Cardinal Burke is not that guy....sorry

 Lately I have seen a number of posts and essays expressing disappointment in Cardinal Burke. He's a nice man but he's not coming to save traditional Catholics.  I'm not doubting his piety in any way, but he's timid. Maybe he always was. Maybe, the only reason he was able to get the nerve to put forth the Dubia was because the other cardinals were standing with him.  On top of that, his judgment isn't always the greatest. Remember all those rumors about him backing a nun who turned out to be a man?  When I first heard that story I thought it had to be a lie... and then it turned out to be true and incredibly embarrassing. 

When Pope Francis mocked him as he lay sick in the hospital and later threatened to throw him out of his retirement apartment in Rome, that seems to have terrified the poor man.  Although I was certain that American Catholics, if no-one else, would not have allowed him to be put out on the street and later heard Anne Barnhardt report that people immediately told the cardinal that his rent would be covered by them for the rest of his life, he reacted with even greater tremulousness than before.

 I'm not being mean when I say that I don't think he's made of the same stuff as St. John Fisher or St. Athanasius. I'm not mad at him. He's old and some old men become fearful in their great age. I had a relative who in the last decade of his life became a hoarder and reclusive, only going out when he had to because he was unable to cope with age, sickness and a the loss of control over his family. It should also be remembered that many priests all over the world, much younger than Cardinal Burke admit that they feel as though they've endured PTSD under the reign of Francis. 

Sure, I'd like the cardinal to stand up and start preaching like a lion but he's not that guy. He's not coming to save  the Faith as practiced by traditional Catholics.  Burke will get a Mass at St. Peter's in October. It will be lovely. Trad Inc. will trot out that, "We're back," nonsense and Michael Matt, bless his heart will get all red in the face and sweaty while bellowing, "Unite the clans!". Soon afterwards Fr. Martin will either get another visit to the Vatican or there will be another  event for those who are living in sexual sin. 

Random thoughts on a rainy night

•  I'll say it again. Some man needs to talk to Timothy Gordon. He's not going to listen to any woman. What he's talking about never existed in the West.  Peasant women, whether they were working in the fields or as domestic servants were not hidden at home, never venturing into the village or stepping outside unless they were escorted by a husband or male relative. Gordon is talking like he wants us to live in Saudi Arabia. Good grief.
  
  
  
  
  
• To all the Catholic e-girl "influencers"...Could you stop with the "Mass fit" posts? I'm 58, and have been dressing myself for some considerable time and am unimpressed with your poor imitation of model poses. Even if you have a veil on your head nobody needs to see you doing the lip pout, hip thrust  and the cleavage boost lean. It looks silly, cheap and attention seeking and doesn't appear to have anything to do with worshiping God. You aren't helping anyone and you make young Catholic women seem vapid.
  
  
  
  
• Rocky and I went to Deep Creek, Maryland for the Labor Day weekend. It was beautiful. The mountain scenery was just stunning. We went to the only Catholic church in the area for Sunday Mass. Obviously, the parishioners are used to visitors and were very friendly. The homily and music was....well, straight out of 1973, but these people were so sincere and gentle, Rocky and I just had to shrug and pray. Would we go back? Absolutely. We intend to visit Deep Creek again  and since we won't miss Mass we'll be at St. Peters on the Lake. 
  
  
  
  
• Know this:  From kindergarten to college, your children are probably being taught by a person who is going to try to teach them values totally opposite to yours. 

Dreadful days

•  Yesterday was a dreadful day. I saw the photos of that poor, poor girl, Iryna Zarutska after she was attacked and  was sickened. My throat felt as if something snapped inside and crumbled to dust. I grew up in DC and I know public transportation can be dangerous. From my childhood I was trained to scan for possible threats and to get off the bus or train if I realize that a potential threat is too close to me. Seeing that tiny young woman with no chance at all be cut down reminded me of every wise thing my parents and neighbors ever told me about my personal safety.
  
   Some hours later I saw that Charlie Kirk was murdered. I was never a fan of his. I'm too old for his audience group but I knew who he was, and you don't have to be a fan to be disgusted at cold blooded murder. 
  
  We live in a country where crazy people and evil people are allowed to be on the streets and our elected officials just shrug when someone is slaughtered. We live in a country where a media personality  who wrote and talked for a living was killed for his point of view. If we've gotten to the point where we can't even express our political and/or cultural ideas without bloodshed then the next step is brutish violence on a grand scale.  God help us. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Today is 9/11. I remember waking up on September 12, and thinking that I'd had the most horrible dream and then the announcer on my favorite radio station spoke. He simply said that  the day before was not a nightmare, and then he played this:

Okay, so the benefit of the doubt stage is officially over....

 Pope Leo has been on St. Peter's throne for more than 100 days and nobody has been fired.  Instead we got this:

and then we got this:

Our Lady of LaSalette, pray for us.

St. Paul, pray for us.

St. Peter Damian, pray for us.

St. Charles Lwanga, pray for us.

Venerable Emil Kapaun, pray for us.

Fr. Vincent Capodanno, pray for us.