Bishop Tobin speaks out on the dangers of same sex 'marriage'.

The Bishop warns against Catholic apathy to the issue.
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Personally, I believe the apathy stems from a laissez-faire attitude of "live and let live", "don't judge", "there but for the grace of God", and ultimately the dictatorship of relativism. I'm convinced this is a direct consequence of the contraceptive mentality which facilitated the irresponsibile exploitation of sexual relations for the sake of pleasure alone; leading to all types of promiscuous behavior and sex without consequences, including the acceptance of homosexual acts as having parity with heterosexual intercourse - since both are impotent when contraception is used by heterosexuals.

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Bishop Tobin:
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“Abysmal” Catholic apathy must be overcome to oppose those who are “fiercely determined” to impose homosexual “marriage,” Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island Thomas J. Tobin has warned. Reasserting Catholic teaching on sexual morality, he also said that same-sex “marriage” will endanger religious freedom.

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“The supporters of gay marriage in Rhode Island are well-organized and well-funded. They’re fiercely determined to impose their politically correct agenda on all the citizens of the state – human history, culture and moral principles not-withstanding. Anyone who opposes them is quickly labeled a bigot,” the bishop observed.

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However, he said the typical Rhode Island Catholic’s response was indifferent and cited not wanting to judge people. Tobin also said that Catholics give rationalizations about the decline of Catholic influence.

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Bishop Tobin explained that “homosexual activity is unnatural and gravely immoral. It’s offensive to Almighty God. It can never be condoned, under any circumstances. Gay marriage, or civil unions, would mean that our state is in the business of ratifying, approving such immoral activity.”

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The movement for same-sex “marriage,” he added, “seeks to radically redefine the most fundamental institution of the human race, the building block of every society and culture. From the beginning, marriage has been defined as the stable union of man and woman, designed by God to continue the human race through the procreation of children.

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“Homosexual relationships are not marriage – never have been, never will be.”

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“Proponents of gay marriage say that the Church won’t be forced to witness such marriages. Don’t believe it,” he said, warning that the Church may be required to admit homosexual couples as sponsors for baptism, to rent its facilities for homosexual wedding receptions, or to hire employees despite their immoral lifestyles.

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“For simply maintaining its teachings in these and many other possible scenarios, the Church will be accused of bigotry and unlawful discrimination. The threat to our religious freedom is real, and imminent,” he said. - Source

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Photo: Iowa.

I forgot what I was doing...

When they say Don't I know you?
say no.
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When they invite you to the party
remember what parties are like
before answering.
Someone telling you in a loud voice
they once wrote a poem.
Greasy sausage balls on a paper plate.
Then reply.
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If they say We should get together
say why?
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It's not that you don't love them anymore.
You're trying to remember something
too important to forget.
Trees. The monastery bell at twilight.
Tell them you have a new project.
It will never be finished.
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When someone recognizes you in a grocery store
nod briefly and become a cabbage.
When someone you haven't seen in ten years
appears at the door,
don't start singing him all your new songs.
You will never catch up.
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Walk around feeling like a leaf.
Know you could tumble at any second.
Then decide what to do with your time.
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The Art of Disappearing by Naomi Shihab Nye
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(Thanks for reminding me... I've been forgetting a lot lately.)

Feast of St. Peter Martyr

In the traditional calendar this day belongs to St. Peter of Verona, my namessake and patron, and I continue to honor him on this day. After the reform of the Roman calendar, St. Catherine of Siena was given prominence. Pity.
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Art: Fra Bartolomeo: Portrait of Girolamo Savonarola in the guise of Saint Peter the Martyr Firenze, Museo di S. Marco.

Women wearing pants.

Men dressing women.

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Since most fashion designers seem to be male, one can get the idea that men dictate what women should wear. This may be true on some level, but wearing pants has clearly become a woman's choice and often times a preferential option. (Thanks to women like Coco Chanel.) Fundamentalist Christians and Mormons, as well as some traditionally minded Catholics, consider women wearing pants to be wrong, some claiming it an abomination to the Lord, citing Biblical texts, especially Deuteronomy 22:5, and other passages elsewhere. "A woman shall not wear an article of clothing proper to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's dress..." - Deuteronomy 22:5

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Anyway. It is very difficult to use this text as an objection for the way men and women dress today - except in the case of drag queens perhaps - but I'm not going there. In ancient times both men and women wore tunics. Proper dress for a woman was a veil or some sort of head covering, and maybe a little pomegranate juice on her lips, with a little oil/wax and lapis powder mixture for eye shadow, along with a soft charcoal eyeliner. Seriously, I think - not sure though - proper dress for a woman was just more modest than for a man - yet they both wore 'dresses'. (Men in tunics or kilts were actually the only ones to wear short skirts.)

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Much later - this is for Catholics - nuns and monks wore exactly the same habits - only the monks did not wear veils. That said, Eastern Orthodox priests sometimes do wear a veil - I know! Of course, Canon Law instructed women to cover their heads in church, but it is no longer binding - although, once again, some say it is. When it was binding, women wore anything from a piece of Kleenex to a scarf, to a mantilla, or more often in WASP country, a hat. Of course, Hassidic Jewish women must have their head covered as well, and many wear stylish wigs to do so. I digress.

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Catholic Fundamentalism?

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So, do some men dictate what a woman should wear? I knew a young lady whose fiancee asked her to start wearing a chapel veil to church, I only found this out because I saw her shopping for one. Teasing her about it she said to me, "I know, but he wants me to try it." After getting married, they are pretty traddy - although I am sure she still wears pants and jeans - not to Mass of course. Some trad guys permit their wives to wear pants in certain circumstances. Some trad women just do so - if they want to. I honestly can't believe this is still an issue with people - but it is.

