Ave Maria

 

 

AVE MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. 

I love this

When little kids sleep they are completely knocked out. I love this true to life image of little Jesus and Mary.

a contemporary artist worth watching

I just discovered web page of contemporary artist, Nelson Carlin. His work is interesting. His paintings of Jesus are awful, he makes the Lord look pretty and his depiction of St. Gianna looks like she's being dive bombed by cherubs and made me laugh but his paintings of St. Torribo and St. Frances Cabrini are stunning and his priest and seminarian series is incredibly moving. His best work in my eyes was a still life of the Blessed Sacrament. Much of his religious work can be seen at the American Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine.

The Confession

Full of Grace

HT to the All About Mary tumblr blog

Contemplation

the most beautiful Our Lady of of Fatima statue I've ever seen

 

It's in Braga, Portugal

random thoughts

*On Sunday Rocky and I visited the Cathedral of Mary our Queen in Baltimore. The last time we visited we were horrified. This time was better. Archbishops O’Brien and now Lori must have tightened things up. The Blessed Sacrament chapel was not dusty and the lights were on. We saw the new archbishop and Rocky spoke to him briefly while I wandered off to look at the chapels. I’m not sure what style the artwork and stained glass are; art deco revival perhaps but it was handsome. I prefer the basilica downtown or St. Alphonsus but I’m glad we went. Later we visited the Divine Mercy shrine. Poor old Father was desperately trying to get out of the church and back to the rectory. I got out of his way,asked him no dumb tourist questions and let him shuffle on. Later we ate at Roccos in Little Italy. I only have one word ---well two for Roccos: don’t go. Nuff said there.

 

*Father Rutler has the amazing story of a little known, saintly man here.

*This young woman’s post on her love of her chapel veil got 63 comments. That’s pretty interesting to me. I started collecting veils years ago and then one day I decided that if I meant what I was saying about honoring God, and giving Him homage that I would never give to any living person it was time to use my veils. Some women at church glared at me. I shrugged my shoulders because I don’t go to church looking for socializing anyway. Today, nobody glares and several women--young and old-- wear mantillas or snoods themselves. It has nothing to do with me of course, I think there is a hunger for rediscovering Catholic tradition.

*In your charity, please pray for these Syrian nuns.   


 

*I was not surprised by the whole business with the man who is the voice of Elmo from Sesame Street being accused of debauching a minor. Nor am I surprised that the accuser has recanted. The media has been very restrained concerning this story---that I find peculiar.




* The National Gallery in London, England has a foul insult to Our Lady on display.

Atonement for Neglecting to Honor Mary

Lord, forgive all reviling of Mary's name!
We beseech Thee, hear us!
Lord, forgive all contempt of her Immaculate Conception!
We beseech Thee, hear us!
Lord, forgive all coldness in the honoring of Mary!
We beseech Thee, hear us!
Lord, forgive all contempt of Mary's pictures! We beseech Thee, hear us!
Lord, forgive all neglect of the Holy Rosary!
We beseech Thee, hear us!
Lord, forgive all indifference to Mary's Motherly love!

 

This is beautiful

 

 

When people saw this painting the artist was accused of having Catholic sympathies which shows you how tough it must have been to be a Catholic in England in the 1850s.

a Russian Madonna and Child

Incredibly cute

The Church does not have a secret nursery for where they raise nuns and priests. Pray for vocations and come, squeal in delight with me at these two incredibly cute little babes who were St. Teresa and St. Therese for Halloween.

One of my favorite old songs....

Christ before Pilate

 

 

Pilate therefore saith to him: Speakest thou not to me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and I have power to release thee?    Jesus answered: Thou shouldst not have any power against me, unless it were given thee from above.  

 

Agony in the Garden

Saint Kateri

Most paintings of St. Kateri are terrible and done by people who either make her look white or who think that all Indians look like the Cheyenne. This life sized portrait by Kevin Gordon is going to hang at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in New York and I like it. My favorite image of her this one painted by  painted by Father Chauchetière  who actually knew her and I think the modern portrayal is pretty close to it.  The orginial painting can be found at the St. Kateri shrine in Quebec.

