- Thousands of people died yesterday, over 3000 in the US alone. Obviously, none of these people was Jorge Bergoglio. He's 88, has one lung and mathematically he's closer to the grave than the cradle but never measure a man for his shroud until he starts actively dying. That sounds grim but Pope Francis may outlive some of the people who are anticipating his death. This is in God's hands and God's will be done. I don't feel the same way about Francis that I did about JPII so until I see that he's recovered and going home or he's dead I'm not fixating on the medical updates and rumors.
- I read something extremely sad last night. A woman was complaining that she can't get close to her pastor because the rectory staff gatekeeps his schedule and after Mass, he's always swarmed by families who want to talk to him. She's been trying for months. The poor woman doesn't realize that she sounds like a stalker. If I was a parish secretary and a woman kept coming in demanding an appointment with Father for several months because she wants to invite him to dinner I'd be a bit unnerved by her. Folks, you don't own your priest. You don't have the right to demand that he be your buddy. Frankly, if you're a single woman or an unhappily married woman you really need to restrict your interactions to the sacraments. Rocky and I were blessed to have a wonderful relationship with our former pastor and parochial vicar but we don't have that with the pastor and parochial vicar we have now. I like them and they always smile and chat with us when they see us but it's not the same. I didn't expect it to be. Personal relationships have to develop naturally. They aren't owed and can't be forced.
- IVF is an obscene and anti-human practice. Your husband is treated like a stud boar except instead of being tricked into doing what comes naturally, he's given porn, told to masturbate and then ejaculate into a cup, which the staff will collect. In order to get one "perfect" baby you will need to create multiple tiny lives and most of them will be destroyed or frozen indefinitely. Infertility and pregnancy loss is...painful. Time dulls it and you will think that you have overcome it but this love that cannot live, yet never dies will surprise you from time to time. You will look at your relatives who are doing a terrible job with their kids and you will burn with sudden anger. You will, as I did a few months ago, be going along, minding your own business and having a good day when you glance over at a nursery school and the thought pops into your head that it would have so beautiful to see your son's wonder and imagination grow each day and that thought will cause a physical hurt so bad you have restrain yourself from screaming.
I fully understand women who say they are suffering because they cannot have a longed for baby. One day the Good Lord will tell us why we, out of all the women in the world have this particular cross to bear but until then we have to deal with it. I was not owed a child. None of us is. God permits IVF to exist for now, but He does not approve of it. Every child is a gift from God but if you used IVF to get him or her here, you committed a sin and will have to answer for it. Every one of those children that were created in the lab and then killed will be witnesses against you on the day of your particular judgment. - At the end of Mass, Fr. announced that the Bishop's Lenten Appeal will start next week. When we were in the parking lot Rocky, commented that he's glad we'll miss it because we will be out of town next Sunday. We both giggled like bad children. I'm sorry for Fr. and all the priests of the diocese because I don't the BLA is going to go smoothly this year at all.
Sunday, February 23, 2025
random thoughts on Sunday afternoon
Monday, February 03, 2025
Let me tell you what Catholic Charities Did For Me and My Old Neighbors
I've written about this several times but Catholic Charities and the Episcopalians brought a lot of Somalis to my complex seemingly overnight back in 2005. It was Hell. The smell of stewing goat tripe in the hallway, the women who had never seen a modern stove, accidentally setting fires at least once and sometimes twice a week, families who had never seen modern plumbing before and kept flooding the bathroom and damaging the washing machines was all an experience you wouldn't want to live with. I once got on an elevator and the man already on it retreated to a corner and looked like a Vulcan going through Pon Farr. I was on my way to work. I am a librarian. My hair, hands and legs should not have reduced anyone in the Western world to a quivering mass.
Stuff like this ruined the quiet enjoyment that tenants in any building, much less an expensive one, have a right to and drove many of my long time neighbors out. One neighbor couldn't take it anymore and went back to West Virginia. Another loaded up his moving truck and made the trek to Florida. Still another neighbor retired and bought himself an RV. He went to the Eastern Shore of Virginia and was so happy to be leaving. This wasn't just snooty white people if anyone is thinking that. The Ethiopian family that lived next door to me and the cool Ghanaian couple down the hall, wished me well and moved out at the end of the first month. There were so many complaints that most of the immigrants/refugees were resettled elsewhere but it took so long that many people couldn't wait.
