A Series of Unfortunate Events

California earthquake series.

The experts are saying the frequency of foreshock-aftershock, along with bigger quakes, is a bit unusual. More are certain to follow.

(CNN)The earth hasn't stopped rumbling under Southern California since Thursday, when a powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake rattled Ridgecrest and the surrounding area.

The quake was followed by more than 1,400 aftershocks, according to scientists. On Friday, an even stronger quake -- with a magnitude of 7.1 --- rattled the region, leaving residents traumatized, Ridgecrest Mayor Peggy Breeden said Saturday morning.

"Many of them are sleeping outside tonight," Breeden said. "They're fearful to be in their homes. Many are choosing to just be with their neighbors ... in their sidewalks, in their driveways and some of them are in the streets."

There's been an average of one aftershock per minute since Friday's quake in the southern part of the state, according to the United States Geological Survey website. - Source

Helplessly Hoping

I need to disappear. 

I need to mortify my social media usage.

Habit Change

I'm not sure what these sisters were doing, but the photo is from around the time nuns began modifying their habits - 1967.  The strange photo which I found here, Studs Terkel - Radio Archive, documents the sisters in a line dance.  It's so ironic, considering how the essence of religious vocation was a call to leave the world to follow Christ.  Today the number of members of these orders have diminished.  In many cases, they've completely reconstituted to secular life.  That's not to say religious in secular dress are any less religious for that, yet one can't ignore the collapse of religious life in certain congregations.  I know readers know that.

Interestingly, one of the top interviews on this page is with Father James Kavanaugh, discussing his book, A Modern Priest Looks His Outdated Church.  Kavanaugh lived to see the Church update itself - to its current crisis mode - he died in 2010.  He left the priesthood shortly after the publication of his book, and was twice divorced.  His celebrity, which got him on late night talk shows, was more or less short lived.  An obituary here.

Of course, the habit doesn't make the nun.

Br. Bonaventure of Jesus Crucified, OCD

Br. Bonaventure Potter, OCD

Requiescat In pace

I saw the notice last night on FB from the Washington Province.

Early this morning our dear brother Br. Bonaventure (Potter) of Jesus Crucified, OCD passed away. Brother was 93 years old and made his profession of vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the Order of Discalced Carmelites on February 28th 1948!

I called him my brother in Carmel.

We met when I was inquiring about entering Carmel while he was at St. Florian's in Milwaukee.  He knew I was also visiting a friend in town who had followed a New Age spiritual group while studing music at the conservatory there.  Brother worried so much about me - he gave me The Secret of the Rosary and much advice, fearing I would follow my friend.

He was dubious about me entering Carmel, then leaving only to enter the Trappists, and finally leaving to try my vocation as a 'pilgrim', he even called my mother from time to time sharing his concern.  He became quite a good friend of mine.  As I said, he was there for me from the early stages of my conversion and through my searching a vocation, and later on as well. He even came to see me when I lived in Boston.

The first or second time I visited St. Florian's, I once saw him praying before the Blessed Sacrament - in tears - weeping and moaning. From the Friar's chapel I noticed him standing in prayer - in the main church below.  He wept and prayed, without any knowledge I observed him.  I was always impressed with that.  He was the Carmelite who told me the community life of the friars was not like the Discalced nuns, and I shouldn't expect it to be.  He also cautioned me never to tell the Fathers that I'd like to live a nun's style of monastic life.  He said the Fathers were suspicious of men whose piety was influenced by that kind of religiosity.

After Boston, I lost touch with him, but I never forgot him.

Oh Br. Bonaventure, pray for us! Pray for me - you know why.

In thanksgiving for the holy vocation and witness of Br. Bonaventure, OCD.

Nearly all my spiritual fathers are dead now - just a couple left.  Hopefully they are closer to me now than when they were alive.

Climate Crisis

The Heat Wave In Europe Is So Bad That These Eggs Fried In The Shape Of A Human Skull - With The Stove Turned Off. 

What?

Drag Queen Story Hours

Send in the clowns
Don't bother, they're here

Isn't it rich?
Isn't it queer?

I'm against it.

One article I read on the trend explained it like this:

It’s hoped it will encourage kids to read, but at the very least it may inspire their sense of fashion and inclusion. 

On Saturday the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Libraries will follow the lead of libraries around the country and offer its first “Drag Queen Storytime,” in which men dressed in drag will read stories to children. 