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What piqued my attention to this topic was the following comment I found on another blog discussing the difficulties some people may experience getting used to the TLM (Extraordinary Form of Mass). Responding to the writer expressing such difficulties, a commenter answered:

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"I love that she" (the writer with the problem) "has put so much time into this. And, her reaction is perfectly normal.

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My wife and I years ago had that reaction at first, but we also couldn’t stomach going to the novus ordo so we kept going. And now we cannot fathom life without it.

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And these reactions won’t stop here.

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Once she’s going regularly, she’ll have people suggest she covers her head for Mass and she may reject it. And there will be people suggest she wears a dress or skirt and not pants and she’ll possibly reject that as well. But, slowly, she’ll come to see the beauty behind both practices and lovingly accept them and urge new ladies just like her to do the same.

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Then, years down the road, if she marries, the traditional ladies will urge her to not work as mothers shouldn’t outside the home, to reject contraception, etc." (Further on, in another comment, the writer suggests women who attend the Ordinary Form of Mass practice contraception, "Yet most who attend Mass outside a TLM are contracepting. No need to debate it—facts are facts.")

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He continues, "She may struggle with that as well but the TLM and all the graces it provides will help her through that if she has struggles." - Source

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Another commenter - I think I know who she is - responded to this husband's remarks saying: "Working outside the home? Sorry, but in this economy, your mileage may vary. If it’s simply a question of adopting a simpler lifestyle maybe, but I know plenty of traditional couples where the wife works some hours outside the home. It’s not a “career choice” so that they can spend lavishly, it’s by necessity. It all depends on what your attitudes are toward marriage, children and work. Obviously what kind of work matters too. And women wearing pants? Give me a break! There are practical as well as aesthetic reasons for people’s dress choices. As long as modesty prevails who cares? We aren’t Amish or old church Quakers."

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(Actually, Quakers are quite liberal and most have no problem with these issues.)

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Last week I posted a video from a 1950's television show, Mr. and Mrs. North. In that episode, Mrs. North was signing up for modeling classes - just to improve her posture, hair, make-up, and fashion sense. As she was signing the paperwork Mrs. North was asked, "Will your husband permit you to do this?" I laughed because few people would ever ask a woman of today such a thing, except maybe in a church basement, while she and the other women were serving coffee and donuts to the men. (Which is why I titled that particular post, "Brick by brick" - LOL.)

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All of that said - I see nothing wrong with women wearing pants - anywhere - ever. As I said earlier, I cannot even believe it is an issue in this day and age.

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Art: An early example of women wearing pants. Women wearing pants really came into its own in the 20th century, especially during WWII when it became more practical for them to do so.

Let's see... whose should I push now?

What killed Cathy's modelling career?

We may never know.
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But please keep Cath in your prayers as she continues her job search.

Worried about your health?

"I'll give you something to be worried about."

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Listening, reading, watching the news reports, you would think the pandemic is peaking as we speak. Gosh - get a grip. (Get it - grip?)

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After all the dire predictions on the economy, do you ever stop and think someone just might want a general panic?

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I found the following on Western Confucian:

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"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed, and hence clamorous to be led to safety, by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." - H.L. Mencken

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I agree with Joshua's statement, "I'm worried not about swine flu, mind you, but about those who are stoking fears about it." - The Practical Politics of Swine Flu

Sensuality and Catholic spirituality

The principles of lust...

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There is a tendency amongst some Catholics to exult in what they term the "sensuality of Roman Catholicism". Indeed, the senses are encompassed in Catholic spirituality and worship, nevertheless, scripture and the witness of the saints teaches that our sensuality needs to be mortified, lest our sensual appetites wreak havoc and war against the spirit; once weakened, the spirit becomes bloated by self-indulgence and worldly concerns, leaving us once again enslaved to our passions. As Christians, we may not use our freedom to return to the slavery of the flesh.

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Chapter 8 of Paul's letter to the Romans teaches these truths clearly. The teaching of St. John of the Cross expounds upon the necessity of self-denial throughout his work, The Ascent of Mt. Carmel. Though written for contemplatives seeking perfection, his doctrine can be accommodated by the ordinary Christian when guided by a good spiritual director. The saint devotes entire passages to demonstrating the harm incurred through sensuality as well as the need to mortify the appetites which arouse it.

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I am not qualified to explain the doctrine of John of the Cross, nor do I want to spend much time on this subject of sensuality. Although I would like to say that I believe some Catholics deceive themselves, believing they are devout and spiritual, seeking God and living the Gospel, while indulging their sensual appetites in vanities. For instance, a few people may find more satisfaction in the smells and bells and elaborate vestments of a Latin Mass than they do in the worship of God. Others may rejoice and pay more attention to the splendid architecture of churches and finely crafted and ornamented statues than to the saint represented, or the Real Presence within the sanctuary. Still others become inordinately enamored by the physical gifts, grace and beauty they see in their self or another, which left unchecked, can lead directly to sensuality.

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Sense and sensibility.

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Now don't get me wrong, such joys are legitimate, some more or less according to one's state in life, nevertheless, all Christians need to practice a certain detachment in their use or enjoyment of sensible goods, and direct one's will to God alone. Christ gave us the sacraments precisely because we are sensible creatures. In fact sensibility is a more precise term than sensuality; I believe sensibility is compatible with virtue, while sensuality degenerates to self-gratification and self-indulgence. Of course, everything created is a grace which should direct our affections to God as our last end. However, what some practice or propose really focuses the affections upon the creature rather than the Creator.

