random thoughts on a Tuesday night

• Christmas vacation is the happiest time of the year for me. For 7 days I cook, clean and spend long nights lying on the couch, laughing and telling stories with my family. My mother and I can hang out long past midnight, eating pecans and talking about all kinds of things. It's a real gift from God.
  
  
  
•  I don't want to hear about the Nuremberg Code anymore. Folks, in order to have Nuremberg you have to win the war.
  
  

• Why do Catholic women post photos of themselves in immodest clothing or poses, particularly when they state that they are on their way to church or while standing in front of the altar?  Why do these women always seem to have a priest friend who posts a compliment or a defense of her when someone asks why she's dressed like that? I just saw a Christmas card where the woman is doing the trout pout with her buttocks stuck out at a bizarre angle, and standing next to her wimpy looking husband. Is is narcissism, feminism or just an infection of worldliness? 
  
  
  
• I've noticed something wonderful. None of the young priests I've heard in the last couple of years do that horrible sing-song lispy baby talk voice when they speak. It's finally fallen out of fashion in the seminary public speaking class. The only ones who still do appear to be over 60. 
  
  
  
  

Adoration

Thy Almighty Word Leapt down from Heaven.... As a Fierce Conqueror

 

THY ALMIGHT WORD LEAPT DOWN FROM HEAVEN....

For while all things were in quiet silence, and the night was in the midst of her course,  Thy almighty word leapt down from heaven from thy royal throne, as a fierce conqueror into the midst of the land of destruction.
The Book of Wisdom, Chapter 18, verse 11

Merry Christmas

 The Coming of Christ aired on NBC in 1961. Can you imagine this today? 

It's frequently a bad thing when one's diocese makes the news

 Bishop Burbidge has an announcement. 

random thoughts for a Saturday morning

•  And Mary went in haste....  How did Our Lady get to St. Elizabeth's house? It's about 90 miles from Nazareth to Aim Karim. She must have joined a caravan but a young girl of 15 or so would've attracted the wrong kind of attention and it never would've been permitted. Some theologians have posited that St. Joseph, her legal husband or other relatives must have gone with her and St. Joseph came again to pick her up after three months. 
  
• I mentioned to my mother that the Filipino community at my old parish is having Simbag Gabi  novena Masses. My mother asked if anyone who isn't Filipino is welcome. I hesitated to answer and finally said that anyone can go to Mass but a non-Filipino probably wouldn't be treated to the fellowship and people might not be comfortable in his or her presence the same way Vietnamese or Korean or Hispanic parishioners aren't too happy when someone outside their ethnicity shows up at their dedicated Mass.   My mother made a disapproving sound. I said that if the Filipinos have to lose their customary Advent Masses then the Charismatic Masses, the Spanish Mass, the Ordinariate and the Afro-Gospel Masses and definitely  the celebrate whatever sexual penchant you have Masses need to go too, out of fairness.
  
  My mother made another disapproving sound and indicated that she was disappointed because she thought Catholic meant universal and she asked me to explain why Pope Francis is taking my Latin Mass away. I couldn't give her a satisfactory answer. Drat! Every time I think that my mother is getting closer to converting something happens. 

• Rocky's work schedule has changed so we can't go to Mass at our old parish. Where we're going now is  valid and fulfills our Sunday duty.  It's a regular vanilla Novus Ordo in that nothing is shocking or  too horrible. We'll never have dancing girls or dogs sitting next to the altar.  On the other hand, it's nothing sublime either. Unless we have a guest priest, or the bishop comes, the homilies are rambling pep talks or sports analogies or joke filled. Father--who is a very sweet, kind man,--- moves around like a game show host. We don't have the Confiteor and never hear the Roman canon.  We have nice bread and butter priests who are extremely careful and under great pressure not to offend any of the very rich people who attend and have the power to call up the bishop and get their calls answered.  
  
  During the week we have a respite. We go to a small parish that has (for how long?), an evening  traditional  Low Mass. One night, as we were leaving that church Rocky turned to me and asked rhetorically what would happen if one of the Fathers  at our Sunday Mass spoke a homily like the ones we hear at the week-day TLM parish. It would be incredible. 
  
  
  
  
• A Christmas Carol was published for the first time on this date. It's amazing to think that the man who wrote it later in his middle age became viciously cruel to his wife, driving her from their home and taking up openly with a mistress. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• What is Francis? Who does he love? I don't know but I don't think it's what we have a right to expect. 
  
  
  
  
• The lovely Tea at Trianon blog has a fine defense of Our Lady and reminder that you should read a little history and not get your theology from Evangelical and Jewish movies. Mary was not an unwed mother. 

Tornadoes

 So far 50 people are dead from this week's tornadoes. Instead of giving your money to some dude running a blog, a lay media apostolate or a You Tube channel send your dollar to help your fellow Americans who have lost everything. The Owensboro diocese has a donation link here .

Thank you, God!

 Yesterday Rocky called me to say he'd be late getting home because.... the SUV engine appeared to be on fire. 

He pulled over and when the smoke died down he pushed the Ford Explorer to a gas station.  Thank you, dear Jesus. The image of His Sacred Heart is in  both our vehicles.  Thank you, St. Christopher. Thank you, St. Martha and St. Alphonsus, Rocky's patron saints. Thank you to Rocky's guardian angel.  Rocky is fine. The Explorer is at the station and we'll see what can be done with it. My husband was able to get a rental for the weekend that doesn't cost the earth  and my nerves settled down sometime last night. 

God is good. 

