word: that I may be another humanity for Him in which He can renew His whole Mystery. And You, O Father, bend lovingly over Your poor little crature; "cover her with Your shadow," seeing in her only the "Beloved in whom You are well pleased."

O my Three, my All, my Beatitude, infinite Solitude, Immensity in which I lose myself, I surrender myself to You as Your prey. Bury Yourself in me that I may bury myself in You until I depart to contemplate in Your light the abyss of Your greatness. - Elizabeth of the Trinity

No lasting city...

Let the dead bury their dead.

Of course whenever I quote John of the Cross some readers who do not know me object because the counsel may not apply to them in their state in life. Nevertheless I believe there is something in John's precautions that is helpful for a soul's balance in ordering one's priorities.  So, let the dead bury their dead. That's pretty much my personal attitude about the election. When they ask for my shirt, I'll give them my coat as well.

As St. John says, "Take Lot's wife as an example, because she was troubled at the destruction of the Sodomites and turned her head to watch what was happening, God punished her by converting her into a pillar of salt. You are thus to understand God's will: that even though you live among devils you should not turn the head of your thoughts to their affairs, but forget these things entirely and strive to keep your soul occupied purely and entirely in God, and not let the thought of this thing or that hinder you from doing so."

If that doesn't work for you, maybe keep digging. 

How can you believe when you seek approval from men?

Christians are not approved by the world - indeed, Christians often do not approve of one another - all the snark online verifies that much. But how does that concern me when my job is to follow Christ? St. Seraphim Sarovsky assures us, "Keep yourself in peace and thousands around you will be saved." So there you have it - that is what I understand by the words, let the dead bury their dead. It is in reality a going out of sorts - outside the city gates, bearing the insult Christ bore. For here we have no lasting city; we are seeking one which is to come. Through him let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is the fruit of lips which acknowledge his name. Our life is hidden with Christ in God and I need to fix my eyes on him, who inspires and perfects my faith.

Once again, that is what I need to do - let the dead bury their dead.

And have a drink on me ...

 

Post-Election Hangover.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan

Put no trust in princes,
In mortal men in whom there is no help. - Psalm 146

I smiled a bit last night when they announced Obama the winner.  How ironic, I thought.  Whose side is God on?

You have to marvel at God's providence.  I don't like to play 1930's Hollywood images of God in the clouds, but...

Imagine God as the big chief executive in the heavens, angels dressed in business suits running the 'operation'.  Reporting in, play by play, the prayers coming in, sometimes in fever pitch:  "God!  Don't let Obama get elected!"  "Make Romney our president!"  "Fix the economy!"  "Stop the storms!"  "Abolish poverty!"  "Amend our constitution!"  "Appoint for us judges who will rule according to ______ fill in the blank!"

Telling God what to do...

Sometimes it seems like that, don't you agree?  Especially when religious people of various stripes - predominately the self-appointed - tell you in minute detail what God expects of you... like 'save the planet and recycle your used toilet paper.'

Imagine half of the United States voters are probably all going to hell because they voted for Obama.  That's what some religious people have been saying - you're going to hell because of your politics.  Hell must be filled with Germans - the ones who voted for Hitler I mean - they will have to make room for U.S. citizens who voted for Obama.  (I'm just being sarcastic - don't get upset.  The ones who go to confession can got to purgatory.)

Evidently the Marriage Amendment didn't pass in Minnesota.  I'm against gay marriage - I say it all the time - and yes, I voted Yes on the ballot.  (A yes vote meant no gay marriage.)  Not because I am trying to avoid hell, but because I'm really against it and I am admittedly, an openly homophobic man.  Fact is - gay marriage is already illegal in Minnesota.  Of course the laws can be changed which is why the amendment was sought.  The vote was intended to anticipate the future... despite the notion "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."  That said, it looks like half of all Minnesota voters are on their way to perdition this morning.

And in Minnesota, where gay marriage is already not allowed, voters declined to back an initiative that would enshrine in the state's constitution a definition of marriage permitting only a union between a man and woman. - WSJ

Well I did the right thing - but I'm not trying to be smug about it.  I voted against some politicians I actually like and voted for a Mormon cult member whom I dislike.  Not for fear of going to hell  (although I am afraid of that), but because I am pro-life - I am against abortion - something not one righteous politician has been able to change for over 40 years, mind you.  I voted against SS marriage because - as I have said over and over - I'm honestly and truly against it and because homosexual acts are immoral and sinful, and that behavior really will get you a place in hell if you don't repent.  Abortion not so much though.  The women who get them aren't held accountable, and if they go to confession - it's all good - plus, if they do have the baby instead of aborting it, they in turn supply the market with adoptable children.

So what's my point with the cynical post-election day wrap-up? 