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I should stop here to explain that I'm actually writing this as a reaction to a post I read on another person's blog, praising the inherent sensuality of Catholicism. It happens to be a very deceptive post.

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The author shares his views on another writer saying, "Boisvert’s saints are “tactile and sensual,” and their bodies, real or imagined, play a significant part in his religious and erotic life. “My saints are the men of my dreams,” he writes. “They are the companions of my imaginary voyages and my quest for spiritual fulfillment.”

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His Boisvert seems to understand the saints thus, "Saints are sensual beings, and the forms of piety that they elicit can be equally sensual and sometimes even sexual, in form and content. Anyone who has had the opportunity to observe the veneration of saints’ statues in intensely Catholic cultures – such as Latin ones, for example – is struck almost immediately by the care and attention heaped upon them. They are clothed and bathed, covered with flowers or dripping in bright red droplets of blood, gaudy and almost comical in their painted features, and lit by a reflective glow of a thousand votive candles." - Sanctity and Male Desire, A Gay Reading of the Saints

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Man, this stuff just twists a whole lot of doctrine and morality around. It is simply bogus spirituality. First of all, devotion to the saints, especially in Latin countries can sometimes be corrupted by superstition or practices long condemned by the Church - this has always been the case, which is why the Church regulates popular piety and devotion. Yes the saints were sensual beings, and most who were not martyrs practiced great self-denial and mortification, sacrificing themselves for Christ and the Gospel. For example, St. Francis of Assisi rolled himself in thorny rose bushes to quell a sudden temptation to sensuality. Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta lived in poverty and continual self denial in her service to the poorest of the poor. I believe the intent of such erroneous "doctrine" as I found on that blog is to generate an illusion of a Catholic homosexual spirituality, wherein homosexual acts are considered good and not sinful. That borders on idolatry. Sorry guys.

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Finally, the poor man finished his post with quotes from Anne Rice on sensuality and loving.

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Be on guard against such foolish teachings - just as I once warned about misinterpretations of JPII's Theology of the Body - the devil prowls like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

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If you want to read John of the Cross on this subject, start at Book III, Chapter 16 of the Ascent of Mt. Carmel. Better yet - if you have questions about what I wrote here - ask your confessor. This stuff isn't easy to interpret sometimes, and I do not mean this post to be an exhaustive study by any means.

Audrey Tautou - Coco avant Chanel

Coco Before Chanel - looks like a great film. Audrey Tautou is perfect.

H/T to Paris Daily Photo.

Our Lady of Good Counsel of Genazzano

Today happens to be Our Lady's feast day. (The feast is celebrated outside Genazzano on 26 April.)

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The history of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Good Counsel is available on several websites, so I will not go into much detail here.

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In 1467, on the 25 of April, during celebrations for the feast of San Marco in Genazzano, Italy, a cloud was seen covering a 5th century church dedicated to Our Lady. Shortly after the cloud lifted, the townsfolk, summoned by the church bells, discovered a delicate fresco of Our Lady and the Child Jesus, it was painted upon a very thin piece of unsupported plaster, and floated in a small niche of the church. Later it was revealed the image had been transported by angels from Scutari, Albania, because the region was coming under Islamic control.

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Today the image still survives, after 500 years, undamaged by earthquakes and war, and it is said a fine thread can be passed on all sides, demonstrating the image remains miraculously suspended.

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I believe this prodigy as I do the miraculous translation of the Holy House of Loreto.

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Links:

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Translation of the Image of Our Lady of Good Counsel

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Commentary on the Image

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Holy House of Loreto

The new Mexico City Policy?

The Secretary of State was just in Mexico City...

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"Not to sound paranoid, but there are a few odd things about this virus that are emerging. The most alarming is that it appears to have genetic material from avian flu, human flu, and swine flu. Since flu viruses do not exchange genetic material during their reproductive cycle, how could this be a natural phenomenon?" - Source

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What? Mrs. Clinton always blames stuff on right-wing conspirators and extremists.

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Disclaimer - I do not think a potential pandemic is funny, I do not think people dying is funny, I do not believe Mrs. Clinton is responsible. I do seriously wonder if the virus may have been bio-engineered however.

Another patron saint for immigrants and border crossers.

Blessed Ceferino Jimenez Malla, Spanish Gypsy, layman and martyr, popularly known as El Pele, he was also a Third Order Franciscan.

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In 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, Pele was detained for defending a priest who was being dragged through the streets of Barbastro and for carrying a rosary in his pocket. He refused to throw away his rosary in exchange for his life and thus embraced martyrdom. On August 8, 1936 he was shot while holding his rosary in his hands and shouting, “Long Live Christ the King.” - Source

Weblog humor.

Get off the wagon once in a while.
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Sometimes it is hard to tell if a writer is being funny-sarcastic or snarky-sarcastic, or both - although they mean no harm either way. Ya know what I mean?

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No, I thought you didn't - which is why you get mad at me. And that may explain why I have been writing about serious topics lately, and at the same time trying so hard not to offend anyone. But! It is just too much stress to keep up with all of that. People! Listen up - we have got to toughen up and not be such delicate Camille's about the stuff we write.

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For instance, when I write about sanctimonious, holier than thou, crosier up the **** trads - I'm writing about a specific category of trads - not all trads are like that - I hope.

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When I write about militant homosexual activists with a world domination complex, I'm not writing about all gays - not all gays are that nuts.

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I know, I know. I can get all sensitive and hurt too; misunderstanding another person's humorous comment or blog post - especially if I'm depressed about something... like my stats. (Although I do try to turn insults and mockery into fertilizer for humility.)

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But if we are online, shooting our mouths off with our unsolicited opinions and observations, and deep dark secrets no one should mention except to a confessor, then we gotta buck up.

