random thoughts on a Sunday afternoon

Annunciation

• Most of pop culture really is not good for us.
  
  
• I miss my uncle. Both my mother and I  still feel restless and nervous on Sundays because we are so used to going to the nursing home.
  
  
• Wow. The Germans are being nasty again. 
  
• If you claim to be a devout Catholic but  watch Scandal or intend to watch The Night Before then you are part of the problem. That is all.
  
  
• The Shower of Roses blog has delightful ideas for mothers and children projects.
  
  
• Have you ever noticed that the cool kid Catholics always get mean and personally insulting if you disagree with them and if they're really mad they become just as blasphemous as a pagan? And have you noticed how many others go "Oh come on, he/she was only joking, Can't you take a joke?"
  
  
• France and probably Germany are toast and it's' their own fault for  not having enough children to  maintain their countries. I saw a blog that had an editorial cartoon showing the Statue of Liberty grabbing a backpack and crying out, "I'm coming!," as she rushes back to France. Well they can have the statue but I hope that not a single American young man gets sent back to France for a world war rescue mission again.
  
• Going to Mass in Maryland can be iffy. Going to Mass in Baltimore can be like sampling a box of chocolates. Sometimes you get the buttercreme  and sometimes you get a candy coated bug  HT Restore DC Catholicism.
  
  
• My boss retired three months ago and no replacement has been hired. "Agatha" was annoying and could be maddening but that woman did a lot of work and I've called her at home to let her know how much respect I have for her now. 

Reparation prayer

REPARATION PRAYER

Eternal Father, turn away Thy angry gaze from our guilty people whose face has become unsightly in Thine eyes. Look instead upon the Face of Thy Beloved Son, for this is the Face of Him in Whom Thou art well pleased. We now offer Thee this Holy Face, covered with shame and disfigured by bloody bruises in reparation for the crimes of our age in order to appease Thine anger, justly provoked against us. Because Thy Divine Son, our Redeemer, has taken upon His Head all the sins of His members, that they might be spared, we now beg of Thee, Eternal Father, to grant us mercy. AMEN.

(from the Holy Face Devotion prayers)

a crucifixion painting

About the cardinal's apartment....

Christine Niles of Church Militant says that Cardinal Wuerl, (whom I do not like at all), lives in an apartment in a 43 million dollar complex in one of DCs nicest neighborhoods. Well, yes, but the complex is Our Lady Queen of the Americas,  a Hispanic parish and home to the Senor de los Milagros devotion.  The Washington English Center, which teaches English to immigrants from all of the world, is located on the property as well. The cardinal lives on the top floor. Short of living in one of the black parishes I don't see how much more clever the cardinal could've been. All he has to do is walk through the church cafeteria, show the happy students at the school, or visit the tiny tots in their catechism class with a photographer and he or his surrogates can say, "I live with in the midst of one of the biggest ethnic parishes in DC, and yes, it's in a nice neighborhood. Do you have a problem with Hispanics having a nice parish?" The report hints that the cardinal lives like a king but unless they have photos of of his apartment or testimony from people who have seen it and are willing to give their names, Church Militant just has accusations and loose talk.  Depending on how he wants to play this, Church Militant could end up looking silly. If you would fight an enemy  you need to have a suitable weapon. Instead of a sword this report looks more like a water balloon. Sorry.

The Prince, the Evil Fairy and a magic sword of truth

Saturday with four churches, brisket and a swamp

Rocky was took a rare Saturday off from work so we decided to take a road trip to Southern Maryland. We went to Prince Frederick County, home of the Battle Creek Swamp. If you enjoy birding this is a lovely spot. They have a spy window in the visitor's center that looks out on a huge feeder. You can sit in comfort and get a good look at even the most timid birds because they can't see you. I counted five species that I haven't seen this year.

We went to St. John Vianney Church for their annual Christmas bazaar. It was great. They have serious artisans there with high quality goods. It was worth the trip and I'll go back next year. The church is okay at first glance until you look at the windows. Seeing  Martin Luther King Jr. and Thomas Merton in stained glass as if they were saints is a head shaker. Next we drove to Immaculate Conception  in Solomons Island and said a decade of the rosary.  We were repulsed by their Resurrection crucifix. Our Lord did not lift off the crucifix like a firecracker. He stayed on His throne of pain until His work was finished and then He commended His soul to God. Our Lord did not have 1980s hair.   We decided that we weren't coming back later for the vigil Mass. After lunch at Mission Barbeque we went over the bridge to St. Mary's County and enjoyed looking at the waterfowl and boats. Evening rolled around and we scouted around  for a place to go to Mass. The clostest chruch to our location was  Our Lady Star of the Sea but  as we were walking up the path a woman came blasting out of the door with a disgusted look on her face. She was a big, sturdily built country lady so we stepped aside and watched her head to her car.  Once inside we looked around.  listened to the choir and got an idea why the lady fled. Bless their hearts, I'm sure they were sincere but it was like being sucked back into 1974. I checked my phone and saw that St. Cecilia's had a 4:30 vigil. We decided to make a run for it.

