random thoughts on the Eve of All Saints

 

• I pretty much try to tune Vatican news out these days. It's painful to see the officers in the Church Militant behaving like fools and provocateurs. Watching Francis and his posse is like seeing your stepfather abuse your mom and as a result she's turned into a drunk who shames you in front of the neighbors while the stepfather gloats and gaslights. This Luce doll is weird. Blue hair, a Pride rosary around her/his neck and a wizard's stang. What "genius" thought this was a good idea? I'll be blunt. With all the pedophilia and homosexual scandals this kiddie mascot is not a good look. It is not wise.  To those who think it's cute I'll ask this question. Does this doll or whatever the heck it is, inspire you to live and die if need be for the Catholic Faith? Does this doll make you love Jesus more? Do you look at this thing and feel awe at the very thought of our crucified Lord?  No? Then why the Hell, is this the mascot for the  2025 Jubilee?

 

• When even Liz Lev wrinkles her nose.....

It seems to me that this mascot apes rather than leads. A few Christian symbols imposed on an anime doll may be charming, and perhaps even marketable, but is pilgrimage a game? Is reconciliation?Michelangelo once said “if you follow others, you will never get ahead of them” https://t.co/C6HGR3Dj5p

— Elizabeth Lev (@lizlevrome) October 30, 2024

• Around 2021, I started noticing something odd. When I'd see wedding photos of Catholic "influencers," the grooms didn't seem right. It was like the young women were posing with living Ken dolls. They reminded me of girls playing wedding with a little brother being dragooned into playing the groom part. Other people noticed how odd the couples looked together and quite a few made crude comments about the possible sexual nature of the grooms. Strangely enough, the phenomenon seems to have calmed down. This year the couples look normal again. The men appear to be functioning men. What was that all about? Many people were psychologically  damaged by the Covid epoch. Perhaps it was caused by that. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Rocky and I don't do Halloween. Why? Because we're adults. We live in an apartment and Rocky's mother died on October 31. All that being said, if you're one of those people who give kids toothbrushes as Halloween treats or who preaches Hellfire at the toddler in a Batman costume you aren't helping. 

A ghostly tale for Halloween

Years ago when I was still in high school I read a collection of ghost stories called "Haunted Heartland." Most of them weren't a bit scary and were presented in  the dry  businesslike fashion of a folklorist who is merely collecting materials for a dissertation, but one tale stuck with me. It was the story of Fr. Louis Lesches, a priest assigned to St. Mary's College in Minnesota, who tried to kill his superior, Bishop Patrick Hefron. The bishop was saying Mass in the seminary chapel one morning when he turned around and saw Fr. Lesches standing behind him. To the bishop's surprise, the priest was wearing a Prince Albert suit instead of his cassock or clericals. To add to this surprise the bishop quickly realized that  the priest was packing heat. Fr. Lesches fired a gun three times, hitting the bishop twice.

At that time Fr. Lesches was already the number one problem child of the diocese. Although he was said to be brilliant and had done well in the academic part of his seminary studies, he was judged to be overly emotional, and  insubordinate. He'd failed at all of his parish assignments and now the concerned and probably a bit exasperated bishop had recalled him to St. Mary's to keep a close eye on him.  Fr. Lesches became convinced that the bishop was persecuting him. 

 Bishop Heffron's  great physical and mental toughness probably saved his life.  Instead of dropping dead, hiding in the pews, or swooning, he yelled at his now panicked attacker and chased him out of the chapel. Fr. Lesches was later captured by the police and spent the rest of his life in a mental hospital.

 Students have been claiming to see the ghost of Fr. Lesches on campus for decades. It's a spooky tale but I hope everyone who hears or reads it will stop and say a prayer for this poor, strange, unstable man who never should've been ordained but is a priest forever and one who probably really needs our help now. 

How Bishops Kill--- You should read this

 The wonderful An Archdiocese of Washington blog has a post that you should read, especially if you live in the DC, MD, Northern Virginia area. It's taken from a brave priest's newsletter. 

Back from vacation and other random thoughts

•  Rocky and I just got back from vacation and it was wonderful. We took my mother with us as usual and we all needed the break from DC and Northern Virginia. For Mass we went to a little church about 16 miles from our vacation cottage. It was like stepping back into 1980. The music was Eagles Wings and other stuff I haven't heard since elementary school. The people were very sweet to tourists. The cantor reminded me of a high school football coach but instead of making us run laps for practice he produced a lovely voice.
  The only real fly in the ointment was the homily. The priest was a friendly, kind man who obviously cares about his people but he tried to justify the pope's latest airplane interview. Fr. assured us that Gandhi, and Billy Graham were saints. They weren't with us (I guess he meant Catholics) but they did the Lord's work. I sat there and thought, "Father, Gandhi let his wife die because he didn't want to use British medicine and he later slept in the same bed as his nieces to test  his chastity."
  