Athaliah lives

Most people think the most horrible woman in the bible was Jezebel or Herodias. No, it was Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel. After the death of her husband, the king, she ruled Judah alone and had all the male children of the House of David killed. These were her own grandsons, nephews, and great nephews.  Athaliah wanted what she wanted and those babies were in her way. They had to go. Athaliah lived over three thousand years ago but her spirit lives and thrives.

From today's Liturgy of the Hours

 

 

 

The Lord, judge over all Psalm 74 (75)

God will not judge by appearances, but he will rule with justice and fairness.

We shall give you thanks, O God,

give thanks and call on your name.

We shall recount your marvels.

At the moment that I have decreed

I shall hand down my judgements.

If the earth trembles with all that is in it,

it is I who set firm its pillars.

I have said to the boastful, ‘Stop boasting!’

I have said to the wicked, ‘Stop showing off your strength!’

Stop flaunting your strength to the heavens;

stop speaking boldly against God!

For triumph does not come

from the east or the west;

it does not come from the wilderness.

It is God who is the judge:

he raises some, abases others.

The cup in the Lord’s hand

is foaming with wine that is drugged.

He pours it out and they will drain it.

All the sinners of the earth shall drink.

But I will proclaim him for ever,

and sing of the God of Jacob.

I will smash the strength of the wicked,

and the power of the just shall prevail.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

God will not judge by appearances, but he will rule with justice and fairness.

100 years-- a thought for election day

Imagine if Cardinal Dolan had stood up at the Al Smith dinner and asked for one moment of silence for each child aborted since 1973, and then imagine the looks on everyone's faces if he'd informed his guests that it would take about 100 years to do so. Do you think that would've gotten a good laugh?

Mea culpa, dudes

I'm sorry. From the moment you started school onward your teachers have been trying to turn you into a little girl. Your normal, fantastic masculine swagger has been attacked, and medicated by the millions.  Perhaps that's why so many guys have retreated into backward baseball cap, saggy shorts, and sneakers all the time man-boys as some kind of defense method.

If you are the son of a single mother who brought her lovers home you were probably exposed to more than a little boy should  and if any of the lovers were dangerous you might have spent your young lives at home being threatened or abused. Again, I'm sorry. Secular society failed you--- a few people spoke up, like Dan Quayle but they were shouted down, and the rest of us took the hint and relentlessly minded our own business. Today, too late for you I know, a few more people are looking at crime and mental illness statistics and pointing out that the sons of single mothers have suffered and dish it out in disproportionate numbers but this is dry and clinical and except for Ann Coulter, it's only spoken of quietly and in like minded company. The Church failed you, your fathers failed you and I'm no longer shocked at the intense misogyny I'm seein  in even Catholic 20-30 year olds .... but guys all women aren't raving feminists. Truly.

Lessons from Sandy

1. Have an emergency plan and kit.
2. When the governor says evacuate, haul yourself out of there.
3. Buy emergency food now. Get something that can be eaten without heat or water.
4. Buy bottles of water.
5. If you decide to stay in your home make sure you have plastic bags so  you can relieve yourself in them in case the water is out.
6. Don't expect anybody to come get you soon.
7. Either befriend your neighbors or be aware of the fact that in an emergency they may be part of your problem.
8. Buy blankets and if you can't afford or don't have room for real blankets get the emergency shiny metallic ones. They fold down to the size of a handkerchief and I keep some in the car, one at work and one in my purse. It's so tiny folded up I don't even notice it in my bag.
9. You need to buy at least four  big flashlights for home and one for the car. I keep a tiny one in my bag at all times.

All Souls Day

Eternal rest grant unto them Oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them, may they rest in peace. Amen

All Saints Day

Don't forget to go to Mass....

 

Oh Church Triumphant, pray for us.

This is beautiful

A Carmelite on Profession Day

 

HT Brides of Christ tumblr blog

Contemplation

This crucifix gives us a tiny idea of what Mary saw when she looked at her Son, her precious baby, on the cross. I was sitting in church one day and thought of the image on the Shroud and it hit me how horrible Our Lord's beaten, bloodied face must have looked. And this was all for me and you that we might be saved.

