a puzzlement

Some of the same people who moaned and groaned about the deaths of bin Laden were pretty nasty, almost gleeful about the death of artist, Thomas Kinkade. I found that puzzling and I think I won't be visiting their sites anymore. 

A few Triduumm thoughts

After the Maundy Thursday Mass we visited seven altars of repose at different parishes around us. Queen of Peace in Arlington was the saddest. There was nobody there but us and a parish staff member. St. Anthony's in Falls Church, Virginia was the most impressive. There must have been 70 people sitting in silence adoring Our Lord. I've never seen that many people at adoration before. St. Mary's in Old Town, Alexandria was the most beautiful. It really looked like we were in a garden. We ended the night at the Cathedral.

On Good Friday night we went to the Burial of Christ ceremony at the Franciscan monastery. A young family sat behind  us and my mother began to cough. The youngest child was chewing gum or candy or had attacked a perfume bottle and the smell kicked Mama's asthma into gear. I asked my husband if we had time to move but every seat was taken by then. Rocky nodded and said, "Look there's Raymond Arroyo." I looked and yep it was him.

"Does he have his family with him?" "I can't tell. It looks like it's just him."
 And then Mr. Arroyo walked to the pew behind us, was greeted with delight by his kids and and led his family away to another part of the church. Rocky and I were amused because once you saw them altogether the kids are the spitting image of their dad and my mother was really thankful because she'd left her inhaler at home.

For the sermon that follows the burial ceremony the priest reminded us all that the Christians in Israel have a very hard row to hoe. They are caught between the Israelis and the Palestinians and that's not a comfortable spot on a good day and these aren't good days. He also spent a good bit of time wishing the Jews a happy Passover which my mother found weird but it made sense actually. The Franciscans are guardians of the Holy Land shrines. They have to be diplomatic.


One thing I want to say to all young parents is this: leave the tots at home when you go to the Vigil Mass or give them and yourself a break. You can't get upset at and threaten to punish a two year old who should've been in bed hours ago if he has a screaming meltdown at 11PM. You should've stayed home and gone to a day Mass. If you have older children (ten and up) who can't behave then you need to discipline them or figure out what mental or emotional issues they have but a two year old is really just a baby and can't be expected to be still for a whole Vigil. Jesus said "Allow the little children to come to Me." Our Lord did not say, "Let the kids throw tantrums in the synagogue aisles or play Angry Birds before the Holy of Holies in the Temple". He really didn't.

Fr. Sticha is right. I hope he hangs tough.

Easter

And He shall reign forever and ever. King of Kings and Lord of Lords..................

For God so loved the world....

Good Friday

Studies of the Shroud show that threre is more dirt on the Holy Face than anywhere else.

The Hours of the Passion

Holy Thursday

Last Supper

Communion of the Apostles

Wenesday of Holy Week

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Matthew 23:37-39

Holy Tuesday

Monday of Holy Week



He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. Mark 11:16





 

Palm Sunday

 

random thoughts while fighting off a sinus attack

• Fr. Chad Ripperger  has given an interesting homily on problems in the Traditionalist movement .  I didn't agree with everything he said and I wish that someone would boost the spirits of traditionally minded people once in while. Even constructive criticism can wear people down if that's all they get.

• For the first time in my life I don't feel good about my country's future.

• Rocky and I went to St. Alphonsus in Baltimore. It's so gorgeous it will make your mouth fall open and is far more impressive than the cathedral. I got to go to confession with Mnsgr. Bastress-- a very kind man-- and Rocky was able to get a blessing for his knee after Mass. If the parish office is open you may also visit the room that St. John Neuman lived in while he was pastor at St. Alphonsus. When I stepped inside I was immediately touched. It's such a tiny room. The church gift shop is one of the best I've ever seen and you can get books I've never come across before as well as veil,s statues (we bought a very cute Infant of Prauge)  and big quart bottles of Lourdes water. And the people are nice.
  
  Later we went to Little Italy for lunch and visited the Inner Harbor and stopped by the Divine Mercy shrine at Holy Rosary Church. The little Polish ladies are absoltute dolls. We just loved them.
  
• Maryland's abortion rate is 50% higher than the national average. The diocese is asking for 100,000 rosaries for the unborn. Please join them. Although I'd never leave Virginia I have soft spot for Maryland becuase of it' s the birthplace of Catholicism in English speaking America and because Rocky and I were married in that state. What happened to Our Lady's land? How did it get so twisted?
  
