The 3rd Day of Christmas ... Catholics love to drink edition.

Happy St. John's Day!

"Saint John the Evangelist is blessing the poisoned chalice given him by a pagan priest of Ephesus to test him, but the poison escapes from the chalice in the form of a small two-headed dragon, as Jacobus de Voragine recounts in his Golden Legend (1228-1298)... Saint John the Evangelist is depicted holding a chalice, an allusion to his being put to the test by the high priest of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus. The high priest said to him: "If you want me to believe in your god, I will give you some poison to drink and, if it does not harm you, it means that your god is the true God." Thus the picure shows Saint John making the gesture of blessing which was to neutralize the poison escaping from the chalice in the form of a small two-headed dragon. He was then able to drink the potion, according to the legend."

Works for me.

Christmas break.

Seems as if I've been on a break for quite sometime.

It's because I've lost interest in much of what I used to write about, and more so, what others write about.  It seems to me that we only have problems if we allow ourselves to have problems.  The things we worry about and endlessly discuss - especially those things out of our control - will all be solved one way or another.

Sister Wendy died today.  She was a hermit, art historian-critic, and a spiritual writer I admired very much.  She lived in a small, unheated caravan-trailer on the property of a Carmelite monastery.  She slept on the floor.  Not a worry in the world.

Everything gets resolved you know.

I didn't follow Christmas at the Vatican nor on media.  I went to a quiet Mass in a church old people frequent.  Very quiet, very hidden. 

Lovely peace, and simple joy.

I had a fire outside and lighted candles, decorated Our Lady's shrine in lights and fresh Babies Breath, fed the critters apples, nuts, and seeds, and prayed my rosary.  My cat remaining indoors but watch through the window.  It seemed to me very Tuscan, very Franciscan.

Merry Christmas ... make it last - we have 12 days of it!

Do you hear what I hear?

The first called ...

Buon Natale amici!

Today is my favorite day!

“I ALWAYS GET TO WHERE I’M GOING BY WALKING AWAY FROM WHERE I HAVE BEEN.” – POOH

Now I'm in the Christmas Spirit!

Art "Gerhard Glück"

Deep in thought ...

Gone are the days of instant romance 

And the nights of slow goodbyes 

That was a time of life when foxy was the dance 

But then you got wise to all my lies...

- Papillon

I didn't finish my Christmas cards.

I put the tree up, but I didn't finish decorating the house.

A friend asked if I was in

'the Christmas spirit'.

I am actually,

it's just different.

I've been thinking of the last Christmas of Margaret of Cortona.

She was hounded by gossip and rumors and suspicion to the end of her days.  The friars in Cortona sent her away to be near an isolated friary because of false accusations.  Seems timely in our day when so many are hounded by false accusations.  I mentioned this in a comment to someone on FB - I still can't articulate my thoughts on it very well, but I am reminded of St. Francis and his exposition of 'perfect joy' to Br. Leo.  It is good to keep in mind at Christmas.

The saints, in their abject poverty were especially open to understand the true meaning of Christmas.  Christ, born in the poorest conditions, no place to lay his head.  It wasn't at all cozy.

'Cosa Nostra' Secrets of The Italian Family

You just learn to stay with your family.

'Our Thing'

I'm not talking about the 'mob' or the 'Mafia', but just the average first and second generation Italian immigrant family of the 20th Century.  And it's almost just as dangerous to talk about their family stuff as it is to talk about real Mafia secrets.  They will cut you off and never forgive, much less forget, if you reveal anything.  They insist they don't tell lies, but neither do they admit to anything.  So let's just say they dissimulate.

Do you work?
-No, I don't work!
Why are you dressed as a waitress then?
-No!  I don't work!

I was thinking about this after an in-law lost her partner, whom I never met or was told about, and her daughter mourned him as her step-dad.  All of these years, I never knew.

All Of Them

Hebda bars Nienstedt from celebrating Mass in Twin Cities.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda says he is troubled by the Vatican's failure to conclude an investigation into allegations that former Archbishop John Nienstedt behaved inappropriately with young men.

