Sunday, April 20, 2025
Happy Easter
Friday, April 18, 2025
Good Friday
Eleventh Station
Jesus is nailed to the cross
From the Gospel according to Luke (23:32-34)
Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
Nothing frightens us more than being unable to move. Yet here you are, bound, nailed, held fast. Still, you are not alone, but in the company of two others, resolved to reveal yourself even on the cross as “God with us.” Revelation never stops; it is not nailed to one place. Lord, you show us that in every situation there is a choice to be made. That is the amazing reality of our freedom. Not even on the cross are you stripped of your freedom: you decide why and for whom you are there. You are attentive to both the men crucified with you: you let slip the insults of one and you hear the plea of the other. You are even concerned for the men who crucify you: you peer into the hearts of those who “know not what they do.” You look up to the sky: you would like it clearer, yet you break through its barrier of gloom with the light of your intercession. Nailed to the cross you intercede: you “stand between” conflicting parties. And you bring them to God, because your cross tears down walls, cancels debts, quashes judgements, establishes reconciliation. You yourself are the true Jubilee. Convert us to you, Jesus; though nailed fast to the cross, you are able to do all things.
Let us pray, saying: Teach us to love
When we are strong and when we are not: | Teach us to love. | |
When we are bound by unjust laws or decisions: | Teach us to love. | |
When we are at odds with those uninterested in truth and justice: | Teach us to love. | |
When we are tempted to despair: | Teach us to love. | |
When everyone says, “There is nothing to be done:” | Teach us to love. - Pope Francis, Way of the Cross at the Colosseum |
Thursday, April 03, 2025
Suspended Priest James Altman Celebrates Novus Ordo In Florida
Tuesday, April 01, 2025
It's Fascism
Crushing sorrow.
Friday, March 28, 2025
'America First' Americans
Catholics and the Anti-Gospel.
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Tracking "The errors of Russia"
As they course through the years.
>Dugin also read deeply in the Russian canon. The notion that Russia is more than a state or nation—that it is a holy empire with a world-saving duty—goes back at least half a millennium. “All Christian realms will come to an end and will unite into the one single realm of our sovereign, that is, into the Russian realm, according to the prophetic books,” the Russian theologian Filofei predicted in 1510. “Both Romes fell, the third endures.” The idea was brought to its highest polish in the nineteenth century, the apex of tsarist imperialism and, not coincidentally, of Russian letters. That era is the origin of Dugin’s views of the West and Ukraine, and of Putin’s recent thinking. Indeed, it can be seen as the true start of the Ukraine war.< - The Imperialist Philosopher Who Demanded the Ukraine War
I came across an Australian journalist who has added to the understanding of Alexander Dugin's influence upon Putin's war. It's late, so I'll simply post his piece I found on FB and leave it at that.
>To understand the civilisational battle confronting the world today, we need to discuss a little known 1997 book by a Russian neo-fascist and political philosopher named Alexandr Dugin, a man so closely associated with the belief systems and values of Vladimir Putin that he became colloquially known as "Putin's brain".
Dugin has spent his life warning of the evils of liberalism and democracy, and insisted that only Russia could save humanity through the advancement of Christian Russian Orthodox values.The book provides the blueprint for how Russia could fight "the battle for the world rule of Russians". It laid out in detail how Russia needed to use information warfare, economic power, and military force, to establish a new Eurasian Empire.It's been used a textbook in schools, indoctrinating a generation of Russians into a belief that the Russians had a God given right to rule the world from the "third Rome" (Moscow), and that notions like democracy and civil liberties were a uniquely Western invention that were bordering on satanic.It called for Georgia, most of the Baltic States, Finland, and Central Asia to be annexed into this new empire though force, while Belarus and Moldova are expected to voluntarily join after a decades long propaganda onslaught.He was adamant that an independent Ukraine could not exist if Russia was truly going to become a superpower, arguing that "Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning, no particular cultural import or universal significance, no geographic uniqueness, no ethnic exclusiveness, its certain territorial ambitions represents an enormous danger for all of Eurasia and, without resolving the Ukrainian problem, it is in general senseless to speak about continental politics".Western Europe, meanwhile, would become a collection of weakened vassal states, subordinate to Russia's will, and argued that to achieve this Russia could help fund and organise a collection of right wing political parties to infiltrate and erode liberal democracy from within. To achieve this, Dugin suggested finding ways to weaken the NATO alliance, culminating in the removal of US military presence in Europe.But perhaps most disturbing is Dugin's vivid advice on how Russia could subdue the greatest impediment to Russian ambitions, the great defender of the liberal values Dugin despised... the USA.He argued that Russia should use special services to "...introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social, and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics'."< - Carrick Ryan
The Sadness of the Day
Respect yourself, respect others. Walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you.
I received a link to a post by a friend on another social media site. I forgot I was on it actually. I read his post and now can't even remember what he posted about. I scrolled around and discovered another friend, whom I haven't heard from in ages, was on it as well.
He appears to be immersed in Traditionalist Conservatism; the TLM and anti-Francis, pro-Trump/Putin world view. I knew he was into conspiracy theories and related mythological thinking, but I was sure he was grounded in reality. A comment he left on another guy's site was very telling of where he's at. Introducing himself, he cited a couple aspects of his state which seemed offered more or less as credentials to validate the opinion he proffered. We all do stuff like that, in order to be accepted. Now that I'm older, not so much. But I used to do it all of the time, especially on this blog or in work environments. Now I let people think what they like.
Anyway - I was deeply disappointed. For a trad, he has all the right signs of being a 'devout', 'fervent' Catholic, so who am I to judge? I sense he's a fan of Bishop Strickland and his group of followers. Many in my archdiocese seem to be as well.
I came across something from Pope Francis this morning, which I find especially consoling and perhaps challenging, may I strive to put it in practice. One of the things I love about the Holy Father is his closeness to real people - we ordinary, sinful people of the streets. He knows us. He has taught me so much - I keep trying to put it into practice.
Pope Francis reflecting from hospital:
Saturday, March 08, 2025
"The fundamental weaknesses of Western civilization is empathy." (Elon Musk, 2025)
On the problem of empathy.
The War in Ukraine and the Errors of Russia
[Editor's Note: I am reposting this from my FB page here, since I intended it to post on the blog for my archives. The information does not add to nor detract from the official documents of Sr. Lucia nor the Holy See regarding the events at Fatima, nor is there any link to the so-called Fatimist conspiracy theories or traditionalists with their claims of a different message/secrets and so on. Bishop Sus adds nothing to the the message either - he simply explains how the Church in Ukraine understands the relevance of Our Lady's message to the current war.]
Something Dawn Eden Goldstein wrote.
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Sharing a comment on the new "Golden Age"
This is for my archives and reference. It's pertinent to what is happening these days.