Salvation Army

 The Salvation Army is an Evangelical Protestant sect. Never mind the recent insult to the largest group of donors; you shouldn't be giving to the Salvationists anyway. 

Random thoughts on a Saturday night

• Church Militant has gone through the three stages of  kookdom: Eccentric, Actively Avoid and now, CALL THE SHERRIFF FOR A WELLNESS CHECK.  
  
  
  
  

• What is going on with all these male Catholic commentators talking about how manly or tough they are? My husband, my father, my father-in-law (one of the meanest men I've ever met but a genuine warrior ), my grandfather or any man in my family has never once boasted of their manhood in my presence. You know who talks about how tough they are? Boys. Little boys, mostly. Full grown normal men don't need to constant reassure themselves and others of their masculinity. It's gotten to the point where the minute somebody starts doing this I immediately put them on my "do not read this guy anymore" list. 
  
  
  
  
• I had surgery  last week and it went well.  The surgeon called me today to say that all the pain causing bits that were removed are benign just as she thought and my particular issue should be cleared up for good now. I was very thankful to have been able to stop by the rectory before the surgery and be anointed by one of the priests.
  
  
  
  
• It is being suggested that if Father James Jackson of the FSSP can be brought down then it will be a blow to all people who love the TLM. I disagree.  I didn't even know who Fr. Jackson was before his arrest. I've heard of his Nothing Superfluous book but it never occurred to me to pick it up. I think most Catholics outside of the overheated Trad Inc. online world and who don't attend a FSSP parish probably have no idea who he is. 




• When I was in college one of my professors lectured about public life. He said if you are going to stand up in politics or any monster fighting activity make sure that you are squeaky clean and have no weak spots. If you have ANYTHING in your private life that an investigator for your opponent can use it will be brought to bear against you. Recent events in Catholic blog/Twitter/YouTube land remind me of what that old professor said. If you are going to fight dragons you better be like St. George, which includes no family members who could get hurt in the crossfire. 

 

Man of Sorrows

 

Fr. James Jackson

 Fr. James Jackson of the FSSP has been arrested for having child pornography on his computer. A lot of people say he must have been set up because he barely knows how to use a computer and they've known him for years and he exudes holiness. Maybe. 

Unless this is Fr. Jackson's personal computer everyone who had access to it needs to be looked at, including the priest who was there before him. The timing of this arrest seems suspicious. Some people are wondering if this is part of an intimidation campaign against the FSSP. 

On the other hand, you don't need to be a tech expert to find smut. You don't need to go on the Dark Web and use a VPN or Tor to consume really bad, soul and mind destroying stuff. As for his aura, may I remind you of Fr. Marciel? He was treated as a saint but turned out to be a fornicator, a rapist, and incestuous. He fooled a lot of people, including JPII, who would hear no word of warning about him from the few who saw through the man. 

Can Fr. Jackson get a fair shake in the justice system in Rhode Island? I doubt it. He needs an excellent legal team.  The case is USA v. Jackson, docket number, 1:21-mj-00109 in the District of Rhode Island before Judge Sullivan. The criminal complaint is document number three. His bail has been set for $10,000. If he is innocent may God bring him through this like St. Gerard. If he is guilty, may he confess it and repent. 

Random thoughts on a Sunday afternoon

•  Mundabor has written a harsh epitaph for poor Pope Benedict that made me wince at the truths and very sad for Benedict. He didn't have the  charisma or energy to follow the JPII papacy model. He was cursed with very shady people in his own private apartment and he was simply overwhelmed by the wolves. 
  
  
  
  
  
• What did I say?  It's started already. The victim is 18.
  
  
  
  
  
• As horrible as the beagle puppy experiments are and I do have to  ask why it was even done; go back 1000 years and any Bedouin could tell you what sandflies can do --- I think it's very telling about the state of our modern societal degeneracy that this is what it  took for normal people to finally get upset at Fauci.
  
  Where are the Western world's priorities? A pig kidney is successfully transplanted to a comatose woman who could not have given her consent and people cheer the progress of science. Elderly people in nursing homes were put into confinement and not allowed to see their friends, clergy and families until they reached near death, if that, depending on the locale and people went, "It's for their safety! Millions of babies have been dismembered or poisoned in the womb and have been had their organs cut of their precious bodies while still alive and people shrug but ...puppies, well that's just too far. 

 

 

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

 

random thoughts on a rainy Sunday night

• Kamala Harris has recorded a message that will be played at 300 black churches in support of Terry McCuliffe. That ought to be sign to the people in the pews  that they need to run for the doors.
  
  
  
  
  
• It didn't start in the 60s. 

• I was at Mass on Wednesday night and found this wonderful book on the parish's book case. It's incredibly helpful. My only nitpick is that it has John Henry Newman on the cover and I find his relationship with Fr. Ambrose St. John  and his behavior on the night of St. John's death to be disturbing. 

Holy Face Litany Short Version

I salute Thee, I adore Thee and I love Thee, O adorable Face of Jesus, my Beloved, noble Seal of the Divinity! Outraged anew by blasphemers. I offer Thee, through the heart of Thy blessed Mother, the worship of all the Angels and Saints, most humbly beseeching Thee to repair and renew in me and in all men Thy Image disfigured by sin.

O adorable Face, which was adored with profound respect by Mary and Joseph when they saw Thee for the first time, have mercy on us.

O adorable Face, which in the Stable of Bethlehem didst ravish with joy the angels, the shepherds and the Magi

O adorable Face, which in the Temple didst transpierce with a dart of love the saintly old man Simeon and the prophetess Anna

O adorable Face, which, when Thou didst appear in the Temple at twelve years of age, didst fill with admiration the Doctors of the law

O adorable Face which possesses beauty always ancient and always new, have mercy...