In a post on the archdiocese website, Hebda said that investigative materials were submitted to the Vatican in 2014, but the Vatican apparently halted any investigation of its own when Nienstedt resigned in 2015.

"Thus, the matter remains unresolved for the accusers, for Archbishop Nienstedt and for the public," Hebda wrote. "I share the frustration that is felt by them, and believe this situation highlights the need for a better-defined process and independent mechanism to resolve allegations made against bishops." - MPR

Religious fruitcakes are like dry alcoholics - you can remove the alcohol but you still have fruitcake.

I'll be right with you ...

My apologies for not responding to your emails ... 

St. John of the Cross and Purgatory

 A person's sufferings at this time cannot be exaggerated...


It is interesting to note that when speaking of the suffering of souls in the "deep, terrifying darkness" of the actual dark night (the initial stages of contemplation or the purgative stage), the intensity of their suffering is likened to that of the soul in purgatory.  Keep in mind John of the Cross is speaking about contemplatives here.  Nevertheless there is something analogous to what every soul experiences sooner or later - later meaning purgatory if we are fortunate.  The following is an excerpt from The Living Flame of Love, by John of the Cross, just for your edification.


All the soul's infirmities are brought to light; they are set before its eyes to be felt and healed. 


19. Before the divine fire is introduced into the substance of the soul and united with it through perfect and complete purgation and purity, its flame, which is the Holy Spirit, wounds the soul by destroying and consuming the imperfections of its bad habits. And this is the work of the Holy Spirit, in which he disposes it for divine union and transformation in God through love. 
The very fire of love that afterward is united with the soul, glorifying it, is what previously assailed it by purging it, just as the fire that penetrates a log of wood is the same that first makes an assault on the wood, wounding it with the flame, drying it out, and stripping it of its unsightly qualities until it is so disposed that it can be penetrated and transformed into the fire. 

Spiritual writers call this activity the purgative way. In it a person suffers great deprivation and feels heavy afflictions in the spirit that ordinarily overflow into the senses, for this flame is extremely oppressive. 

In this preparatory purgation the flame is not bright for a person but dark. If it does shed some light, the only reason is so the soul may see its miseries and defects. It is not gentle but afflictive. Even though it sometimes imparts the warmth of love, it does so with torment and pain. And it is not delightful, but dry. Although sometimes out of his goodness God accords some delight in order to strengthen and encourage it, the soul suffers for this before and afterward with another trial. 

Neither is the flame refreshing and peaceful, but it is consuming and contentious, making a person faint and suffer with self-knowledge. Thus it is not glorious for the soul, but rather makes it feel wretched and distressed in the spiritual light of self-knowledge that it bestows. As Jeremiah declares, God sends fire into its bones and instructs it [Lam. 1:13]; and as David also asserts, he tries it with fire [Ps. 17:3].

20. At this stage persons suffer from sharp trials in the intellect, severe dryness and distress in the will, and from the burdensome knowledge of their own miseries in the memory, for their spiritual eye gives them a very clear picture of themselves. In the substance of the soul they suffer abandonment, supreme poverty, dryness, cold, and sometimes heat. They find relief in nothing, nor does any thought console them, nor can they even raise the heart to God, so oppressed are they by this flame. This purgation resembles what Job said God did to him: You have changed to being cruel toward me [Jb. 30:21]. For when the soul suffers all these things jointly, it truly seems that God has become displeased with it and cruel.

21. A person's sufferings at this time cannot be exaggerated; they are but little less than the sufferings of purgatory. I do not know how to explain the severity of this oppression and the intensity of the suffering felt in it, save by what Jeremiah says of it in these words: I am the man that sees my poverty in the rod of his indignation. He has led me and brought me into darkness and not into light. Only against me he has turned and turned again his hand. He has made my skin and my flesh old, and he has broken my bones. He has surrounded me and compassed me with gall and labor. He has set me in dark places as those who are dead forever. He has built around me that I might not get out. He made my fetters heavy. And besides this when I have cried out and prayed, he has shut out my prayer. He shut up my ways with square rocks and turned my steps and paths upside down [Lam. 3:1-9].  - Living Flame of Love

Our Lady comes to us.