The event listing on the library’s web page says it will feature “books, songs, and lots of fun” while celebrating “acceptance in all its forms.” - Source

Acceptance in all its forms.  

Inclusiveness.  All that stuff related to LGBTQ and gender theory.  On the surface, that sounds about right.  Harmless, really.  Especially when you realize that drag queens are simply a modern day version of clowns and fools.   They parody women, celebrities and fashion.  Nothing is real, it's theater - but what do women say?  Isn't it rather misogynist?

I'm against it.

Another story here.

Cardinal Burke distances himself from Bannon.

Puttin' out fires.

At last.

This is good news actually.  I wish everyone in authority would address problems head on like Cardinal Burke has done. 

The Cardinal also criticizes LifeSiteNews for not vetting the story.

“I have been made aware of a June 24 LifeSiteNews online article - now removed - entitled ‘Steve Bannon hints at making film exposing homosexuality in the Vatican,’ in which the insinuation is made that somehow, through my association with Mr. Benjamin Harnwell of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute, I was involved in a meeting between Mr. Bannon and Mr. Frederic Martel, author of the book, In the Closet of the Vatican, to promote a film version of Mr. Martel’s book,” Burke said in his letter. 

“LifeSiteNews made no contact with me to verify my possible involvement,” he said. “Given the overall content of the article and given several statements made by Mr. Bannon in the article, I must make the following clear: I do not, in any way, agree with Mr. Bannon’s assessment of the book in question.” - Crux

God bless Cardinal Burke.

Bannon's Institute.

A thought ...

I have heard people slandering, and I have rebuked them. And these doers of evil replied in self-defence that they were doing so out of love and care for the person whom they were slandering. I said to them: ‘Stop that kind of love, otherwise you will be condemning as a liar him who said: “Him that privily talked against his neighbor, did I drive away” (Psalm 100:5, LXX). If you say you love, then pray secretly, and do not mock the man. For this is the kind of love that is acceptable to the Lord.’ But I will not hide this from you… Judas was in the company of Christ’s disciples, and the thief was in the company of murderers. Yet it is a wondrous thing, how in a single instant, they exchanged places.  - (St. John Climacus)

A priest forever.

From the NCRegister:

PRAYERS for Father Michael Los who died this morning! 

The Polish seminarian suffering w/ terminal cancer was ordained in his hospital bed in May. 

On the day he was ordained, he said: “Praised be Jesus Christ! Thank you for all your prayers, and I hope you continue praying. I bless all of you in the name of the Father & the Son & the Holy Spirit." 

—Father Michael Los. Requiescat in pace

In thanksgiving for the sacred ministry and holy priesthood of Fr. Michael.   Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

Photoshop and Cheapfake to Deepfake

"The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." — George Orwell, "1984"

There has been a photoshopped image of Italian nuns taking a selfie in front of the David in Florence going around for a year or more on social media.  It's fake, but people keep posting it anyway, and many believe it's real.  Especially old people - people my age.  That's unfortunate, because they keep posting it and one day it could be used to suggest old nuns are sexually repressed or just silly old women.  I post that the image is photoshopped with a link to the real photo of the nuns taking their selfie in St. Peter's Square.  I explain that this is a hit on women, women religious have a particular dignity.  I am always surprised when women post the meme.

Friends my age love to post gifs and memes mocking Trump and Sarah Sanders and anyone associated with this administration.  Likewise, conservatives post fake photos of Pelosi and Obama, and now cheapfake videos are spreading, altering faces and voices, to sound drunk, and so on.  All of this is getting more and more problematic with the popularization of deepfake technology.

I'm especially surprised when those who post such things, also tend to rage about bullying and discrimination, or even sometimes lament that they themselves were bullied or abused as kids, on the playground or in school.  Not only that, most everyone decries 'fake news' and yet many disseminate fake memes and gifs without realizing how much they are contributing to the problem. Oddly enough, most of these same people are retired college educated professionals who evidently do not recognize their active participation in spreading disinformation and in some cases, hate.

Of course, I use gifs and memes, but I've made it my practice to avoid the types which smear or shame others.  I also try not to post the trash memes and gifs which take down public figures and groups.  There is of course a place for legitimate parody or satirical art, which I've done, but there is no mistaking that for the deepfake technology intended to influence politically or divide and 'conquer' public opinion.

Manipulating the truth.

