Remain calm: The United States has approved marriages in conflict with Catholic teaching for decades ...

I knew that.

I've said the exact same thing before - and I'm not even a canon lawyer or anything - just a blonde.

Fr. Z records Dr. Ed Peters as saying what every Catholic should know:

[T]houghts re the Supreme Court decision on ‘same-sex marriage’:

First, we need to recall that the State has long recognized as married some persons who are not married, namely, when the State allows divorced persons simply to remarry. We have lived with persons in pseudo-marriage for many decades; so now the pool of such people is larger. The pastoral challenges in consequence of this latest decision are greater as will be the sacrifices needed to meet them. But so far—and this is a key point—State power has not been applied to try to force Churches or their faithful to treat as married those who, by doctrine or discipline, are not married. - Read the second here.

Common sense, ladies and gentlemen.

We knew this was going to happen.  Get a grip.  As I noted in my last post there has been lobbing within the ranks of Catholic laity, professionals, clergy, and the hierarchy which paved the way for this sensitivity and acceptance of all things gay ... Always Our Children ...

Don't be too worried about people coming forward to marry their cat or the little boy next door - the transition is not complete until non-discrimination is the law of the land: Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA).  Not all states are on board with non-discrimination in the workplace, hiring, public accommodations, housing, and so on.  That's where things can get dicey.

The Catholic Church doesn't marry civilly divorced and remarried couples, neither are they allowed to receive Communion at Mass - that has always been the case - officially, and will remain so despite what worried Synod observers claim.  I doubt there will be pressure on the Church to perform or bless same-sex marriages or openly approve same-sex couple reception of Communion.

No.  The problem will come with hiring, housing, school admissions for children of same sex parents, the choir director getting married to his partner and getting fired, Catholic assisted living facilities denying housing to same sex couples maybe?  Probably - and that's where the troubles will ignite.  Most of us believe that it is illegal to refuse to hire a person or rent to someone based on sexual orientation - but that is not the case - it is not the law of the land.

Maybe anti-gay rhetoric from the pulpit or in Catholic newspapers will be challenged as hate speech - but any attempt to force Catholic churches to hold gay weddings seems unlikely to me.  Especially when there's always some Catholic priest willing to do it privately or in a chic non-denominational setting - just as there has been free-range bishops willing to ordain women.

Quell the panic.

Besides - there's still gender-ideology to contend with.

It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings.

Song for this post here.

Our Lady, Mother of Perpetual Help

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

O Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke thy most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on thee, for, in all my needs, in all my temptations I shall never cease to call on thee, ever repeating thy sacred name, Mary, Mary.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

The Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States ...

What's this?!*

"This is revolting.

How can you tolerate people who...?"

Gloria Upson

_ _ _

So anyway.  We knew it would happen sooner or later.  Yes we did.

The handwriting on the wall:

After Stonewall, there was critical mass, and within a few years LGBT people started challenging marriage laws. - source

Early in the 1970's there were pastors of churches

who performed same-sex marriages ... and the

trend caught on.

*h/t Jeron

The year things got weird ...

Bonus track ... don't tell Taylor Marshall.  (Communist conspiracy you know, Fawlty ... MI6 knew all about it - but Marshall blames everything on the Maharishi, the occult and cannabis.  Funny fellow that one.)



And then ... the Berlin Wall came down.  What?



Oh!  Oh!  Happy birthday to my friends Linda and Bob, June 26.  Thanks for everything!

For you blue... 

Told you so. Medjugorje.

You could practically write a whole book about what happened to me...

How do I know these things?  What? 

Rome, Italy, Jun 25, 2015 / 12:13 pm (CNA).- If reports in Italian media outlets are to be believed, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met June 24 to discuss the alleged Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, reaching the conclusion that they are inauthentic, but recognizing the site as a place of prayer. - Read the rest here.

So there you go Poodles.

Let your yes be yes and your no no.

Now for other doctrinal teachings...

• Is the SSPX schismatic or not?

• Can homosexuals be ordained or not?

• Did the Archbishop of MPLS/St. Paul do anything wrong?

• Can married deacons still have sexual relations with their wives?

• Was it homosexuality or pedophilia when the stories of abuser priests came out.