My brother was buried on this date. 

One day he confided to me (just before his illness was diagnosed 'terminal') that Our Lady had recently appeared to him in a "Flash! A second!" - while he was trying to exercise. I asked what she looked like and he described Our Lady as she is depicted upon the Miraculous Medal - the Immaculate Conception.
.
"Did she say anything?" I asked.
.
"No, she just smiled."*
.
"What did you think?" I inquired further.
.
"I don't know. I felt good... I felt at peace... I felt as if everything was going to be okay," he stammered, asking, "do you think it was her?"
.
"Yep! I really do. She does that - that's just how she does it sometimes, and you know it's her." I assured him.
.
My brother made his confession and received the sacraments shortly before he died in 1991 on the feast of Our Lady of Loreto. The way I knew in my heart that Our Lady had come for him is because he was laid to rest on the Solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 2 days later..
.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee and for those who do not have recourse to thee, especially the enemies of the Church and those recommended to thee.

Trust Our Lady. Consecrate yourself to the Madonna. Pray the rosary every day. Our Lady is refuge of sinners: God gives the lonely a home to live in! He protects widows and orphans!

Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,
such is God in his holy place.

God gives the lonely a home to live in ...

O.L. of the Smile.

(I also think St. Therese

had a lot to do with it.)

YES!

Trappist Martyrs of Atlas

What the Pope said:


The Lord invites us to allow ourselves to be consoled by Him; and this is also helpful in our preparation for Christmas. And today, the Pope said, in the opening prayer from the Mass, we asked for the grace of a sincere joyfulness, of this simple but sincere joy:

And indeed, I would say that the habitual state of the Christian should be consolation. Even in bad moments: The martyrs entered the Colosseum singing; [and] the martyrs of today – I think of the good Coptic workers on the beach in Libya, whose throats were cut – died saying “Jesus, Jesus!” There is a consolation within: a joy even in the moment of martyrdom. The habitual state of the Christian should be consolation, which is not the same as optimism, no. Optimism is something else. But consolation, that positive base… We’re talking about radiant, positive people: the positivity, the radiance of the Christian is the consolation. - VN

21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya.

How prophetic.  Just today another shooting.  In a cathedral in Brazil.  Story here.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Burke: One would think of the Renaissance ... -source

Some priests really do follow Ann Barnhardt ...

She should maybe teach Canon Law, she's so brilliant.

Even those who know Latin.

Barnhardt writes for The Remnant, 1P5, and has a Catholic following bigger than any fake-mystic-locutionist alive.  Or so it seems.  She claims her essays are translated into Polish and German as well.  Guess what - Fr. Z is a friend and likely secret-follower.

I have notes from people asking about something that my friend Ann Barnhardt wrote about the Latin text of the address Benedict XVI gave when he announced that he was going to abdicate. Ann contended that the Latin, as written and pronounced, indicated that Benedict did not truly resign. - Z

What is especially curious about subjunctive musings such as these is that Fr. Z gets himself tangled in Barnhardt's fish-nets.  For one, he agrees with her that "priests not knowing Latin" is a problem:

Yes, friends, this is a problem. I think that Latin Rite priests – in their copious free time – would do well to work on Latin, the language of their Rite. - Z

Not that there is anything wrong with that particular agreement.  However, his having read Barnhardt's update, does he agree with her  that 'Bergolio' is an 'Antipope'?  How much does he buy into her insane rants about the Church and the bishops?  Some days there does seem to be at least a semblance of agreement.  Barnhardt is a fringe conspiracy-monger, is that how the slavish-Latinist wants to be regarded?  Why wouldn't he comment on her crazed rants against the pope and bishops, calling them Sodomites?  Yet he will correct a grammatical error with great fervor, and praise her for correcting it.  Strange allies.

