Mass Chat: Hats on or off in church?

No longer a big deal.
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This winter I have noticed men with hats on in church - even during Mass and while they receive communion.  The past couple of weeks I have noted three different adult men doing so.  One guy had a beret on backwards - which is always a cool look to be sure, he was with his wife and kids, all finely dressed.  Traditionally men tipped their hats to ladies, or when passing a church out of respect for the Blessed Sacrament, while etiquette dictated a gentleman always removes his hat indoors - especially when in church, or in the presence of someone/someplace holy, etc..
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Now it seems to me the men I've noticed doing the opposite should know this custom.  I only mention it because it surprised me.  I didn't much care, really.  I wasn't distracted but for a second in fact.  After all, it is winter and maybe these guys have that neuralgia disease Mother Delores Hart suffers from.  Or maybe they don't want to be seen with "hat hair" - although what's the difference between that and the ever popular "bed hair" look.  I can't tell the difference.
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Of course women were once obliged to cover their heads in church and now few do.  Again - not a big deal - although hats or scarves often look better than mantillas - in my opinion that is.  I hate mantillas worn with some out of date, worn and dirty ski jacket over a denim skirt hovering just above the tops of her Sorels.  But I digress.  I just find it interesting that men now wear hats in church and women rough it these days wearing nothing but hair-coloring on their pretty heads.  It's like a bit of role-reversal, gender confusion I think - very unconscious to be sure. 
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Of course priests and clerics wear birettas during Mass... and Knights of Columbus wear hats with maribou... but that's another Mass chat, isn't it. 

"Ward, I'm worried about the Beaver."

Crap!  Forget the revolution in Egypt - this is important!

Summit Entertainment insider is acknowledging that a studio DVD containing the Mel Gibson-Jodie Foster not-yet-released movie The Beaver is missing and appears to have been stolen from Mel Gibson's mailbox. - Full story!

The Spiritual Combat

Every day I pray to Fr. Solanus for priests.  Why?  Because he is such a good example for priests, despite the fact he was a simplex priest.  That means in part that he didn't hear confessions nor did he preach.  Nevertheless he counseled thousands of souls and his prayer and Masses were so exalted only heaven knows.  Despite his canonical limitations, he was a faithful priest, through and through.  All priests entered seminary with the same holy enthusiasm.  Not a few falter - because the demands of the vocation can be very difficult at times.  So I pray especially for the priests I know, friend and stranger alike.  I pray for those who read me or link to me, those I read and link to, those who write to me, those who minister to me, and so on.  I pray very, very much for priests - every day.
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Sadly, I just came across scandalous news about a famous priest/exorcist.  I don't believe the stories for a minute.  I suspect the scandal is demonic and most likely a spiritual attack because of the priest's dedicated work on pro-life causes and exorcism.  Even if the stories are found to be factual, I still believe it was an attack by Satan on his ministry.  Temptation and sin is part of the spiritual combat.  I would never cease praying for him even if the stories were true.  I don't want to link to the stories or discuss them as they do no good at this point.
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That said, I am praying for Fr. Tom and I ask all of you to pray very much for him in these trying times...
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Please pray every day for all priests, as well as our bishops and the Holy Father.
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For information on Ven. Solanus:  http://www.solanuscasey.org/

When kids leave home.

Something is happening here, and you don't know what it is.
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Chris Cuomo did a piece on homeless kids from really bad homes last night on ABC's 20/20.
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I was like those kids.  I had a job though - which got me through graduation from High School.  Then I moved in with some one who offered me a home and a comfortable life.  Kids need and look for love - they also want to give love - and people are out there to take it from them.
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O my God! am I here all alone?
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I have long understood that mortal sin has been the cause of all the dysfunction in my family - and in my life.  Mortal sin excludes genuine love and charity... and kids.
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Art:  Bob Dylan.  His Ballad of a Thin Man gave me the courage to leave home.

The Islamic Revolution in North Africa and the Middle East: When will news media, blogs and public opinion light up with concern?

Answer:  Only after it affects the price of oil.
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"Investors have their eyes on Egypt as civil unrest in the North African country has progressively escalated into a full blown crisis with international repercussions. Beyond the obvious and inexcusable human cost, the protests against Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year reign have hit the sovereign debt and equity markets, and are working their way through the oil and gold markets." - Forbes

The comment box as mosh pit.

Let's not.
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I once managed a Catholic book store for a religious goods company.  Most of the employees were very devout Catholics, leaning heavily towards the traditionalist side of things, and terribly opinionated.  Employment was rather fluid and many types would come and go.  Of course, the customer base was rather diverse as well, although the regulars were definitely uber-uber-Catholic.  These facts worked together in such a way that sometimes the store would suddenly erupt into a sort of battlefield.  I did my best to adjust sales associate's attitudes through customer service training and establishing store policy guidelines to help control the situation and establish boundaries.  In a couple of cases, I would no longer schedule an overly outspoken, antagonistic part-time sales associate.  In another case, I was able to arrange a department transfer for a particularly contentious person.  New hires were screened accordingly. 
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By the time I left the business I had a good-looking, customer friendly crew, whose evangelization efforts were limited to serving the customer's needs in a friendly relaxed environment, while promoting the company's excellent Catholic product.  The sales staff knew enough about the books and devotional  items to help customers according to their needs.  My theory about Catholic bookstores is that if the product is solidly Catholic - the business is the apostolate - providing the product is their particular means of evangelization.  Not bullying and starting fights.
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I mention my experience because the upshot of some of the fighting and arguing amongst employees, as well as with customers, including the hell and damnation preaching, actually drove good people away from the store.  Customers were uncomfortable shopping there - sometimes they were deeply offended, in other cases, they just didn't feel welcome.
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I respect you.
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Comment boxes on blogs can have the same effect on people.  I've been receiving a few emails from readers who are afraid to comment because of what other commenters might say - they just don't feel welcome.  I realize at times the comment box gets a little rough.  I understand that - I really do.  But many "normal" readers don't - and the printed word without vocal inflection or facial expression can read extremely offensive.  To be sure I believe the overly PC restraining tendencies focusing on the 'new' civility in language so we can "all just get along" and "agree to disagree" does little to nothing to arrest or correct error.  Nevertheless, in our discourse here we need to avoid getting too heavy handed with one another.
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Therefore, what I've decided to do is to close comments on a particular post when and if things begin to get too wild.  In some cases I will delete a comment, although I will only delete comments that are mean-spirited or discriminatory - for instance, never write anything anti-Semitic - I might be Jewish.  Never insult another commenter.  Never use the "F" word or blaspheme, and so on.  (WTF is okay though.  LOL!) 
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Thanks very much.
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Art:  Dan Witz

If only priests could just be priests.