• Is Theology of the Body infallible dogma?

• Is anything still a mortal sin? 

• Is Islam a religion of peace?

• Can Popes write encyclicals?

• Do cats go to heaven?

• Can Lesbians have their kids baptised?

There are so many questions these days...

According to the reports, the congregation did acknowledge Medjugorje as a place of prayer and devotion that can be visited by pilgrims for prayer, though without contacting the supposed visionaries or participating in their 'apparitions'. - CNA

I suspected that would be the case - similar to the events in  Ezkioga, Northern Spain in the 1930's - which I have written about in the past, and most recently here.

Contrary to what most critics say, I doubt there will be a schism over this - or a great rebellion or falling away.  I may be wrong.  The followers of Medjugorje probably equal the number of those who consider themselves to be SSPX-ers.  More peripheries to visit.  

Writing about things I don't know ...

Or why I no longer read novels.

That's my blog in a nut cup...

Actually my blog is my journal - a sort of diary - documentation based upon personal observation and experience, opinion and knowledge...

Although, I don't know the machinations behind the politics and scandals and religious debates which resonate throughout the ethersphere.  I'm not sure anyone really does - hence all the conspiracy theories and crazy cults and Facebook likes and dislikes and unfriending and promiscuous friending and following tweet-hearts which goes on online.  What?

So.  That said.  Having said that.  Be that as it may.

So. Anyway.  Whatever.  You know what I mean.  What.  (And I laugh)

• I like the Pope.

• I like the Church.

• I like Vatican II.

• I'm Catholic.

• I like the Ordinary Form of things.

• I like Laudato si.

• Obviously, I'm conservative - but not.

• I'm liberal - but not.

Others may define me however they like ...

But they don't know me as I am known:

Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me. You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery; you would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass; and there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak. 'Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me. - Hamlet, Act III, Scene ii

You cannot play upon me.

Now that I've cleared all of that up, Conservative and Conservative Catholics in the U.S. have their own strange history - their own 'mystery' - not so occult as one may imagine.  From Artur Rosman, a Patheos writer:

"American Catholic dissent has a conservative-Republican genealogy as I pointed out in the case of Andrew Sullivan’s important role in mainstreaming gay marriage. It turns out that Kennedy and Cuomo school also has its conservative predecessor: William F. Buckley.

The piece, “The Last Time Conservatives Dismissed a Major Encyclical, It Ended Terribly for Them,” is guaranteed to shake you out of your commonplaces, or at least help you to develop more adequate ones:

Buckley’s feud with the Catholic left came to a boil when Pope John XXIII released the encyclical Mater et Magistra (Mother and Teacher) in 1961, which reaffirmed the church’s support for government welfare programs and coupled them with calls to fight poverty in the Third World and end colonialism. The anti-imperialism of Mater et Magistra was particularly repellent to National Review conservatives, who thought that European domination of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia was essential for fending off communism.
In an angry editorial, National Review described Mater et Magistra as a “venture in triviality.” The magazine also published a joking note saying “Going the rounds in Catholic conservative circles, ‘Mater Si, Magistra no.’” (The joke was first made by Garry Wills, who was playing off a slogan of the Cuban Revolution: “Cuba si, Yanqui no.”)

This conservative-ideology fueled anti-papist crusade did not end there:

Buckley turned to his learned friend Garry Wills to work out a more theoretically satisfying response to liberal Catholics. A former seminarian, Wills tried to resolve the argument by writing a pioneering scholarly treatise on the nature of encyclicals, titledPolitics and Catholic Freedom (1964). In this book, Wills argued that encyclicals are merely advisory, and not binding on specific policies . . . [click below to continue reading--the best/worst is yet to come]" - Read the rest at CosmosTheInLost  (Really cool header BTW)

Not bad for a Patheo-gen, huh?

When I say I don't fit in - I really don't - and I never have.  Just when you think I do - I don't.  I've battled temptations to try to fit in for most of my life - but it is next to impossible for me to do that.  And that is how I remain Catholic and faithful to Catholic teaching.

Sorry to disappoint the Blogosterics.


I'm trying so hard to remember something I forgot.

