Looks like the Main Stream Media is having a little anti Catholic moment

They hate us. They really, really hate us. And you know what? That’s great. If this statement shocks you please consider this: If you are approved of by the cool kids, then you probably aren’t doing the right thing. No servant is better than the master. The world hated Our Lord and if we are true followers of Him, then the folks at the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, the oh so twee gossip sites, and the New York Times are going to despise us.

Pange Lingua

Our Lady of Sorrows

Today's gospel

You can find more about the artist here.

A commentary on our country from the Divine Office

Today's afternoon reading really got my attention:

What a man sows, he reaps. If he sows in the field of self-indulgence he will get a harvest of corruption out of it; if he sows in the field of the Spirit he will get from it a harvest of eternal life.

random Ash Wednesday thoughts

• I went to Mass at St. Matthews Cathedral for Ash Wednesday. It was fine except the cantor sang the Kyrie at the Prayers of the Faithful instead of the "Lord hear our prayer," response. He sang it as long as possible and almost in the melisma style so nobody who wasn't a trained singer could really follow him. It may be permitted but I don't really care for it. 

• What is wrong with Chris Matthews? Did he get kicked in the head as a child or was  he the victim of harsh potty training? If he feels this way about Catholics why did  he go to  the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament Church to sign his new book?

• I was reading a blog where  a commenter mentioned that she had gone to help out at a food bank and was shocked because the people were  uncouth, (I take it nobody used a finger bowl),  badly dressed, and some of the women were fat (I bet this person isn't so pretty herself), and people were actually  watching TV while they ate. The TV thing is something that was beyond the pale in her household, apparently. She also seemed to get the vapors because American Idol was on. Reading this really made me angry. I hope this woman doesn’t go back or if she does, I hope that  the ladies who run the food bank wisely keep her in the back peeling potatoes or washing pans.  If I ever get to the point where I need to go somewhere to get a free meal I’d hate to have this imperious “Christian” looking down her precious nose at me. If you’re going to do something with the hardcore underclass or even the folks who recently slipped into dire financial straits this Lent please don’t be like this person. Nobody who’s hit the skids (and considering what’s happened to this country that could be any of us)  needs someone mincing about going “Ew, yucky!,” at them. Throw a dollar into the collection plate instead.

• Please say a prayer for this good man.

• The more I read about Fr. McRae the more I think that we are no better than the folks in Old Salem. 

Have a beautiful Lent

 May you be closer to God at the end of these 40 days than you ever were before.

The Confiteor

I confess to almighty God

and to you, my brothers and sisters,

that I have greatly sinned,

in my thoughts and in my words,

in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

through my fault, through my fault,

through my most grievous fault;

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,

all the Angels and Saints,

and you, my brothers and sisters,

to pray for me to the Lord our God.

 

 

The Confiteor is one of the most amazing prayers in the history of mankind. It's a socially rebellious prayer-- it flies in the face of everything we're constantly told by the world. When we pray it we stand up and admit that we were wrong-- not "It's not my fault, Lord, I was raised badly, " or "Everybody was doing it so I went along." The Confiteor demands that we strip bare all the lies, excuses and avenues of escape admit that we sinned. 

Down goes Maryland

More and more I realize that large number of  Americans really don't want to be free. They want sexual license and don't think beyond that. Like Essau they will gladly toss away everything in order to satisfy an appetite. Pity the poor priest who will be faced with Governor O'Malley and his meddlesome, loud mouthed wife when they present themselves for Communion this Sunday.

random thoughts

• I've said what I think about Theology of the Body before. My feelings haven't changed. Something about it just doesn't feel or smell right to me  especially after reading this .
  
  
  
• Remember when Anne Rice announced that she was Catholic again? People fell over themselves to praise her and her close to, if not totally blasphemous books on Jesus. I remember walking into the Pauline  and the Immaculate Conception Basilica bookstores and seeing  huge displays of her work. Now the poor woman  has left the Church and says she's not sure she even believes in God. Was she ever sincere or was the whole thing just a publicity stunt?
  
  
  
• The US bishops still don't get it.
  
  
  
• Nicki Minaj attempted to be shocking with her lame little Grammy act but we've all seen that garbage before. She may immitate Madonna who got quite rich offending Catholics but she lacks the old woman's rat-like cunning and I see the words "has-been" and "one hit wonder" in her future.
  