Art:  Priest Teaching Catechism - no further information available.  Source

Was St. Thomas Aquinas really fat?

That's what they say - and evidently not that attractive either...
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"St. Thomas was a huge heavy bull of a man, fat and slow and quiet; very mild and magnanimous but not very sociable; shy, even apart from the humility of holiness; and abstracted, even apart from his occasional and carefully concealed experiences of trance or ecstasy." - Source
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Happy feast day tuba!

The Cabinet of Dr. Gosnell...

And his clinic of horrors.
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Pro-choice/pro-abortion nazis claim the horrors discovered in the abortuary operated by Dr. Kermit Gosnell have nothing to do with abortion...  Really?
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PZ Myers, a biologist and associate professor at the U of M Morris, whose reputation also has an element of creep about it, suggests Gosnell's major crime was pretty much limited to "bad medicine and unrestricted, unregulated, cowboy surgery..."  For Myers the big horror turns out to be the unprofessional operations, employing non-professional assistants, in an unsanitary environment.  Sort of "back-alley" slam-bam-thank-you-mam no-frills infanticide.  How very tacky a "doctor" could be so unprofessionally mercenary and obvious in his "practice".
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"If anything, the Gosnell case is an argument for legal abortion."

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It is entirely appropriate that this monster be shut down and charged with serious crimes against women. This isn't the first death for which he's responsible; another woman died of a perforated uterus, others suffered from punctured internal organs, others were left sterile by his botched work. The most shocking news is that this guy has been chopping up poor women since 1979, and that the last time the state actually inspected his facilities was in 1993. Why have people looked the other way and allowed this to continue for 30 years?
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He has also been charged with the murders of seven babies, and there I have to disagree. There has to be a difference in degree, or the mothers of those infants would also have to be charged as collaborators (they were all willing volunteers for this medical procedure, and they knew the result would be termination of their pregnancy). They haven't, and they shouldn't. Much noise is being made about the "horrific" killings, but late term abortions, even the ones done in clean, properly maintained facilities with well-trained personnel, are always necessarily bloody and unpleasant affairs, like most surgeries. The important word there is "necessary". Late term abortions should be carried out when it is essential for the life and health of the woman, who is the most important participant in these circumstances, and opening the door to accusing doctors who perform necessary operations as murder is a dangerous precedent.
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Gosnell committed many crimes. He posed as a qualified practitioner of his art, when he wasn't. He did not maintain a medical facility in an appropriate manner. He had even less qualified people do life-threatening work. He lied to women about their pregnancies. He mutilated and killed women. He did harm. That should be what generates public outrage, not the fact that he did abortions." - This is not a case about abortion.
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No difference in practice.
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I'm somewhat encouraged this story has generated so much public outrage.  It should also wake people up to the reality of killing pro-abortion advocates such as Myers attempt to cover up with their verbal shell-games.  What the average person needs to understand and take from this - while keeping it ever before his eyes, is that every abortuary is an abortion mill - albeit sanitized, professionalized, and sometimes even dressed up like a spa.  The Gosnell clinic reminds us that every abortion clinic is a slaughterhouse.  Babies, unborn, late-term, or survived-born-alive, are routinely and callously put to death and disposed of like garbage.  And it is all done for profit.  In reality, there is no difference in practice between the Dr. Gosnell clinic of horrors and the commercialized professional facility.  No difference in practice.
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Photo credit:  LifeSiteNews story dated May 7, 2010

Padre Oprah back on TV.

As St. Paul wrote to Timothy - or was it Titus?  "There is great gain in religion..."
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Father Alberto Cutié, best known as "Father Oprah," is getting his own daytime talk show.

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Fox Television stations, including WNYW/Ch. 5 here, and the Debmar-Mercury company this summer will test "Father Albert," a daily one-hour advice show.
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Each episode will be built around Cutié's insight into current events, as well as interviews with special guests. - Source

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He's got a family to support you know.
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H/T Spirit Daily

Got doctrinal questions?