The storm

I find talking about weather boring. Living in Northern Virginia where people completely freak out if there's two inches of snow on the ground I look at weather hysteria (which is NOT the same as prudent concern), with contempt. Freaking out does not help anything and makes the situation worse for people who depend on you or who have to be stuck listening to you. My rules for bad weather are simple and don't take hours of discussion.

 *If it's raining too hard for an umbrella, take shelter.

* If its snowing go make grilled cheese.

*When it's hot go inside and turn on the air conditioning.

*When it's cold, go inside and turn on the heat.

*Check the insurance policies BEFORE the storm hits.

*Move the priceless antiques and yourself to the upper floors BEFORE the storm hits if your basement and first floor usually flood.

 *If the weather is life threatening grab the pre-packed emergency bag and get the heck out. That's about it. 

Please pray for all those people sleeping on the streets tonight. May someone coax them into shelters and please pray for those who may loose their lives or property to Hurricane Sandy... flood clean up is stinky, miserable and in this wrecked economy a lot of people won't have the money to do it. Oh and one more thing, hurricane season usually goes on to early November so this may not be the end.

Hmmm. I wonder what this means?

Now that they've kicked Bishop Williamson out does this mean that the SSPX talks aren't dead afterall? I think that this thrust and parry dance is going to go on for decades but it's interesting to watch.

Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus..

 

 

Have mercy on us!

Vigil Mass at St. Rita

Bishop Loverde came to celebrate Mass today at St. Rita's. I'd forgotten how tiny he is. He and Cardinal McCarick are about the same height and the cardinal is as we as a leprechaun. It was a beautifully celebated Mass. Our choir sang pieces from Thomas Thalis and Fr. Eagle and Fr. Bear looked really exicted. The Mass was for the intention of the late Fr. Watkins who was once pastor of St. Rita's.

methods of hearing the Tridentine Mass

Lady Lucy befor her entrance into
the convent

Did you know that you aren't required to follow the missal at at TLM? A priest, and I can't remember if it was a young Archbishop Sheen or not once told a story about asking an old Irish woman what she was doing at Mass because he never saw her with a missal. She replied with some asperity, "Father, I sits and I loves." He thought about it and concluded that she was doing just fine. Some people follow the Mass  by praying suggested prayers as the priest hits different parts of the Mass and others follow by meditating  on the Agony and death of Our Lord or the sufferings of the Holy Souls.

 Mother Teresa Joseph (Lady Lucy Herbert in the world), an English  Augustinian nun who died in 1744,  wrote a book called Several Excellent Methods of Hearing Mass which spells out how to do this. I tried a couple of her  methods and they were  not for me. I think it takes practice to do the meditations and stop at the right time so that you are moving along roughly at the priest's pace instead of being surprised with the consecration bells ring. It is HARDER for me than following along in the missal ---but it was interesting and I'm glad I read the book. No matter how many degrees you have or even if you're a papal knight there is ALWAYS something more to be learned about the Faith, devotions and Catholic customs. Holy Mother Church has inexhaustable treasure in wisdom for those who are willing to study.

Agony in the Garden

Carl Bloch did multiple versions of this, his most famous painting. I think I like this one the best.

every now and then the devil shows his face

 A  big money donor to the Democrats who is also either a P.T. Barnum without the charm or  kin to the Weird Sisters of Macbeth facme, has some nasty things to say about Catholics. Among them was this statement, “We will come on you in a terror."

A terror? Now where have I read that before? The devil and his children play the same basic game over and over. Call it Communism, call it New Age…whatever. Look at the martyrs of Rome, Spain, Mexico, France and Russia and realize what this stuff is and that it will go on until the end of time.   

St. Francis in Prayer

As I've said before the seraphic Saint Francis was so

different from the icky Brother Sun Sister Moon movie version of him that it's

almost comical...almost.

Why are there no Catholic fashion sites?