   

 O adorable Face which is the masterpiece of the Holy Ghost, in which the Eternal Father is well pleased, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which is the ineffable mirror of the divine perfection, have mercy on us.

  

   Adorable Face of Jesus which was so mercifully bowed down on the Cross, on the day of Thy Passion, for the salvation of the world! Once more today in pity bend down towards us poor sinners. Cast upon us a glance of compassion and give us Thy peace.

O adorable Face, troubled and weeping at the tomb of Lazarus,

Adorable Face of Jesus which was so mercifully bowed down on the Cross, on the day of Thy Passion, for the salvation of the world! Once more today in pity bend down towards us poor sinners. Cast upon us a glance of compassion and give us Thy peace.

O adorable Face, brilliant as the sun, and radiant with glory on the Mountain of Tabor

O adorable Face, sorrowful at the sight of Jerusalem, and shedding tears on that ungrateful city,

O adorable Face, bowed down to the earth, in the Garden of Olives, and covered with confusion for our sins,

O adorable Face, bathed in a bloody sweat,  O adorable Face, kissed by the traitor Judas,

O adorable Face, struck by a vile servant, shamefully blindfolded, and profaned by the sacrilegious hands of Thine enemies, O adorable Face, defiled with spittle, and bruised by innumerable buffets and blows,

O adorable Face, whose Divine look wounded the heart of Peter, with a dart of sorrow and love,

O adorable Face which was washed and anointed by Mary and the holy women and covered with a shroud, have mercy on us.

Be merciful to us, O my God! Do not reject our prayers, when in the midst of our afflictions, we call upon Thy Holy Name and seek with love and confidence Thy adorable Face.

O adorable Face, all resplendent with glory and beauty on the day of the Resurrection, 

O adorable Face, all dazzling with light at the moment of Thy Ascension,

Be merciful to us, O my God! Do not reject our prayers, when in the midst of our afflictions, we call upon Thy Holy Name and seek with love and confidence Thy adorable Face.

    

    O adorable Face which is hidden in the Eucharist, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which will appear at the end of time in the clouds with great power and great                 majesty, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which will make sinners tremble, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which will fill the just with joy for all eternity, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which merits all our reverence, our homage and our adoration, have mercy on us.

    O Lord, show us Thy Face, and we shall be saved!

    O Lord, show us Thy Face, and we shall be saved!

    O Lord, show us Thy Face, and we shall be saved!

Weirdness at Adoration

 I saw the weirdest thing last evening. Rocky and I went to Adoration but the holy hour was ruined by one family.  They were sitting in the back but one row ahead of us and I guess they were trying to let each one of the children have a good view of the Blessed Sacrament. Every  ten minutes or so one of them would get up and move to a different pew closer to the altar and another one would return to the rest of the family who  would all shuffle to the right or left and then the next family member would get up and move to another pew. This zig zagging loop went around and around like this for the entire hour. 

Finally a man came in  and knelt down in the same pew as the family. The teenaged daughter  of the family leaned over to whisper to him. I didn't hear what she said but the man looked surprised and later I saw that he had to keep getting up from kneeling and sit or stand depending on the size of the child each time one  of them would do that bizarre musical chairs shuffle over him. He stayed in that pew though. 

One of the kids who looked about 13 or 14 must have decided that he didn't need to move and the teenaged daughter leaned over to give him a whispered tongue lashing. I saw the boy's cheeks flush beet red and he looked hurt. He got up stiffly and moved to another pew like she wanted. 

Rocky and I left as soon as our hour was over. The musical chairs bit seemed ridiculous, distracting and rude.

The other people in the chapel who were  sitting in  the  up front pews didn't see all this and were spared the distraction. I don't know what the parents were trying to accomplish but I don't see how turning Adoration into a game added to their children's devotion and I certainly didn't see it as charity to the other people in the pews or as reverent to the Lord. 

Random thoughts on a Monday afternoon

•  It hasn't even been a good month yet  and it's  started already.

• Usually at my job when someone reaches the 20 year mark they get a gift. My 20th work anniversary came and went with no comment from HR. I don't know if it's because I gave them resistance on the vax requirement or if they simply have dropped the graceful gesture altogether. 
  
  
  
  
• Pope Francis has not gone crazy. I think he's been like this all along. 
  
  
  
  
• The Fairfield Carmelites are in danger.
    
  
  
  
  
• Pray for us, Father Kaupan.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We had a very odd experience at Mass two weeks ago. It was  Young Adults Sunday and Rocky and I were surprised to see the bishop as the celebrant. There was a full choir, instead of one cantor and we were treated to the long versions of Protestant hymns including one during Communion that sounded like a man talking to a girlfriend. Many people attending the Mass appeared to take some care with their clothes and hair which is definitely not the norm. Both Rocky and I were taken aback because this Mass was celebrated with more seriousness than the Masses for Christmas and Easter. I'm not knocking the Young Adults Mass but it was disconcerting to see that the Mass celebrating them appeared to be more important than any other Mass held in the past year. 

Is Protestant Knowledge of the Bible Really Superior to that of Catholics? I Don't Think So.

I've been doing virtual Bible study at my current parish. On the first day the priest-- who is a fine young man and I like him--- made the same shaming speech that we Catholics always hear. It's the line about how Protestants know their bible so much better than Catholics and how we should imitate them presumably because if you can't quote whole chapters then you don't really love God.  That speech increasing irritates me the older I get. I sat and listened to Father and thought, 'So what!'