Nothing really.  Just venting.  Yesterday I was so crabby and cranky and angry.  So sick of the politics, the name calling, the condemnations, the mean-spiritedness - and that was just in my soul!  Imagine all of that cacophony hitting God's ears from the rest of the 'righteous' and those telling him what needs to be done, and or, what to do, when to do it, and how it should be done.

I'm sure when I click around to the online pundits, everything will be accounted for.  The blame will be passed around to this group of nuns or that governor or mayor - or on those people who just didn't get out on the campaign trail, and so on and so forth.  Don't even mention the bad Catholics and CINO's and the sacramentalized but unevangelized.

Then of course there is the more than 2 years of campaigning, more than 2 billion dollars spent on 'air-time' stuff to piss me off.  Air!  Air-time!  And still everything stays the same.  All the crap we went through!  Gingrich, Bachman, and all the other wanna be's!  We seem to elect people just for them to campaign to stay in office.  That is an annoying factoid of American life.  All the kings horses, all the kings men.  Today's Gospel comes to mind: "What king marching into battle would not first sit down and figure out if he could win..." 

On our money we print "In God we trust".

I wonder if we do?

 

 A king is not saved by his army,
nor a warrior preserved by his strength.
 A vain hope for safety is the horse;
despite its power it cannot save.

The Lord looks on those who revere him,
on those who hope in his love,
 to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine. - Ps. 33

There's gonna be a fight...

Election Day: It's not funny.

The election is not funny.

It's no time for frivolity and clever remarks.

O Mary, conceived without sin, patroness of the United States, pray for us who have recourse to Thee, and for those who do not, especially the enemies of the Church and those most in need of Thy mercy.  Amen.
 

That's all.

Election judge...

Vote and do what you will...

Or wait.  Try this one:

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.
 

Historical factoid:  All the bars and liquor stores used to be closed on election day in Minnesota.  Bars could serve liquor only after the polls had closed at 8PM.  It was tough in those days.

I forgot to post today.

I  haven't been online until this moment - or maybe I was on earlier?  Can't remember.

I was absorbed in a painting and completely forgot that I never did a post for today.  I never miss a daily post.

I'm so happy!  I do have a life!  I really do!

Prayers for the election.

My parish had Adoration and Benediction today for the election.  It was well attended and quite moving.

All will be well.

Photo credit.

Kat-Mart Special in Aisle 4

Maybe it's Maybelline...

Kat has a beauty post up!  Girly Blather...

It's about beauty cream.  I know!

Gosh!  Her posts make blogging fun again!

I keep hoping for a mud wrestling post.

Mass Chat: Reality check.

Marriage.


If I haven't made it clear before, I will do so now.

If only to watch my Followers app collapse and my stats hit zero.

I will vote Yes on the Marriage Amendment because I am all for protecting marriage and children.  I am also against same sex marriage.  Why?

• Same sex couples can not be married.  Though it is a sin, they can sleep together. They maybe can live together, love each other without sin - but their parts do not fit together to make a baby.  I once said to an abuser who tried to kiss me: "Men don't kiss each other!"  I found out they do.  They still can't be married.  Even if a civil law is changed, and they 'legally' marry - they still cannot be married in truth - it is still just a civil union - not a real marriage.  They can't redefine marriage to suit their preferences and circumstances. 
• Homosexual acts are gravely immoral.  Which is also why I am against same sex adoption - children are corrupted by immorality.
• Selfish self-indulgence and exaggerated self-love blind people into believing otherwise. 

Enough said.

On a lighter note.

Non-religious reasons why gays should not get married.

• Adds to the guilt.  If you choose to be monogamous that is.  One thing most gays cannot be is monogamous - unless they share.  One partner might be faithful, but it is very rare for gay men to remain faithful.  If they do manage to be 'faithful' then they probably use porn.  If, God forbid, they get kids, porn is like a gun in the house for kids - as well as their souls.
• Marriage can be a ball and chain after the wedding show and reception and the honeymoon period - especially without alcohol and anti-depressants.  The couple runs into performance issues, attractiveness issues, frequency issues - talking about sex here.
• Unequally yoked.  Big problem for men.  Don't couple down - one will always be 'less than'.  Outside of boredom, it is one of the main reasons men cheat.  All men encounter some level of feeling inadequate in their lives, but in same sex relationships the problem is pretty much always there under the radar.  Watch Modern Family.  Although a better example may be Hollywood/celebrity marriages - the successful actor and the less successful partner - the marriage often falls apart.  Even if you both are successful and rich - one of you wants to be king.  Gay pride has no room for humility - unless you're into discipline and bondage.
• Hollywood pretty much mirrors everything that most gay partnerships are.  Drama, glitz, glamour, unrealistic expectations, fantasy perfection, and anti-depressants... dramatic split-ups, multiple marriages, on and on.
• We can't redefine marriage to suit any groups preferences and circumstances.

Please don't hate me because I'm homophobic - Shirley, I don't hate you.

"Somethin's wrong with the plumbing, you say?"