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So let's lighten up, the Swine-flu pandemic is coming.

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(I think that is a conspiracy theory to be revealed! C'mon - two strains of pig flu, a dash of avian-flu, and mix well with human flu... someone manufactured that. You heard it here first!)

St. Toribio Romo Gonzalez

Patron of border crossers.
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On my way to mail some letters the other day, I noticed a 'pilgrim' with a nap sack, looking very disheveled, sitting on a park bench, overlooking the wetland across from the post office. I mailed my stuff and drove on to the store. Suddenly I realized that this man was most likely homeless, so I immediately turned around, drove back to give him some money. He noticed me as I got out of the car, and seemed to tighten up a bit, as if afraid. "How could he be fearful of me?" I said to myself as I approached him.

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I greeted him and asked, "Are you homeless?" Noticing that he looked Mexican, I knew that to be the case by how big his knapsack was.

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"No. No." He answered, smiling nervously.

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"Are you sure? I'd like to help you out if you would let me." Reaching for my wallet, "I can give you some money for food at least."

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"No! No, no, no! I'm okay." He insisted.

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I apologised and wished him well as I backed away, feeling foolish that I had embarrassed him - I should have just given him my cash. As I drove off, I realized he was most likely an illegal immigrant and was fearful that I was an agent, or that I would turn him in. I felt really stupid.

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If he only knew I just wanted to help him.

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Thankfully one saint does seem to help such people, and his name is St. Turibio Romo Gonzalez, a Mexican Martyr. He is known to come to the aid of the immigrants and border crossers.

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Photo: Shrine of St. Toribio Romo. Source.

The Secretary of State and Margaret Sanger...

"Charity believes all things, hopes all things..." - 1 Corinthians 13
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I really do try to give people a break. Case in point, Hillary Clinton's visit to Our Lady of Guadalupe - there is no accounting for God's grace, and perhaps the woman will be converted someday because of that encounter, but for now she remains an obdurate devotee of Margaret Sanger.
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One certainly has to admire the integrity of Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) as he questioned the Secretary of State during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday. If Hillary really did not know the history, character, and agenda of Margaret Sanger, whom she claims to admire so much, she certainly did after Rep. Smith's questioning.

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Confronting evil.
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Rep. Smith began his comments by criticizing Secretary Clinton’s reception of the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood in Houston in March. Secretary Clinton said she was in “awe” of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger and claimed her “life and leadership” was “one of the most transformational in the entire history of the human race.”
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Secretary Clinton also said that Sanger’s work was “not done.” Rep. Smith said Sanger’s work was indeed “transformational,” but “not for the better if one happens to be poor, disenfranchised, weak, disabled, a person of color, an unborn child, or among the many so-called undesirables Sanger would exclude and exterminate from the human race.”
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“Sanger’s prolific writings drip with contempt for those she considers to be unfit to live,” Rep. Smith said.
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Noting that he had read many of Sanger’s articles and books, Rep. Smith characterized Sanger as an “unapologetic eugenicist and racist” who said “the most merciful thing a family does for one of its infant members is to kill it” and also characterized eugenics as the “most adequate and thorough avenue” to solve “racial, political and social problems.”
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He quoted Sanger’s book “Pivot of Civilization” in which she decried charitable work as “not merely superficial and near-sighted” but also as concealing “a stupid cruelty” that leads to “the perpetuation of defectives, delinquents and dependents.”
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Rep. Smith said it was “extraordinarily difficult” to understand how a Secretary of State could be in “awe” of Sanger, saying she had openly professed views “antithetical to protecting human rights.” - Source
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I find it completely impossible to understand.

Hate crime legislation and gays.

The activists.

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I have been deliberately trying to not write about gay issues so as not to offend some of my readers who disagree with me on Roman Catholic Church teaching on the subject. But I have to tell you, I go to Pewsitters for a lot of my stories, and that website is filled with news articles concerning gay culture, gay militants and their very real agenda. The stories are all about gay marriage, hate crime legislation, and so on. It is getting completely ridiculous. Talk about attention grabbing narcissists - it looks as if gay activists are hogging the media, and people are falling for their poor me act.

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A day or two ago, on another post mentioning Perez Hilton, I received a few comments regarding the "it's all about me" syndrome many gay men, and lesbians indulge in. "Just Jack" on Will and Grace exemplified the problem brilliantly, as did Rosie O'Donnell's real-life crash and burn on The View. As Barbara Walters described it in her book, "Rosie wasn't content with riding along - she had to drive the bus." When she didn't get her way, she raged and threw tantrums. That type of adolescent behavior isn't simply narcissism, it is also a tactic of control and manipulation.

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Protesting gay militants continually cry victim in an attempt to play the discrimination (just like race) card. I'm convinced that comparing the gay rights struggle with the civil rights struggle of the 20th century is simply way over the top sensationalism. It is complete exaggeration and hype. (Gays have the same protection of the law ordinary American citizens enjoy - they just can't get married - because marriage is between a man and a woman.) I believe that proposed hate crime legislation, which is most likely inevitable, is fundamentally an effort to silence Christian moral teaching in that regard.

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Hate Crimes Act of 2009

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The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Act of 2009, currently before the House Judiciary Committee, is expected to come up for a vote before the House of Representatives later this spring. This proposed law gives federal officials greater authority to engage in hate crime investigations at the local and state level. It also removes the current prerequisite that the victim be engaging in a federally protected activity like voting or going to school. In other words, it opens the door for federal law enforcement officials (whether it be agents from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and so on) to crack down on undesirable behavior wherever it occurs. - Source - the entire article is very informative.