The word deepfake has been around only for a couple years. It is a combination of “deep learning” – which is a subset of AI that uses neural networks – and “fake.” The result is that it's possible to manipulate videos that still look authentic.

During the past couple weeks, we have seen high-profile examples of this. There was a deepfake of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg who seemed to be talking about world domination. Then there was another one of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in which it appeared she was slurring her speech (this actually used less sophisticated technology known as “cheapfake”).

Congress is getting concerned, especially in light of the upcoming 2020 election. This week the House Intelligence Committee had a hearing on deepfake. Although, it does look remote that much will be done.

“The rise of deepfakes on social media is a series of cascading issues that will have real consequences around our concept of freedom of speech,” said Joseph Anthony, who is the CEO of Hero Group. “It’s extremely dangerous to manipulate the truth when important decisions weigh in the balance, and the stakes are high across the board. Viral deepfake videos don’t just damage the credibility of influential people like politicians, brands and celebrities; they could potentially cause harm to our society by affecting stock prices or global policy efforts. Though some people are creating them for good fun and humor, experimenting with this technology is like awakening a sleeping giant. It goes beyond goofing off, into manipulative and malicious territory.” - Tom Taulli, Forbes

As a group, we baby-boomers seem to be enthusiastically embracing the technology that may someday be used against us.

In my neighborhood everyone seems to have

home security cameras, ring camera,

their phones, GPS, and smart everything.

We're beyond 1984.

Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli

Prayers for the repose of his soul.

Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli

1923-2019

Saints of God, come to his aid!

Come to meet him, angels of the Lord!

R. Receive his soul and present him to God, the Most High.
May Christ, who called you, take you to himself;
may angels lead you to Abraham's side. R.
Give him eternal rest, O Lord,
and may your light shine on him for ever. R.

Let us pray.
All-powerful and merciful God,
we commend to you Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli, your servant.

In your mercy and love,
blot out the sins he has committed
through human weakness.
In this world he has died:
let him live with you forever.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.
V. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.

R. And let perpetual light shine upon him.
V. May he rest in peace.

R. Amen.

I should post something here ...

I post everything on FB now.

So I'll take something from there and post it here then.

Gender ideology and the dictatorship of relativism.

"The New Age which is dawning will be peopled by perfect, androgynous beings who are totally in command of the cosmic laws of nature. In this scenario, Christianity has to be eliminated and give way to a global religion and a new world order. —Jesus Christ, The Bearer of the Water of Life, n. 4, Pontifical Councils for Culture and Inter-religious Dialogue"

A meditation from St. Catherine

When we look into ourselves and see there such a marvelous strength as is this fire, the Holy Spirit, we become so drunk with love for our Creator that we completely lose ourselves. We live as if we were dead, feeling within ourselves no creaturely love or pleasure, since our memory is already filled with love for our Creator. Our understanding does not reach out to see or grasp at any created thing apart from God, but sees and understands only our own nothingness and God’s goodness to us. And we see that this infinite goodness wants nothing but what is good for us. Now our love for God has become perfect, since we no longer hold or understand anything but God. And now there is no holding back the swift course of desire. We run untrammeled and unbound, for we have cut off and thrown aside every weight that might have impeded our running. And we are so yoked with Christ that we love ourselves for God, and God for God, and our neighbors for God.

It is to this perfection…that you have been invited. You have been drawn by the Holy Spirit from a worldly life, bound with the cord of holy true obedience, and led to eat honeycombs in the garden of holy Church. - Saint Catherine of Siena

This is such an important Solemnity - the 'last and greatest day of the feast' - of Paschaltide.  The fire of Divine Love rushes upon the Church ... the garden of Holy Church.  

 A garden enclosed, my sister, my bride,

a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed!

Your branches are a grove of pomegranates,

with fruits of choicest yield:

Henna with spikenard,

spikenard and saffron,

Sweet cane and cinnamon,

with all kinds of frankincense;

Myrrh and aloes,

with all the finest spices;^*

A garden fountain, a well of living water,

streams flowing from Lebanon.

Awake,^* north wind!

Come, south wind!

Blow upon my garden

that its perfumes may spread abroad.

Let my lover come to his garden

and eat its fruits of choicest yield. - Song of Songs

Ninety-four years ago today ... Trinity Sunday ...

Matt Talbot died on this date, June 7, 1925.