There's a resource for that:  Complete list of Documents from the Congregation For the Doctrine of Faith. 
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I decided to post this resource because when Catholics get confused, many of them turn to anyone they perceive as religious to get answers, which very often are incomplete, incorrect, or more confusing than the original question.  Confused about Masons?  The CDF has a document for that.  Confused about homosexuality?  The CDF has a document for that.  Confused about meditation, contemplation, centering prayer, yoga, etc.?  The CDF has a document for that as well.
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Lately I've I noted the subject of Christian meditation, Centering Prayer as well as yoga, have come up on various blogs and Catholic news sites.  Frequently the authors write about the topics subjectively, not without some authority and experience to be sure, but not always as clearly and concisely as official teaching presents it.  I'm sometimes troubled when we do such things, considering that if it is not in the Catechism, there is most likely an actual directive from the the Teaching Magisterium clearly stating what is wrong with particular types of pseudo mysticism/gnosticism.
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Seeking "oneself" in experiences of "well being".
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Recently online Catholic news sites have brought to light a Catholic-yoga program hosted by Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.  As most people know, yoga is not only trendy, it is big business in the health and beauty industries, not to mention 'for profit' spirituality centers or spas.   The Cathedral website refers to their offering as Catholic Yoga albeit seems to be more ecumenical - whatever that means...
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Drawing from multiple faith traditions, yoga has evolved across the ages as a means of tuning the body for better communion with God through prayer and meditation. Join us as we explore the multiple spiritual and physical benefits of yoga practice while explicitly integrating prayers and spiritual themes of our Catholic faith. Typical sessions will include an opening prayer, inspired movement & strengthening, and contemplative prayer to close. The program will be focused around various themes to coincide with the liturgical calendar and progression of our faith life across the seasons. - Catholic Yoga
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Whatever.  When I returned to the Church and the sacraments, I came out of the occult; namely TM and other pseudo-mystical dabbling.  Leaving the darkness behind, I returned to the light of solid Catholic teaching.  At the same time trendy monks and nuns were launching their new age contemplative ashrams and communes around the country, I discovered John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila and authentic mysticism.  Believe me, the other crap is darkness.  Many of the new age mystics "forage in a land they know not", and since "priest and prophet"  are often included in their midst, one must be vigilant and careful to whom one goes to for sound Catholic doctrine.  That said, I've selected a few paragraphs from the CDF Letter to the Bishops on the subject:
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LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON SOME ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN MEDITATION
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12. With the present diffusion of eastern methods of meditation in the Christian world and in ecclesial communities, we find ourselves faced with a pointed renewal of an attempt, which is not free from dangers and errors, to fuse Christian meditation with that which is non-Christian. Proposals in this direction are numerous and radical to a greater or lesser extent. Some use eastern methods solely as a psycho-physical preparation for a truly Christian contemplation; others go further and, using different techniques, try to generate spiritual experiences similar to those described in the writings of certain Catholic mystics.13 Still others do not hesitate to place that absolute without image or concepts, which is proper to Buddhist theory,14 on the same level as the majesty of God revealed in Christ, which towers above finite reality. To this end, they make use of a "negative theology," which transcends every affirmation seeking to express what God is and denies that the things of this world can offer traces of the infinity of God. Thus they propose abandoning not only meditation on the salvific works accomplished in history by the God of the Old and New Covenant, but also the very idea of the One and Triune God, who is Love, in favor of an immersion "in the indeterminate abyss of the divinity."15 These and similar proposals to harmonize Christian meditation with eastern techniques need to have their contents and methods ever subjected to a thorough-going examination so as to avoid the danger of falling into syncretism.

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23. Without doubt, a Christian needs certain periods of retreat into solitude to be recollected and, in God's presence, rediscover his path. Nevertheless, given his character as a creature, and as a creature who knows that only in grace is he secure, his method of getting closer to God is not based on any technique in the strict sense of the word. That would contradict the spirit of childhood called for by the Gospel. Genuine Christian mysticism has nothing to do with technique: it is always a gift of God, and the one who benefits from it knows himself to be unworthy.27
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To live out in one's prayer the full awareness of one's body as a symbol is even more difficult: it can degenerate into a cult of the body and can lead surreptitiously to considering all bodily sensations as spiritual experiences.

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28. Some physical exercises automatically produce a feeling of quiet and relaxation, pleasing sensations, perhaps even phenomena of light and of warmth, which resemble spiritual well-being. To take such feelings for the authentic consolations of the Holy Spirit would be a totally erroneous way of conceiving the spiritual life. Giving them a symbolic significance typical of the mystical experience, when the moral condition of the person concerned does not correspond to such an experience, would represent a kind of mental schizophrenia which could also lead to psychic disturbance and, at times, to moral deviations. - CDF
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Catholic Spiritual Direction also has some good posts on these lines.
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H/T to Paula for something to blog about.

Obama's State of the Union Address: My commentary...

Terry shrugged.

March for Life: Hundreds of thousands marched in Washington yesterday.

Ignoring the facts.
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Yesterday afternoon the only thing I came across on line regarding the March for Life in Washington DC was a piece from the Washington post.  Last night I believe there was a passing reference to the event on network news.  I dare say all Catholic bloggers knew about the march - as do most Mass-going Catholics.  The Church gets the message out.  Although some people say there is a secular news media black out of sorts, determined to bury the story.  But hundreds of thousands marching on Washington is a hard one to ignore.
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President Obama leads the way of course, in the arrogant affirmation of Roe v. Wade:
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President Obama, however, praised the Roe v. Wade decision on its anniversary, Jan. 22, stating that he is “committed to protecting this constitutional right.” The decision held that a right to abortion was implicit in the 14th amendment, a provision originally intended to ensure that no person or group would be unjustly deprived of “life, liberty, or property” after the abolition of slavery.

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The president, whose 2009 “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” allocated a total of $4.1 billion for government-funded or state-run child-care programs, nonetheless said that the Roe decision “affirms the fundamental principle” that “government should not intrude on private family matters.” - CNA
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"Hundreds of thousands" - imagine that.  The tide is against him.  The President will offer his State of the Union tonight - but he won't get it right.
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H/T Pewsitters

Christian Unity

Silence of the lambs.
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The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity comes to a close today, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.  I've never been a great devotee of this observance.  I of course pray for these intentions and all of the intentions of the Holy Father, but I'm not sure I do much else, or even think very deeply about it.
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Sometimes I've lamented the fact non-Catholic friends do not understand why they can't receive Communion with me, especially when they see the whole church going forward for Communion.  I can explain it to them, but they still don't really 'get it'.  Likewise when I'm with a devout Orthodox or Anglican Christian - we find we believe exactly - or close enough - the same things, but there is no inter-communion.  Ordinary people do not see division as clearly as the theologians and scholars, and in a time when errors are taught more often than truth, it is no wonder ordinary people become confused, if not apathetic.
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Ecumenism seems to me to be a rather vague term in the first place.  I recall learning about it in the 6th grade, when we were encouraged to do a project on the subject - for Christian Unity Week of course.  That was in the early '60's - a few years later (1964) Catholics were 'at last' encouraged to join other Christians in prayer for Christian unity.  (That got out of hand of course, and we see many abuses today.)  Nevertheless, I chose for my project to interview a married Orthodox priest and learn about Russian Orthodoxy.  I had calendars and icon prints and wrote a very good report - which included the issue of married priests in the Eastern rite.  Sr. Lillian decided not to permit me to give my presentation, I never knew why.  Somehow, I got the feeling she didn't know what ecumenism meant either.  So much for Christian Unity Week back then.  I saw Sr. Lillian years later at a Fatima event, she was one of the few of her order still wearing the old habit, and wasn't at all interested in our reunion. 
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So yeah, I pray, pay, and obey with this one... being a sheep isn't a bad thing.  Perhaps my best efforts for Christian Unity have been my prayers for my parent's conversion and happy death... God heard those.
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With all the division amongst Catholics, Christian Unity almost seems impossible, but as we know, nothing is impossible for God.
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My best efforts seem limited to prayer and acceptance of non-Catholics, Christian or not, devout or not; after all,  we share the same planet.  That said, I'm not interested in worship outside the Roman Catholic Church or the corruption of the Roman rite by non-sacramental, low church innovation and novelty.