On the 11 On My Own blog, the author was wondering why there aren't a lot of Catholic fashion sites. Mormon women have modest yet attractive fashion blogs---Thread Ethic is the absolute best, and lots of clothing stores online and in brick and mortar. Orthodox Jewish women do a fantastic job of creating beautiful clothes that fit their code of dress. It doesn't work for Catholic women because we've been taught for so long to to look and live like everybody else.. I don't think a Catholic designer who was interested in making good looking, adult modest clothing  could make enough money to keep the business going.

demonic

A few days ago I read a story about a school bus driver who told an 11 or 12 year old boy that his mother should've aborted him. The driver was harrassing this child becuase his parents had a Romney sign in their yard. The driver, who thankfully, was fired,  is reportedly, in her 70s. My first thought was that perhaps this is a case of dementia in the early stages because it can cause even a sweet natured individual to have downright nasty episodes, but no, apparently this woman is just really committed to abortion on demand. 

How messed up do you have to be to take your political views out on a kid? I mean, I may like Obama, Romney or the Governor from The Walking Dead for president but it would never occur to me to discuss politcs with anybody else's child much less make a vicious personal attack. Abortion meant more to this woman than her job, basic human decency, and even the the appearance of normalcy. Hard core, day in, day out abortion advocates are different even from the lazy or just thoughtless pro-abortion people you may know at work or in your family. All the hard core true believers give a damn about and live for is to kill babies.  You can't reason with them. They're like Dracula on a drop of blood. Whatever it is that holds them is simply demonic.

 Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

Zombie babies: a sign of the times?

My boss is insisting on throwing  a Halloween cupcake party this year. I'm not thrilled and said so but I don't get a vote so.........I headed to a party store to pick up table cloths and a couple of decorative items. Five seconds afer stepping into the place I began to feel sick. The big thing this year is zombie babies.  Rows and rows of   undead infants dripping with blood.  Vampires, ghouls, ghost and witch costumes were also there once you walked further into the store but the dead baby figurines, and life sized statues  were up front. The party store owner knows what's hot and what his customers want and must have gone all out. I had no idea this was considered cool and I'm pretty sure it's says something about our culture. I didn't buy anything and left as quickly as I could.

Presented without comment

random thoughts

*Don’t knock yourself out trying to get your kid into Harvard. It meant something once but really the students are no better than you are. In fact, there’s a lot of filth and corruption hiding in that ivy.

*The Holy Father said something very interesting about Vatican II.


*Well I guess the other shoe dropped.


* If you want to do something about the talking and disrespect for the Blessed Sacrament in your parish try this: Refuse---gently to chat with people in the pews, Genuflect or bow if your knees can't take it anymore, EVERY SINGLE time you pass Jesus. Say a thank you prayer after Mass unless you have small explosive children and if you do try stopping just for a minute and saying bye bye to Our Lord before you go out. Genuflect or bow your head before receiving Communion. You may think this is all pointless because nobody notices. Nonsense. Jesus notices and you'd be surprised but other parishioners do to.


*John Zmirak is an interesting man. I don't know what to make of him.  I read Bad Catholic's Guide and found parts of it distasteful but serious Catholics who I respect, raved about the books.I'm completely unsure of where he's coming from or what team he's really playing on but oh my, can he write.

* To celebrate the Year of Faith the faithful have been granted a plenary indulgence. The Vatican News service has the details.  

 

 

 

I thought this was a joke at first.

 Warning. Do not look at this video if you have high blood pressure, deep melacholia, or are quick to anger. Pray and sacrifice for the Holy Father. Fixing stuff like this spectacle at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil is so hard and huge a job that it can only be done with holy help. I keep hearing that Latin American Catholics will revitalize the Church here in the States because they have a superior grasp of the Faith. Umm. No, bad teaching and tolerance of stupid stuff has had its way there just as it has here. HT Rorate Caeli and WDTPRS.

I look upon Him Whom my sins have pierced...

The San Damiano Crucifix

The Catholic vote

I read Dr. Mirus' comments on why the Catholic vote is apparently in the bag for Obama.  He chalks it up to a failure in teaching. I think it's actually a triumph of the teaching we've been getting for decades. We have been told from the pulpit and in Catholic books, diocesan newspaper editorials, and by the lay leaders of the parish not to be embarassing, parochial, Catholic ghetto unsophisticates and to be cool like everybody else. And so, you have Catholic men and women who, except for the one hour they shuffle into church are exactly like everyone else.

God help us.

