Are the bishops having a contest to see who can attack the devotion of the people the most?

Cardinal McElroy has banned the use of altar rails in the DC diocese. I expected no better and am waiting for the next thing to drop. 

Terrible news

 This morning I checked my email and read an appalling message about the pastor of the parish we attend. I immediately called the  parish's secretary to see if it was a legitimate communication and she confirmed that it was. I then Googled the priest's name and read a brief news article on the matter. An odd thing that happened last week at Mass makes sense now.  

Oh God, dear Father have mercy. If our pastor is innocent, may he be swiftly vindicated. If he is not, may justice, both secular and ecclesiastical be done. 

Random thoughts on a humid afternoon.

• I just read about some Catholic people who were conned by a  person who runs a purported charity.  It's very sad and I won't go into it except to offer a word of caution. Folks, when someone asks you for donations or investor money you can't just accept their pitch. If they are claiming to be a charity then you need to look up their Form 990. If they are a business then you need to go to the Secretary of State site for the state this person's entity is located in.  At the very least, do a Google search. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I noticed multiple people were wearing face masks at Mass. My first thought was "Not again!" I normally don't care if someone is masking or not as long as they don't try to force it on me but  the timing made me a little nervous. So many people were mentally crushed by Covid and never recovered. I hate to see people falling for Hantavirus and Ebola panic. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• When it comes making an argument for their position, the greatest enemy  Sedevacantists have is themselves. A few years ago a man posted a Tweet that I thought was  stupid but largely inoffensive. A sedevacantist-minded woman  replied by implying that the man's bedroom activity was unnatural and she got so scatological that I decided to mute her. Up until that day I enjoyed reading her comments but this was shocking and completely over the top. It was like dropping a bomb on a raccoon digging through the trash. 
  
  A few weeks ago a Sede insulted the appearance of a man's family member on multiple occasions. This had nothing to do with the belief that there has been no valid pope since the death of Pius XII and was completely uncalled for.  Where I come from, you don't talk bad about somebody's wife or their mama unless you're prepared  to lose blood in a fight.
  
  Just  a few days ago I read the comments of  a self proclaimed Sede who went off  on a guy for posting a weak theological opinion and called the man pedophile adjacent, ugly, Hell-bound  and said the guy had a sub-normal IQ. 
  
  There are a lot of people who have been looking around their parishes, and at the bishop and the stuff coming from  Pope Leo's mouth and they're are wondering what the Hell is going on. These people may or may not accept the Recognize and Resist  or the Benecantivist arguments  but they won't ever listen to anything the Sedes have to say because too many of the online adherents go for the jugular vein with a rusty razor  when a rhetorical slap would have done.  It's distasteful. Regular Pew Sitting Novus Ordo or Traditional Catholics aren't going to listen to you if you come off like a rabid dog.

Pope Leo's Gambit in West Virginia

•  Pope Leo is sending West Virginia a new bishop, a man who came to America by hiding in a car trunk.  After living here as an illegal alien he gained citizenship in 2006.  He  was ordained in 2004, by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.  That  alone could potentially be a huge problem. We know that McCarrick was very fond of his Latin American seminarians. It' s not unfair to ask Bishop Menijar-Ayala if he  ever saw or heard of any unsavory behavior from the cardinal and how he chose to deal with it. 
  
  Some people are guessing that this curious appointment is a political move from Pope Leo. If so, it was a mistake.  People are going to be watching the new bishop very closely  for two reasons: the McCarrick connection and to see what comes out of his mouth. Should he decide to champion illegal aliens, it's going to get messy. 

Random thoughts on a hot Thursday afternoon

• Chris Jackson has such a way with words. I used to think Anthony Abbate was an interesting alternative to the Trad Inc. beard-and-whiskey-look-at-us-we're-so-manly crowd. Yes, he laid the stereotypical loud mouth New York Italian act on so thick it seemed like he was playing a bit part in a bad TV show, but  he had a real job which was refreshing. In the past six months whenever I read his stuff on Twitter I've had a feeling that something-- well, two things really, are off.  Chris Jackson writes about one of the things here.  
  
  
  
  
  
• Did you know that Sudan is on its third civil war? The first one was from 1955-1972. The second was from 1983-2005, and the current war started in  April of 2023. In fact, there's over 100 armed conflicts going on in the world right now.  The world is not suddenly on fire.  The fire has been burning since the Fall of Adam. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• This may blow some people's minds but if the pope is not speaking ex cathedra you are not bound by pain of mortal sin to pay attention to every word that falls from his lips.  To use a ridiculously broad example, if the Holy Father says "I think Arabian horses are the best pets. Everyone should have one, " that does not mean you should buy one or get rid of your dog. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Easter Vigil was fantastic this year. There were 37 baptisms and confirmations at the cathedral so Rocky and I went to the Franciscan Monastery instead. The homily was great. The music was beautiful. Every year I think I can't do another vigil, and when we do, I'm always so grateful that we did.
  
  
  
  
• Have you noticed that nobody on social media seems to be happy with Catholic converts? The liberal Catholics are afraid that the new Catholics aren't flaky enough. The conservatives and trads almost all posted sarcastic stuff like  "Welcome home. It's a mess. Now shut up."  
  
  
  
  
  
• This is interesting. I can't imagine the Vatican court will say "Oopsie, the resignation was invalid."

Christ Crucified

 Christ Crucified

.

by 
Richard Crashaw

THY restless feet now cannot go

  For us and our eternal good,

As they were ever wont. What though

  They swim, alas! in their own flood?

Thy hands to give Thou canst not lift,

  Yet will Thy hand still giving be;

It gives, but O, itself' s the gift!

  It gives tho' bound, tho' bound 'tis free!

Wednesday of Holy Week