Yes---So what! I wonder if the people who make that shaming speech know any Protestants. When Saint Jerome said, "Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ," he was speaking to a world where most people were illiterate. Most people were hearing the Bible at Mass or at Vespers if they went to a monastery in the evening. St. Jerome was not saying pick up a Bible and twist the readings to whatever you want. Interpretation of the Bible without Tradition leads to heresy and disaster.

My  brother-in-law is a Jehovah's Witness. He can spit Bible verses like bullets from a machine gun but you know what? Ninety percent of the time he's wrong. The JWs interpretation of the Bible is flawed with horrifying results.  Think of all the JWs who have died because the JWs believe that blood transfusions are cannibalism and cause the victim who needed the transfusion to be damned. Think of all the JWs who lived and died believing that only exactly 144,000 people are going to Heaven and the rest will either live in Garden of Eden II or experience soul annihilation.  

Mormons are very serious about studying the King James Bible along with their Book of Mormon. A good Mormon can drop some quotes on you and expound on what they "really" mean. Their interpretation says that Our Lord and the Devil were brothers and that if you are a truly saintly Mormon you will be rewarded by God with being a god of your own planet. Their interpretation also forbids tea and coffee.

My mother's family are Baptists. Their interpretation of the Bible says that all you have to do is to accept that Jesus is Lord in your life and then you are saved forever. So you can go drinking and sin sexually on Saturday night but it's all good if you show up sober and embarrassed about the previous night on Sunday morning and pay your tithes. In fact, you don't have to go to church at all or just on holy days such as "Communion" First Sunday or just for Bible study as long as you pay your tithes. Oh, and divorce and remarriage is okay if the first spouse was not a godly person. I think St. Jadwiga, St. Monica, Blessed Elizabeth Leseur and St. Clotilda would laugh at that. My beloved uncle can quote the King James Bible at length. My dear cousin, his son  is the head deacon at his church and can do the same. 

Have you heard of the Scofield Bible? Millions of Evangelicals who devoutly study Cyrus Scofield's Bible's interpretation believe that the modern, secular state of Israel is holy and must be loved and unquestioningly defended on pain of sin. To put it bluntly, they believe that if you are not a Zionist you either need to get right with God or you are going to Hell.

Think of all the Protestants who believe in the Rapture. Their preacher's interpretation of the Bible tells them that they will be whisked away and avoid all the horrors of the End Times. 

I'm not writing this to mock these people but I think it's important that Catholics stop accepting constant demoralization in regards to formal Bible study.  If you are lucky the leader of your Bible study will keep referring to what St. Jerome and the other early Church Fathers said about the Bible and will point you towards Haydock's Commentary and/or St. Thomas Aquianas's Catena Aurea. If you aren't you'll get to hear about how Jesus choosing His apostles was like a quarterback choosing his team (I sat through that talk once) or how all of Salvation history is just some kind of feminist struggle. Bleech! 

random thoughts on a Saturday afternoon

• Beware the priest who has a female fan club. When you see Father talking about soap operas or romantic comedies with his female buddies and if he allows his gal pals to mock the pious women in the parish don't be surprised when you see the Blessed Sacrament in a separate room and hear questionable things from the ambo. If you notice that the men in the parish don't come anywhere near him and he's never once crossed the threshold of the parish hall room where the men's group meets then you should not be surprised when Father Skippy eventually makes the news in a bad way.
  
  
  
  
• Last week was really hard. I didn't cook and barely cleaned. When I wasn't working I was lying in bed in an eye mask in the dark fighting  headaches. Rocky spent most of the evenings watching over me. Thank God for good husbands.

• This is a really good site for anyone who is new to the traditional Mass. 

• You need to read this.  And then, you  really need to read this.  Study it. I have many Muslim neighbors. Even the strictest of them look at the Afghans and shake their heads. Apparently thousands are already in my state and its just a matter of time before they are released into the general population. After that, some woman, girl or boy will be made to suffer. This group of men is not the same as the few Afghans who immigrated here over the decades and quietly fitted in. When a thousand guys show in your town or state at once it was in saner times seen as an invasion.
  I was in a discussion on a social media site and this subject came up. One person mentioned that Catholic Charities was heavily into resettlement with tax payer money and cursed us Catholics. While I objected to the curse I really couldn't say much of anything because it's true. When you give to Catholic Charities you are working against your own neighbor's interests and helping to stir up hostility. I've said it before and I'll say it again: When somebody's loved ones get hurt they aren't going to say, "Oh well Jewish groups bring immigrants here and so do Lutheran groups." They are going to say, "The Catholics! The Catholics!" That's not good. 

• My HR department sent out an e-mail on Friday announcing that the firm is 99% vaxxed and reminding us that 'Rona boosters will be available soon. I got so angry I deleted it. Damnit, it's not enough to threaten our jobs unless we take the vax but we have to be boosted too? No! 

• A witch has moved into my neighborhood. She has her posters everywhere offering to read the cards for foolish customers. I say the St. Michael prayer whenever I see them. 

• This Reverent Mass locator is very helpful. I was happy to see my old parish and my back up parish included.
  
  
  
  
• Have you ever noticed that the same women who scream the loudest about killing their children have nothing to say about putting the same amount of passion into not getting pregnant in the first place? It's become an open anti-sacrament. 

Random thoughts on a Thursday

• I've just been reading two essays by Iantto Watt, who posts on the William M Briggs site. Both are horrifying, particularly the janissary one because we can see that happening in every public school in America. 
  
