Two cool things and one that is definitely not

• My parish has the Vatican II hymnals by Corpus Christi Watershed press. When I first saw them I was a bit worried. Despite the name, I'm happy to report, the book does not contain any hippy dippy music, no Lord of the Dance, no Eagles Wings. It does contain simple, sober hymns, beautiful artwork, and the readings for every Sunday and Feast so we have been able to get rid of those nasty, flimsy misalettes. It has the order of the Mass in Latin and English for the Novus Ordo and the TLM and all the sung propers. If your church musician uses the hymnal the way it was designed you will hear chant at Mass. Well played, Father Eagle!

• I just downloaded the Laudete Catholic app for my  Droid phone and I love it. It has the rosary, chaplets, daily readings, the liturgy of the hours and hundreds of prayers. It's also free. 

• I was reading Crisis magazine and came across this old chestnut by Steve Skojec. He was going on about how Christians need to be engaged in the culture. Here is a culture story for you: Last week a co-worker went to an after work get together at a local bar. At the party a man told a "hilarious" story about his adventure with a stripper/prostitute at his friend's bachelor party. It was disgusting. To put it delicately, he performed a sex act with the prostitute in public that I can not describe. If anyone at the table found this shocking or even mildly distasteful they did not show it My co-worker said that the women as well as the men laughed and egged the man on to tell more. These people were all middle and upper class. All were college educated. They were to sort of people who are held up as examples by the rest of us when we talk to the underclass kids.The man who told the foul tale is a corporate attorney. My co-worker is Catholic. That's your mainstream, pornified everyday normal culture folks and had I been there I would not have been engaged. I would've walked out. Life in America is a magnificent banquet. There are wonderful things on the table and there's some poison items as well. Refusing to eat everything on the table does not make you a sheltered, delicate, useless, humourless geek.