  
• After Ted Kennedy's funeral a friend of mine sighed and said "Teddy could've driven drunk into a bus load of of nuns and orphans in Boston and he still would've gotten off." All I could say was "you're right." One of these days people are going to get over the Kennedy worship. Until then, thank you Bishop McManus.

•   Watch your daughters. Even if you live a "nice" neighborhood pay attention to whom your daughter is associating with. Even if you don't allow her to date until she's 18 pay attention. The Underground Crips gang was running a huge pimping operation right here in my own town. The range was near my church and included areas where I've shopped and where friends live.

The Annunciation

This lovely painting was done in 2002! Great art that honors the holy is still being made.

The Holy Stairs

Sometime this year I want to go to Pittsburgh and visit the replica of the Holy Stairs.

Somewhere

Somewhere in China a newborn baby’s head is being bashed in by her own mother. You can only have one child in China and this poor little miss is not the one her parents want.

Somewhere in South Dakota a Sioux girl is going to be cold tonight. Her family uses wood to heat the home and her father has sold it all for beer money.

Somewhere in Afghanistan a 12 year old girl has been raped with the full approval of her parents and tribal elders. The rapist is her 50 year old husband and this tragedy was called her wedding night.

Somewhere in West Virginia a little girl is frightened. Her parents are meth heads and she hasn’t seen them in days.

And meanwhile in Georgetown, one of the most expensive schools in America a 30 year old adolescent is demanding that we the people of the United States pay for her birth control. She thinks she and her female classmates are victims. Victims? This poor woman has no idea how lucky she is. 

Ave Maria

Two beautiful things

• Rocky and I look forward to Thursday night every week because that's when St. Rita's has the Tridentine Latin Mass. It's such an uplifting, powerful, beautiful thing. We have young couples, single guys, well behaved children, and worshippers from all over the world. When I hear the words, "I will go to the altar of God..," and the response "to God who gives joy to my youth," I get a thrill every time.
  
  
  
• Every Sunday my mother and I go to the nursing home to visit my uncle. The commute over there isn't fun by any means but when we walk in and he lights up  as soon as he sees us, it's a beautiful thing. If you ever get a chance to visit a nursing home please go.  The residents are so grateful for any little scrap of attention, Reading a book, bringing a magazine or just bringing a pack of cookies brings them so much pleasure. It will fill your heart.
  
  So many residents are just dumped by their relatives and forgotten. Visiting once a month or every couple of weeks doesn't cut it. I don't care how chi chi the home is, residents who don't get visitors don't get anything beyond the barest legal minimum. You need to be your loved one's guard dog. My uncle's nurses know that he has a devoted sister with an eagle eye and a niece who is nuts about him -- or maybe just nuts. Thankfully, he's such a sweetheart and his RNs and LPNs and the CPAs are kind hearted people that they go out of their  way to make him happy. Being my Unkie's (that's what I call him) guardian is not something that I take lightly. It's time consuming but he is my beautiful thing because being in charge of his care is  a kiss from the Cross. 

a visit to St. Michael's

For our anniversary, Rocky and I took an overnight trip to St. Michael's Maryland. We ate crab, and shrimp and looked at bald eagles and wild turkeys. It was a nice little break and one of the nicest moments was visiting the St. Michael Mission Church. It's an adorable little church in the Federalist style and the people are so nice! We prayed the rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet while we were there and we were invited to the St. Patrick's Day luncheon by parishioners. We had to get down the road so we declined but we were quite touched by their genuine friendliness.

Via Dolorosa

Behold, the Man

My King! My King!

Fr. Marcel Guarnizo must be a good priest

Fr. Marcel Guarnizo must be a good priest because the devil doesn't bother with Fr. Skippy or Father Mass-is-about-me-me-me. The devil frets and stews about the good guys. With all the lesbians in the DC area ---and DC has a huge gay population-- why did the Washington Post, a major newspaper with a national and worldwide audience, pay any attention to the complaints of one idividual in particular and why did they put her story on the front page--- THE FRONT PAGE----was there no story in the whole world more important than this one? The whole scene was obviously a set up.

St. John Vianney, you who know so well what attacks a priest is heir to, pray for your brother priest.

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.

Today's gospel

Our Lady of Sorrows

Follow Me

If the invisible were visible

HT Phlip Johnson who is going to the doctor. today.