Remember when the Pope encouraged Catholics to blog?

Good idea, right?
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Everyone felt so empowered after that - some even thinking of it as a vocation or a special call.  Maybe it is.  But the Holy Father seems to be aware of how all of that is going... adding caution to our wind, as it were.
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI told Catholic bloggers and Facebook and YouTube users Monday to be respectful of others when spreading the Gospel online and not to see their ultimate goal as getting as many online hits as possible.
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Echoing concerns in the U.S. about the need to root out online vitriol, Benedict called for the faithful to adopt a "Christian style presence" online that is responsible, honest and discreet.
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"We must be aware that the truth which we long to share does not derive its worth from its 'popularity' or from the amount of attention it receives," Benedict wrote in his annual message for the church's World Day of Social Communications.
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"The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive." - Google News
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The Pope urged users of social networks to ask themselves "Who is my 'neighbour' in this new world?" and avoid the danger of always being available online but being "less present to those whom we encounter in our everyday life". - Reuters

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Kudos.  As one priest might say, "Why don't you go over to the Vatican website and raise those stats."  ;)
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H/T Michael R for the story.

Cyber overload: "Are you talkin' to me?"

The Internet IS the Antichrist.
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I check out my friend Angela's blog every day, and today she said she's taking a break.  She says there is too much depressing, sex-saturated news stories, blog posts and Facebook soft porn photos of people she knows.  I know what she's talking about.  It all gets to be too much and though everyone is talking, things just seem to be getting worse.
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Periodically I write about living online and all of the foibles of Internet addicts - including my own.  I dare say many of us are in denial that we are addicted - I know I am.  Truth be told, I never miss a day blogging - even when I say, "I'll be offline for the day."  But that usually means I'll have a post ready by sunset.  Some bloggers literally live online - count the daily posts and twitters. 
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Anyway - experts are checking in on how it is all going - the social networking thing, that is.  Angela may have some support for her moratorium...
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"The way in which people frantically communicate online via Twitter, Facebook and instant messaging can be seen as a form of modern madness, according to a leading American sociologist.
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"A behaviour that has become typical may still express the problems that once caused us to see it as pathological," MIT professor Sherry Turkle writes in her new book, Alone Together, which is leading an attack on the information age.
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Turkle's thesis is simple: technology is threatening to dominate our lives and make us less human. Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber-reality that is a poor imitation of the real world." - Finish reading.
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Blogging, Twittering, inter-Face-booking and web browsing all day and night is not exactly a life, much less a real job - no matter how much your followers/friends box, wishlist and donation bucket gets filled.  Con-job might be a better word for one's virtual reality existence on one's imaginary digital continent.

Orphans and widows.

Sunday vigil Mass is full of them.
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Tonight I spoke to Kevin.  He's a recovering alcoholic, disabled due to a head injury.  He lived with his mom who died at 3PM on Christmas day.  He doesn't know what to do now, "because she took care of me."  He told me he may be placed in a half-way house, "but I can't endure that!  I won't last."  He is a devout guy - in his 40's I think.  I'm not able to help him except to pray for him.  I know a couple of other orphans just like him.  They sometimes stop by adoration - these guys lost their moms too - and now they are on their own.
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Please pray with me for these adult children, newly orphaned.  They are very frightened that they will fall away and be lost.
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Art:  Madonna of the Disabled - Filippo Lippi 

Something....

Winter, 1945 - Wyeth:  "I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure in the landscape — the loneliness of it — the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it; the whole story doesn't show."

"I know they are pro-abortion, but I can't help but like them - they are really nice people."

I said that about the Obamas during the nightly news last night.  I know!  I can't believe I can be so easily misled and compromise my morals like that. 
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Lord have mercy!

Spiritual jerks.

Kind of.
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Someplace John of the Cross, speaking of the censure of a nun, says something like, "It wouldn't be so difficult if she wasn't so spiritual."  In other words, the woman must have been a spiritual know-it-all to some degree.  A spiritual jerk.  (I'm playing fast and loose with the John of the Cross quotes here BTW.)
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Thank God Jesus loves us, even when we are spiritual know-it-all jerks.  I was so consoled to read this from Magnificat, the meditation for the day taken from Blessed Columba Marmion:
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Nothing is more fatal in the spiritual life than the thought that we can do anything good without Our Lord, and our self-love is so subtle, that unconsciously we attribute to ourselves the little good that we do, which spoils everything.  (Ed. Note: Sometimes we blow it way out of proportion too.)  Our Lord, out of love, leaves us sometimes to our wicked nature, and then we are frightened in seeing all the evil and the possibilities of evil hidden in us.  It is not that we are worse than before, but Our Lord lets us see the depths of evil grace had covered.  During these moments we should act in union with God's designs, by humbling ourselves profoundly and throwing ourselves into God's arms. - From a Letter by Bl. Marmion

Catholic Spiritual Direction

I found a real Catholic blog with with real Catholic spiritual director priests.  It is called Catholic Spiritual Direction.  Looks good to me.

Here's the deal...

