Man of Sorrows

The Orthodoxy attaction

 As I've written before, a lot of people look at  Pope Francis and their  bishops, especially those who got to be bishops because of their McCarrick connections and are horrified.  The horror is compounded when they listen to another wishy washy or blasphemous  homily from Fr. Skippy. These folks, particularly men look at the Orthodox and are awed. Watch the Russian Orthodox Easter or Christmas service on YouTube and you'll see priests who look and sound like men. The churches are gorgeous and lift the mind to meditations on Heaven. They talk about penance, sacrifice, doing hard things like controlling ones own evil passions before presuming to tell the world anything.

Orthodoxy looks pretty good but it's like a make up tutorial. Underneath the paint and powder you have something that has flaws and serious problems on both the secular and sacred levels. Go lurk on any Orthodox discussion site and you'll come away shocked. You think Evangelicals hate Catholics? The Ortho sites are a river of vinegar, urine and bile towards Catholics and the various sects really hate each other. The grass isn't greener on the other side. It's just different grass. 

the Skojec saga isn't over but I think people are starting to realize that something is horribly wrong

 I was  just  looking back at my old posts that mention Steve Skojec. I liked him in the beginning but around 2014, I started noticing that he was changing. He got vicious and seemed to enjoy wallowing in drama. I remember when he attacked Ann Barnhardt's looks and when he later "jokingly" called her insane. That was foul and I don't think anybody in his circle or any professional Catholics publicly called him out on it. Shame on them.  I also remember when he started having tantrums and carrying on claiming to be struggling with his Faith in public.  And then we had the bizarre spectacle of him, a self appointed Catholic influencer who hated praying the Rosary and  didn't even go to Mass. Now he's either apostatized or is flirting with it. 

There are probably many lessons to take from this saga but the one that really captures my attention right now is this: God gave us the Church, the priesthood and the saints. Cling to the Doctors of the Church. Cling to the Catechism. Cling to the sacraments God gave us. Do not make some articulate person with an Internet presence into your Catholic guide. 

 

random thoughts on a Thursday afternoon

"Filthy talk makes us feel comfortable with filthy action..." Pope St. Clement

• Beware of people who crack "edgy" jokes all the time, especially the guy who casually sprinkles "pedo" in his conversation.

• Here's a lesson a lot of people in Virginia learned the hard way with our big snow storm. Emergencies happen so keep a blanket, an extra charger and something to eat in your vehicle at all times. 

•  Back in the 50s parents became alarmed at the content of comic books, particularly the EC Comics, which produced Vault of Horror and Tales From the  Crypt and the Shock Suspense series. The Shock series featured rape, with the rapist almost always being an authority figure, murder in graphic ways, mob attacks being a special favorite of the writers, cannibalism and adultery. Eventually Congress got involved and EC was forced to tone their stories down. For most of my life I've read commentaries bemoaning this because it was parental "hysteria," "Puritanism" and McCarthyism. Well, I've read some of these stories and they were not stuff that kids should have been reading. The folks who protested were right. I have to wonder how much damage this lurid stuff did to the minds of the Baby Boomers who read it.  The attack on children's innocence has been going on for a long, long time.
  
  
  
  
• A palate cleanser...

 

Man of Sorrows

 This painting is incredible not only because of the halo which made of up the instruments of Our Lord's Passion but because Botticelli must have spent some time studying the Shroud or the Holy Face image in the Vatican. The wounds from the crown (cleaned up I'm guessing to allow the viewer to gaze upon the Face), and the swelling lip instantly reminded me of the Shroud .

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.