If you could see the invisible at every Mass would you leave the Daisy Duke shorts at home, Missy? Sir, would you dress your 50 year old self like a a grown man and not a teenager? Would you stay for the whole Mass instead of leaving while still chewing on the Bread of Angels? Madam, would you still lean over and tell your freinds --and everyone else in earshot about your grandson's soccer game? Would you rush out so you can get to brunch early? And you, poor little lost girl, would you still strut into God's house and harass His servant and then make a spectacle of yourself when that good servant refuses to play along with your narcicism? Or would we all fall on our faces in awe?

Looks like the Main Stream Media is having a little anti Catholic moment

They hate us. They really, really hate us. And you know what? That’s great. If this statement shocks you please consider this: If you are approved of by the cool kids, then you probably aren’t doing the right thing. No servant is better than the master. The world hated Our Lord and if we are true followers of Him, then the folks at the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, the oh so twee gossip sites, and the New York Times are going to despise us.

Pange Lingua

Our Lady of Sorrows

Today's gospel

You can find more about the artist here.

A commentary on our country from the Divine Office

Today's afternoon reading really got my attention:

What a man sows, he reaps. If he sows in the field of self-indulgence he will get a harvest of corruption out of it; if he sows in the field of the Spirit he will get from it a harvest of eternal life.

random Ash Wednesday thoughts

• I went to Mass at St. Matthews Cathedral for Ash Wednesday. It was fine except the cantor sang the Kyrie at the Prayers of the Faithful instead of the "Lord hear our prayer," response. He sang it as long as possible and almost in the melisma style so nobody who wasn't a trained singer could really follow him. It may be permitted but I don't really care for it. 

• What is wrong with Chris Matthews? Did he get kicked in the head as a child or was  he the victim of harsh potty training? If he feels this way about Catholics why did  he go to  the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament Church to sign his new book?

• I was reading a blog where  a commenter mentioned that she had gone to help out at a food bank and was shocked because the people were  uncouth, (I take it nobody used a finger bowl),  badly dressed, and some of the women were fat (I bet this person isn't so pretty herself), and people were actually  watching TV while they ate. The TV thing is something that was beyond the pale in her household, apparently. She also seemed to get the vapors because American Idol was on. Reading this really made me angry. I hope this woman doesn’t go back or if she does, I hope that  the ladies who run the food bank wisely keep her in the back peeling potatoes or washing pans.  If I ever get to the point where I need to go somewhere to get a free meal I’d hate to have this imperious “Christian” looking down her precious nose at me. If you’re going to do something with the hardcore underclass or even the folks who recently slipped into dire financial straits this Lent please don’t be like this person. Nobody who’s hit the skids (and considering what’s happened to this country that could be any of us)  needs someone mincing about going “Ew, yucky!,” at them. Throw a dollar into the collection plate instead.

• Please say a prayer for this good man.

• The more I read about Fr. McRae the more I think that we are no better than the folks in Old Salem. 

Have a beautiful Lent

 May you be closer to God at the end of these 40 days than you ever were before.

The Confiteor

I confess to almighty God

and to you, my brothers and sisters,

that I have greatly sinned,

in my thoughts and in my words,

in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

through my fault, through my fault,

through my most grievous fault;

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,

all the Angels and Saints,

and you, my brothers and sisters,

to pray for me to the Lord our God.

 

 

The Confiteor is one of the most amazing prayers in the history of mankind. It's a socially rebellious prayer-- it flies in the face of everything we're constantly told by the world. When we pray it we stand up and admit that we were wrong-- not "It's not my fault, Lord, I was raised badly, " or "Everybody was doing it so I went along." The Confiteor demands that we strip bare all the lies, excuses and avenues of escape admit that we sinned. 

Down goes Maryland

More and more I realize that large number of  Americans really don't want to be free. They want sexual license and don't think beyond that. Like Essau they will gladly toss away everything in order to satisfy an appetite. Pity the poor priest who will be faced with Governor O'Malley and his meddlesome, loud mouthed wife when they present themselves for Communion this Sunday.

random thoughts

• I've said what I think about Theology of the Body before. My feelings haven't changed. Something about it just doesn't feel or smell right to me  especially after reading this .
  
  
  
• Remember when Anne Rice announced that she was Catholic again? People fell over themselves to praise her and her close to, if not totally blasphemous books on Jesus. I remember walking into the Pauline  and the Immaculate Conception Basilica bookstores and seeing  huge displays of her work. Now the poor woman  has left the Church and says she's not sure she even believes in God. Was she ever sincere or was the whole thing just a publicity stunt?
  
  
  
• The US bishops still don't get it.
  