There are not many things in life you can be sure of... except:
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Birds fall from the skies,
fish jump out of the ocean,
priests are falsely accused,
and Ricky Gervais is funny!
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And one more thing:  "Is it a saint's name?" update...
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Blanket Jackson's patron saint could be St. Blaithmac.  St Blaithmac was an Irish abbot and martyr, he is also the patron saint of girls/boys named Bathmat.

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Photo: Tarkovsky's Stalker

Canon Law and Church Discipline and Clerics.

Clericus nec comam nutriat nec barbam.
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Did you know Catholic priests were once forbidden to wear beards?
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I know!
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The legislation requiring the beard to be shaved seems to have remained in force throughout the Middle Ages. Thus an ordinance of the Council of Toulouse, in 1119, threatened with excommunication the clerics who "like a layman allowed hair and beard to grow", and Pope Alexander III ordained that clerics who nourished their hair and beard were to be shorn by their archdeacon, by force if necessary. This last decree was incorporated in the text of the canon law (Decretals of Gregory IX, III, tit. i, cap. vii). Durandus, finding mystical reasons for everything, according to his wont, tells us that "length of hair is symbolical of the multitude of sins. Hence clerics are directed to shave their beards; for the cutting of the hair of the beard, which is said to be nourished by the superfluous humours of the stomach, denotes that we ought to cut away the vices and sins which are a superfluous growth in us. Hence we shave our beards that we may seem purified by innocence and humility and that we may be like the angels who remain always in the bloom of youth." (Rationale, II, lib. XXXII.)
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In spite of this, the phrase barbam nutrire which was classical in the matter, and was still used by the Fifth Council of Lateran (1512), always remained somewhat ambiguous. Consequently usage in the sixteenth century began to interpret the prohibition as not inconsistent with a short beard. There are still many ordinances of episcopal synods which deal with the subject, but the point upon which stress is laid is that the clergy "should not seem to be aping the fashions of military folk" or wearing flowing beards like goats (hircorum et caprarum more), or allowing the hair on their upper lip to impede their drinking of the chalice. This last has always been accounted a solid reason in favour of the practice of shaving. To judge by the portraits of the popes, it was with Clement VII (1523) that a distinct beard began to be worn, and many among his successors, for example Paul III, allowed the beard to grow to considerable length. St. Charles Borromeo attempted to check the spread of the new fashion, and in 1576 he addressed to his clergy a pastoral "De barbâ radendâ" exhorting them to observe the canons. Still, though the length of clerical beards decreased during the seventeenth century, it was not until its close that the example of the French court and the influence of Cardinal Orsini, Archbishop of Beneventum, contributed to bring about a return to the earlier usage. For the last 200 years there has been no change, and an attempt made by some of the clergy of Bavaria in 1865 to introduce the wearing of beards was rebuked by the Holy See.
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As already noted, in Eastern lands a smooth face carries with it the suggestion of effeminacy. For this reason the clergy, whether Catholic or Schismatic, of the Oriental churches have always worn their beards. The same consideration, together with a regard for practical difficulties, has influenced the Roman authorities in according a similar privilege to missionaries, not only in the East but in other barbarous countries where the conveniences of civilization cannot be found. In the case of religious orders like the Capuchins and the Camaldolese Hermits the wearing of a beard is prescribed in their constitutions as a mark of austerity and penance. Individual priests who for medical or other reasons desire to exempt themselves from the law require the permission of their bishop. - Source
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Oh!  My!  Gosh!  Someone!  Quick!  Email Dr. Peters!

ob·se·qui·ous /əbˈsēkwēəs/ Adjective: Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.

What?
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Photo: Obama and Hu?

Des hommes et des dieux

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I very much want to see this film.
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Trappist monk who survived Algeria massacre prays for conversion of assassins...
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Madrid, Spain, Jan 17, 2011 / 05:01 pm (CNA).- Brother Jean Pierre Schumacher is one of two monks who escaped death in the massacre of Thibirine, Algeria in 1996. Since then, he has not ceased praying for the conversion of the Muslim extremists who killed seven members of his community.

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The Trappist monk granted an interview to the Spanish weekly Alfa y Omega following the debut of the film “Of Gods and Men,” runner-up at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. The film recounts the last three years of the French Trappist monks at Thibirine, who were kidnapped and beheaded by members of the Armed Islamic Group.
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Brother Schumacher, who today lives at a Trappist monastery in Morocco, escaped death because the kidnappers did not see him.
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The Trappist monk emphasized that Algeria had strong “relations between Christians and Muslims.” He noted that in the world today, if there is conflict in between cultures and religions, “it is because we don't know each other well enough. When we mutually know each other, we are like brothers,” he said. - CNA
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The monks' words and witness contradict many of our own attitudes today, proving that God's ways are not men's ways.

Ordinary Time

What it means officially.
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The Latin Tempus Per Annum ("time throughout the year") is rendered into English as "Ordinary Time." Many sources, online and in print, suggest that Ordinary Time gets its name from the word ordinal, meaning "numbered," since the Sundays of Ordinary Time, as in other seasons, are expressed numerically. However, others suggest the etymology of "Ordinary Time" is related to our word "ordinary" (which itself has a connotation of time and order, derived from the Latin word ordo). Ordinary Time occurs outside of other liturgical time periods, periods in which specific aspects of the mystery of Christ are celebrated. According to The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, the days of Ordinary Time, especially the Sundays, "are devoted to the mystery of Christ in all its aspects."

