Maps, Keys, and Clocks

Mom, RIP

2012-01-24T23:30:00.005-05:00

In your charity, please remember in your prayers the repose of the soul of my mother, Phyllis, who passed away early this morning from heart failure. Mom was born in 1946 in West Palm Beach, FL. She received a BA in French from the University of Florida in 1970. She is survived by her loving husband, four children, and three grandchildren.

Réquiem ætérnam dona ei Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat ei. Requiéscat in pace. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.

Buried News

2012-01-22T05:00:00.006-05:00

Here's is a time-lapse sequence from March of last year: the procession of a few hundred thousand marchers is condensed from 90 minutes into 60 seconds.

http://youtu.be/G9Hjc5MCu3s

They're on Constitution Avenue in D.C. to publicly and peacably remind political figures of the need to end state-sanctioned abortion.

Tomorrow another such march is scheduled. This sort of item doesn't really make much news -- after all, giving a sympathetic airing of this kind of story could cost a reporter his job. Which is why I'm showing it here.

Prediction: a larger march this year than last, with just as little media coverage.

Bury Me, Don't Burn Me

2012-01-18T05:00:00.001-05:00

One advantage to finally building our own church is that we now have a property where we can house our own cemetery. One chap at the parish was able to bury his mother in the chapel cemetery last year.

Jason had previously bought a plot in the Catholic section of an existing Atlanta cemetery – Arlington, which is a nice location - so after burying his mother at St. Michael’s he attempted to sell the purchased plot: he contacted quite a few parishes in the area to let them know there was this plot at Arlington for sale if anyone was interested.

The overwhelming response he received - from the priests, married deacons, and bereavement committees - was “we don't do that anymore” (i.e. bury the dead).

The reason? They are now actively encouraging cremation and are building cremation walls (i.e. “columbariums” with niches for urns) at their churches.

Modernism is the new paganism.

More on Marriage

2012-01-15T05:00:00.010-05:00

"Until death do us part" is the old fashioned formula that went with the marriage ceremony; any more one is far more likely to hear "for as long as we both shall live." The two statements mean the same thing, and they are rooted in the realization that valid marriage does not end until one spouse dies.

The Protestant response, in my experience, normally includes a reference to this line from Matthew 5:32 "But I say to you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, excepting for the cause of fornication, makes her to commit adultery: and he that shall marry her that is put away, commits adultery."

Yet this passage must be read in light of the other Scriptures on the topic.

Mark 10:11 reports that "Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another commits adultery against her."

Luke 16:18 records "Every one that puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery: and he that marries her that is put away from her husband commits adultery."

Patristics -- the study of the writings of the Church Fathers -- and the constant, uninterrupted practice of Christians for 2,000 years supports my point.

So is there a contradiction between the passage from St. Mark and the other sources? Only an apparent one. Christ did allow couples to separate for sufficiently grave reasons - the example He gave was for infidelity, but others exist such as abuse, criminal activity, alcoholism, etc. Even then, He allowed only for separation; remarriage while the spouse was living was out of the question.

So what is the proper way to read St. Mark? Like this:

"Whosoever shall put away his wife (I am now speaking of mere separation without remarriage, for that is lawful in the case of infidelity), but whosoever puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery himself and by this adulterous union forces his wife into adultery if she marries another."

Waugh on Feeney

2012-01-13T05:00:00.006-05:00

Evelyn Waugh described his visit to Fr. Leonard Feeney, S.J., in this letter of November 20, 1948 to his wife Laura (pp. 292/3, Letters of Evelyn Waugh ed. Mark Amory, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980).

The most disturbing event at Boston was a visit to a Father Feeney S.J. at Harvard. Mrs Luce told me he was a saint & apostle and on no account to be missed. He has a Catholic Center, as it is called, just outside the University campus & has made some showy converts. Well when I asked about him in Boston clergy and laymen alike looked embarrassed and said: 'We haven't seen him for a long time'. I went one morning by appointment & found him surrounded by a court of bemused youths of both sexes & he stark, raving mad. All his converts have chucked their Harvard careers and go to him only for all instruction.

He fell into a rambling denunciation of all secular learning which gradually became more and more violent. He shouted that Newman had done irreparable damage to the Church then started on Ronnie Knox's Mass in Slow Motion saying 'To think that any girl of 12 could have this blasphemous and obscene book put into her hands' as though it were Lady Chatterley's Lover. I asked if he had read it. 'I don't have to eat a rotten egg to know it stinks'.

Then I addressed him in strong words. His court sat absolutely aghast at hearing their holy man addressed like this. And in unbroken silence I walked out of the house. I talked to some Jesuits later & they said that he is disobeying the plain orders of his provincial by staying there. It seemed to me he needed an exorcist more than an alienist. A case of demonic possession & jolly frightening."

Evelyn Waugh, 1940

Fr. Leonard Feeney, S.J.

Upside-Down Marriages

2012-01-08T16:00:00.012-05:00

Feast of the Holy Family

A saint like Francis of Assisi would joyfully stand on his head with the intention of delighting the Mother of God. In the process the energetic Italian would observe that he was actually looking at things right-side up: it was the world that had gone topsy-turvy, and by assuming an inverted posture he was finally looking at things from the proper perspective.

In the modern western view the predominant wisdom is that one should follow his heart in matters of marriage (or concubinage), and then having landed a more or less long-term partner he should carefully and in calculated fashion determine how many children he will have. The beginning is essentially romantic, and the end tends to devolve into business-like practicality.