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As a culture, it seems to me the homosexual movement mirrors many of the traits often associated with the same-sex-attracted personality. For instance, arrested development - remaining emotionally adolescent, alternating with adult behavior when needed. As Van Den Aardweg notes, "...an especially common view of self (for the homosexual) is that of the wronged, rejected, 'poor me'. Homosexuals are therefore easily insulted; they 'collect injustice', as psychiatrist Berger has so well put it, and are liable to see themselves as victims. This explains the overt self-dramatization of the militants, who adroitly exploit their neurosis to gain public support. Attached to self-pity, they are inner (or manifest) complainers, often chronic complainers. Self pity and protest are not far apart. A certain inner (or overt) rebelliousness and hostility to others who do them wrong and to 'society' and a determinate cynicism, are typical of many homosexuals." - The Battle For Normality

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There you go.

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Photo: Folsom St. Fair, San Francisco. The smiling slave is totally naked - the civil rights schtick for these guys appears to be a joke.

What I did for Earth Day.

Tea with Mussolini... er, Obama.

Just a little bit of history repeating?

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"America is going from what used to be the major capitalistic country in the world of free market – a crusader – into what Mussolini would have called fascism: the merger of state and corporate powers. So it is not socialism as people believe, it is socialism’s egalitarianism. It’s not communism where the state controls monopolies – it’s fascism, plain and simple. The merger of corporate and government powers. State-controlled capitalism is called fascism, and fascism has come to America in broad daylight. But they’re feeding them it in little bits and pieces. First AIG was too big to fail. Mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were too big to fail. Banks too big to fail and auto companies. And now we give money to the people that make the auto parts. And now there’s talk about the technology companies, wanting their piece of the action. The merger of state and government is called fascism. Take it from Mussolini; he knew a thing or two about it. - Gerald Celente

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At any rate, I'm pretty sure many people who voted for Obama are going to be as disappointed with him as Lady Hester was with Mussolini.

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Thanks to Western Confucian for the quote.

Weird people in the Obama Administration.

"Who hired them?"

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I thought Janet Napolitano was kinda nuts in fingering abortion opponents and returning veterans as right wing extremists, now it appears she blames Canada for 9/11? I know - Blame Canada - works in comedy, but...

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In an interview broadcast Monday on the CBC, Ms. Napolitano attempted to justify her call for stricter border security on the premise that "suspected or known terrorists" have entered the U. S. across the Canadian border, including the perpetrators of the 9/11 attack.

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All the 9/11 terrorists, of course, entered the United States directly from overseas. The notion that some arrived via Canada is a myth that briefly popped up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and was then quickly debunked.

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Informed of her error, Ms. Napolitano blustered: "I can't talk to that. I can talk about the future. And here's the future. The future is we have borders." - Source

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Maybe Sarah Palin wouldn't have been so bad after all.

The President and Miss California.

What they have in common.

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Both of them are against same sex marriage. Both of them believe that marriage should be between a man and woman. Both of them explained it was part of their Christian beliefs.

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I'm against it too, although I'd be against same sex marriage even if I wasn't Christian.

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch

Maybe the Rhine ought to be damned.*

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I think Germany just may need an exorcism. Hitler had to have unleashed minions of demons through his dabbling with the occult, seeking world domination, culminating in the extermination of millions of Europeans. After visiting the country, which is lovely, I nevertheless began to wonder if Germany was haunted... (Austria might be as well.)

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The most recent evidence something is wrong in Germany is indicated by the statements of Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, Archbishop of Freiburg and Chairman of the German Catholic Bishop Conference:

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"According to the chairman of the Catholic bishops' conference of Germany, the death of Jesus Christ was not a redemptive act of God to liberate human beings from the bondage of sin and open the gates of heaven. The Archbishop of Freiburg, Robert Zollitsch, known for his liberal views, publicly denied the fundamental Christian dogma of the sacrificial nature of Christ's death in a recent interview with a German television station.

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Zollitsch said that Christ "did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat."

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Instead, Jesus had offered only "solidarity" with the poor and suffering. Zollitsch said "that is this great perspective, this tremendous solidarity."

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The interviewer asked, "You would now no longer describe it in such a way that God gave his own son, because we humans were so sinful? You would no longer describe it like this?"

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Monsignor Zollitsch responded, "No." - Source

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That's pretty screwed up.

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*It's a metaphor: To stop its flow into the Tiber.

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Photo: From an article, "Germans like their devils." About yard ornaments.

Blogger Awards

I want to thank all of my fans!
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I cannot believe it! I was actually nominated in a couple of categories for the Cannonball Catholic Blog Awards! The Cannonball Award is the most prestigious in blogdom, and I am so honored just to be nominated! My original recording of "Cry Me A River" paid off! Thanks Larry and all of those who have voted for me, I don't deserve it! In gratitude, I promise never to dis anyone who nominated me on any of my posts. This promise goes for anyone who votes for me as well.*
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To nominate, and for more details on voting, visit The Crescat. Vote and vote often, as Father always says.
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*Certain conditions prevail however. This promise does not apply to certain bloggers, nor does it extend beyond the final announcement of winners for the contest, or for those of you who ask for money or gifts on your blogs. Cooperation in this contest does not obligate me to anyone, and all proposals of marriage and favors offered are here to with null and void, and if used, they are intended for campaign and promotional purposes only. The contest rules are valid only in the state of origin; those outside the nominee's household may not make any claims upon me or my estate. In the event of litigation, I reserve the right to disavow any knowledge of said contest, the sponsors, as well anyone nominating or voting. This has been a Mark Goodson - Bill Todman Production.

27th of Nissan

Yom Hashoah

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Holocaust Remembrance Day.