St. Cecilia's was beautiful. It is this tiny chapel sized church in the woods of St. Mary's City with an energetic priest. Inside feels like being in the wooden chapels that the first priests in Maryland built. Mass was just fine.    Afterwards we headed home with a few stops on the way.

Reparation prayer

REPARATION PRAYER

Eternal Father, turn away Thy angry gaze from our guilty people whose face has become unsightly in Thine eyes. Look instead upon the Face of Thy Beloved Son, for this is the Face of Him in Whom Thou art well pleased. We now offer Thee this Holy Face, covered with shame and disfigured by bloody bruises in reparation for the crimes of our age in order to appease Thine anger, justly provoked against us. Because Thy Divine Son, our Redeemer, has taken upon His Head all the sins of His members, that they might be spared, we now beg of Thee, Eternal Father, to grant us mercy. AMEN.

(from the Holy Face Devotion prayers)

No wonder the men aren't in the pews

I just read an essay on where the Catholic men are. Hint, it's not in the pews. It's no surprise. Most suburban parishes are women's clubs and most of the women seem to like it that way.  Fr. Cruz's Easter dance has made the rounds in the Catholic blog land  recently and I present it with two comments. First, pray for Fr. Cruz. Second, I'll bet this parish is mostly female.

No-one knows the hour or the day---go to Confession

Many of the people killed in the recent Paris terrorist attacks were attendees of the performance of an American based band called Eagles of Death Metal. Although the death metal genre glorifies rape, necrophilia, suicide, murder and the Devil the band has long maintained that the name is just a joke. Is that true? Who knows but they were allegedly singing a song about the devil when real death showed up.

None of us knows the hour or the day when it is time to die but it will come, whether you are in a nursing home, an emergency room, a battlefield, eating in a restaurant or in the full flower of your youth and minding your own business while you and your buddies attend a concert. Go to Confession, now, while you have the time.

Eternal rest grant unto them Oh Lord, let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.

Amen

Well this is embarassing

Lamentations

Oh wounds of Christ

Oh Jesus, for the sake of Your Holy wounds. Have mercy on me, a sinner. 

and now, for some happy news

Sr. Alicia Torrres of the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago won the Food TV Chopped competition. She cooks for hundreds of people at the Our Lady of the Angels Mission  every night. 

Let's cut to the chase.... we have one soul to save

Live in the Arlington diocese? Get to praying!

“I have much respect for gays,” including “their way of living their sexuality.”  Archbishop Jozef De Kesel



The Pope just appointed Archbishop De Kesel to  replace the retiring Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard in Belguim.  Bishop Loverde of the Arlington, Virginia diocese is retiring. He's no prize---not at all--- but I shiver at the thought of what we are going to get after him. Archbishop De Kesel sounds horrible but he is a protege of Cardinal Daneels, another horror, who is one of Pope Francis' favorites. Cardinal Wuerl in DC is another favorite the Holy Father. He will have a lot to say about who will be the new bishop of the Arlington Diocese.  If you live in the Arlington diocese storm Heaven now and plead for God's mercy.

Sometimes sitting in the pew is consent to the abomination going on

A lot of people are upset with the priest of Our Savior, in New York City for allowing this. I'm more upset with the people in the pews.While a few good folks probably did leave, the majority just sat there like cold lumps of rancid lard. Whether they liked it or not doesn't matter. Their presence approved of the whole abomination.

REPARATION PRAYER

REPARATION PRAYER

Eternal Father, turn away Thy angry gaze from our guilty people whose face has become unsightly in Thine eyes. Look instead upon the Face of Thy Beloved Son, for this is the Face of Him in Whom Thou art well pleased. We now offer Thee this Holy Face, covered with shame and disfigured by bloody bruises in reparation for the crimes of our age in order to appease Thine anger, justly provoked against us. Because Thy Divine Son, our Redeemer, has taken upon His Head all the sins of His members, that they might be spared, we now beg of Thee, Eternal Father, to grant us mercy. AMEN.

(from the Holy Face Devotion prayers)

Requiem Mass at St. Rita's

Um, Excuse me, Cardinal Wuerl, I have a bad feeling about this

The frame of reference is now going to be: ‘What does the gospel really say here?’ That’s our first task.”  Cardinal Donald Wuerl

Ode to St. Martin de Pores

I never would've known this jazz ode to St. Martin by pianist Mary Lou Williams who converted to Catholicism in 1956, even existed if it were not for My Catholic Tube.