Ven. Matt Talbot. (Bio) Matt Talbot exemplified the heroic virtue of temperance. He practiced the Christian life more or less as a solitary, although he was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. The spiritual combat Talbot engaged in was associated with alcoholism, which in his case demanded the renunciation of a behavior, as well as an adjustment in lifestyle.

Talbot overcame his attachment to the disorder through the practice of the virtues, prayer and fidelity to the duties of his state in life, and mortification. He found support in the sacraments, spiritual direction and spiritual reading. Although he 'took the pledge' to abstain from alcohol, he did not have a support group such as AA to aid in his recovery. I especially admire Talbot's fortitude and perseverance, demonstrating that with God all things can be overcome... "In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall." - Taken from another site no longer active.

"Somewhere along the path of life of every human being there comes a dread moment when he suddenly sees himself for what he is."

Today is a good day to share something I posted some years ago.  I was able to cut and paste a post from Ros, aka Shadowlands, before she took one of her blogs down, and before she died of course. It's a treasure.

Shadowlands posted something about a priest Fr Ralph Pfau, known as the "Prodigal Shepherd" from the title of his book by the same name.  Fr. Pfau declared of himself,  "All my life, I will carry three indelible marks. I am a Roman Catholic priest. I am an alcoholic. And I am a neurotic."  Shadowlands says of him,  "He suffered much, but he kept trying."   I think that is key to conversion and the way to sanctity - 'saints are sinners who kept trying'.  I'm reprinting her post here:

Excerpt from the chapter, The Dawn of Truth ( from his book Sobriety and Beyond) by Father Ralph Pfau. (Imprimatur Paul C Shulte D.D Archbishop of Indianapolis March 1955).

"Somewhere along the path of life of every human being there comes a dread moment when he suddenly sees himself for what he is. Minus all the sham, the surface and the show, he then stands face to face with truth. Minus the deception of his own self seeking and selfishness, he sees himself clearly outlined in the aura of God's grace as it tears away all the foolish self deceptions and shows a man for what he really is- selfish, deceitful, full of excuses, dishonest, even to himself and full of faults and failings............conts: To most of us, this moment comes at a time when many of life's battles and years have passed, but at a time when there still remains sufficient years, vigor and initiative to "seek truth and pursue it,".in order to make it the motive of our living, the motive of our struggles and the security of our declining years..

This moment may be brought about by the death of a loved one, the loss of worldly goods, or it may be directly occasioned within by the grace of God speaking to the depth of our soul. To most alcoholics it comes at that instant when they face the inevitable choice: death, insanity or absolute sobriety. It often comes with a blinding flash that seems to tear away the very foundations of life and whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, layman or professional, young or old, there arises from the very innermost sanctuary of the soul and heart the cry "My God, what a mess I have made of things! How pitiful is the good done, how sparing my help to others, how innumerable my mistakes, the wrongs-how all pervading my self seeking, how dishonest my every motive! How seamy the finished, but now battered product!"

.
This "moment" may last for an hour, a day, a month, a year or for years. But whenever, however it comes- it is a dread and fearful moment, because UPON THAT MOMENT AND THE DECISIONS OF THAT MOMENT MAY DEPEND OUR VERY LIFE AND OUR ETERNITY. And from that time on, one can never be the same again.....................conts: It is then that life's greatest decision must be made and then it seems that an angel has him by the hands and a devil by the foot...............he can do one of three things:
.
First, rush in confusion back to the old surface view of self and try by a thousand and one half remedies to dress up the haunting vision, to explain away the stubborn reality. TO EXCUSE and to attempt forgetfulness by courting the sham fancies of the night and by rushing headlong through the chores of the day. THIS IS THE CHOICE OF THE VAIN MAN.
.
Second, the shock may be so great, the failure so undeniably real, the disillusionment so crushing that he despairs and in one way or another he seeks to destroy himself- either factually or by the bottle. THIS IS THE PROUD MAN.
.
Third, this is the way of the Prodigal Son, who dropped on his knees in the swine pen and cried: "Father, I have sinned" or with it's echo "I am powerless... my life is unmanageable"- and perhaps for the first time in his life that man REALLY prays and begins to MEDITATE, THIS IS THE HUMBLE MAN. And day by day he prays and he MEDITATES on TRUTH lest again he fall back into his former life-long HABIT OF EXCUSES. For the LIFE OF ALL IS LOADED WITH EXCUSES-AND SYSTEMATIC, PERSISTENT AND CONSISTENT MEDITATION ALONE WILL DISSIPATE THEM. "With desolation is the land made desolate because there are none who thinketh in their hearts." - Fr. Pfau

Fr. Ralph Pfau

1904-1967

Vigil of the Ascension

Come Holy Spirit!