St. Faustina

Pray for us, dear saint.

Silence? Nope.

 

 

The real St. Francis is more interesting than the sentimental bird feeder version

St. Francis was not a hippie or a wimp. Father Rutler says it better than I could.

St. Therese, I love you

She's been my loving, protective, and encouraging  friend for a long time now.

random thoughts

From the Passion of the Christ

 

*I just subscribed to Laudamus te, a beautiful devotional missal/magazine. It’s very much like Magnificat but for the Tridentate Mass.


*I visited my uncle on Saturday instead of my usual Sunday and afterwards we went to Assumption church near the nursing home. We've become quite fond of that little parish. The pastor was away and they had a guest priest. He was a gentle confessor and preached his homily with such passion that he looked positively drained afterwards. He mentioned that he's been to many parishes and some have left him simply astonished at the coldness of the people. I had to smile because I've been to a lot of churches like that.


*Is anybody really surprised that the SSPX and the Vatican couldn't reach a deal?


*I was reading New Theological Movement and a commenter said that the Anglicans are more catholic than many of the regular Catholics sitting in the pews. If I see or hear that particular remark one more time I think I'll spit.


*Rocky volunteered to help his brother Knights of Columbus with the parish picnic this year. I'm at home sick and didn't go. This morning he went to pick up the catering order at a local Salvadoran restaurant and later told me that it was like a Western movie. He walked in and it got silent. The customers stopped eating and stared at him. I guess they thought he was a cop or an ICE agent. 


*I just can't read Fisheaters anymore. It's just too sad. It's like walking down the street and finding one of your high school classmates covered in his own muck and bile as he kicks and screams in the gutter. Even if you never really liked the guy it makes your stomach turn to to see it.



*I have fallen in love with the "Overwhelmed by You" song in the Sam Adams beer commercial. I don't care about beer but that song is great.




*Eternal rest grant unto them oh Lord..... Can we please leave Afghanistan? At this point I'm ready to vote for Donald Duck if he assures me that this country will leave that land for good.



*When trying to figure out how to be a good wife and mother don't consult magazines or pop pyschology books . Instead look to Mary. You can not do any better than her.



Of Hobbits, bubbles, and young girls' souls

Father Z has a post on the Hobbit, a book that changed his life. For me, the big book was A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Sarah Crewe's gallantry, kindness, and patience and her loyalty moved me deeply when I was eight and I never forgot her or the desire to be like her.  I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's books too. Half Pint's resoucefulness and grit impessed me. When parents let their kids read great novels it has an effect. When they let them read trash that has an effect too. I wouldn't be surprised if the foolish women who can't get enough of Fifty Shades of Gray weren't big fans of Flowers in the Attic when they were girls.


Parents have to monitor what goes into their child's brain and not just reading material. You have to constantly preach and more importantly you have to live what you preach. On Ann Barnhardt's page (warning--if you can't take strong language don't go there), she mentions a woman who complained that her daughter wants to be like Kim Kardashian. Miss Barnhardt told her to get rid of her cable TV and the woman replied that she didn't want to live in a little bubble. Actually, in this case, the problem isn't so much the TV as the national culture. You don't have to watch her show to know what the Kardashian woman is doing and this is not the first time a low woman has been idolized by millions.

Kardashian is in fact,  the tip of a spear that goes way, way back. Delilah and Jezebel were dazzling. Eleanor of Aquitaine was a terrible wife and aduteress but she was adored and today remains  a heroine to both feminist and non feminists. Englishwomen may not have loved Anne Boleyn but they were fascinated by her. Her French hoods and extra long sleeves were widely copied. Madam DuBarry set the fashions at Court and was imitated by both good and bad. In Lillie Langtry's day everyone wanted to be like her even though she was an open adulteress. Women rushed to buy anything that Lillie endorsed and people flocked her plays wherever she was in the world. In latter times Elizabeth Taylor and Lana Turner and Angelina Jolie are idolized. If a woman is beautiful and hard enough to dare to do the outrageous she can get away with almost anything. As I said before, it's an old story. Evil has glamour.