One needs to beware false mystics and locutionists as much as those who sow division and hatred in and through their conspiracy theories and speculations against the Pope and Magisterium.

He who walks with wise men will be wise, 

But the companion of fools will suffer harm. - Proverbs

Never, ever believe anyone who propagates this kind of crap ...

Excommunicated Father Alessandro Minutella appears in a video on Radio Domina Nostra’s Facebook page, where he refuses to pledge obedience to Pope Francis. - Source

Glorious things are said of you, O City of God.

Let us disappear in her! 

May she alone remain, 

and we in her, a part of her.

- S. Maxmillian

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

For me, Our Lady is a paradise upon earth, a refuge for sinners, an unceasing consolation in this vale of tears, the pure joy of all who sorrow. For the Church to make this feast a day of obligation is a delight. The joy of the Immaculate Conception overflows into our souls, preparing us for the wonderful feast of the Nativity. The Madonna is our Mama, and she is the Immaculata!

It is wonderful to know as the Doctors and Fathers know, the truths of our faith, dogma and definitions, yet it is so much more wonderful to be suspended in awe-some unknowing before the majesty and mystery of the Immaculate Conception. The little ones know this.
I wish I had words, that no one ever has heard, to express this wondrous mystery, this perfect love, this purest being, this paradise wherein sinners find refuge, consolation and healing. If ever I felt like I had the gift of tongues, I could let loose now, in a holy babble of praise.

O Mary, Conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee! Repeat that over and over and over.

Or pray, "Thou art all fair O Mary, and the original stain is not in Thee! O Mary! O Mary, conceived without sin! Pray for us who have recourse to Thee!" Over and over and over.

The Eve of The Immaculate Conception ... Eva's name reversing.

Colonna dell'Immacolata

60th anniversary remembrance of Chicago's Our Lady of the Angels fire - 95 dead...

This story traumatized me when I was little.

I distinctly remember this terrible tragedy. It left a deep impression on me - I was definitely traumatized by it. Some of the nuns had the kids cling to their habits as they rolled down the stairs to rescue them. Another classroom was found, all the kids dead, but seated in an attitude of prayer, and the sister at her desk in the same position. It still gives me chills. It was heartbreaking.

The Badger Catholic: 60th anniversary remembrance of Chicago's Our Lady...: source The gathering Sunday was one of many planned to commemorate the devastating fire, one of Chicago’s worst tragedies. - Finish reading here.

A visit from St. Nicholas

The feast of St. Nicholas.

Yesterday I was behind three old men in the checkout line who were from the Netherlands.  I wished them a happy St. Nicholas Day.  They laughed and said, "That's for children!"  I chuckled and said, "I know!  But I'm old and I still celebrate him!"  For me it was a special visit from St. Nicholas.

Today I pray for all children and those who are like them. 

Especially those children who suffer abuse and neglect.

The Holy Bishop of Myra is especially venerated as the patron of children. Devotion to him ought to be increased these days as children are abducted and exploited through human trafficking and slavery - victims of forced labor and sexual exploitation. While others are killed in the womb, and in some cases after live birth... yet many more endure intolerable and abusive childhoods without proper parenting, without faith or hope. Never forget the children of divorce, or same sex couples, as well as children of benign neglect - often left alone by a single parent or grandparent, struggling to make ends meet. Of course there are children suffering from poverty and hunger throughout the world, yet there is that deeper poverty of living in an immoral household, be it prostitution, substance abuse, or illegal activity - again, without faith or hope.
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St. Nicholas, pray for us.

O champion wonderworker and splendid servant of Christ, 

thou who pourest out for all the world 

the most precious myrrh of mercy 

and who art an inexhaustible sea of miracles, 

we praise thee with love, Saint Nicholas. 

Since thou art one having boldness toward the Lord, 

from all dangers do thou deliver us, 

so that we may cry unto thee:

Rejoice, Saint Nicholas, Great Wonderworker.