I'm happy Ascension is moved to Sunday - the Paschal Season is extended - while the novena to the Holy Spirit begins nine days before Pentecost either way.  Everything is a grace.

Figueiredo Report

Follow the path of truth wherever it may lead...

Someone needs to get film rights for this.

I guess the news broke today, and so far, the only place I noticed anyone writing about it was on Facebook.  Today the shit hits the fan, once everyone reads Monsignor Anthony J. A. Figueiredo's report.  Figueiredo was Cardinal McCarrick's secretary, so I think he's rather credible.  I respect his intentions as he expressed them in his introcuctory notes:

It is my firm hope that this information will help the Church as she further endeavors to create a culture of transparency. This report, which may form the first of others, is a contribution to the wish of Pope Francis and the Holy See “to follow the path of truth wherever it may lead” in terms of the ongoing McCarrick investigation (Pope Francis, Philadelphia, USA, September 27, 2015; Press Statement of the Holy See, October 6, 2018). It aims to help the US Bishops in their promise last August to “pursue the many questions surrounding Archbishop McCarrick’s conduct … we are determined to find the truth in this matter” (Statement of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President, USCCB, August 1, 2018). - The Figueiredo Report

As I wrote on FB, one quote from McCarrick, more or less defending his conduct (inviting or choosing a seminarian or young priest to share his bed) echoed the claims by Michael Jackson, defending similar conduct. The quote from McCarrick is very much like Michael Jackson's denial of wrong doing when he said, "The most loving thing to do, is to share your bed with someone."

McCarrick: "“I do recognize that in one particular [case] I had been at fault in an unfortunate lack of judgment. I have always considered my priests and seminarians as part of my family, and just as I have shared a bed with my cousins and uncles and other relatives without thinking of it being wrong, I had done this on occasion when the Diocesan Summer House was overcrowded. In no case were there minors involved, but men in their twenties and thirties.” - The Figueiredo Report

What could be more wholesome or natural?

"I have always considered my priests and seminarians as part of my family..."

This is important ...

"When I am so convinced about some negative aspect of my life, I sometimes sink into despair. I must put my trust in your love and abandon myself to you.

When I am so convinced about some negative aspect of another’s life, I am sometimes inclined to detest them and to stay away from them.

Then I must stop to contemplate your love for me. Why do you love me, Lord, when I feel disdain and disgust for my brothers and sisters?

Give me the courage to see things as you see them, Lord, and to love unconditionally. Only then will true communion be realized.

Often, behind a facade of courtesy and attentiveness there exists a hidden dissension, which weakens communion and renders it insincere.

Lord, you are infinite patience.

You are limitless understanding.

Your love is eternal." - Venerable Francis Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân

I think it is true that saints find us, and choose us, or at least are sent to us by Divine Providence.  I was looking through my book shelves for something when I noticed Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan's book The Road to Hope.  I have had it for at least 12 years and never read it, when I saw it, I thought I should read it.  Then on Friday the above meditation from Magnificat popped up, and really spoke to my heart.  Last night I retrieved the book, remembering how I used to buy every new book someone recommended or I thought would be a good guide for the spiritual life.  I'd read them and go on to the next book, only for the books to land on a shelf.  This is why now, at my age, I usually ignore recommendations about this new author whose insights are a sort of cure-all for what bothers me, or can shed light on the evil in the Church.  After all, how many books can one read?  I did that years ago with St. Therese, I collected and read everything that she ever wrote, as well as so many authors who wrote about her, but I found out that her simple writing - all by itself - was enough to know her and understand her.

I keep the Imitation close, and the Bible closer, and reference my Carmelite Doctors when necessary, but that's about it.  Although it looks as if Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan will be close to me for awhile  now as well.  His love of the Church is deeply encouraging.  He could never find it in himself to attack the Holy Father in the way critics do today.  Never.

"An apostle respects higher authority even when he or she could show the authority that a mandate is unsuitable.  In the presence of others, an apostle always treats a superior with respect.  Disobedience and duplicity are inexcusable." - Francis Xavier Nguyên Văn Thuân

Remembering.

Memorial Day Weekend