Things settled down but damage was done to the complex and to the residents who toughed it out and refused to leave our home. It all came back me with memories as strong as carrion on a Summer day, when I read the most recent item on Complicit Clergy. The good folks at that site wrote about a self righteous post on Twitter made by some PR person at Catholic Charities and the furious responses to it. One woman woman commented thusly and boy oh boy, do I understand what she's talking about :
@americancatass: Your human trafficking operation ruined our lives for 2 years. We had to spend $2500 to break our lease to flee from our apartment of 6 years because you filled it with illegals. You are traitors to the American people and I hope your “charity” is bankrupted.
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Say no to Catholic Charities
— Fr. Dave Nix (@FrDaveNix) January 27, 2025
- "Catholic Charities" video tells illegal immigrants: "You do not need to speak to the immigration authorities or answer any questions." pic.twitter.com/kZ9QgzAE2e
- I don't give to Catholic Charities and I think when Catholics start waking up and realizing how much of a cash cow immigration services is, more people will keep their wallets closed when the second collection basket is passed around.
Monday, January 20, 2025
Inauguration Day
I'm watching the Inauguration. I'm amazed by young Barron Trump's poise and when did Cardinal Dolan lose some weight? I'm almost afraid to go to work tomorrow because the wailing and gnashing of my deeply Democrat workplace is going to be epic and keeping a neutral expression as I make comforting sounds to the hysterics is going be a challenge.
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Random thoughts on Christmas Eve
- It's Christmas Eve and after holding back all Advent my tree is up, the presents are under it and thanks to the cleaning lady it's looking respectable in here. Secular Christmas is always hard on Rocky because his parents are dead and his brother is estranged. The family was Baptist and in their denomination it was perfectly fine to come to church two or three times a year as long as you tithed, so it's only the secular stuff that he has to fill his memories. He concentrates and finds joy in the purely Catholic feast and it's not really Christmas for him until Midnight Mass. I'm doing Prime Rib for dinner for the first time and I really hope I don't mess it up.
- Please don't show the film of that poor woman on the New York subway. It just adds to her family's suffering. To those who ask why nobody helped her I'll just say this. In New York City the people claim to be tough but really they're just terrified and a bit apathetic. When the lion attacks; what do the antelope do? They run. They may feel some sympathy for Fred, the antelope who was next to them a few minutes ago but they are mainly concerned with the fact that while the lion is satisfied with Fred, they are free to go on with their day. The NYC subway is a dangerous place. Crime including rape, assault, robbery, and murder happen there on a regular basis and if you are a tourist and still want to go to NYC, stay off the subway.
*The Prime Rib turned out great. I was so relieved. In addition, we witnessed a Christmas miracle. My brother-in-law called Rocky during dessert and neither ranted nor raved. He spoke like a normal person, which is huge for a narcissist.
Scrooge--- I mean, my brother-in-law, has been fighting a virus and I guess he had a fever dream about three Christmas ghosts. Rocky was surprised and cautiously happy. God is good.
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Random thoughts on a Saturday morning
- Thanksgiving was great but once again I was reminded how much harm the Covid era did to my mother. We went to Muggiano's Little Italy for the Italian Thanksgiving dinner and Rocky and I were thrilled at how packed the restaurant was. It was so good to see people enjoying themselves and living. My mother enjoyed the food and enjoyed being with us but she really doesn't like being around large numbers of people anymore and she still wears a mask in public places. I don't bother her about it because it would upset her and be a waste of breath. She's 82 and grew up believing what the man on the news says as gospel truth. I feel nothing but the deepest contempt for the politicians, scientists, doctors and the nasty snitches that reveled in and perpetuated the entire Covid scenario. The amount of damage done to people's minds was so bad we will be dealing with it for years. My mother has PTSD essentially and I can't fix it or avenge her.
- Something interesting happened at church. For the first time in over a year, the parish bulletin acknowledged the sufferings of Christians in Gaza and in Israel. A collection is being taken up for the children's hospital in Bethlehem. The bulletin still reminds us to pray for Ukraine, but it's no longer mentioned in the prayers of the Faithful. I do believe there's been a shift in thinking.
- Ireland voted for abortion and women danced in the streets. Now many Irish are complaining about the large numbers of foreigners that are being dumped in the country. England has long been a eugenicist's playground and now their leaders are hell bent on killing the sick. Both countries have rejected God and embraced both hedonism, and death for the inconvenient. They are being replaced by a young, confident aggressive Muslim population. Perhaps this is God's permissive Will and a chastisement. Europe has been suicidal for a long time.
Monday, November 18, 2024
Things that make you wonder?
Catholic Charities Alexandria Food Pantry gave away 180 halal Thanksgiving meals. It was probably to to accommodate the Afghan refugees that Catholic Charities works with. Does that mean they had someone from the Halal Chamber of Commerce to certify the food or did they just specifically purchase halal food?