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It happened. Gypsies, Poles, Communists, Catholics, homosexuals, the disabled, the elderly, and European Jews. Most of these were brutally imprisoned in slave labor camps, and millions were put to death. Yet the Jews were the largest, single group to be deliberately and systematically exterminated, suffering through a most vile, dehumanizing propaganda campaign culminating in the murder of 6 million persons of Jewish descent - entire families were completely annihilated.

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O God, do not keep silent,

do not be dumb and unmoved, O God,

for your enemies raise a tumult.

Those who hate you lift up their heads.

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They plot against your people,

conspire against those you love.

They say: 'Come, let us destroy them as a nation;

let the name of Israel be forgotten.'

They conspire with a single mind,

they make common alliance against you... - Psalm 82

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Photo source.

Barbie says: "I think I believe..."

Good for her.

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A Miss USA contestant believes she lost the title because she said, "I think I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman." Does she think and therefore believe? Or does she just think she believes? Kidding.

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At any rate, the judges and the audience did not like her response one bit. Miss California was simply responding to a question posed by blogger-turned-Louella Parsons-type-gossip-columnist, Perez Hilton regarding her stance on gay marriage. The question itself was obviously a set up, a propaganda tool for the promotion of gay marriage in California. However, the young lady did not fall for it and voiced her opinion - sounding and looking like a complete bimbo in the process - "I think I believe."

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Yet who cares? What possible difference does the opinion of a beauty contestant make to the issue, much less that of an effeminate gossip monger asking dumb questions? Why am I even writing about this anyway? The whole thing is stupid. I apologize for being so trivial.

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(I crack myself up sometimes!)

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Oh! Oh! Oh! But why do women enter beauty pageants in the first place? I know - there is money in it, maybe scholarships, and career opportunities too - not unlike prostitution. But I doubt walking around in bikinis and lingerie and answering stupid questions does anything to elevate, much less honor the female sex.

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Photo: Miss California, Carrie Prejean. I didn't want to scandalize anyone by showing the full photo of her near nudity (She really does look like Barbie). ROFLOL! Put some clothes on!

Cathy did it!

Someone sent my real profile photo to Fr. Eric.

The Obama's may need the Motown lady.

"Artist development"

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In the 1960's, while Motown records was emerging as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry, Barry Gordy employed the help of stylists to groom the new stars, and one woman in particular, Maxine Powell to train the young stars in etiquette, speech, and bearing - something called "artist development". Gordy's agenda aimed at helping the new talent reach out to the booming crossover market of white teens and their parents. It worked - Diana Ross and the Supremes wowed the fans with royal glitz and glamour, accompanied by elegant posture and restrained dance movements, as did the Temptations and Smokey and Marvin and the others; all suited up in tuxes, coolly, yet modestly moving to the music, with out any bumps or grinds. Soul music for Lutheran and Catholic teens - without any sign of the ghetto.

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I'm not saying the Obama's are ghetto - far from it - Michelle is a well heeled corporate executive, highly intelligent, and a lovely woman. The President is a polished, conservative appearing, well educated politician, with wonderful oratorical skills. That said, international diplomacy seems to me to be a little more demanding than what is expected in the average corporate setting, and I think a bit more decorum is in order when meeting heads of state. (Sarkozy excepted - he has a reputation for diplomatic blunders, as well as arrogance, himself.) Of course, Americans really are not known for their decorum. The last couple in the White House who knew how to act was the Reagan's - before them, there was Mrs. Kennedy. Bush Senior was okay, and Junior - the Mrs. presented much better.

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When Junior President Bush winked at the Queen, that was just dumb. When he gave Angela Merkel a back rub - that was really inappropriate. So I am not just picking on the current First Family.

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But. When President Obama bent at the waist for a Saudi King - and maybe kissed his hand - well, that was embarrassing, ignorant, and out of line... And above all, weak and obsequious.

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Acting like home-boyz with South American criminals such as Chavez and Noriega - that isn't diplomacy. As Gingrich commented: "Appearing on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," Gingrich said: "This does look a lot like Jimmy Carter. Carter tried weakness and the world got tougher and tougher because the predators, the aggressors, the anti-Americans, the dictators, when they sense weakness, they all start pushing ahead." - Source

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Oh. And Michelle dressing like an office assistant when she met the Queen? That is called inappropriate - the First Lady had been better dressed in that photo-op of her digging in the White House victory garden.

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Don't get me wrong - the Obama's are nice enough people, and no one is perfect, but they do have the responsibility of representing the American people, and they ought to try to be a little more gallant about it. If they have event people telling Georgetown to cover over the Holy Name, shouldn't there be someone to help them out with how to act and dress for the world stage?

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As for dialog with South American countries, as well as Cuba - that is a good thing - just do it right.

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Photo: The Supremes meet the Queen Mother.

Divine Mercy.

I spent the afternoon at the Cathedral in St. Paul. The church was filled. 10 priests heard confessions from after the noon Mass until after Benediction, which concluded around 3:30 PM. What a holy day, and thank God for such good, holy priests. This Archdiocese is truly blessed. I wish I had brought my camera because the sanctuary was magnificently decorated with flowers of every sort, and the very large miraculous image of Divine Mercy was suitably exposed for veneration.

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As I prayed, I wished those I love, family and friends who do not go to church, or do not believe, could have been there with me - how easy it would have been for them to go to confession and receive grace in abundance. I brought them with me in my prayer however... If you are reading this, or have ever read my blog, you were there in my prayer too.

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Thanks to Fr. Joseph Johnson, Rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul, and his associates, for their devout example and generosity in bringing the sacraments to us this day, and always.