  
  
• Nicki Minaj attempted to be shocking with her lame little Grammy act but we've all seen that garbage before. She may immitate Madonna who got quite rich offending Catholics but she lacks the old woman's rat-like cunning and I see the words "has-been" and "one hit wonder" in her future.
  
  
  
• Speaking of entertainers, I was so sad to hear about Whitney Houston. On her worse day when she couldn't even hit her high notes she had more talent in her little finger than 90% of the pop singers on the world stage today. Her voice was the background music to my 20s. She was my husband's favorite woman singer and we will remember her with affection and sadness. May God have mercy on her soul.
  
  
  
• On March 18th, there will be Laetare Sunday Evensong & Benediction at St. Rita's.
  
  
  
•  I still don't have my plan for Lent ready  yet. 
  

Today's gospel

Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean...

St. Bernadette

Grotto of Lourdes

Fear the baby?

I hesitated to write this because it will probably make people mad. I was reading another blog and was struck by how miserable many of the commenters appeared to be about not being able to cheerfully use contraception.The gist of it was that nobody wanted to risk having another baby but they really didn't like NFP either. Last year I read a truly pitiful comment by a man who said that his wife had simply given up and bolted. She got on the Pill, left him, the Church and found a new man. 

I recall a query on a discussion board from years ago from a newlywed man who had been unhappily celibate since his honeymoon. He said his wife was afraid of getting pregnant. Some people advised him to be patient and try romance. Others suggested that he get a better job and reassure her that she wasn't going to turn into a household drudge. Others suggested marital counseling. One person wrote in and said in essence, "Dude you've been had. Go to your priest and demand an annulment." I occasionally wonder what happened to that young couple. 

Where does this Western world fear of babies come from?

St. Apollonia of Egypt, pray for us

curious moment at St. Thomas

I was sick and so we missed our regular Mass time and had to go to St. Thomas Moore Cathedral in Arlington. It was interesting. I never really like it there and find the music nigh on to unbearable but the priest is a fine man who Rocky respects and he always celebrates a sober, reverent Mass and gives intelligent homilies. At the end of Mass, right before the dismissal, Father read a letter on the HHS mandate from Bishop Loverde and Archbishop DiLorenzo in Richmond. At least a quarter of the people in the pews got up and rather noisily left before the poor priest had finished reading. I found that curious. The lay staff at the cathedral are generally rude but I've never known the parishioners to be. Were they making some kind of statement by the walk out?

Exhausted

My uncle, as is often the case with dementia patients is refusing to eat or drink or take medication. When my mother and I visit, after hours of coaxing he will accept hand feeding or will sip from a straw if I hold it to his lips but thats not enough to keep him going. I can't let him starve so he's getting a feeding tube on Monday. I am so tired. I had hoped he'd be in the nursing home for a year or two before the food refusal stage started.

Oh my Jesus....

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One

have mercy on us and

on the whole world

Random thoughts

•  Anne Barnhardt (yeah, her style is not always to my taste but when she’s right, ole girl is right) has several interesting things to say about this mess and makes a sad prediction that I agree with. She thinks the average Catholic will shrug about the HHS mandate and do nothing while wishing that Father would please stop talking about it and get back to planning the parish festival. 
  
  
  
• Candlemass at St. Rita's tonight was amazing. I think it must be one of the most beautiful Masses I've ever been too. Thank you Fr. Eagle for your enthusiasm and willingness to go the extra mile. The schola sang this antiphon while we all processed through the church with our candles behind the celebrant:
  
  Adorn thy bridal-chamber, O Sion, and welcome Christ the King: with loving embrace greet Mary who is the very gate of heaven; for she bringeth to thee the glorious King of the new light: remaining ever a Virgin yet she bearest in her arms the Son begotten before the day-star: even the Child, whom Simeon taking into his arms, declared to the peoples to be the Lord of life and death, and the Savior of the world.
   Hearing this who wouldn't get excited?
  

Candlemass

\

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace:

Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum

Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:

Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in peace;

Because my eyes have seen Thy salvation,

Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:

A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.

