Holy Mother of God

Ugly music from the "beautiful" people

In order to make it big in Hollywood you have to do disgusting things. In order to make it big in the pop music world you have to do disgusting things. At some point it rots the soul and the "stars" commit revolting blasphemy in order to signal to their masters and fans that they are totally in the cool kids fold. When this happens you, the fan have a choice, either frown and  sigh and then buy the singer's next album anyway or drop them.
Back in 1989, Madonna gyrated and rubbed herself on a statue of St. Martin de Pores in her "Like A Prayer," video. I was not a good Catholic back then but I was shocked and horrified. I had been a fan of hers since high school but I saw that video and bam-- I turned my back on her forever.
 Now Beyonce and Jay Z have lost their minds and are acting like they are demi gods.  A few months ago Beyonce dressed up in a costume that was a mockery of Our Lady now she and her husband have done a video that takes place in a church. I hope it's just a film set and CGI but it's clearly supposed to be a Catholic church.  If it is a real church God help  the pastor and his flock.

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The more Thy Holy Church is despised, the more we shall endeavor to be her faithful children, O Sweet Heart of Jesus!

St. Stephen, Martyr, pray for us.

And the Word Became Flesh

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Tacky, blasphemous and insulting -- the Vatican Nativity scene

Blasphemy is the attempt to bring dishonor the Church, the saints, holy things and Our Lady and God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The Vatican nativity set is repulsive and blasphemous because of the lewd male figure but it's also distasteful because of what the designers did with the statue of Mary. She is as big as the men. Her hands are huge and so is her neck and her face looks....unfeminine, like a man in drag and what is going on with her  weird squatting pose? At first I only noticed the lewd body builder hanging out with his ankles dangling over the wall but after reading this from Lifesite I see that the whole thing is rank.

Annuciation

random thoughts after being sick

• I was reading Randy Engel's Opus Dei Watch piece on AKA Catholic and saw that so far most of the people  making comments did a very tiresome but very common thing. The topic is X and somebody introduces Y and then other people chime in on Y and completely high jack the conversation. Look, if the SSPX is not good enough for you and the FSSP is too wishy washy and you'd never set a willing foot in a Novus Ordo parish, where do you go? The CMRI and the other Thuc line priests? Some people think they are too weak and only trust the independent chapels. Other's are Home Aloners who don't trust anybody. All this is interesting but Mrs. Englel wrote about Opus Dei. The people harping on anything else are just being like the old boor who can't change his pet subject and won't talk about anything else.
  
  
  
• Rocky was attending a company event and ran into someone who recognized him from our parish. The lady is one of the volunteer cleaners for another Mass and has seen Rocky and the other ushers. She mentioned that he's always so kind and patient and knowing what kind of person he is, she is an ally if he ever needs anything from her department. You never know who knows you.
  
  
  
  
• Another example of "you never know who knows you," happened to Rocky and I both, several years ago. We were speaking to Bishop Loverde after Adoration and out of the blue a young man whom we'd never noticed before piped up, "I've seen you two at St. Rita's.
  
  
  
  
• Last week I got too cold while going to work. I felt exhausted and chilled to the bones on Wednesday night and by Thursday morning I had a 104 fever. I'm just now starting to feel good. I'm so behind and I'm really wishing I had  done my grocery shopping earlier and bought a prelit Christmas tree last year instead of fighting with strings now. 

Well this is embarassing

Father is almost 50 years old for pity's sake. 

Does this piece of fresh hell look like a starving beggar in the streets of Bethlehem or does he look like he went weight lifting this morning, hit the bars, got high and stripped naked? The guy handing him the sheet looks more disgusted than compassionate. I imagine him saying, "Oh come on man, cover yourself and go home."  The  nude guy and his louche pose is  part of the Vatican nativity scene and this is even more embarrassing than Father's Star Wars fetish.

For John Mary Thomas

That woe is me, poor child, for thee

And ever mourn and may

For thy parting neither say nor sing,

"Bye bye, lully, lullay."

Our Lady of La Salette, who wept over the Church, pray for us.

I was talking to a relative who was quite upset by Pope Francis and the proposed change to the Our Father. He asked why I was so calm. I told  him that I'm not really calm inside but  I intend to ignore any attempt to mess with the Our Father.  I've heard the testimony of older people who talked about how they had to go to hotel rooms, private homes and many times to places that were far out of the way to attend the a traditional Latin Mass. I do not particularly want to go through most of what they did  but if it comes to it I will simply have to imitate my betters who held on and remained Catholic no matter what.  I just finished reading The Dictator Pope and sadly, it explains a lot. Our Lady of La Salette, who told us to expect sad times in the Church, please pray for your children.

What's the story on Christendom College?

In the past  couple of months I've either heard or read comments about Christendom College that were highly critical. The gist of these remarks was that the school has changed or that the school was never as orthodox as we thought.  The first time I heard someone say this I dismissed it outright because the person speaking was someone I don't respect and he was ranting. Later I heard or read other people's comments about Christendom on various sites and blogs.  Two individuals, whose opinions I do value, bluntly expressed unhappiness about the school's association with  Dr. Elizabeth Lev due to the scandal of her affair and "marriage" to a priest. The others were vague and assumed that their listeners all knew what they were talking about.

This disturbs me because Christendom is seen as one of the precious few bright spots in Catholic higher education. It's so respected  in my area that when a new priest or lay teacher shows up in a parish people almost sigh in relief when they hear that he/she went to Christendom because the unspoken assumption is that while we may or may not personally like this priest or this lay person, we can trust him or her to teach the Faith.

Venerable Mary of Agreda, pray for us!

St. Bibiana, pray for us.

St. Bibiana was flogged to death under Julian the Apostate. When I think about the courage and faith this young gently raised Roman woman had, I am awed.

a prayer for the redemption of bad priests

Divine Savior Jesus Christ, Thou are the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. Oh, be in a very special way the Good Shepherd of those poor lost priests who are also appointed by Thee to be leaders of Thy people, but who have broken the oath of their holy ordination and have become unfaithful to their exalted calling. Bestow upon these poorest of the poor the very fullness of that pastoral solicitude with which Thou dost so faithfully seek the sheep that are lost! Touch their hearts with the irresistible ray of grace which emanates from Thine all-merciful love! Enlighten their minds and strengthen their wills, that they may turn away from all sin and error and come back to Thy holy altar and to Thy people. O most compassionate Savior! Remember that Thou didst once redeem the souls of Thine erring priests with Thy Precious Blood and in infinite preferential love didst impress upon them the indelible character of the priesthood. Put wholly to shame those miserable helpers of Satan who lay snares for the virtue of priests and endanger the holy ideal of the priesthood. Most graciously accept our prayers and sacrifices for poor priests who have gone astray and hear our earnest petition.

 Amen 

Imprimatur - Bishop John F. Noll (April 18, 1948)

St. Anthony of Padua, defender of the Holy Eucharist, obtain for us holy priests

St. John-Mary Vianney, model of sacerdotal holiness, obtain for us holy priests

St. Francis Xavier, patron of missionary priests, obtain for us holy priests

St. Therese of the Child-Jesus and of the Holy Face, victim offered for the sanctification of priests, obtain for us holy priests

Saints and Servants of God, obtain for us holy priests.