Letterman

Who cares? What does one expect from a man like this?

N'Obama.

No Olympics for Chicago, USA.
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Obama and his wife, Michelle, had taken their star power to the Danish capital to make Chicago's case, ignoring the carping from Republican opponents who charged it was a bad time to go with foreign policy challenges in Iran and Afghanistan and the U.S. Congress bogged down in a domestic healthcare debate.
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"I'm asking you to choose Chicago. I'm asking you to choose America," Michelle Obama told committee members.
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Her husband said, "If you do, if we walk this path together, then I promise you this: The city of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud." - Story
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Obama's is making the U.S. look weak. He ought to have stayed out of it and concentrated on his day job.

Another look at what scandal is and does.

From my POV.
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Many people now know about the arrest of Canadian Bishop Lahey on child pornography charges.
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Once hailed as a brave advocate for survivors of child sexual abuse, Mr. Lahey faces one count of possession and one count of importation of child pornography, after the discovery of images on his laptop computer at Ottawa's airport while he was returning from a foreign visit on Sept. 15.
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Mr. Lahey is well known in Nova Scotia as the bishop who did what no previous Catholic leader had done before: accept responsibility and apologize -- without any resort to litigation -- for the sex-abuse crimes of a former priest in his diocese.
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The victims of that abuse, dating back to the 1950s, are now eligible for compensation from a $15-million out-of-court settlement Lahey negotiated earlier this year.
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Mr. Lahey was in the midst of a difficult fundraising effort across his diocese to generate money for the settlement, when he was pulled aside by Canada Border Services agents for a random check of his laptop at Ottawa International." Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2055255#ixzz0Sn7PPfOg
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I think it possible, and I hope it is true, that this bishop is innocent of the charges and that the material on his laptop was simply part of his private investigation and research. In the meantime, I noticed on another blog that people in his diocese are talking about leaving the Church if these rumors prove to be true.
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Commenter's mean well when they say things like, "I will not leave because of some man's sin or bad example. If these people really knew their faith - they would not leave the Church." On one level that makes sense and I understand the goodwill behind that statement - nevertheless a bishop's fall from grace, if it be true, is huge. Bishops are our shepherds in the faith - they are our leaders and teachers in the faith. When they fall, or when a priest falls, it is a terrible scandal.
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The effects of scandal.
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Scandal leads to sin and many times, loss of faith. One's faith can be shaken even when one claims to know one's faith. The bishops and priests who scandalize the faithful by their sins and or apostasy, they too know their faith - just as well if not better than the people they lead. And yet - they betray the faith, fall into sin, and sometimes apostatize entirely.
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So we should never think we are safe from scandal because we know our faith. We shouldn't be too harsh about those who leave the Church because of scandal. Catholics have to understand that this is exactly what scandal does and means - to scandalize someone is to cause them to sin, to lose faith. If the accusations against Bishop Lahey are proven to be true, this bishop scandalized his people.
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We need to pray for the real victims - the people who are scandalized and the victims of the pornography industry. As for the Bishop, if the charges are true, unless he repents and makes amends it would have been better if he had never been born.
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St. Paul explains that our brothers and sisters in faith who are scandalized are weak - Christ refers to them as little ones - they have faith, but it is weak, and scandal can rob them of it.
"Extend a kind welcome to those who are weak in faith... we must no longer pass judgement on one another. Instead you should resolve to put no stumbling block or hindrance in your brother's way." - Romans 14. Knowledge of the faith is not a competition, someone who appears to be unaffected by a public sin because his faith is strong is not better than the believer whose faith is weak and suffers scandal. It is not the same thing as priding oneself upon scholastic achievement while disparaging the under-educated.
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Little children (simple, ordinary folk) do not have to understand the faith in order to believe. In truth, anyone can have the gift of faith taken away or destroyed by those who cause scandal. Especially when the ones who cause scandal are those who know the faith, who understand the faith - those who have ears to hear, eyes to see, and so on.
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People have to understand this and stop feeling sorry and making excuses for the bastards who take advantage of their positions to exploit the weak and give scandal to little ones. "Scandals will inevitably arise, but woe to him through whom they come. He would be better off thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck than giving scandal to one of these little ones." - Luke 17
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Intellectual pride.
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Today we place so much emphasis on intellectual knowledge and knowing the answers to theological questions, that isn't a bad thing at all. That is why the Catholic Church has a catechism, and why those in positions of leadership and teaching are trained in theology. It is a good thing. Nevertheless, our knowledge and academic achievements often become for us a source of pride and self-assurance. Our knowledge will not save us - our faith will. Yes, we must nurture our faith with prayer, the sacraments, and study, and exercise it in good works - but we need to remember it is a gift and can be lost... Lost though it can be, one still retains all of that knowledge.
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Think of the people who left the Church who know our religion, our faith better than ourselves. I know a woman at a Catholic company who knew just about every Vatican document, understood dogma and knew her scriptures. She left the Church and returned to her old religion, Wicca. She still works at the same company because she is so knowledgeable about the faith and Catholic devotions.
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I know another woman who had been a novice with a well known religious order - a "good one" as people like to qualify them. Her spiritual director was a fine priest from a traditional order, well known for his sound theology and spirituality, a priest faithful to prayer - rising in the night for adoration - even when he was spending the night in the same bed with his little novice. They both knew their faith, and practiced the devotions to sustain it. Father had been helping sister through some sexual difficulties through his interpretation of JPII's theology of the body. Kind of scandalous huh? She is no longer a candidate for religious life and is having troubles with her faith.
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I once prided myself on believing so firmly and completely in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, my faith "fixed on Jesus" convinced me that my own faith could never be shaken. Until two religious superiors I greatly esteemed abandoned their vocations, one to found a new order, the other to pursue an academic career and "come out". I knew my faith. I had experienced many graces. My eyes were fixed upon Jesus. I couldn't admit it at the time, nevertheless I was deeply scandalized - my faith was shaken, and I fell away - for a couple of years. It is a miracle that I came back.
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I hope to never, ever again say things like - "How can they leave just because some man sinned or disappointed them - I know my faith, I understand my faith - I'm not going."
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Understand the faith - what does that mean anyway? Can anyone explain the Trinity? Transubstantiation? The Virgin Birth? The Immaculate Conception? Peter knew Christ was the Son of God, yet he denied him. Judas, who was anything but honest, betrayed him. They both knew their faith. A person could speculate that one man, Peter, had been scandalized and therefore fell away. While the other man, Judas, became a part, if not the source of scandal - thus it was better for him to have never been born.