Bonus pull-quote: For more than three decades neo-conservative Catholics like Michael Novak, George Weigel, and the late Richard John Neuhaus struggled mightily to demonstrate that there is a near perfect congruence between church teachings and the policies of the Republican Party. - Source

I'm against it.

And what's up with the Acton Institute and Fr. Sirico?  Huh?

I'm against it.

You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of my mystery...

You little freak.

How does it feel to be such a freak.

Song for this post here.


What?

Smile ... again .... Jamiroquai

Smile is so smooth.  The landscape in the video appears to be New Mexico.



"There's a hole in my soul ...

shut my eyes ...

still see that face ..."

Attention Catholics Looking for a Permanent Chapel/Church: Minneapolis Church For Sale

Church For Sale

Southwest Minneapolis

The former Lutheran church turned Seventh Day Adventist church across the street from me is for sale.

Ethiopian wedding party at the church.

I've written about it before when the church rented to Ethiopian Orthodox on Sundays - Seventh Day Adventists worship on Saturday.  The Ethiopians moved to another location - although I would be happy if they came back.  I'd be happy if any Eastern Orthodox moved in.

In fact, I would be even more thrilled if the SSPX was able to buy it and take it over for a chapel/church in Minneapolis.  The Church has space for community functions or even a small school.  At this time, there is only one SSPX chapel in the area, and that is in St. Paul, for information on that chapel go here.

Please let people know this church is for sale.  It would be perfect for a small Catholic religious community as well - an Association of the Faithful perhaps.

Contact:

TaTonka Real Estate Advisors

Ron Moss: 612-466-7307

PSA: 7 signs people dislike you ...*

1. The way they look at you 

2. Always blamed 

3. Gossip 

4. You are left out 

5. Last man out 

6.Things are accidentally broken 

7. People stare 

*Although you may think you are making a great first impression, or if you have met with someone on numerous occasions, and are trying to appeal to them, there are a number of things you can spot in their behavior, and the way they respond to you, which will let you know they do not like you. Although many signs are quite obvious, there are also less subtle signs that people give off, if they are not really a fan of you, or do not get along with you too well. These are some signs to look out for, which you will notice when people are uncomfortable around you, or simply do not like you for one reason or the other. - Finish reading here.

Holland-Dozier-Holland and the Isley Brothers

Bonus track here and here.

Reminds me of 1966 - 1967 ... watching windows.  

Midsummer Eve - St. John's Eve ...

Tonight is St. John's Eve - Midsummer Eve...  a celebration of the Summer Solstice carried through to June 25, a date which this year coincides with the 34th anniversary of the apparitions at Medjugorje.

I will light torches and candles tonight.

It is St. John's Eve. Tomorrow is the Feast of the Baptist. It was a tradition in the days of Christendom to have a bonfire in honor of the saint who was a "burning and shining light." (John 5:35) In some places, they still do... - Tea at Trianon

We can see the Northern Lights tonight as well.

The Holy Father may have questioned the apparitions at Medjugorje - but if the interview is correct, he did not discount the miraculous:

"But we must distinguish that in Medjugorje, God makes miracles, you know? So, in the midst of human follies, God continues working miracles, is that not so?"  - Source/translation

I'm going to light candles.

Is everybody lit?

Pearls before swine.

Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine - lest they trample them underfoot and turn and tear you to pieces...

Today's Gospel.  Every time I hear that I think of writers - and now, with instant publishing on a blog - bloggers.  We often write our deepest, most sacred thoughts - be they camouflaged by parody and humor, or blatantly expressed with pathos.  Of course our thoughts aren't always holy - but they are deeply personal and if we are foolish enough, they come from the depths of our soul - thoughts that should be for God alone.  When we reveal these things, we sell our birthright for a meal, as it were.  Our spirit becomes dissipated and distracted.  Not all our thoughts should be publicized at every opportunity.

That's the secret of real art.  A painter shouldn't have to reveal more than he paints - he shouldn't have to add a narrative.

I'm not there.

That's the title of the 2007 film on Bob Dylan.  I love the title - it means something much different to me than what is intended by the creators.  The Beatles Abbey Road album, for which this blog is named, holds a special meaning for me much different than what the artists intended.  My secret for myself...