RIP

America’s last great soldier statesman, a 20th century founding father.

George H.W. Bush

June 12, 1924 – November 30, 2018

Know you could tumble any second

Joy of all who sorrow.

Fr. Z - Was he targeted by liberals?

Assassination attempt in Paris?

I think it may be breaking news tomorrow ...

Hello darkness my old friend.

Deposition of St. Andrew

Anthony Visco

I was brought to nothing...

Very seriously I'm not sure what is going on in the world and the Church, a lot of stuff is way over my head.  Yet it's a wonderful grace, let me tell you.

I never listen to talk radio.  Never listened to Rush Limbaugh or followed conservative commentators online or off.  Some people I know on FB admire people like Ben Shapiro and others I know nothing about.  I don't follow or read conservative-liberal sites, except on occasion.  I don't do Crisis, nor do I follow James Martin - I'll visit sometimes, I may link, but I don't 'follow'. 

I think that is why I am able to keep praying, believing  and trusting. 

On the other hand, when I do allow myself to get sucked in, I lose my peace, as the Carmelite saints would say.  There is an awful lot that I have no need to know.  I still have confidence in the Church, the Pope, the Magisterium, and so on.  I believe in the promises of Christ.

That said, 'it was good to be afflicted'.

To be brought to nothing.  To have every support removed.  To be left alone in faith ... naked in faith.  It's what I love in Visco's charcoal of St. Andrew.

Happy feast day!

Don't look too closely ...

I read that someplace.

I think the Queen Mother said it about looking too closely at monarchy, that if you do, all the mystery disappears.  That's what is happening these days, as we examine one another too closely, we see all the faults, all the inconsistencies, and so on.  John of the Cross warned about that as well: Never take a man for your example - however holy he may be - for the devil will show you his faults.  

I came across an article suggesting the crisis in the Church is a crisis of mystical theology, I kind of agree.  It's also a problem of ascetical theology.  If a person read and followed some of the guidance John of the Cross offers in his advice to beginners and his precautions to religious, I doubt they would be so busy looking for the speck in each other's eye, much less see themselves as judges and qualified to condemn one another.

I did a quick scan of some news aggregates and blogs and noted that some people seem to be distancing themselves from Ann Barnhardt and her 'crazy train' claiming Francis is an anti-pope.  That's a good sign.  Although scanning some of her long-time supporters, I noted they still cling to their Grand Inquisition propaganda and work outing Church leaders.

That is not the faith.

Though it is not my business, I have to wonder how many of these folks can practice their faith?  Do they pray?  Examine their conscience?  If they constantly judge by appearance, or by excerpts from a letter or article, or a pull-quote from an interview, how can they judge?

I often think of what our Lord said in the Gospel: How can you believe when you seek approval from one another?  I have written about this stuff so often, it never gets old for me.  It's always a reminder to me to avoid the trap of looking too closely.  The devil - the accuser - only shows what is wicked.  He only seeks to discredit.  He inspires false zeal, and in the process plunges the soul into darkness, depression and acedia.  He hates devotion.

I have nothing to add any longer.  Not much left to say that hasn't been said already.

"What the devil can't do himself he does by using other people. He takes up his position on the tongues and in the hearts of his servants and before their mind's eye. He makes them see what doesn't exist. So they conceive within their hearts all sorts of evil thoughts and resentments regarding their neighbors - often regarding those they most love." - S. Catherine of Siena

Take warning from the example of Lot's wife who, because she was disturbed at the destruction of Sodom, turned back to look at it. 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

Cooking shows ...

I always loved this show, Cooking With Dorothy... God Among the Pots and Pans.

What will happen to Fr. Z now?

Out of sync ...

Random reflections.

Yesterday, while at Mass I found myself missing the traditional Mass. That rarely happens to me. (It was most likely because it was the Feast of Christ the King and the Ordinary Form isn't able to project that mystery very well.)