Child molesters hide in plain sight

I wish that perverts who are sexually attracted to children looked like Orcs or that they only hung around back alleys and under bridges like trolls but they don't. They look like everyone else and they frequently look better than average. They marry women with kids, like Humbert Humbert in Lolita.  They get a job that let's them be near children. They become masters at fooling parents and any nosey adult who might suspect. They put on a clerical collar but more frequently, probably much more frequently they just get an education degree and go to school. Mark Berndt is 61, years old and he doesn't have a vow of celibacy. He's free to have as many women as he wanted and guess what he's a child molester. I am not excusing the priests who did this kind of thing but this horrifying story goes to show that perverts can be found in all walks of life. It's the child molester's greatest strength, the ability to blend in and look so darn normal for years. I wonder if the media will take a look at how many children's lives are ruined in school by their own teachers? I doubt it.

Presentation in the temple

Thanks for the inspiraton Fr.

Years ago, Rocky and I were visiting the Lourdes Shrine in Emmitsburg and were walking quickly and saying our rosary with blinding speed because it was hellaciously cold. Then, we saw a Dominican priest. He was walking slowly and had the most beautiful calm look on his face. He nodded at at us, smiled and disappeared into the bushes like a ghost. Since we were on the path he was going to walk in the rough. He was also barefoot. Rocky and I stopped, and stared. You wouldn't think black and white would be good camouflage but Fr. was completely lost from our view within seconds. "Did you see his feet?" Rocky asked. "Yeah." Suddenly neither one of us was all that cold anymore. We slowed down and really took our time praying. God bless that priest wherever he is and God bless this Franciscan whose photo I found on the St. Blogustine blog.

Something to keep in prayer

I  don't always enjoy reading Aid to the Church in Need but it's good to be reminded that the Church is bigger than the smug, decadent West and is suffering in many places. Remember Yugoslavia? Remember that war and how the US intervened .Remember how people said it was going to turn out badly for the local Christians? Well, read this.  Life for Sr. Ivanka has become so unpleasant that she and her sisters don't leave the convent alone. US time, talent and treasure were wasted to create this awful situation. Our Lady, Help of Christians, please keep the Franciscan sisters safe.

Mass at St. Ritas

2011, was a wretched year and 2012, isn't looking too much better but there's one thing that always raises my spirits; Thursday night Mass at St. Rita's in the Tridentine form. Fr. Eagle has so much energy and enthusiasm and both he and Fr. Bear are serious about offering confession for as long as it takes for every soul to be taken care of. We have the most adorable little altar boys and an interesting mix of people. Most of the people in the pews are young. At 44, I'm one of the oldest ladies present.

Next week is Candlemass and Fr. Eagle is excited about it. He's planning a solemn high Mass and  there will be a schola. If you are in Alexandria on February 2nd, this will be a beautiful balm for your soul.

Stop that crying

Once when I was a kid I disobeyed my mother and did something stupid. It backfired spectacularly  of course and I was left crying in the living room. My mother told me to stop it. I had done wrong and now I was facing the painful consequences. Over 50% of Catholics voted for Obama. There were warnings that most of the people in this Administration are Deatheaters but the warnings were ignored and the people who spoke the warnings were called narrow minded, backward, paranoid and just plain dumb. So now we have this. 

Other than Douglas Kmiec is anybody really surprised? So let's stop crying.

Pray for us, St. John Fisher, and St. Thomas Moore.

So what's the story on the Neo Cats?

Father Z says their rite has not been approved. Everybody else I've read says, sadly, angrily or just noncommittally says that their rite has been approved. I read the pope's statement and I didn't understand it one way or the other.  The Way is big and I guess the pope's advisers are afraid that they'll schism if they are pushed.

After three days they found Him...

Random thoughts

• Please pray for Fr. Rodriguez. I have a feeling that he's going to be steamrolled.

• Politics is a nasty business and wives and children get treated badly all the time. Andrew Jackson’s poor wife was called a bigamist, adulteress and an uncouth pipe smoker. Abraham Lincoln’s enemies pursued poor Mary Todd Lincoln relentlessly. She could do no right as far as they were concerned. If she had a party people complained that it was wrong to do so because a war was going on.  When she stopped all social activities because her son was dead people complained that she was making DC dull. It was said that Woodrow Wilson and his second wife got married too soon after his first wife’s death and had been lovers before the marriage. People called the Bush twins party girls which is a euphemism for slut. And who can forget the venom that was belched out of hell in the direction of Sarah Palin's litte boy, Trig? So it’s not surprising that a cruel hit piece has been written on Karen Santorum. I won’t link to it.  