But getting back to the woman Miss Barnhart was talking about. She has failed but not necessarily by refusing to get rid of the TV, she's failed because she's obviously not paying enough attention to her kid and she doesn't appear to filling her matriarch role. If your pre-teen daughter's idol is a harlot and she's comfortable telling you that, you messed up somewhere. 

Instead of complaining to people who are too polite to call her out, this woman should be telling her kid that Kardashian is disgusting and that she doesn't want to see or hear anything in her house with that name and that no amount of imitation of that woman's behavior will be tolerated. That means no more shopping at Sears, no purchases of Kardashian perfume  and no more OPI nail polish until they stop selling the  Kardashian brand, and no purchases of any magazine that has her on the cover. Her kid may resent her and be pouty for months but she'll get the message: In mom's house, Kim Kardashian is not a heroine.

Elizabeth Taylor was my father's favorite actress but I knew full well that he did not want me to imitate her personal life. I was my dad's little queen but I knew there were lines, fences of protection that I did not need to cross or there would be consequences. I'm betting that the woman with the Kardashian loving daughter doesn't have any fences. Lacking a fence doesn't mean you don't live in a Christian bubble, it means that predators of all kinds have access to your kid's mind and immortal soul.

Something beautiful

It's been a horrible week so I've prayed more and looked at the calming photos from the breathtakingly beautiful Tumblr blog, Brides of Christ.

A Carmelite novice

When I was little I wanted to be a Carmelite like St. Therese. 

St. Marguerite

While we weren't looking

Delaware just outlawed spanking. Don't say, "Well, I don't do corporal punishment anyway." Tommorow some state could outlaw time outs because they are humiliating or making a kid do chores becuase it's child labor. Bit by bit, the State is taking over private life but most of us are too busy being stupafied by things like Kate Middleton's bosom or what some celebrity is saying.

Sacred Heart Nuns

Agnus Dei!

 

 

 

 

The most beautiful bride I've ever seen

 

Sr. Christiana of the Byzantine Carmelites. 

Vocaton poster fail

Uh Sirs, I'm just a librarian but I'm pretty sure this poster put out by Irish Jesuits won't attract guys to the priesthood.

These might be a little better.

St. Joseph Cupertino

Viva Cristo Rey!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Give your priest a break

I saw this prayer on Rorate Caeli and it reminded me of something I've been mulling over for years. I've watched Father Eagle and Father Gandalf and Father Aragon before him be gracious and patient and perfectly attentive to hundreds of people. Years ago a woman wrote on her blog that she was upset because her parish  priest didn't come greet her group. It didn't seem to occur to her that Father might have been doing something else that day like paying the water bill or talking to a bride and groom or spraying sealant on that darn leaky pipe in the kitchen. It also didn't seem to occur to her that lots of groups meet at the parish every week. Surely Father shouldn't be expected to vist every single group  at every meeting? We all have one pastor with one set of quirks to put up with but he has hundreds or thousands of demanding  people to deal with. On a human level it's too much to handle. On the supernatural level it can only be achieved by a total union with the Eternal High Priest, Jesus Christ.

random thoughts

*Several years ago I was sitting in a hair salon while one of the stylists told a story about her brother who was talking to his friend, a Rastafarian. The brother implored his friend to see that the Emperor Haile was not the Messiah. The Rasta friend gave the brother an affectionate pat on the back and told him that becuase he was his friend he would let the comment pass. If he were anyone else the Rasta would have to kill him. Some of the ladies in the salon giggled and the stylist shook her head in wonderment and said, "They really do mean what they preach and they'll defend it to the end."
Americans and most Westerners have gotten soft and sloppy about core beliefs. We innocently believe that since we are squishy about religion that everybody else is too.  Nope. I wish more Americans would wake up and realize that we are dealing with people who are not like us.  As Belloc once said:

We sit by and watch the Barbarian, we tolerate him; in the long stretches of peace we are not afraid. We are tickled by his irreverence, his comic inversion of our old certitudes and our fixed creeds refreshes us; we laugh. But as we laugh we are watched by large and awful faces from beyond: and on these faces there is no smile.