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Image: Divine Mercy shrine in Vilnius, Poland.

Novus Ordo Priests

Huh?

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I came across that term on another Catholic blog. The question posed dealt with whether or not "Novus Ordo priests" would have the same courage of the Mexican martyr priests during the Mexican revolution.

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I find the question offensive. First of all, because any Roman Catholic priest deserves to be respected as a Roman Catholic priest regardless of which form of Mass he celebrates. Indeed, every priest ordained in communion with Rome is a Novus Ordo priest since the Ordinary form of Mass, the Mass of Paul VI, is the ordinary form of Mass.

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Secondly, to question a priest's orthodoxy or fidelity based upon which form of Mass he celebrates, or whether or not he uses Latin, is an offense to the Holy Father and the Magisterium, the Sacred Vatican Council, the Sacrament of Holy Orders as well as the Mexican Martyrs who gave their life for the Church in our day.

This type of foolishness is what annoys me most about the overly pious, sanctimonious, elitist traditionalists, and those who play to them.

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Image: Fr. Miguel de la Mora de la Mora and Companions. Source

Wha'd up?

Homies.
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I think Obama-rama just wants to be liked.

3rd Rock From The Sun - Bathroom Slaps

See if they let me show this.

Season 1 Episode 106-Dick's First Birthday Clip 2

Fr. Z and Vincenzo are doing posts on the best TV series ever, and I thought I'd post one of my favorite reality series, 3rd Rock.

Today I like The Office and 30 Rock docu-dramas.

Lovely Lady

Susan Boyle
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I finally saw the Youtube videos, including interviews with her. She is a fine talent and a very lovely person, a simple and pure soul.
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I apologize that I mistook her as being of Irish-descent. ;)

My St. Sebastian

Image: Detail from my panel: "Holy Card: St. Sebastian, Martyr" - Terrance Nelson, 2009

The entire image can be viewed on my art blog, Up Your Street - which I update frequently. I hope to enter the piece in an upcoming art festival, entries will be accepted for the jury to review this weekend - I hope it isn't too amateurish.

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SOLD. (I have never sold a painting so fast, thanks be to God.)

Georgetown proves that many Catholic Universities are no longer Catholic.

Does President Obama object to the Holy Name of Jesus?
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I definitely believe there is a very real anti-Catholic spirit (and therefore the spirit of anti-Christ) rapidly gaining momentum throughout the world. As Christians, we should not be surprised by this.

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By now, many bloggers heard the news that Georgetown University covered the monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus to please the President. White House staff requested that the Holy Name be covered for the President's speech. The issue over the commencement address at Notre Dame can perhaps be debated, but a Catholic University covering up the Holy Name cannot even be defended. Complying with such a request, not even under duress or coercion, becomes a powerful symbol of apostasy.

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The readings from Mass during the Octave of Easter all point to the power and authority of the Holy Name of Jesus, the Name before which every knee must bend, in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth.

St. Benedict Joseph Labre

April 16 is the Saint's feast day.
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I'll bet you St. Benedict Joseph is the Pope's secret patron. Happy birthday Holy Father.
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I painted the icon (shown) around 1983. The original is in a house of Franciscan Friars in Boston, and Fr. Benedict Joseph Groeschl told me he placed a copy I gave him in his cell.
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St. Benedict Joseph, pray for us.
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For more information on St. Benedict Joseph Labre go here.

Stuff I did not know.

At least I thought I didn't.
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The Tea Party thing - no one invited me. I just heard about it this evening.
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I knew of course that Janet Napolitano and Homeland Security was fingering us for terrorists - imagine her playing the race card to support her claims - citing a black president. She's just trying to start trouble. Homeland Security probably doesn't play by the rules either - I bet they can do lots of stuff other law enforcement can't.
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I do not know who Susan Boyle is - but from the looks of her, I'd say she is Irish descent.

Easter

It still is.
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Something happened to me during Lent - I don't know how to explain it. Wish I could - but I can't. It is kind of eerie however... I feel as if I lost all my supports... spiritual supports that is... think crutches. I feel as if I'm in a sort of mist-laden, foggy, dark forest, and I lost my copy of the Philokalia... but I'm not worried. Although I sense I am still this solitary bird - tethered by a nearly invisible bird line, and therefore I'm not entirely free.

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Anyway. Friends have asked me about my Easter, I suppose because I didn't post anything about it. I noticed everyone else posted lovely He is Risen posts, but I didn't simply because I was offline, and enjoying it, and because I knew all my readers already knew He is risen, and I didn't have anything to add to that. In fact, I knew He is risen on Holy Thursday while I painted my way through the time for Mass. I knew He is risen as I sat deeply moved during the Good Friday liturgy at the Cathedral. Throughout Lent, even during Advent, all year in fact - I knew He is risen.

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That is what being a Christian is all about actually - the Christian actually knows Christ is God and that He is risen - as Catholics, we recognize Him in the breaking of the bread, the Eucharist - He is (always) risen.

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Happy Easter.

Homeland Security sending out warnings on right wing conspirators.

The re-emergence of that "vast right wing conspiracy".

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"Right-wing extremists in the United States are using economic worries and the election of the first black US president as recruiting tools, the US government warns in a new report. Fears of possible new restrictions on firearms, as well as troubled veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, "could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks," warned the US Department of Homeland Security." - Source
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Adrienne, Catholic Caveman, Cathy, Digi, Fr. Erik, along with many other Catholic bloggers are probably on their watch list. (The Homeland Security warning suggests anti-abortion activists are potential single-issue radicals.)