  
  
  
• Who are the American civilians still in Afghanistan and why did they stay after May? How many of them are really Americans? I live in Northern Virginia where most middle to upper class people are either connected to the government in some form or fashion or are contractors. I know that contractor money is really sweet. Do a good job for one to five years and your bank account will be nice and plump when you get back home.  I get the financial incentive, but come on! What were these people thinking was going to happen when the American military left? 
  
  
  
  
• Water seeks its own level. Australia started out as a penal colony and despite its jolly image it has returned to it's beginnings.
  
  
  
  
• Although this particular story has a strong whiff of lie, (Remember the Belgian women! Remember the Kuwaiti preemies!) it's pretty obvious that the education money that American tax payers lost to Afghanistan didn't take. In 2021, people there still believe that they could ride on the outside of a plane like an overloaded truck. 
  
  
  
  

• Every moral panic or fad that grips America has its day and burns out. Usually these panics have victims whose lives are ruined or ended and the media runs off like to the next man-made crisis. To those who survive the covid era, please don't forget it. Please remember how your own family members cut ties with you over your vaccination status. Please remember that your neighbors lost their jobs. Please remember the dancing nurses and the doctors who said your unvaccinated uncle deserved to die. Please, years from now when it's all swept under the rug, those who survived  remember those who did not.
  
  
  
  

• May the souls of the Marines killed today in Kabul rest in peace and when Joe Biden goes to Mass this Sunday may the priest mention them in the prayers of the Faithful. 
  
  
  

Pray for Cardinal Burke.

 Cardinal Burke is a fat old man who travels a lot. This is not an insult, just a plain statement of the obvious. Doctors have a joke that pneumonia is the old man's "friend." It means that pneumonia and other respiratory issues tend to follow the elderly. It's not surprise that he is ill but I hope that the reports that he is on a ventilator are not true. I can tell you that if you see a report that he's on the vent and talking then the reporter is either lying or knows nothing about life support. Nobody on a vent is talking. You are heavily sedated. A person on life support is obviously, seriously ill and weak and getting them strong enough to be weaned off the vent is very hard. 

My uncle, Sonny Boy got pneumonia and a collapsed lung and needed the vent. He never was able to fully get off it. 

Now since we are in the age of the great pandemic,  pneumonia and flu seem to have vanished. Possibly untrained medical staff  overdid it with the vents last year and quite likely killed a lot of people. Presumably due to trial and error they have recovered their knowledge of how to use the machine. God willing poor Burke will come out of this alright but IF he has pneumonia and/or Covid and IF he is on life support Cardinal Burke's situation is very poor. I hope that his family or whoever has power of attorney for him is strong and sharp witted. 

Folie a deux

 I've said before that something is seriously off with Church Militant. It's like watching a  documentary on Folie a deux syndrome. Pardon my language, or not, but everything that comes from these people sounds like it was written by a rat who partied too hard at the outhouse and has gone insane. 

Randy Engel has been sounding the alarm for years about CM and there have been multiple incidents and  commentaries by big time bloggers about CM which I won't discuss here but it became clear to me that CM is not blessed with soundness on many matters.  I try to avoid anything out of CM because watching a folie a deux is disturbing. Please don't tell me that CM has done good work in the past. Right NOW it reminds me of the time I was a little girl playing in my grandmother's yard one long ago Summer.  I turned over a large rock in the soft red soil and exposed hundreds of gray, squirming bugs. I was repulsed and fled inside to never try that experiment again. If it is true that CM is an Opus Dei side project then the Escrivites need to reign it in because it has become embarrassing.

Look to the saints for your guidance in spiritual matters, not some media production of dubious provenance. 

Until the End of Time

 

For the love of God, His Church and His servants

 Several years ago Rocky and I were on vacation in Norfolk, Virginia and we went to the awesome Chrysler Museum to see the Tissot Life of Christ exhibit. We were deeply moved so were many of the other visitors. I saw quite a few people who were praying. This one water color painting stayed with me and was my inspiration for how I treat good priests. Every meal I make for my pastor, every act of hospitality is in imitation of the holy women who followed Our Lord and did their best to serve Him. 

This is the moment

 I've heard people criticize the generations of their parents and grandparents for sitting like lumps of cold mashed potatoes and dumbly accepting the loss of the Mass in the 60s. That's not fair and not completely true. Brave and devout people used the phone and  spent  hours mailing out hand stapled newsletters, flyers and letters to let people know where a TLM was being held. 

They offered their homes, raised money for hotel rooms, and hit the pavement to find venues. They supported the courageous priests, some of whom were elderly and suddenly expelled from their orders, by giving them places to stay. They got in the car and went across state lines to find a traditional Mass. And don't forget the dear people went to the one indult Mass that of course was held in a church in a dangerous neighborhood at 6 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon. Those people carried on for years like that. 

We have the Internet. It will be much easier for us to do what those people in the 60s, 70s and and 80s did. This is our moment. DISCREETLY, let your priest and only your priest know that you will have his back if he is willing to offer the Mass. Yes, I mean offer him a room in your home, convert the shed, donate the RV, whatever it takes to keep him fed, healthy and with a roof over his head.  Start looking for venues now and those of you who have been financially blessed, get ready to offer your homes or a big tent on your property for Mass.  

Be calm.  Don't grovel to your bishop. Today I  even heard one good priest ask that his people NOT contact the bishop.  Don't rage at the pastor of your parish. Stop giving to the Bishop's Lenten Appeal and if you are still throwing a dollar in the basket when the Peter's Pence all I can do is ask you why.