The Little Flower

Many of us prefer the photographs of the Saint to most paintings of her, even this one painted by her talented sister Celine. But did you know that Celine modeled the expression we see here from that of how Therese looked immediately after death?
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"...In 1905, at the urgent request of the community I painted a picture of Therese as she appeared immediately after death. For a model, I used the photo taken in the infirmary on October 1. The sisters who had been her contemporary considered my portrait a perfect likeness of our Saint. It was this picture that was published in all the editions of Histoire d'une Ame, after 1906." - My Sister St. Therese
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A blessed feast day to all on this joyful feast of Little Therese.

The United States new image under Obama...

Iconic.

How the USCCB spends...

Why do we even have a USCCB?

Transitus of St. Therese.

Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face
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Little Therese died on September 30, 1897 at 7:20 in the evening, after a prolonged agony. I have been reading Sr. Genevieve of the Holy Face (Celine) book, My Sister, St. Therese for my novena in preparation for the saint's feast day tomorrow. Celine was a real artist - an accomplished painter, and I think I understand her temperament. Little Therese always told her, "You are too little... to understand... or to do this or that..." and so on. I get that.

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Once in the infirmary - just a few days ago (1897) in fact, Celine relates:

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I had been going to and fro in the Infirmary, and became upset because something had gone wrong. Therese called, "Bo-bonne, no interior anxiety if you please!" (September 3) I can almost hear her say that.

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Therese always knows when something is wrong.

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Her dying reminds me so much of the death of love Our Lord suffered... today she cries out:

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"Oh! It is pure suffering, because there is not a drop of consolation, no, not one."

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No, I would never have believed that it was possible to suffer so much... never, never. I can only explain it by my extreme desire to save souls." (September 30)

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Celine says, "She was trembling from head to foot..."