Ordinary Time encompasses that part of the Christian year that does not fall within the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter. The Catholic Church celebrates two periods of the year as Ordinary Time. The first period begins after the Feast Baptism of the Lord (the Sunday after The Epiphany) has ended. Some interpret this to mean that Ordinary Time begins on Sunday night, while others, including The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, specifically mention the first period of Ordinary Time beginning on the Monday after the Baptism of the Lord. Either way, the point is the same. The next Sunday is still reckoned "The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time," because it is the Sunday of the second week in Ordinary Time. The reckoning can be confusing, and has many asking "what happened to the first Sunday in Ordinary Time?" This first period of Ordinary Time runs until the Tuesday evening before Ash Wednesday. The Second period of Ordinary Time runs from the Monday after Pentecost until Evening Prayer is said the night before Advent begins. This includes Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of Ordinary Time. In some denominations, the Sundays of the second period of Ordinary Time are numbered "Sundays After Pentecost." - Source

Some thoughts.
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It seems to me many traditional liturgists hate the term Ordinary Time used to designate the liturgical season outside Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Paschaltide.  Other Catholics, including some priests think of it as a sort of boring season.  In fact my pastor just described it as a time to prepare for Lent.  As we know, Lent is a time to prepare for Easter.  With that type of thinking, one lives one's life in perpetual anticipation of another more colorful and fulfilling period of time, thus missing the present moment.  Others may disagree, but I think Ordinary Time is a wonderful time to appreciate what St. Jose-Maria Escriva calls  "the greatness of ordinary life"
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Let me stress this point: it is in the simplicity of your ordinary work, in the monotonous details of each day, that you have to find the secret, which is hidden from so many, of something great and new: Love. - Furrow, 489

So many of us today seem to be afraid of the ordinary - we refuse to be ordinary.  So many today focus their lives, their ambitions on what is extraordinary; in lifestyle, career, entertainment, and even in one's spirituality.  We tend to forget that the majority of Christ's time on earth was spent in obscurity, living an ordinary life.  The essence of the spiritual life is found in the most ordinary - fidelity to one's duty in one's state in life.  It is the teaching of the saints, the way of abandonment to Divine Providence, described by de Caussade.  It is the little way laid out by Therese of Lisieux.  And to be sure, ever since the days of St. Anthony of Egypt, whose feast we observe today, it is what comprises monastic life.  The Christian prepares for eternal life doing the ordinary in ordinary time.
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Good and faithful servants.
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All too often I've been critical of monks and nuns and contemporary religious life, questioning observance and fidelity to rules and charisms, and so on.  I have come to understand that even in the worst religious house, the religious who live there, persevering day in and day out - no matter if they are in active apostolates or live a contemplative life, these folks are much better than I could ever hope to be.  Why?  Because they are faithful to the ordinary duties of their state in life, patiently enduring, persevering in their vocation - day in and day out.  Ordinary life, in ordinary time is more important than we know.

Santo Nino de Cebu: "Let the children come to me..."

Today is the feast day of the Santo Nino de Cebu.
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Filipinos around the world celebrate today, the third Sunday in January as his feast day.  Providentially this year the date coincides with the beginning of the monthly novena to the Infant Jesus.
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+Prayer+

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O miraculous Santo Nino prostrate before your sacred Image, we beseech you to cast a merciful look on our troubled hearts. Let Your tender love, so inclined to pity, be softened at our prayers, and grant us that grace for which we ardently implore you. Take from us all unbearable affliction and despair. For your sacred infancy's sake hear our prayers and send us consolation and aid that we may praise you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

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A dear friend sent me the following, I had either read this or something similar many years ago on what the Sta. Nino did when he first arrived...
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"In the whole Orient, only here did the Church display its old genius for using and transforming the material it found . . . And the Church could not do otherwise, because there was one ahead of it to show the way. Again, it was merely following the lead of its Lord. For the Child was here before the Church. The Child was willing to join our pagan idols, if only to defeat and demolish them. The Child was willing to live a pagan among us, and to become a rain god for us, and to bless our heathen ceremonies. But all the time it was preparing us for the Faith. When Legazpi and Urdaneta arrived, they found it so much easier to convert us because we had, unknowingly, been tempered for conversion by the Child." (Nick Joaquin)

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Happy feast day!
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Links:
History of Santo Nino
Santo Nino - Wkipedia
Novena Prayers
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Thanks to Fr. Gary for the reminder.  Thanks C. for the Joaquin quote.

The Blessed Virgin

I know why she weeps.
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When I was very little, I remember being dazzled by the Blessed Virgin, oohing and awing at her altar in every Catholic church I entered.  Almost running to kneel at the communion rail to pray.  I always visited Our Lady's altars in every church, even to this day I am moved to pray at her feet.
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Last night I recalled my habit of kneeling at her altar every day after school upon my visit to the Blessed Sacrament; when I was in first grade, second grade - on through grade school.  Once, in 7th grade, while praying at Our Lady's altar for my mom and dad - some kids yelled into the church, "Your father's a jailbird."  One of the nuns heard them and shooed them away.  Sr. Vivian didn't like me or my family, and never acknowledged me or the incident.  Not long after, my mother was informed I wouldn't be eligible for admission to the 8th grade in that school, charitable scholarships weren't available, hence I had to enroll in public school. 
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Daily Mass and my visits to Our Lady's altar never ceased during 8th grade...  But shortly after I began public high school, I stopped praying.
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I reminded Our Lady of that last night as I sat in her chapel at ,my parish.  I prayed for all the kids who are kept from her on account of the sins of their parents.
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Oh how the thoughts of many hearts are laid bare before her... and that is why Our Lady weeps.

Guys in capes...

Well it's really a coat, only worn like a cape.  Notice how it looks?  Notice the attitude of the wearer. 
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Photo credit:  Sartorialist

Homosexual's kids in Catholic schools.