 Don't let Francis drive you out of the Church. Today so many people are talking themselves into shuffling off to the Orthodox. In the 60s many people stopped going to Mass. Others decided  that since the Novus Ordo and the high church Protestant service was so similar they might as well go  to the Episcopalians. Others drifted to the Evangelicals or were harvested by the New Age occult groups. Many people stayed but only for Mass and checked out of any church activities. A huge number remained nominally Catholic but stopped going except for Easter, Ash Wednesday and Christmas. 

This is our moment. Many of us have had it easy. We were able to go to a  nearby diocesan Mass and not just at 6 AM in the crypt chapel and did so for years. Depending on your age and where you live,  you may have never known anything but that or FSSP. That kindly time is over for now. If we cannot have the TLM in the church building then let's follow the example of our betters. It's time to get going. 

Hey Tom Fool! Don't Martyr Your Priest!

If, in the next few days you feel the urge to report what your priest has said about Traditionis Custodes you should probably resist it  for your priest's sake. Two years ago a well meaning person wrote an article about a local parish that was glowing and enthusiastic. It was also inadvertently insulting to the previous pastor who had been loved and respected by the long-time parishioners, including Rocky and myself. As soon as I read it I thought it was a bull in a china shop moment.  People murmured and the then pastor was given a headache while soothing the offended people. 

More people know Tom Fool than Tom Fool knows. Please don't name your priest or your parish and don't make it easy for people to guess who you're talking about. Every bishop in charge of a diocese has a list of priests whom he considers to be problems. Don't get your priest on that list. Martyrdom must be chosen. You may not push someone else into the lion's den. So be discreet. 

And so it begins

 

I went to Mass at the Cathedral because Rocky's work schedule has changed and our parish Mass times wouldn't give him enough time to get home and change clothes and have us be there on time.  I just read on the Twitter feed of a fellow parishioner that the new pastor at my parish announced that the TLM will no longer be inside the church or on church grounds. What that will entail I do not know. Apparently there is no plan as yet for where the Mass will be allowed to be held. Fr. was given the order by Bishop  Burbidge. 

The Arlington diocese was very blessed. If you wanted to go the traditional Mass you could at more than one parish and if your work schedule couldn't be adjusted to make it on Sunday then there were multiple low Masses during the week.  I once wrote years ago that as happy as I was for the growth of the TLM in the diocese I was not going let myself get comfortable or casual about it. I thought that we would lose it as soon as Pope Benedict died.  I thought I was prepared for this day but I still cried. 


UPDATE: Apparently the blowback was so huge that the TLM has been saved for now. 

Sacred Heart

 

Well, Francis did what many people both good and bad expected him to....

 Perhaps the colon surgery and the   not text book recovery pushed Francis into acting sooner than he'd intended but the deed is done. What does  it mean for the folks in the pews? Well, don't be surprised if your bishop kicks out the FSSP or ICKSP, if you have them in your diocese and don't be surprised if your bishop tells the diocesan priests who say the traditional Mass that they have to stop.  

In the next few hours there will be posts on Catholic Twitter and blogland to the effect that Francis doesn't really mean it and there's nothing to worry about or we will be told by Catholic Inc. figures that there's no reason to worry because our bishops won't do anything against their traditional flock. I also suspect that there will be at least one "thought leader" who will say that it's our fault for not being stealthy enough and raising the ire of Rome.  I hope nobody falls for it. 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. 

St. Clement has something to tell you.

 

Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, Save Us!

Precious Blood of Jesus wash over me.
Precious Blood of Jesus wash over me and keep me from evil. Amen

 

A palate cleanser

 

I absolutely can't stand those images of Our Lord that show Him with pink cheeks, doe eyes and pink lips. Whenever I see one I have to look for a palate cleanser. 

Random thoughts on a rainy Friday morning

•  At work they still won't come out and honestly say "Get the vax or you will be fired," but they keep sending messages reminding the 5% who have not had the shot to hurry up and do it. They're also using guilt. Apparently if anyone gets sick it will be on my head. Where was this idea during any cold season of my entire life? Remember when Betty in Accounting sneezed and then everyone around her got a cold and people laughed, shrugged and kept on working? Remember that world?
  
  A few years ago a noisy and rambunctious family sat down behind me at church and one of the kids sneezed repeatedly on me. I actually felt her spittle on my neck. I got sick two days later and yes, I got bronchitis and had bruised ribs from all the coughing. Did I go to church and yell at the mother for being inconsiderate? Did I accuse her of trying to kill me? No, of course not. I made sure to avoid sitting near them again because I don't like out of control children but blaming them for a normal occurrence never entered my mind. But now, I and the hand full of other people who have held out at work are responsible for the health of the entire firm. That's not fair or remotely realistic.
  
  
  
  
  
• Catholic Twitter does not represent liberal Catholics, conservative Catholics or traditional Catholics. Catholic Twitter is a tiny, tiny minority and remember, the average Catholic does not even  know who Tim Gordon or Patrick Coffin or Steve Skojec are.
  
  
  
  
  
• I found a sample vaccination exemption letter.  

• I've noticed a really weird phenomenon. Young and single Catholic women  who post immodest photos of themselves and flirt with men and priests online. The priests are frequently young, which is worrying but what is more noticeable is that a lot of them seem to prefer women to men and have mostly female commenters on their own blogs, Facebook or Twitter pages.  If anyone criticizes the women the priests rush in to defend their best girl buddy. Even weirder is the engaged or newly married women who carry on this Taming of the Shrew banter with men. What on earth is this about? 

