Your Peter's Pence Money is Being Used to Meddle in US Affairs

The pope is sending $500,000 to assist the Mexican parishes and charities that are taking care of the Guatemalans,  El Salvadorans, and Hondurans in the caravans who are attempting to flood into the US.  How much, if any  of the Peter's Pence money is being sent to Sri Lanka or to help the Nigerians Catholics has not been reported. I've been  looking at the reactions on Twitter and news forums and you know what?  People wrote that their Faith had been battered in recent years but this was the final straw and they are leaving the Church. Others wrote that they aren't putting anything in the collection basket not only on Peter's Pence day but any day.  I also saw a lot of comments from non Catholics who now see the Church as a force that is actively working against our country. This is very bad. Americans give more to Peter's Pence than any other country and our money is being used to meddle in our affairs and drive a wedge between us and our countrymen. This whole scenario looks like ten miles of bad road to me and it's not going to end well.

random thoughts on a Saturday afternoon

• There is an organization called the Bail Project that pays bond for people who can't come up with the money on their own. On their website they say that they "... pay bail for people in need, reuniting families and restoring the presumption of innocence." Well, Marcia Johnson didn't want to be reunited with her husband after he struck her back in April. The police were called and he was arrested. His bond was $5000. Marcia certainly had no intention of paying it and apparently nobody who knew her husband wanted to pay it either. The well meaning do-gooders at the Bail Project decided to meddle and as soon as Scott Johnson was released he went home and killed his wife. What do you think went through that poor woman's head when she saw him come through the door? Marcia Johnson was in need and the Bail Project certainly made everything worse for her and her children.The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and I hope that Mrs. Johnson's family sue the Bail Project and the employee/volunteer who thought that bailing out a wife beater was a good idea.  

• Today is the feast of St. Pere de Roquart, who served Our Lord by rescuing slaves from the Muslims. 

• Back in the 70s a young husband and father was taking his parish's bingo money to the bank when he was robbed and murdered. Although his death was a horror and he was a good man who was highly respected by his priest and other parishioners, nobody called him a martyr. Dying on the way to Mass, at Mass or after Mass does not make one a martyr. The Romans, other pagans, Communists and heretics of all kinds said to Christians over the centuries, "Reject Christ and we will leave you alone." They were answered with a refusal. To be a martyr, one must consciously refuse to deny Our Lord and His Faith. 

Easter Vigil

We went to St. Vincent dePaul's in DC for Easter Vigil and it was very sweet. The people are kind.  You never know what you're going to get with the Novus Ordo but the  priest and deacon did nothing outside of the rubrics. The Exultet was sung beautifully and the choir was very good.  It was a joyful night.

Holy Saturday... the King sleeps

"What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled. Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son. The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. ‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise. ‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person. ‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden. ‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image. 'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one. `I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you. ‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God. "The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages." A reading from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday

Good Friday

I beg pardon and mercy, by the merits of Thy holy wounds, Oh Lord!

King of Kings 1927

In this scene the Last Supper is almost over and a smooth pretty boy Judas slinks out early to betray Our Lord. He runs into Our Lady who is waiting outside the  hall  and Judas is so ashamed he can't even look her in they eye.

Spy Wednesday -- King of Kings 1927

Music for Holy Week

Notre Dame

I'm sitting here watching Notre Dame burn.... when the roof caved in and the spire went down I almost screamed at my desk.

Holy Week begins

My husband's prayer corner with this year's palm

In defense of Pope Benedict

• After Pope Benedict's letter from retirement was published I noticed that there was the same old tiresome crap that happens every time he makes a peep. Some people said the letter was a hoax. Others got mad because it appears to be genuine.  I was reminded of something I wrote last Palm Sunday that still, weirdly enough applies to the situation at hand. I'm posting it again with a few additions.
  
  
  
  All this week I've been reading that Benedict was never the orthodox prelate whom we thought he was and that he's really just Francis with class. That is hyperbole. Joseph Ratzinger was never mean, he was never even crude in private, much less in public and not a single person has come forward to tell a story about how Fr. Ratzinger used to swear and scream when he was unhappy or that he mocked them for being pious.  Although he said some things in his books on the life of Our Lord that raised my eyebrow I don't recall him being openly heretical in his statements. I don't recall ever cringing at his daily reported utterances or wondering if he was non compos mentis. 
  
   Maybe Pope Benedict was just a nice conservative, okay I'll accept that. Church and a social conservatives haven't won a single battle in 50 years but they've tossed off some cute witticisms and I  think deep down the leaders are content with that and many of them dislike the embarrassing Trads more than the out right heretics. Pope Benedict may not have had the courage or ammunition to fight the St. Gallen mafia and it probably would have been better for him if he had refused the papacy to begin with, but I don't think he's sipping on a beer in his apartment thinking, " Francis and I sure fooled those suckers. Hah!" 

Palm Sunday

One of My favorite scenes from King of Kings

Passiontide

St. Vincent Ferrer, pray for us

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.