 

 

*Fr. Bear helped in the celebration of a beautiful Tridentine wedding in Old St. Mary's in DC. Back in the 90s I would get up take a bus and then a train to Chinatown in DC to go to the TLM at St. Mary's. The neighborhood was rough back in those days and I moved quickly from the train station to the church. Chinatown is fashionable again so things are much better now.


*I've been sick all week and the weekend isn't looking too good either. I'm really looking forward to going to Mass today for the consolation.


*Pray for the Pope. I wish he weren't in Lebanon but he's braver than I am.

*When George Washington was sixteen he wrote out the Rules of Civility and Decent Behavor in one of his notebooks and decided to live by them. Too bad the Duchess of Cambridge never read them. Rule number seven could've saved her and her husband Prince William some embarassment.

*  Have you ever noticed that when there's a conversation about possible societal collaspe that certain guys seem excited by the possibility? My mother is a diabetic and she has no thyroid. I can stockpile food, toilet paper and a little something for personal secuirity. I can raise chickens and grow some vegtables but I can't make insulin or synthetic hormone. My husband takes two medicines everyday and I can't make those either. If access to a pharmacy is cut off for more than an month millions of people are going to die or in my case, be miserable and sickly. Nobody seems to talk about that.


*Katrina Fernandez has decided to stop blogging for awhile. I wish her the best and I hope she comes back as an independent blogger.

God have mercy

Ambassador Stevens, State Department information management officer Sean Smith and security personnel Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. died horrible deaths. May God have mercy on their souls and may God's wisdom sink into the thick skulls of the people who run our country.  I think of the families of Steven, Smith, Woods and Doherty and I can't imagine how they must feel now. God give them strength and comfort.

This aint glamorous

These two news stories from Hollywood and New York City are an unpleasant reminder that the sophisticated people we're all supposed to look up to really aren't very pretty at all.

While we weren't looking...

I remember flipping channels and for few seconds listening to an Evangelical  (I can't remember his name) on TV years ago, who said that the pedophiles and their psychiatric enablers would use the same tactics as gays to win sympathy and legalization of their activities.  The reaction the next day was pretty fierce. Most commentators scoffed and at least one public homosexual gave the Evangelical a furious rebuttal. Other people just laughed at such a ridiculous notion and used the man's remarks as an example of how dumb the Evangelicals were.

Well, while we weren't looking because we were too busy paying attention to celebrity gossip to deal with hard news or unpleasant facts, the pedophiles were busy working and society is on a conveyor belt being moved further down towards a foul goal. A sympathetic article on child molesters appeared last week in a popular  online publication. It uses the "born this way" argument and claims that putting a child molester in jail doesn't do any good. Of course, incarceration doesn't change pedophiles. They enjoy what they do. Incarceration keeps them safely away from children. Incarceration doesn't cure rapists or con artists either. They enjoy what they do. It punishes and prevents them from harming the innocent for a number of years.

That "silly, hateful, hysterical,"Evangelical with his bad hair cut, cheap suit and poor public speaking voice was right. The age of sexual consent is going to be lowered. Legalized pedophilia will creep up on us. It may take twenty years but unless we have a religious revival or a societal collapse I think it's going to happen and most of us won't even notice until our 15 year old granddaughter's 40 year old "date" shows up and there won't be a single legal thing we  will be able to do to stop her from going out the door with him.

Maria Bambina

Most Maria Bambina statues show Our Lady as a tiny infant that St. Anne has just swaddled. This one shows a chubby cheeked tot.

Sr. Simone have you read Mt 25:1-13?

Sr. Simone says abortion is above her paygrade. What good do the LCWR nuns do? Do they teach like the Nashville Dominicans? Do they serve the poor --- and let's be honest, real poor people don't live in pleasant or safe places--- like the Missionaries of Charity? Do they take care of the aged like the Little Sisters of the Poor? 

Do they dedicate themselves to Marylike behavior and charity like the Sister Servants of the Virgin? Do they take care of cancer patients like the Hawthorne Dominicans? Do they teach and nurse and look after refugees like the wonderful Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus?  Do they take care of the homeless like the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary? Do they dedicate themselves to prayer and reparation like the Handmaids of the Precious Blood?

Do the LCWR nuns do anything beyond riding around in luxury buses making nuisances of themselves?