• Last night Rocky and I went to Mass. It gave me chills. Father Visitor is not a native English speaker and I certainly don't speak Vietnamese but we had Latin and I can truly say that his celebration of the Mass was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

• The lovely ladies of the Les Femmes blog are being attacked by vulgarian Church Militant fans. Please pray for Mary Anne and Susan. 

Holy Face

 O adorable Face which became brilliant like the sun and radiant with glory, on the Mountain of Tabor, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which wept and was troubled at the tomb of Lazarus, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which was rendered sad at the sight of Jerusalem, and shed tears on that ungrateful city, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which was bowed down to the ground in the Garden of Olives, and covered with confusion for our sins, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which was covered with the sweat of blood, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which was struck by a vile servant, covered with a veil of shame, and profaned by the sacrilegious hands of Thy enemies, have mercy on us.

    O adorable Face which by Its divine glance, wounded the heart of St. Peter with a dart of sorrow and love, have mercy on us.

Fear nothing

 

There's nothing new under the sun

•  The was an 1960s sci-fi episode from Outer Limits or One Step Beyond where a group of well intentioned scientists decide that the world needed to be terrorized into peace. They build a spaceship and the youngest and handsomest of them volunteers to be genetically altered to look like an alien. The process is irreversible. The "hero" says good-bye to his remarkably understanding wife and sets off on his mission which is to land in DC or the UN and give a speech along the lines of " Do these things and be peaceful or we will destroy you." Fortunately the plan goes awry and instead of landing in DC or New York the ship crashes in a small town and the noble scientist gets lit up by some good ole boys who unwittingly save the world from a group of smug, mad scientists who thought they knew what was best for the entire planet. 
  I was a kid when I saw that episode and I didn't like it one bit. I still don't. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on us. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Random thoughts on a Saturday night

•  Mundabor is about as gentle as a villain out of a Dickens novel. However, when he is right, he's right. 

• Thank you to everyone who read Grifting Vipers. To my amazement it is one of the most read posts in this blog's history. 
  
  
  
  

• Mass was interesting today. The lector reminded everyone who is unvaccinated to keep their masks on and the Eucharistic Minister lady was back despite the presence of three priests. The holy water was back and the sensitive couple with the bag of the metal toys for their baby was back. Now all we need is the sweaty guy with the moist hands lunging across the pew at the sign of peace and the girl with the short shorts and we'll be back to normal. 
  
  
  
  
• Non Veni Pacem is not only written by a really lovely person but it quite often a hoot to read. 
  
  
  
  
  
• When people find a traditional Mass and it's far from where they live it is not unheard of for them to move closer to the church especially if they want to go to daily Mass.  Whenever Rocky and I have talked about moving one of the top considerations is to see if there's a decent parish in the area. The FSSP has been ordered to leave Dijon, France after 23 years. All the people who may have moved to the area for the sake of those two parishes are now out of luck. This is one of the reasons why I can't get too excited about the FSSP. They serve at the pleasure of the local bishop and when tells them to get out that's it. 

St. Charles Lwanga, pray for us

 

Grifting Vipers

 Be extremely careful with  any layman who makes his entire living from writing and talking about the Faith. Those Elmer Gantry's will not give you Our Lord in Communion. They are not the ones who sit with you as your child dies. They are not the ones who hear your confession on the side of the road because you were so happy to see a priest.  They are not the ones driving miles to get to outlying villages to provide the sacraments. They are not the ones who listened to you pour out your fears and gave you courage to do the right thing about a particular situation, and they are not the ones who come to the rescue when somebody in your household messes with the occult. 

The layman professional Catholic will take your money and if you pay enough of it, you will have access to their designated fan only email in-box or phone line. Oh boy! Doesn't that make you feel special! These grifting vipers  post photos of their fabulous vacations...err.. pilgrimages  and their tastefully decorated homes that you helped pay for and the foolish will fancy that they have relationship with these people. The other extreme is the professional Catholic who cries genteel poverty and use guilt to manipulate you into donating to them because they are really being brave and sacrificial to bring their "apostolate" to you. They piously turn up their noses at their tacky neighbors and the  consumerism of the masses  but somehow-- thanks to donors---manage to make it to  Europe without bilocation, (notice these people never go to Kibeho, Calcutta or the Catholic areas of Nigeria) on a regular basis. 

Some guy with a theology degree and the ability to write well is not your spiritual father or your friend. What you do with your money is your own business but I'll plead with you. Stop fattening frogs for snakes. Before you hit the patron button do your own research. Find out where these guys have their businesses registered. Go to the state corporations site and look up their organizational documents. If they are registered as a charity then look up their IRS Form 990s. Read how much of the money goes to salaries and what the true expenses are then make an informed decision for yourself. If you can't find any business or charity documents on their "apostolate," that could be a very bad sign. If you ask flat out, in their comment section or private e-mail, "Who funds you?," and get a hostile or evasive answer that's a ten foot tall neon bad sign.

Take care. 

What wondrous love is this?

 

Random thougths on a Friday night

• Rocky went to get the oil in his SUV changed. The woman at the desk asked him if he'd been vaccinated. My husband is a gentleman so he politely told her that this kind of question was awfully personal. She seemed surprised by his response and perhaps his soft answer shamed her and she restricted her remarks to the oil change for the rest of the appointment. 
  
  
  
  
• I was asked again about whether I've made an appointment to be vaccinated. I wish HR would just come out and say the magic words, "You can't come back to office until you get the shot." But they won't do that so instead I get asked about it every other Friday. I was upset the first two times. This time I just felt flat. 
  