Likewise, with all the squabbles going on in the Church, I some days do not know what to think, much less who to believe. The priest's homily was about apologetics and how important it is to read books by apologists. I had to wonder if he goes online - I know he does.  But I thought, how can you read an apologist's defense of the faith when they are all fighting one another, dissing every word, dismissing one another as alt-right/alt-left, and many, if not most, questioning everything the Pope and the Magisterium have to say? (I stand with the Pope and bishops in communion with him, BTW.) In a boast for apologetics, Father said, "Catholics are smart!" He kind of lost me there ... I couldn't help but recall what St. Paul had to say about the simple ones Christ called: "God chose the foolish of the world to confound the wise ..."  To be sure, there is nothing wrong with reading, but I will stick to the solid and true - those I can trust - and bypass those who are trying to write a best seller, while denigrating the competition.

Catholic apologists can get pretty 'puffed up'.  And Catholics are so proud of being intellectual and smarter than anyone else on earth.

"You search the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf.  But you do not want to come to me to have life."

Missionary position.

Another squabble onliners are quibbling about is the missionary guy who set out to evangelize the Sentinelese tribe and got shot with arrows. The guy was a self-appointed 'missionary' and his visit was illegal. The tribe made their preference to be left alone clear and authorities have thus far honored their wishes, making it illegal to approach them or visit their island.  In a sense they were simply protecting their homeland from invasion.

"John Allen Chau, 27, was killed with arrows as he illegally set foot on North Sentinel Island in the Indian Ocean after paddling there in a kayak last week." - Source

Initially I thought Chau was foolish to do what he did, after all, the Sentelese made it clear they weren't interested in outsiders disturbing their peace and well-being, and they probably long ago rejected Christianity.  Missionaries maybe left them alone and shook the island dust from their sandals.

That said, contrary to popular Christianity-today opinion and policy of not proselytizing, few people seem to know that witnessing to Christ and the Gospel is still something Christians do. In fact, Christians are called to be missionaries. Though this man's actions were unusual and imprudent, to say the least - his going to a place where he could be martyred was never uncommon among the martyrs of ages past. 

St. Francis went to North Africa to proclaim the Gospel with the hope of being martyred, and yes - it was illegal for him to do so. In fact, it has always been illegal to proclaim the Gospel among peoples who rejected it. The Jesuits who went back to Protestant England and the English martyrs are excellent examples of domestic martyrdom.  Then we have the example of Japanese and Korean martyrs, and more recently, the Martyrs of Algiers, who will soon be beatified. Not forgetting the recent innumerable martyrs of ISIS in Egypt, and the Middle East, as well as the Nigerian Christians dying for the faith.  

So, make fun of John Allen Chau, but he just might be a martyr for the Christ in God's eyes.

"When the Son of Man returns will he find any faith at all on earth?"

Bishop Morlino

Dear Bishop Morlino died tonight.

Diocese of Madison1 hr · 
It is our sad duty to inform you of the death of Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison. Bishop Morlino died tonight, Saturday, November 24th, at approximately 9:15 pm at St. Mary Hospital in Madison at the age of 71. Funeral plans are pending and you will be notified via email of final arrangements.
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

Prayers for the repose of his soul.  May God reward him.  Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

I am so sorry that he has passed away.  An excellent bishop!

The way I feel.

Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J.

Blessed Miguel Pro

Does our life become from day to day more painful, 

more oppressive, more replete with afflictions? 

Blessed be He a thousand times who desires it so. 

If life be harder, love makes it also stronger, and only this love, 

grounded on suffering, 

can carry the Cross of my Lord Jesus Christ. 

Love without egotism, without relying on self, 

but enkindling in the depth of the heart an ardent thirst 

to love and suffer for all those around us: 

a thirst that neither misfortune nor contempt can extinguish... 

I believe, O Lord; but strengthen my faith... 

Heart of Jesus, I love Thee; but increase my love. 

Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee; but give greater vigor to my confidence. 

Heart of Jesus, I give my heart to Thee; 

but so enclose it in Thee that it may never be separated from Thee. 