• One really good way for a young woman to mess up her life is to listen to the wrong people. I know a  newlywed who was  happily living in a one bedroom rental with her husband. Her  well to do family shamed and nagged the young couple to buying a modest house. Guess what? The housing market crashed. She now has a house that is worth an ocean’s depth less than what she and her husband owe on it. They were living comfortably before, now they are right on the razor's edge.  That is not a good place to be. It frays nerves and gives rise to silent resentment. And because they are so "poor" she refuses to have children until her husband gets a better paying job. Never, ever let anyone put your husband down. It's disloyal, it's a violation of your marriage vows and it's stupid.
  
  
• It's Girl Scout cookie season and I'm going to pass. The organization has been on the wrong track for decades but their decision to dance with Planned Parenthood and to expose girls to the Healthy, Happy, Hot  brochure are just too disgusting. Hot? Excuse me? Encouraging a little girl to be hot is the work of pimps. Juliette Lowe, the founder of the Girl Scouts  would weep if she could see what happened to her wholesome little club. Find a Little Flowers, Camp Fire Girls or a Heritage Girls group. The Girl Scouts are just too corrupt to bother with.
  
  
• There is a scene in Braveheart where Wallace says to Princess Isabelle. "One day you will be a queen. And you will  have to open your eyes."  I think many Catholics are in the fictional Princess Isabelle's shoes. We need to open our eyes. We can be for abortion or against it. There is no middle way. We can please the world or we can please God. When it comes to abortion, we can not do both.

This made me cringe

This is embarassing and reminded me of the time Rocky and I went to the worst Mass we've ever seen before or since. It's true that Our Lord was born in a stable and was around animals all His earthly life. It is also true that when Our Lord went to His Fathers's house and found men selling animals and changing money on holy ground He made a whip and drove them out. Where is the bishop? Our Lord is disrespected in His own house and people think it's cute. St. John Vianney, pray for us.

Restless, hungry hearts in the pews

I've noticed something and been  trying to find a way to adequately describe it. A lot of ordinary people just do not seem to be happy with the Mass or their parish. They must jazz the liturgy up with insipid Protestant praise songs to make it bearable. I know of a local parish where long time parishioners got angry and left because the new priest wanted to have something other than the four hymn folk choir week after week.  That folk music and their ties to the powerful choir director was more important to them than anything else.

So many people chase after fads to liven things up; they smile at the girls and middle aged women leaping down the aisle in their liturgical dance clothes .  They think it's adorable when the priest calls all the kids up to stand around the altar during the Consecration. They get mad, on occasion glaring and cursing mad  if you don't want to hold their hands during the Our Father.

Other people choose a somewhat different route. They run to the New Movements. The Neo Cats, Cursillo, Opus Dei, Focolare, Miles Jesu, and in their prime, the Legion of Christ offered people things they could not get in their parishes : certainty, a priest who unequivocally  said yes or no, tight personal bonds, intense devotion, a mission in life and passion.  Still other people deal with the spiritual hunger by not  joining anything. They shuffle in at the very last minute, do their close to a whole hour at church and explode out of the pew as soon as Communion is over. 

 And then there are the folks who had to go to other Rites to find peace. They seek refuge in the beautiful liturgies of  the Eastern Rite parishes such as the Maronite or Byzantine. If these are not available they look wistfully  at photos and video of the Orthodox or the Anglican service.  I've read a number of comments from people who are excited about the Anglican Ordinariate because now
they will be able to go an Ordinariate Mass and leave their old parish for good.

And of course there are the people who out of curiosity walked into a TLM one day and fell in love. They go when they can or they found a parish that is completely Tridentine and have finally found pure joy.

 There are a lot of restless, hungry hearts in many pews across this nation.


* I originally forgot one large group of people. The folks who either had a crisis and left the Chruch altogether or the individuals who never had an argument with the Church they just drifted away and only come back for Ash Wenesday, Christmas, Easter, weddings and funerals because the Faith as presented in their parishes just wasn't enough to hold them. No priest or layperson ever showed them what Archbishop Sheen called :

...a virile Christ and a leader worth following in these terrible times; One Who will step into the breach of death, crushing sin, gloom and despair; a leader to Whom we can make totalitarian sacrifice without losing, but gaining freedom, and Whom we can love even unto death. We need a Christ today Who will make cords and drive the buyers and sellers from our new temples; Who will blast the unfruitful fig-trees; Who will talk of crosses and sacrifices and Whose voice will be like the voice of the raging sea. But He will not allow us to pick and choose among His words, discarding the hard ones, and accepting the ones that please our fancy. We need a Christ Who will restore moral indignation, Who will make us hate evil with a passionate intensity, and love goodness to a point where we can drink death like water.

Adoration of the Magi