That said - I love that expression - or 'having said that' ....

I feel sorry for some of the Catholic bloggers online.  Especially those who document their lives on line as a means of support.  It's a bit like imagining the world is your friend.  Discussing your family, your friends, you work, your accomplishments, your failures, and so on.  The more unstable often go into great detail about what most would keep private.  They can be quite convinced they are offering a public service by doing so.  They are tell all writers.

Some of the converts online can be rather remarkable in so far as they document all the ups and downs of their conversion, their 'evolution' in doctrine and devotion.  I feel sorry for them.  The most dramatic are usually the most disturbed... psychological issues.  In such cases I feel sorry.

The importance of being earnest.

There's a story out today that the Holy Father may have said the seers at Medjugorje tell lies.  The translation of what he said is faulty - so don't attribute a great deal of credence to that.  However, if that were the case, many important Churchmen would have been deceived - or guilty of propagating deceit...  The Holy Father is supposed to have commented on the locutions and messages.  I find my take on such things is in agreement with what the Pope is reported to have said...

That's pure superstition to think the apparition itself is needed for graces. He then says:

"Maybe there are more personal phenomena. Some letters have reached me, but you see that there are more psychological issues… We have to distinguish good things…"

Later it is reported the Holy Father shared this reflection:

"The theme of the apparitions, to be clear. Try to see the side of the locution. So, as I said, it will be from one extreme to another. Sometimes this phrase almost physically embodies a vision and sometimes it can be a mere inspiration , "says the Pope seeking concepts to express what he thinks about these phenomena. " For example ," he continues, "those people who feel that Our Lady tells them something have a voiceover in prayer and then say: Our Lady told me that ... Of course. They express it in a way that it seems that she appeared to them … But that the seers are protagonists and organize scheduled appearances … that is a sin that may accompany a great grace. " - Te Deum

The Internet - blogs and Catholic editorials and news portals can be similar.

We talk about our personal experience, our insights in prayer, our understanding of theology or mysticism, we have a voiceover in prayer ... and we seek to guide others.  Then we protest and complain when others point out that we are charlatans ... flawed human beings who have a tendency to pontificate.

I knew a nun who went to adoration to compose poems.  I knew another who went to adoration to hear her locutions.  They both published them.  Both works were equally banal.

Blogs are like that.

Because something is happening ... But you don't know what it is ...

You walk into the room
With your pencil in your hand
You see somebody naked
And you say, "Who is that man ?"
You try so hard
But you don't understand
Just what you'll say
When you get home.

Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?

You raise up your head
And you ask, "Is this where it is ?"
And somebody points to you and says
"It's his"
And you says, "What's mine ?"
And somebody else says, "Well, what is ?"
And you say, "Oh my God
Am I here all alone ?"

But something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?

You hand in your ticket
And you go watch the geek
Who immediately walks up to you
When he hears you speak
And says, "How does it feel
To be such a freak ?"
And you say, "Impossible"
As he hands you a bone.

And something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?

You have many contacts
Among the lumberjacks
To get you facts
When someone attacks your imagination
But nobody has any respect
Anyway they already expect you
To all give a check
To tax-deductible charity organizations.
You've been with the professors
And they've all liked your looks
With great lawyers you have
Discussed lepers and crooks
You've been through all of
F. Scott Fitzgerald's books
You're very well read
It's well known.

But something is happening here
And you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?

Well, the sword swallower, he comes up to you
And then he kneels
He crosses himself
And then he clicks his high heels
And without further notice
He asks you how it feels
And he says, "Here is your throat back
Thanks for the loan".

And you know something is happening
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?

Now you see this one-eyed midget
Shouting the word "NOW"
And you say, "For what reason ?"
And he says, "How ?"
And you say, "What does this mean ?"
And he screams back, "You're a cow
Give me some milk
Or else go home".

Because something is happening
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?

Well, you walk into the room
Like a camel and then you frown
You put your eyes in your pocket
And your nose on the ground
There ought to be a law
Against you comin' around
You should be made
To wear earphones.

But something is happening
And you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones ?

Laudato si ... and the Catholic internet blows up real good.

Almost ten years online and I don't think I've ever seen it so nuts.  Just wait until the Synod in the Fall.