  After Mass Rocky asked, "What did you think of Father's homily?"
  "I didn't like it. " 
  
  "Didn't think you would." We laughed and drove off along the tiny country roads to find dinner. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• My uncle Junior was without power for four days in South Carolina. My cousin came and brought him back to Tennessee but it was rough trip. My uncle says he's never seen devastation like Helene before. It was worse than a tornado. I finally heard from another cousin, Shirley, who lives in the next county over from Uncle Junior. She still has no power and cell phone service is spotty. A tree fell on her truck and another one fell on the fence. She also stated the damage is incredible.
  
    I just donated to The Martyrs Walk hurricane relief effort.  Please don't donate to Red Cross. Send your money to local charities that are on the ground. 
  
  
  
  
  
• I've never felt much enthusiasm for the FSSP because it's only in two places in the Richmond diocese and I don't see it ever being allowed in Arlington. The order seems pretty rimrocked to me and the latest news of an Apostolic Visitation from Rome doesn't bode well.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Out of all the wonderful charities and volunteer groups who are helping in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida, you know whose name I haven't heard about? Catholic Charities. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Speaking of Catholic Charities, you should read this by Fr. Nix. 

Random thoughts on a Sunday afternoon

•  Rocky and I went to Mass at the newly renovated Arlington Cathedral and it's actually beautiful. The garish colors and mish mash of styles are gone. The Blessed Sacrament is in the middle of the sanctuary now instead of the side and the bishops chair is no longer in the middle.
  
  Is it as stunning as the cathedral in Baltimore, or DC? No, of course not but it is a huge improvement over what it was. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Pro Life movement has to get its act together. Right now people are talking about a woman who was a pro life activist who was looked up to and admired by a number of young women. She just announced that she had an abortion in June. So, you have a pro-life activist who despite everything she's said and argued and all the resources she could have access to, who had an abortion. Did nobody check this woman's background before promoting her as a face of the movement? 

Well that was a dud

 I ordered a veil from Maria Veils and am not happy with the non existent customer service, the undeliverable company emails, and with what I received. The veil in my hands does not look as long or ornate as the one in the photo. Oh well, lesson learned. From now on I'll stick to Veiled by Tradition or order from nuns. 

Random thoughts on Tuesday evening

•  I've been reading a lot of Twitter  and I've come to the conclusion that a lot of people need to understand something: When you grow up and leave home your parents don't owe you anything anymore. You have no right to be angry that your parents sold the house and moved to North Carolina. You have no right to expect that your mother will babysit your child everyday. You have no right to be bitter about your inheritance being "wasted", because your parents decided to go on a cruise and you have no right to rage because your widowed parent decided to get married again.
  
  I am not talking about being angry over childhood abuse or the horror of growing up with Boomer parents who spent your whole youth finding themselves in sex, drugs and various cults and isms. I'm talking about expecting your elderly parents to keep standing between you and the world.
  
  Consider our ancestors for a moment. Do you think Pioneer women living in sod houses on the prairie had anyone to watch the baby while they went to town? Their mothers were either back East or in Colonial days, back in England. And yet those women survived and made a nation out of nothing.
  
  The only thing my father's father left him was his name. And you know what? My father got up, lived his own life and went to work. At some point you have to stop pouting and get to living. 

• I think the people who are sharing that AI created image of Our Lord based on the Shroud mean well but it looks too much like Charles Manson to me. I much prefer real art. 
  
  
  
  
  

• In the UK, your doctors can kill you if they think your case is hopeless and they won't let you leave the country to seek treatment elsewhere. In exchange for setting your broken arm or draining your pimples for "free", Brits become property of the State health service. No, thank you!
  
  
  
  
  
  
• It's happened again. My neighbor took a shower and my toilet began bubbling like a geyser. I watched in horror as my tub filled with sewage.  Maintenance took care of it but  I followed up with vast quantities of bleach. It's time to move. I refuse  to deal with this ever again. In your charity, please pray that Rocky and I find a new home and don't have too much trouble getting out of our lease.