A lot of people think the earthquakes in Italy are a sign that God is not happy with Francis. I don't think so. When you live on a land mass with fault lines you get earthquakes. Norcia was the one bright spot in Catholic Italy, now it is in ruins and the Basilica has collapsed except for the front facade. Surely if the message was for Pope Francis then it would have been in a way that he couldn't miss. Usually when Our Lord uses nature to instruct us it is obvious and unmistakable : a star moves over Bethlehem, the Red Sea parts, darkness covers the land on Good Friday and the dead appear, the sun dances in Fatima, St. Vincent and St. Joseph defy gravity, lightning strikes St. Peters for the first time in recorded history... things like that.
Last night at Mass was interesting. The lines for confession were long which is wonderful to see and it's always a shot of soul medicine to be at the traditional Latin Mass but there was a family sitting in front of me who were so loud that one of the gentlest, most patient women in the parish who was right behind them got up and left. Behind me was an older couple who were hard of hearing and kept talking to each other without realizing that we could all hear them. I was sitting with Rocky and the other ushers so I stayed put. After Mass a woman peppered Rocky with questions about the Mass and he answered them very well. She's planning on coming back.
Maureen Mullarkey was disgusted by the Al Smith dinner. Phil Lawler and Patrick Crain both say it ought to be canceled and I agree. It raised 6 million this year, a paltry sum considering the number of multi millionaires in attendance. One of them could've written that check in private and skipped the whole show.
I miss my father. I miss my Uncle Sonny Boy. I still get sick and angry when I think of the nurses telling me that I was being overly anxious about his cold....which turned out to really be pneumonia. Oh God, please save them. Draw them to Your wounded side. Eternal rest grant unto them and all my kin in Purgatory, may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.