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At one point she told Celine, "Va, va, ma Celine, je serais avec tois..." "Go on with courage... I shall be with you."

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Finally, gazing on her crucifix, Little Therese cried out:

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"Oh!... Je L'aime!... Mon Dieu, je... vous... aime!" "Oh! ...I love Him! ...My God, I ...love ...you!"

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These were her last words.

"Vicious" - defined.

Main Entry: vi·cious
Pronunciation: \ˈvi-shəs\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French vicios, from Latin vitiosus full of faults, corrupt, from vitium vice
Date: 14th century
1 : having the nature or quality of vice or immorality : depraved
2 : defective, faulty; also : invalid
3 : impure, noxious
4 a : dangerously aggressive : savage
b : marked by violence or ferocity : fierce
5 : malicious, spiteful
6 : worsened by internal causes that reciprocally augment each other
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So there you have it, a word I too will use on occasion and frequently misspell - I always think there is an "s" in it. I will have to remember the etymolology: visios, vitiosus: vice.
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I used it in a post yesterday referring to homosexuals who attack the Church and manipulate Her teachings, scriptures, devotions, and liturgies to advance their agenda.

What writing does for me.

"Me too!" - said the Pope.

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In an interview with John Allen (NCR), the Holy Father replied to a question concerning the healing of his wrist, saying he was pleased to be able to write again, explaining: "My thinking develops above all through writing."

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That is exactly the same for me, it is the reason I write - and paint. My thinking develops above all through writing and painting - if not one, the other.

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The Holy Father is so humble.

Longest running apparition.

Nothing supernatural.

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So anyway. Fr. Ray has two very good posts on the Medjugorje evangelical revival serial. The comments on the post are also very good. I almost got fooled into believing in this one.

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Medjugorje #1
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Medjugorje #2

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Photo: Grownup seers of Medjugorje.

The Holy Father in Prague

His first stop while visiting the Czech Republic was at the Church of Our Lady of Victories to venerate the Infant Jesus and present the gift of a Papal Crown for the miraculous statue.

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Devotion to the Infant Jesus is not just for children.

So... Eminence, are you able to exercise the duties of your office?

"This is way beyond my field." Cardinal Mahoney
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The LA Cardinal was actually answering another question - but this works too.

Pandemic panic.

See, the thing about liars and conspiracy theorists and psychics and religious visionaries and the U.N. warning everyone that annhilation is just around the corner, is that I don't believe nuthin'.

So anyway - my parish church has taken out all the holy water fonts and replaced them with hand sanitizer pump bottles. I know! How proactive.

So much for In God we trust. (I hope they cut out the hand holding at the Our Father and the inappropriate touching at the sign of peace too.)

Last nite I had a dream that I was talking to Laura Bush and she told me, "Just be ready by March - that's when it's going to happen ."

I looked at my friend Darold and said - "See - even she knows!" Turning back to Laura I asked, "So what should we do?"

"Stock up on water and canned goods - and your prescriptions - you won't be able to get them after March." She said, smiling all the while. I didn't see George.

And wouldn't you know it, I forgot to ask March of what year.

Anyway - I watched a new series on television last night called "FlashForward" - which must have inspired my dream. I think the writers based the plot line on the warning and chastisement stuff from Garabandal. 3 days darkness stuff - yep - I got the candles.

I've always liked George and Laura (Bush).

Virgen de los Desamparados

One of my favorite titles of Our Lady...

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Our Lady of the Lunatics, Insane and Forsaken. Read about her here.

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September 24 is the feast of Our Lady of Ransom - I did not forget. The feast usually occurs between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - during the Jewish days of Awe.

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"During the Days of Awe, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God (bein adam leMakom) and against other human beings (bein adam lechavero). The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt (Vidui). At the end of Yom Kippur, one considers one's self absolved by God." - Source

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Please pray for this desamparado's conversion.

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“If I forget you, O Jerusalem,

May my right arm wither away!

May my tongue stick to the roof

of my mouth if I fail to remember

you....” (Psalms 137:5)

Calling out lies.