Virtual schism.

Nuts.


Song for this post here.

The best version of ...

this song ... ever.

The feminist Patheo-gen and the contagion of immodest dress ... A follow up in defense of Bishop Tobin.

The corruption of society can be traced to immodest fashions...

Recently the women at Patheos protested Bishop Tobin's invitation for parishioners to reconsider how they dress for Mass.

Women in revolt.

From the mid-20th century on wards, the Church has consistently counselled women about immodest fashions. Women have consistently ignored the admonitions.

As a public service, I would like to re-post some standards of dress for Catholic women and mothers who scandalize their husbands (if indeed they have one) and children.


Marylike Standards of Dress:

1. "Marylike" means modesty without compromise -- "like Mary," Christ's pure and spotless Mother.
2. Marylike dresses have sleeves extending to the wrists; and skirts reaching the ankles.
3. Marylike dresses require full and loose coverage for the bodice, chest, shoulders, and back; the cut-out about the neck must not exceed "two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat" and a similar breadth around the back of the neck.
4. Marylike dresses also do not admit as modest coverage transparent fabrics -- laces, nets, organdy, nylons, etc. -- unless sufficient backing is added. Fabrics such as laces, nets, organdy may be moderately used as trimmings only.
5. Marylike dresses avoid the improper use of flesh-colored fabrics.
6. Marylike dresses conceal rather than reveal the figure of the wearer; they do not emphasize, unduly, parts of the body.
7. Marylike dresses provide full coverage, even after jacket, cape or stole are removed.
8. Marylike fashions are designed to conceal as much of the body as possible, rather than reveal. This would automatically eliminate such fashions as slacks, jeans, shorts, culottes, tight sweaters, sheer blouses, and sleeveless dresses; etc. The Marylike standards are a guide to instill a "sense of modesty." A girl or woman who follows these, and looks up to Mary as her ideal and model, will have no problem with modesty in dress. She will not be an occasion of sin or source of embarrassment or shame to others. - Catholic League 

Cardinal Siri.

In 1960 Cardinal Siri advised the clergy and faithful of Genoa regarding immodest fashions for women, including wearing men's clothing - trousers.  In view of these adaptations assumed by women and how they dress, is it any wonder that gender ideology has emerged as a result?  Or transvestism by gays and lesbians?  Or the fact that women let themselves go and become morbidly obese - much like Burgermeisters of old?

I. The first signs of the collapse of civilization is the use of men’s clothing by women and girls, even mothers of families.

First, with regard to covering the female body, the wearing of men’s trousers cannot be said to constitute in itself a grave offense against modesty, because trousers certainly cover more of a woman’s body than do modern skirts. 

Second, for clothing to be modest, however, it must not only cover the body but also should not cling too tightly to the body. It is certain that some women’s clothing today fits more closely to the body than trousers, but the latter can also be tight fitting – and in fact generally are so. Therefore, wearing such tight fitting clothing causes us no less concern than exposing the body. Thus it is that the immodesty of men’s trousers on women is one aspect of the problem that must not be left out of a general judgment on the topic, even if it should also not be artificially exaggerated.

II. There is, however, another aspect of women wearing trousers that seems much graver to us.

The wearing of men’s dress by women primarily affects the woman herself, first by changing the feminine psychology proper to women. Second, it affects the woman as the wife of her husband by tending to corrupt the relations between the sexes.Third, the woman as the mother of her children loses dignity in the children’s eyes. Each of these points should be carefully considered. 

• Masculine clothing changes the psychology of women
• Women wearing men’s clothing tends to corrupt the relations between the two sexes - Read more here.*

Dressing like a slut. 

There is a saying that in proportion to the amount of flesh mortal sin seems to increase. This being the case, one would assume that at least our Catholic women and girls would have the good sense to ALWAYS wear clothes that tend to conceal, rather than reveal or call attention to the body. This moral dress code should be Universal, just as our Church is Universal or Catholic. There should be no excuse for moral dress codes being different just because a person lives in a different country; either a person is dressed decently or he is not! True Roman Catholics should wear decent clothes that would show they are conscious to the fact their bodies are "temples of the Holy Ghost". 