Boston Archdiocese releases non-discrimination policy.
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Well intentioned, faithful Catholics often ask why gay couples would want their kids in Catholic school in the first place, especially since Catholic teaching condemns homosexual acts and anything resembling same sex marriage.  I have to wonder, "Why not?"  Perhaps these couples recognize the truth contained in Catholic teaching, and believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Catholic Church.  So who wouldn't want their kids in a Catholic school?  Other people see it as a case of dissidents infiltrating the Church in the attempt to change Catholic teaching.
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This past week the Boston Archdiocese laid out guidelines for welcoming children from such households.  I totally understand the fears many people have about this decision, especially since the guidelines contain the following instruction:  "Each school should implement a recruitment and marketing program to maximize its enrollment consistent with its capacity and location."  God only knows how some schools will market themselves.
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Bad parenting and the role of Catholic education.
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Like I always say however, my parents were in a civil marriage, alcoholic, promiscuous, my dad in and out of jail, oh - he was a Lutheran as well, and hated Catholic teaching on divorce and remarriage, they never went to Mass, we were on welfare, and by golly, my mom got us into Catholic school anyway.  What if the nuns or the pastors would have told my fallen away Catholic mom to go to hell the way people want to tell same sex couples and their kids to go to hell?  It is doubtful I would be a practicing Catholic today without having had that Catholic education. 
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Personally, I think many marriages are bad, and parenting is worse.  I think it unfortunate that we have so many single parent families, and I'm totally against same-sex marriage, as well as single people adopting children.  (I know!)  But this isn't Little House On the Prairie, in large urban areas especially, there is a far different reality.  When parents fail to train their kids for heaven, isn't that an opportunity for the Church to step in?  After all, isn't this the era of the "new evangelization"? 
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"While Jesus was at table many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him... " - Today's Gospel, Mark 2: 13-17
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For there were many sinners who followed him.
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Though dissident groups praise the Boston Archdiocese for such an 'open' policy, I personally do not see the action as affirming the homosexual lifestyle, since parents must agree to having their children taught Catholic doctrine.  Neither do I see the decision as a triumph.  Archbishop Chaput of course has a different view and is against admitting children of same sex couples for fear of harming them further.  Chaput has a point, but I'm still screwed up from my upbringing.  Nevertheless Catholic education provided me with faith, hope, and charity - as well as an identity and a basis for some stability in my life.  Sadly, the disconnect between dioceses and bishops points to the wider split in Catholic policy in this country.  To be sure, opponents to the Boston policy have a right to be heard as well as the right to take the matter up with the Holy See.  In the meantime, don't screw around with kids.
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I would rather save souls.
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Link: LifesiteNews

Good News: Venerable John Paul II will be beatified May 1.

TE DEUM laudamus: te Dominum confitemur.
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — The pope on Friday signed off on the miracle needed for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, and set May 1 as the date to honor one of the most beloved popes of all times as a model of saintliness for the church. - Source  (May 1 is Divine Mercy Sunday.)
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Photo:  Time cover with fresco style painting of Pope John Paul II.  It is one of my favorite portraits.  Artist information unknown.  Photo taken from Time Archive.
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H/T Spirit Daily
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You can't shut me up...

I Blame the Parents: Girls Busted For Phony Facebook Pages

Especially the moms...
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JANUARY 13--Two Florida girls are facing cyberstalking charges for allegedly creating a fake Facebook profile in the name of a fellow high school student and placing obscene photos on the page, including one showing their classmate’s head atop the body of a “nude prepubescent girl’s body,” according to investigators.

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When deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office last month interviewed one of the suspects, Taylor Wynn, 16, she admitted creating two fake Facebook pages “as a joke because she thought it would be funny.” Wynn said she was once friends with the unnamed victim, “but they do not like each other now.” - Read more here.
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I always blame the parents.  Mums and dadums, they are your kids... you raised them... and you did not do a good job, did you.
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Photo:  What?

One of THE Very Best Versions Ever

For the under-employed, unemployed, retirees and others who live online... Blog Award Season is here!

But blogging is not competitive... no... well, yeah... but...  Huh? 

"I like bloggers who work and play well with other bloggers. Some don’t, you know. Some bloggers think that others bloggers are competition. I think we can all help each other out."

Yes - and be sure to vote for your favs and drink lots of coffee while you're at it - oh and go over and drive up those stats too.
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2011 About.com Awards
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And... drum roll....
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Bloggers Choice Awards 2011

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I'm embarrassed at how much time I spend online.  Sometimes I'm even 'afraid' at how much:  2 hours in the morning, a couple more at night - with a brief check on email in the afternoon.  I paint at home - in another area away from the computer.  Sometimes those email checks take about an hour.  Is this really the best use of my time?  What about those people who have real jobs or careers and almost spend as much time as I do online?  What about people who have vocations who spend all of that time online?  I know for a fact they have to be spending hours reading email, researching stories, other blogs, other news sources, and so on.  All of this work for a nomination and/or an award for best actor without a real job?
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What?

Outside the USA: Catastrophic floods in Brazil...

Sometimes I wonder if Americans even realize there is a whole world outside the US and its dominions?
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Brazil is the latest country to be devastated by floods...
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Such disasters hit Brazil annually in its rainy summer season and unduly punish the poor, who often live in rickety shacks perched perilously on steep hillsides with little or no foundations.
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Rio state's Civil Defense department reported on its website that 159 people were killed in Teresopolis, 160 in nearby Nova Friburgo and 36 in neighboring Petropolis.
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"It's over. There's nothing. The water came down and swept everything away," said Sidney Silva. - Source
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"...unduly punish the poor."
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Photo:  Brazil floods - BBC

The Tuscon Memorial Service: "A Celebration of Life"...

"The lack of etiquette and decorum...  Oh my dear!  Who invited the riff-raff in?"
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Actually, I was impressed with the President's address at the memorial in Tuscon, and I was buoyed by the enthusiasm of the crowd.  I paid no attention to the political signs and t-shirts - these days everyone promotes something.  (How about some coffee with that Ham?)   Anyway, I stopped watching midway, satisfied the President was there, attempting to rally the country and honoring the dead, while affirming the wounded.  Like I said, I was impressed, but I had some painting to do and I tire of political rhetoric on how we should all just get along.
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The critics are out en masse today - that's just fine - that's contemporary American life.  Yet before 'they' go too far ripping apart the event for lack of decorum and sobriety, let them examine the way we do funerals in this country these days - even in Catholic churches.  It's no longer a funeral rite, but a celebration of life.  The dead aren't dead - they 'passed Go' and went straight to heaven - while the sick and wounded always fight to live - because life is worth celebrating and cheering and everyone is a hero and a champion in the Super Bowl of life.
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Fact is, most secular Americans take these events personally and seriously, and they observe and participate in them the only way they know how.   Give people a break in times like these.

Is it a saints name?

The Holy Father proposes a return to using Christian names for kids.