  
  
• Some priests say that there's no point in baptizing a baby just so the family can have the formality and a party if they have no intention of living Catholic lives. Other priests say they'll baptize the baby and pray that th child one day comes back to the Church even if the parents never do or remain nominal Christmas, Ash Wednesday and Easter Catholics. I've heard both arguments and I'm not sure which one is right but I do feel sorry for  Steve Skojec's pastor.  
  
  
  
• I'm finally coming out of  a two week long sinus infection. I felt like I walking on a rolling ship when I was outside but I couldn't sleep when I lay down because that made the pain from my nose to my right eye erupt. I am still exhausted but there was grace in this. Lying in the dark, waiting for the pain pill to kick in is a moment to think about the Agony in the Garden and to try pray the Rosary. I say try because I failed in most of the attempts. Sometimes I didn't even make through the Creed. Mostly I was able to say the first three Hail Mary's and had to give up because I couldn't even think. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Our Lady of Good Help, pray for us.

There is only one fully approved apparition* in the United States. Our Lady appeared to Sr. Adele in the wilds of Wisconsin in 1859.








*It looked like Our Lady of America was at least partially approved but it's now been ruled as not supernatural. 

Abandoned update

 As I expected nobody from the diocese has contacted me. Interestingly enough, I noticed that I didn't get the usual Zoom invitation for the parish bible study this week or last week. Unless, this was just an oversight I have to shake my head at the pettiness. 

On the work front, we've all been notified that 90% of the staff have been vaccinated and the "hesitant" were told in very subtle wording to stop being fearful and selfish and get on with it. 

The Sanofi-Pasteur vaccine, from what I've read has nothing to do with fetal remains but it is doubtful that it will be available until Winter 2021. If you don't have that much time left and you're looking for some bit of hope, I did read this on the Children of God for Life Site. They have further discussion on this page.   I also found a form letter on the Corey Diggs blog.  However,  if you are in a Right to Work State or signed an Employment at Will contract, as I did,  I don't think these will help you or me.  

I will wait and watch the battle and God willing I will meet whatever happens like a Catholic woman should. 

Abandoned

 Over 80% of the people at my job have been vaccinated and everyone else is strongly encouraged to get the jab or ... Or has not been spelled out. I contacted my parish for advice about a religious exemption and was given a number for the archdiocese. 

The person  I spoke to was so contemptuous of my query that  I was stunned. I seriously doubt that anyone will be getting back to me.

 I didn't expect much. Maybe a sigh and a "Here read this brochure on exemptions," but the dripping disgust in that diocesan employees voice let me know that anybody asking for guidance from the diocese is going to be abandoned. Surely I can't be the first person in my diocese to ask about this and I fear that I may have even made a mistake in telling that nasty person my name.

Oh my goodness

 Between the wonderful Frank Walker and the magnificent Ann Barnhardt I'm astonished at how many people have read my last post. The Internet can be an amazing place. 

So why did a bunch of Trad Inc. folks and their fans go after a lone essayist?

 For a long time I've wondered why nobody seemed to have a problem with Charles Coulombe's tarot card reading.  After watching the Tweet attacks on Alistair McFadden  for mentioning Coulombe in his essay I was really taken aback. Coulombe does not hide his tarot reading. He's done it on a camera for years so nobody who is a serious fan of his can say that they didn't know about it or that he has not read tarot cards in public in the past.  You can't accuse Mr. McFadden of calumny or detraction. People who have only seen Coulombe's interviews on history with Sensus Fidelium or Taylor Marshall are probably shocked right now but they are the only ones. 

I think his serious fans look up to him because he represents a boyish fantasy. He is living proof that you can go to the traditional Mass and still be "sophisticated". You can bounce off to Europe and hang out with pretenders to obscure, defunct thrones. You can be so much more nuanced, smarter and classier and better dressed  than the working class guys at your chapel or parish. You are at heart  a knight....an intellectual....a prince, and if anyone questions Sir Charles well then, they must be a common small-minded ignorant fool. I suspect that this kind of silly thinking is one the reasons of why the tarot thing has been ignored for so long. 

It's all juvenile nonsense of course. A Catholic should not be fooling around with tarot cards any more than you should play with a ouija board or any kind of occultism. You know this. If your sensus fidie is disturbed by a particular thing then that is your warning from Heaven to avoid it and anyone pushing it. So, what does it mean that certain Professional Catholics have leapt to Coloumbe's defense? It means that you should back away from those people and shut the door behind you. 

 

Easter Joy!

 

Rejoice

 

Are there any who are devout lovers of God?

Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!

Are there any who are grateful servants?

Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary with fasting?

Let them now receive their wages!

If any have toiled from the first hour,

let them receive their due reward;

If any have come after the third hour,

let him with gratitude join in the Feast!

And he that arrived after the sixth hour,

let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.

And if any delayed until the ninth hour,

let him not hesitate; but let him come too.

And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,

let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.

For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.

He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,

as well as to him that toiled from the first.

To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.

He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.

The deed He honors and the intention He commends.

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!

First and last alike receive your reward;

rich and poor, rejoice together!

Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!

You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,

rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!

Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.

Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith.

Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty,

for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;

for forgiveness has risen from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.

He has destroyed it by enduring it.

He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.

He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.

Isaiah foretold this when he said,

"You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."

Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.

It was in an uproar because it is mocked.

It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.

It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.

It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.

Hell took a body, and discovered God.

It took earth, and encountered Heaven.

It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting?

O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!

Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!

Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!

Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!

Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;

for Christ having risen from the dead,

is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!

The Easter sermon of John Chrysostom (circa 400 AD)