Heart of Jesus, I am all Thine; 

but take care of my promise 

so that I may be able to put it in practice 

even unto the complete sacrifice of my life.

- Bl. Miguel Pro shortly before his death.

What does Thanksgiving mean today?

Mr. Pitt was forbidden to watch 

the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade as a child 

but made up for it when he won a ticket 

to hold the rope for the Woody Woodpecker balloon.

This will sound bad, but it seems to me it means whatever anyone wants it to mean.  It used to be about the harvest and thanking God for his blessings and so on.  It also used to be such feast days were preceded by penance and fasting.  The feast day, like a Sunday was meant as a day of rest as well as feasting with family and friends.

As a Catholic, I know every Mass or Eucharist is a Thanksgiving.  But Sundays are now shopping days and sports days.  As are most holidays.  As Americans, we have so much, and when we see what others have lost, we instinctively express gratitude for what we still have.  We also share more in the face of crisis - which is very good.  Sharing, alms giving is maybe better than prayer and fasting - except - all three together is what makes us saintly.  If we accept God's grace to do that, then we have very much to be grateful for.

Now that I'm old, for me Thanksgiving is no longer a sentimental journey, it's just what it is - a holiday to kick off Christmas season, and a reminder to give alms.  It's the least demanding holiday ever - for old men.  You get to stay home and do whatever and not feel guilty.  Ha!

Happy Thanksgiving Poodles! 

If you have to eat with others,

watch your manners.

Here it comes ... USCCB released the following statement regarding Catholic alt-right social media groups.

No matter how bad things got, Mean Gene Okerlund was 

always a gentleman when he conducted his interviews.

Warning Catholic to use extreme caution.

In response to repeated requests for comment from NBC News, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released the following response from their spokesman Bishop Christopher Coyne of Burlington, Vermont: 

“The promotion and defense of the faith should invite an encounter with the merciful love of Christ and contribute to a more civil and peaceful dialogue in our church and society,” he said. “I urge my brothers and sisters to exercise extreme caution before giving credence to anyone who instigates shameful, digital stoning as a way to defend the Church. Catholic participation in the public square should be marked by both fidelity to the Gospel and to charity toward all our fellow citizens.” - Source

Works for me.

I'd say it's about time as well - I wish they were more specific and name the sites.  Has anyone seen the video of Michael Voris chasing down Bishop Malone?  Michael is chasing him while pulling his luggage and holding onto his shopping bag, trying to get the bishop to respond to his questions.  I never turned the sound on, but it was funny.

Vortex-TMZ style ambush interviews.

Monsignor Bux the system ...

Where there is smoke there is papam.

Habemus papam.

To address the current crisis, Msgr. Bux suggested that an examination of the “juridical validity” of Pope Benedict’s XVI’s resignation was in order to “overcome problems that today seem insurmountable to us.” The theologian consultor to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints was implying that further study of the situation could reveal that Francis is not and has never been a valid pope, but is, in fact, an antipope who could be removed from the papacy, thus nullifying his "insurmountable" errors. - Source

It's so over my head.  But I'm pretty sure the resignation was valid - Benedict made that clear.  Pope Francis was elected and is the Pope.  I wonder if they could just go back to debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, instead?

  

If I were a monsignor or a bishop ...

I would resign.

Instead of complaining that they are not branch managers of the Vatican or that the Pope isn't doing what they want him to do - resign.  Throw your mitre and crosier in the ditch.  Renounce your titles and comfy homes, and just be a priest.  Maybe a missionary priest right in your own diocese.  Or just be a pastor, but without all the honors.  Prove that you aren't a slave to clericalism.  Especially if you have a more lowly title, such as domestic prelate - give it back.

I know lay people who serve the poor and evangelize among the poor - without recompense.  They have families, but they respond to the needs of others, without fanfare.  They don't sit behind a desk or write articles for newspapers, or flash their good works online for people to see.  They aren't on TV shows complaining about the Pope.  They really live the Gospel.

Just a thought.