St. Juliana of Liege

Immaculate Conception

This is a retalbo, a Mexican folk art painting ususally done on tin.

Mary, Mother of God

St. Philomena

The Divine Shepherdess

 

 

This is one of the sweetest Mary as Shepherdess paintings I've ever seen.

Lady most pitiful Mother most mild

 

 

 

Lady most pitiful, Mother most mild!
Stoop to my frailty; nourish thy child.

Mother most beautiful, Lady most wise!
Solace my heavy heart; comfort mine eyes.

Lady of verity, Mother most kind!
Breathe on my weary soul; brighten my mind.

Mother most merciful, Lady of love!
Bless my desires and draw them above.

Lady of Sorrows and Mother of Men!
Turn thou my weakness. Oh, heal me again.

Elizabeth S. Royce Catholic World - Page 762.
Volume 123. September 1926



Have mercy on the children

Single motherhood by choice is not a good thing. This is one of the unpleasant truths that we know but don't dare say out loud at work or in social situations. Our society lionizes single mothers and heaps sympathy on these "strong" women. Essentially we are celebrating child abuse. Now before anybody goes berserk let me point out that I am the child of a widow. My father died when I was 13. It was not easy for my mother and she had to work two jobs for a period of time before she got a promotion at her main job. As for me, for years I would have debilitating anxiety attacks on the rare occasions when I didn't know exactly where she was. My father's death was unexpected and sudden and I was terrified that something would also happen to her. A woman who was divorced through no fault of her own is very much like a widow and the children of divorcees and widows account for very little violent social pathologies.  I am not talking about widows or divorced women.


I am talking about women who decided that they either didn't need a man or who kept getting involved with men who had no intention of ever being tied down. In 1996, 70% of all prison inmates were the sons of single mothers. Criminologists warned that we would be facing super predators in the next decade.  Do you think the recent flash mobs and home invasions by teenagers is a some kind of accident? Today according to the Index of Leading Cultural Indicators, children from single-parent (fatherless) households make up 63% of all youth suicides, and 80% of all prison inmates.  Sixty percent of rapists come from fatherless homes.


Have you ever wondered why so many young white men are misogynistic? I've noticed this when I occasionally read manophere blogs and any time younger guys comment on Internet forums. Have you ever wondered why Hip Hop culture is such  an intensely woman hating one? The generation raised by women doesn't seem to like us very much. Why is that? 


The bible says that a father does not hand his son a snake when the boy asks for fish. A mother shouldn't either. It's already too late for millions of people. We need to stop acting like single motherhood is a great thing. It aint. Marry before having children, and stay married unless your husband is wicked or a domestic brute. If you are pregnant out of wedlock choose a brave, loving, selfless choice: choose adoption.

random thoughts

• I admire the dedication and organization skills of home schooling parents. Public education is really about breaking the will and teaching kids to shut up and go along with the crowd.
  
  
• Reading New Liturgical Movement isn't any fun anymore. The commenters aren't happy about anything ever. They can see photos of a beautiful TLM offered by a bright, shiny young priest and in a place that hasn't had one in decades and still complain that the third deacon's hair is too long or that the altar boy's shoes are scuffed.
  
  
  
• Facebook is a dangerous toy. I was reading a co-worker's page at her invitation and it left me almost quesy. I learned a few disgusting things about some other co-workers that I REALLY would have prefered not to know. None of these people would stand up in a conference room at work and say these things but they cheerfully wrote it up on Facebook. When you get on Facebook you are exposing your personal business and the business of your friends to the whole gawking world.  You may think nobody but your nearest and dearest are going to read it but that's just wishful thinking. Once it's online it's public and it's forever. It only takes one person to pass on a post that they read and then boom you have some 'splainn' to do at work or school or home. People have gotten divorced, fired, demoted, expelled from school, arrested and even been exposed to death threats becuase of things they stupidly wrote on Facebook. I've told my friends and family that I'm passing on this fad.
  
  
  
• I bought a new veil. It's going to be for special occasions.
  
  
• I suspect that Miss Ann Barnhardt is right. HT Sancte Pater. Warning. Her language is frank. Very frank.
  
  
  
• Pay, pray, pray for the Holy Father.
  
  
  
• Some people got all snippy at seeing the Dalai Lama at a Pentecost Mass in Germany. I wasn't among them. Unbelievers are welcome at Mass as long as they behave and don't try to take Communion and many conversions have been made this way. Once in what is now France a barbarian king went to the Christian church out of curiosity. He'd resisted all the efforts of the missionaries but was converted by when he saw the priest raise the Host. Suddenly he realized that there was only one God and that the One God was present on the Christian's altar. That barbarians curiosity changed history. Something made the Dalai want to go to Mass. Something may come of it. Who knows?
  
  
• Pay attention to this story. It could be rotten kids or it could be a sign that France is about to have a really bad time. St. Joan, pray for us.
  

Follow Me

This would make a good gift for a seminarian or young priest but it's an excellent reminder for all Christians that following the Lord is not a bed of roses with smiles and candy raining from the sky.

Catholicism is not for sissies.