  
  
• Speaking of entertainers, I was so sad to hear about Whitney Houston. On her worse day when she couldn't even hit her high notes she had more talent in her little finger than 90% of the pop singers on the world stage today. Her voice was the background music to my 20s. She was my husband's favorite woman singer and we will remember her with affection and sadness. May God have mercy on her soul.
  
  
  
• On March 18th, there will be Laetare Sunday Evensong & Benediction at St. Rita's.
  
  
  
•  I still don't have my plan for Lent ready  yet. 
  

Today's gospel

Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean...

St. Bernadette

Grotto of Lourdes

Fear the baby?

I hesitated to write this because it will probably make people mad. I was reading another blog and was struck by how miserable many of the commenters appeared to be about not being able to cheerfully use contraception.The gist of it was that nobody wanted to risk having another baby but they really didn't like NFP either. Last year I read a truly pitiful comment by a man who said that his wife had simply given up and bolted. She got on the Pill, left him, the Church and found a new man. 

I recall a query on a discussion board from years ago from a newlywed man who had been unhappily celibate since his honeymoon. He said his wife was afraid of getting pregnant. Some people advised him to be patient and try romance. Others suggested that he get a better job and reassure her that she wasn't going to turn into a household drudge. Others suggested marital counseling. One person wrote in and said in essence, "Dude you've been had. Go to your priest and demand an annulment." I occasionally wonder what happened to that young couple. 

Where does this Western world fear of babies come from?

St. Apollonia of Egypt, pray for us

curious moment at St. Thomas

I was sick and so we missed our regular Mass time and had to go to St. Thomas Moore Cathedral in Arlington. It was interesting. I never really like it there and find the music nigh on to unbearable but the priest is a fine man who Rocky respects and he always celebrates a sober, reverent Mass and gives intelligent homilies. At the end of Mass, right before the dismissal, Father read a letter on the HHS mandate from Bishop Loverde and Archbishop DiLorenzo in Richmond. At least a quarter of the people in the pews got up and rather noisily left before the poor priest had finished reading. I found that curious. The lay staff at the cathedral are generally rude but I've never known the parishioners to be. Were they making some kind of statement by the walk out?

Exhausted

My uncle, as is often the case with dementia patients is refusing to eat or drink or take medication. When my mother and I visit, after hours of coaxing he will accept hand feeding or will sip from a straw if I hold it to his lips but thats not enough to keep him going. I can't let him starve so he's getting a feeding tube on Monday. I am so tired. I had hoped he'd be in the nursing home for a year or two before the food refusal stage started.

Oh my Jesus....

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One

have mercy on us and

on the whole world

Random thoughts

•  Anne Barnhardt (yeah, her style is not always to my taste but when she’s right, ole girl is right) has several interesting things to say about this mess and makes a sad prediction that I agree with. She thinks the average Catholic will shrug about the HHS mandate and do nothing while wishing that Father would please stop talking about it and get back to planning the parish festival. 
  
  
  
• Candlemass at St. Rita's tonight was amazing. I think it must be one of the most beautiful Masses I've ever been too. Thank you Fr. Eagle for your enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile. The schola sang this antiphon while we all processed through the church with our candles behind the celebrant:
  
  Adorn thy bridal-chamber, O Sion, and welcome Christ the King: with loving embrace greet Mary who is the very gate of heaven; for she bringeth to thee the glorious King of the new light: remaining ever a Virgin yet she bearest in her arms the Son begotten before the day-star: even the Child, whom Simeon taking into his arms, declared to the peoples to be the Lord of life and death, and the Savior of the world.
   Hearing this who wouldn't get excited?
  

Candlemass

\

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace:

Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum

Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:

Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in peace;

Because my eyes have seen Thy salvation,

Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:

A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.

Child molesters hide in plain sight

I wish that perverts who are sexually attracted to children looked like Orcs or that they only hung around back alleys and under bridges like trolls but they don't. They look like everyone else and they frequently look better than average. They marry women with kids, like Humbert Humbert in Lolita.  They get a job that let's them be near children. They become masters at fooling parents and any nosey adult who might suspect. They put on a clerical collar but more frequently, probably much more frequently they just get an education degree and go to school. Mark Berndt is 61, years old and he doesn't have a vow of celibacy. He's free to have as many women as he wanted and guess what he's a child molester. I am not excusing the priests who did this kind of thing but this horrifying story goes to show that perverts can be found in all walks of life. It's the child molester's greatest strength, the ability to blend in and look so darn normal for years. I wonder if the media will take a look at how many children's lives are ruined in school by their own teachers? I doubt it.

Presentation in the temple