Women often deny that their semi-nude attire is the source of numerous and serious temptations to the opposite sex. Some reject any responsibility for leading others into sin. Others try to cover their own guilt by such statements as: "He must have a dirty mind. Scanty attire in men doesn't affect me at all. Why should men be tempted by the scanty attire of women?" When a woman is dressed immodestly, she becomes the temptress for men. Remember Our Lord's words to men who fall prey to such allurements: "Whoever shall look on a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matt. 5:28) Indirectly, immodest woman are included in this indictment, being cooperators with the sins of men. God has made woman beautiful and attractive to men so as to fit with His plan for procreation in lawful wedlock. As a result of Original sin, mankind must constantly struggle to regulate this attraction. Unless both men and women fortify themselves by prayer, sin quickly enters their immortal souls. - Source

*Women in men's clothing also tend to use bad language and freely discuss immodest subjects online.

What?

Song for this post here.

Thank you for responding to my post.

Prayer unites us.

This past weekend, Mrs. Obama and her daughters lighted candles at Milan's cathedral for the Mother Emmanuel Nine, victims in the Charleston, South Carolina shooting.

United in prayer.

Pope Francis in Turin: The Holy Father always renews my hope.

In Turin the Holy Father continues his Apostolic mission.

He calls our attention to St. John Bosco, pointing out three important points which guided Don Bosco's spirituality.

Don Bosco's unwavering confidence in God - the essence of consecrated life.

The founder of the Salesian Family, he said, lived out to the end his priestly mission “sustained by an unwavering confidence in God.”

This confidence, the Pope said, is also “the essence of the consecrated life, so that the service of the Gospel and of our brothers should not remain a prisoner of our views, of the realities of this passing world, but might continue to rise above ourselves."

 Don Bosco's service to the young - especially the most vulnerable.

Another important aspect of the life of Don Bosco, Pope Francis continued, is “the service to the young, beginning with the most vulnerable and abandoned: this concerns the “pedagogy of the faith” which is taken up in the Salesian formula “educating to evangelize, and evangelizing to educate.” The Holy Father encouraged the Salesian religious to carry on “with generosity and confidence the multiple activities in favour of the new generations: oratories, youth centres, professional institutes, schools, and colleges. But without forgetting those whom Don Bosco called ‘the young people of the streets’.” These young people, he said, “have great need of hope, of being formed in the joy of the Christian life.”

Don Bosco, a priest always docile to the Church and to the Pope.

Finally, the Pope recalled that Don Bosco was always “docile and faithful to the Church and to the Pope, by following their suggestions and pastoral indications”; and he invites his spiritual sons and daughters “to always go forward anew to find the children and young people where they live: in the peripheries of the great cities, in areas of physical and moral danger, in social contexts where they lack so many material things, but above all lack love, understanding, tenderness, hope.”

Concluding his remarks, the Holy Father called on the Salesians “to proclaim to all the mercy of Jesus, making ‘an oratory’ of every place, especially the most inaccessible; bearing in the heart the ‘oratorian’ style of Don Bosco and aiming at ever greater apostolic horizons,” recalling the great many religious institutions living that today are living the charism of Don Bosco “to share the mission of taking the Gospel to the furthest reaches of the peripheries.” - Vatican Radio

No matter what happens - the Pope guides the Barque of Peter.  I love how he called the youth gathered in Turin to go against the current with courage:

It is easy to grow disillusioned with life, he said, when even today we live in a “culture of waste.” 

In the face of such evils, the Pope asked, how can we live a life that does not disappoint? “We must go forward with our projects of construction, and this life does not disappoint,” he said. We must help one another. And to do this, Pope Francis told the young people, they must go against the current, they must be courageous and creative. - VR

“To proclaim to all the mercy of Jesus, making ‘an oratory’ of every place." 

We can do that.  Old or young.  We need to despise honors and awards, and the praise that flatters our pride.  To cease being impressed by empty titles and pomp.  To quit trying to forecast the weather, the future.  We need to become living oratories of prayer, going against the current, the wind and the waves breaking over the stern of boat.  To let the dead bury their dead  ... and to move forward, against the current with courage.

St. John Bosco, pray for us,

pray for the Church,

pray for the Pope.