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POPE Benedict XVI has urged parents to use proper Christian names when naming their children.  The Pope was believed to be speaking out against the trend of copying obscure celebrity baby names. - Source
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Instead of "Apple".
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People do name their kids weird names - no doubt about it.  Even John Paul - few people realize the Pope took that name because he was a huge fan of Jean Paul Belmondo, the famous French actor.  I know!  That's a lie of course, but a lot of people name their kids after people - celebrity or not - instead of saints.  I myself prefer saints names.
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When I was baptized the priest questioned the name Terrance - I suppose it was at that point my mother had to convince him my patron saint was actually St. Therese.  Little did they know, there is a St. Terrance.  That said, many priests and Catholics don't always know if there is a saint associated with an unusual name already.  To be sure, if priests did know their saints a little better, they could actually help the irreligious mom and dad with a short catechesis in preparation for baptism, rather than trying to control and dictate what name they choose for their kid.  (Gosh!  So many rules!)
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I've written about all of this before, so I'll not waste time criticizing how church people decide to exercise their authority.  Parents should do their homework however, and surprise the priest with how much they actually know about what is in a name.
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For example:
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You like the name Evan?  Tell the priest it is a derivative of Eve - I think she was a Biblical figure.  For a boy it also works as a derivative for Evangelist - just tell Father the John is silent.
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How about the despised Tiffany?  A derivative of Epiphany - a Biblical event - and the girl has 3 kings for patrons.  Not bad.
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Sienna?  The patroness is Catherine of Sienna - or Bernadine.
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Avery?  How about Ave as in Maria?
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Adler?  Derivative of St. Adalbert.
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Just a few examples, I know.  I suggest you be creative if you want an unique baby name - and if all else fails, add "Mary" or "Maria" or "Joseph" to the name - religious people have done that for centuries.  Remember Sammy-Jo, Heather Locklear's character from "Dynasty"?  Jo could be for St. Josephine or Joseph, and Sammy would have to be for Samuel.  Oh sure, now you wonder who the patron saint for Heather is?  St. Eric of course.  The name Erica comes from the Latin word for the Heather plant. The name is the feminine form of Eric - there is a saint named Eric.
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A traditional saint's name would certainly be better than a name like "Apple", but it doesn't mean you can't be creative either.  Who knows - if you are good Catholic parents with an unusual baby name - that baby might become the very first St. "Apple".  I know, Gwyneth Paltrow is not Catholic, although I do wonder if Gwyneth may have named her daughter with St. Apollonia in mind?  It is a stretch, I know - but one might attribute Apple to Apollonia, might one?  BTW - Apollonia is the feminine for Apollo - a pagan God - the male equivalent is Apollonius.  Yet both are saints names.
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Anyway, don't get too bent out of shape about this whole thing.  I'd be more concerned that the parents are married and of the opposite sex, as well as intent upon raising the "Apple" Catholic. 

Prayers for the suffering Haitians on the first anniversary of the quake.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel of Haiti

O Mary, Black Madonna of Mt. Carmel, your children continue to suffer and have no one to help them rebuild... no one to nurse them back to health, no one to clothe and feed them, no one to minister to them spiritually in the manner they deserve and need.  O Blessed Mother of Perpetual Help, do not forget the poorest and most despised of your children.  O Mother of Prompt Succor, delay no longer and come to their aid!  Convert the hearts of those who control and exploit your children, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.  Move them to act promptly and decisively for the welfare of these souls most in need of Christ's mercy.  Amen

Thank you for hearing our prayer and obtaining the graces we ask for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Donate:  Catholic Relief Services Emergency Fund For Haiti.

USCCB News: Linda Hunt Appointed Director of Human Resources

Story here.
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What?
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Photo:  Linda Hunt

Breaking! The cape tutorial has been removed.

How to wear a cape with flair: A tutorial for celebrity clergy. Back by Popular Demand!

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Sorry, no male models could be found for this tutorial.
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What?

More cases of widespread sexual abuse by clergy.

From Fr. Gordon MacRae:
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“There are cases of sexual abuse that come to light day against a large number of the Catholic clergy. Unfortunately it’s not a matter of individual cases, but a collective moral crisis that perhaps the cultural history of humanity has never before known with such a frightening and disconcerting dimension. Numerous priests and religious have confessed. There’s no doubt that the thousands of cases which have come to the attention of the justice system represent only a small fraction of the true total, given that many molesters have been covered and hidden by the hierarchy.”

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This isn’t an editorial in yesterday’s New York Times, nor is it the opening gun in a new lawsuit by Jeffrey Anderson. It also isn’t a quote from S.N.A.P. or V.O.T. F. It is part of a speech delivered on May 28, 1937 by Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda for the Third Reich. - Catholic Scandal and the Third Reich

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Some facts from Dr. Thomas Plante, PhD:
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“Catholic clergy are not more likely to abuse children than other clergy or men in general.” [As I pointed out in "Due Process for Accused Priests," priests convicted of sexual abuse account for no more than three (3) out of 6,000 incarcerated, paroled, and registered sex offenders.]

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“Clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic church cannot be blamed on celibacy.” The majority of men convicted of sexual abuse are married and/or divorced.
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“Almost all of the clergy sexual abuse cases that we hear about in the news are from decades ago,” most from the 1960s to 1970s.
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“Most clergy sex offenders are not pedophiles.” Eighty percent of accusers were post-pubescent teens, and not children, when abuse was alleged to have occurred.”
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“There is much to be angry about,” Dr. Plante concluded, but anger about the above media-fueled misconceptions is misplaced.   Why this isn’t clearer in the secular press is no mystery. As one observer of the news media wrote, “More than illness or death, the American journalist fears standing alone against the whim of his owners or the prejudice of his audience.” Lewis Lapham, Money and Class in America, Ch. 9, (1988). - ibid
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Click here for more information on Fr. MacRae.
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h/t Spero News and Pewsitter

The Assassin

Oh come on!  Who didn't know this guy was a nutcase?  Who sold the idiot the gun?

There ought to be a law.