Matt Talbot

A couple of weeks ago I came across some photo transparencies of a few of my earlier "icons". I decided to have a couple of prints made - shown above is a panel I painted depicting the Venerable Matt Talbot.

Sacred Triduum

News blackout.

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I'll be offline. Despite the fact there is astonishing news out there, and much one could comment on: The atmosphere is much the same as it was in Jerusalem so many centuries ago, when Christ was betrayed and denied, mocked and scorned, and then crucified amidst so much clamor.

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"Take warning from the example of Lot's wife who, because she was disturbed at the destruction of Sodom, and all of those perishing, turned back to look. God punished her for this, and she was 'turned into a pillar of salt' (Genesis 19.26). This teaches you that it is the will of God, even if you were living among devils, you should so live as not to turn back in thought to consider what they are doing, but forget them utterly. You are to keep your soul wholly to God, and not to suffer the thought of this or that to disturb you." - John of the Cross

I forgot Jacques' birthday.

The Good Thief

April 3, 1930 was the birthday of Jacques Fesch. The Jewish-Catholic Archbishop of Paris, Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger initiated the cause for his beatification in 1987; as a result, the process was formally opened in 1993. Jacques was guillotined in 1957 for the crime of murdering a police officer after a botched robbery. Through the influence of St. Therese of Lisieux, and the friendship of a Trappist monk, the Servant of God was converted and made great progress in the spiritual life during his imprisonment. Deeply sorry for his crime, he accepted his punishment in peace, and was reconciled to his wife the night before his execution, which he offered to Jesus. He has the infamous distinction of being the last person in France to be guillotined. His daughter is a Carmelite nun who promotes his cause as an example of the mercy of God to sinners. Jacques died on October 1, now the feast day of St. Therese in the revised calendar.

Praying for the victims of the Italian quake.

L'Aquila and surrounding towns in the Italian Apennines have been devastated by a strong earthquake early this morning. At least one village is reported to have been leveled. Praying for the dead and the living.

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Jesus, I trust in you.

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Photo: L'Aquila Abruzzo.

Happy Birthday Dodo.

April 6, 1901 is the birthday of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. When he was little he adopted the name Dodo for himself. The photos are of the "icon" I painted of him, as well as of my friend Ellen as she presented the panel to his niece Wanda. His niece placed the painting in the house at Pallone. I had based my version on the painting his mother did, which also hangs in the summer home.

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Now days I do not bother Pier Giorgio too much, as he is very busy working with youth.

30 Second Bunnies Minisode - Bunnies: The Shining

For Fr. Erik.

Emails

I'm not ignoring you.
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If you haven't heard from me for awhile - or received a response to an email, that is because I have been having problems with my email service - I will respond to your emails as soon as I get it together. Thanks.

More Little Murders... Binghamton.

The killing fields of America.

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This morning columnists and journalists are asking the thoughtful questions about mass murder in our society, why it happens at all, why does it seem to be happening with such increasing frequency, and why does it appear as if Americans are no longer shocked by such events? (Check out, "Has America become numb to tragedy?")

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Good questions, huh? Which only means that many are going to demand stricter gun control, government surveillance, along with other threats to our civil rights. Others will blame it on our self-absorbed, hedonistic, materialistic culture. There will be too many opinions and studies on the subject. But it has been happening since the 1960's, as the steep decline in moral values began to accelerate. Of course progressives will disagree on the issue of morality, as always. The more enlightened will insist one has to study the problem more extensively to determine what is actually going on. Ban guns and do research, and more research, and we'll have it all sorted out; while the disgruntled find new ways to kill their neighbors.

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I think it is much more simple than all of that however.

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As one old lady once put it:

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"...I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?

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How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts.

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By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And, by abortion, that father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. The father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion.

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Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want." - Blessed M. Teresa of Calcutta

The recession and charities.

Give to everyone who begs from you.

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Yesterday I received a letter from a diocesan religious community begging for donations, it was the second such request from the group since the beginning of Lent. Charities seem to be stepping up mailings due to the recession, yet what is so serious about this religious community's request is that they now say their funds are completely depleted - they have no money at all.

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A few years ago a priest was speaking about this particular group of religious and claimed that they had mishandled some of the donations they had received. Later on, working in a Catholic bookstore, I heard other rumors and rumblings about the group, but dismissed the stories as hearsay from the sanctimonious. Then a couple of years ago, out of the blue, a zealous woman I had never met, called me and informed me of a whole host of improprieties associated with the group, assuring me she even informed the diocesan authorities about "what was going on over there". This all occurred shortly after a member of the group left and spread slanderous stories about life in that community. The rumors were picked up by otherwise devout persons and dutifully spread abroad like wild fire, warning the sheep, as it were. To the best of my knowledge, nothing ever came of the accusations, and the community continues to exist with the blessing of the local ordinary.

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I consider all of the stories that were told to be gossip, slander, detraction and calumny. In the first place, it is none of my business, despite the fact I know people associated with the group. Nevertheless, the stories, going as far back to the priest's tale, have stayed with me. Every single time I get a letter asking for money from this group, I am reminded of everything I've ever heard about them. Witness the damage a story told long ago can do.

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Remember your local charities and the poor - people lie about them sometimes, perhaps out of envy - however that doesn't make them any less needy. And remember, amongst Christ followers there was a thief, but that did not mean all of them were stealing.

Nearing the end of Lent: Re-adjusting our focus.

God abandoned by his friends.
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"In the Gospel the very root of sin is the pretense we can save ourselves by our own effort, that we can find security in ourselves and one another." - Olivier Clement: Magnificat daily meditation for 3 April, 2009

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Retablo: The Solitude of Christ. T. Nelson. Acrylic on copper; gilded, carved-wood frame.