"Stop lying to one another." - Col 3, 9
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St. Paul makes that appeal more than once in his Letters. Today we experience great doubt in a culture which seems to subsist upon lies. Recently a politician disrupted the President's speech, calling him a liar; while in Europe, Pope Benedict is being accused of lying about what he knew concerning the Nazi sympathies of a bishop of the SSPX. That perhaps figures well with those who accuse the Pope of having been a Nazi because of some sort of mandatory involvement in Hitler Youth. (A fact, if memory serves me, an ill-informed Vatican spokesman mistakenly denied as well.)
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Of course we also have the situation of an Internet rife with accusations of lying and deceit by all types of persons and institutions - to the extent that one has to wonder if it is the lies that are so destructive to the common good, or the mistrust, uneasiness, and doubt they generate. Surely they go hand in hand in a corrupt society - the cause and the effect.
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We also have the experience in the U.S. of Catholic bishops dissimulating and covering up for deviant priests, and themselves at times, at great expense to the faithful - not simply monetarily, but morally and mortally as well. This is the result of scandal, and why good bishops and priests and Catholic laity must point such things out; clarifying Catholic teaching - the truth - as in the case of Archbishop Burke, offering solid catechesis regarding the Kennedy funeral discussion.
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Nevertheless, lying seems to be getting the better and best of us, and is all pervasive, which is why the exhortation from St. Paul is always relevant. We must stop lying to one another.
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Politically correct language, diplomatic language, legal terminology, philosophical and theological loopholes, and even socially polite niceties or exaggerations, contributes to an atmosphere of moral ambiguity - especially for the unsophisticated and under-educated. As St. Francis De Sales said, "plain dealing" is always best and is the responsibility and duty of the children of light.
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"Your language should be frank, sincere, candid, and honest. Be on guard against equivocation, ambiguity, or dissimulation. While it is not always advisable to say all that is true, it is never permissible to speak against the truth." - Introduction to the Devout Life, Part III: 30

Preserving architecture in a post-Christian society...

Unsettling.

Perhaps it is unfair to call our times post-Christian, churches have often been sold off and used for commercial purposes, we have examples of it locally - one I know of is a bookstore. Years ago one of my favorite discos in NYC was an old church called The Sanctuary - it was even used in a film for a location shoot - the movie: Klute.
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It is rather unsettling however to come across photos of the Dominican church (above), nicely converted into a fashionable bookstore. The location is Maastricht, Netherlands, and so it is no surprise perhaps. It will most likely be a common occurrence throughout Europe as the faith continues to dwindle. There are more photos on the architect's site here. It really is a very handsome conversion, wonderful use of space without obstructing the lovely art and architecture.
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If I were rich I'd love to buy an old abandoned church in France or Tuscany.


H/T Catholic Church Conservation

September Issue

If you have ever worked in fashion, marketing or ready to wear, you must see "September Issue" - the best documentary on the business ever.

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The movie is fascinating. There are moments however where the vacuousness of the industry and the persons who work in it emerges. In quiet moments the principals seem to convey a bored disappointment, even sadness... and that is when one can experience a feeling of emptiness and meaninglessness. I think that may in part account for why fashion changes so rapidly and always tends forward to what is novel and glamorous - it removes one from one's reality and spiritual self knowledge. Of course, profit is a driving factor as well. But the everchanging, always in flux creative atmosphere is what generally attracts the superficial.

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In the film, the only moments Anna Wintour betrays any authenticity as an actual person is when she is in the company of her daughter - otherwise she seems a rather soulless creature exercising power over equally soulless individuals in a strange antechamber to... nothing.

'The September Issue' Trailer HD

Must see. The best.

Followers

I have a Followers box, widget, whatever, in my side bar that doesn't show up now. Does it show up for visitors here? If so, it may be my security settings are blocking it. I can't be bothered with this stuff - but I hate it when stuff doesn't work.

Oh! Oh! What if the CIA blocked it?!

Saints

I came across one of the most extraordinary posts I have ever read, concerning the Orthodox Hieromonk Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi, his photo in death shown above. Elena of Fountain of Elias blog has posted the Elder's teaching on prayer. Go here to read. After reading it, I was filled with a blessed peace.

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Incidentally, the novena for the feast of St. Therese has begun. And of course, today is the feast of St. Pio.