The perspective of the God who fashioned marriage, meanwhile, is that one should carefully and soberly enter into marriage, and then after being permanently bound in the matrimonial state he should be generous and spontaneous and have as many children as the good God sends. The beginning is essentially practical and business-like, and the outcome is an ongoing romantic adventure.

To the moderns who substitute convenience for happiness and who view children as an interruption of their lives, the latter is foolishness and matter for derisive dismissal.

As one who observes the small-family moderns incessantly complaining about the inconveniences endured due to their spouses, children, jobs, in-laws, neighbors, any just about everything under the sun, I'll side with the kindly folks who take the family adventure God sends their way.

Modernism Defined

2012-01-06T20:00:00.000-05:00

Modernism: the critique of our supernatural knowledge according to the false postulates of contemporary philosophy.

I am not a modernist.

Vatican II: New Teachings Contrary to Tradition

2012-01-03T05:00:00.002-05:00

Source

On at least four points, the teachings of the Second Vatican Council are obviously in logical contradiction to the pronouncements of the previous traditional Magisterium, so that it is impossible to interpret them in keeping with the other teachings already contained in the earlier documents of the Church’s Magisterium. Vatican II has thus broken the unity of the Magisterium, to the same extent to which it has broken the unity of its object.

These four points are as follows.

(1) The doctrine on religious liberty, as it is expressed in no. 2 of the Declaration Dignitatis humanae, contradicts the teachings of Gregory XVI in Mirari vos and of Pius IX in Quanta cura as well as those of Pope Leo XIII in Immortale Dei and those of Pope Pius XI in Quas primas.

(2) The doctrine on the Church, as it is expressed in no. 8 of the Constitution Lumen gentium, contradicts the teachings of Pope Pius XII in Mystici corporis and Humani generis.

(3) The doctrine on ecumenism, as it is expressed in no. 8 of Lumen gentium and no. 3 of the Decree Unitatis redintegratio, contradicts the teachings of Pope Pius IX in propositions 16 and 17 of the Syllabus, those of Leo XIII in Satis cognitum, and those of Pope Pius XI in Mortalium animos.

(4) The doctrine on collegiality, as it is expressed in no. 22 of the Constitution Lumen gentium, including no. 3 of the Nota praevia [Explanatory Note], contradicts the teachings of the First Vatican Council on the uniqueness of the subject of supreme power in the Church, in the Constitution Pastor aeternus...

The profound desire of any Catholic who is faithful to his baptismal promises is to adhere with complete filial submission to the teachings of the perennial Magisterium. The same piety demands also, with increasing urgency, a remedy for the serious deficiencies that have paralyzed the exercise of this Magisterium since the last Council. To this end the Society of Saint Pius X still desires, now more than ever, an authentic reform, meaning that it is up to the Church to remain true to herself, to remain what she is in the unity of her faith, and thus to preserve her original form, in fidelity to the mission that she received from Christ. Intus reformari.

A Card to Remember

2012-01-02T10:00:00.003-05:00

This morning Gail was ringing me up at the grocery store checkout counter when she spied the mother's birthday card I'd selected.

"Everyone's mother's birthday seems to be this month," Gail said.

"January sixth," I replied. "And she should get her card on time too."

Gail laughed. As she was bagging me up, she said, "Now don't forget your card!"

"It's funny you would say that," I said. "I bought this exact same card on Saturday, but when I got home it wasn't in the bag."

After a brief exchange we determined that I'd left it in the shopping cart in the parking lot.

Gail turned to her manager, who was standing just behind her, and asked if a birthday card had been found on Saturday. The manager looked up from the checklist on her clipboard and asked, "Was it a blue card?"

Hopeful, I said, "Yes -- in fact, I just bought the same exact card right here." The manager smiled and nodded.

"Can I take it off?" Gail asked.

"Yep," the manager replied, returning to her clipboard.

Gail reversed the charge for the birthday card. I gave her a big smile and said thank you.

If you're ever shopping at the Publix on Rucker Road in Alpharetta, drop in and tell Gail hi for me and mom.

Te Deum Laudamus

2012-01-01T00:01:00.007-05:00

Te Deum Laudamus
Te Deum laudamus: te Dominum confitemur.
Te aeternum Patrem omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes Angeli, tibi Caeli et universae Potestates:
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim incessabili voce proclamant:
Sanctus: Sanctus: Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra maiestatis gloriae tuae.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus:
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus:
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.
Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur Ecclesia:
Patrem immensae maiestatis:
Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium:
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.
Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem,
non horruisti Virginis uterum.
Tu devicto mortis aculeo,
aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.
Iudex crederis esse venturus. (Kneel)
Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni,
quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.
Aeterna fac cum Sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.
Salvum fac populum tuum Domine,
et benedic haereditati tuae.
Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.
Per singulos dies, benedicamus te.
Et laudamus nomen tuum in saeculum,
et in saeculum saeculi.
Dignare Domine die isto,
sine peccato nos custodire.
Miserere nostri Domine, miserere nostri.
Fiat misericordia tua Domine super nos,
quemadmodum speravimus in te.
In te Domine speravi:
non confundar in aeternum.

=======

We praise Thee, O God
We praise Thee, O God: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship Thee and the Father everlasting.
To Thee all Angels:
To Thee the heavens and all the Powers therein.
To Thee the Cherubim and Seraphim cry with unceasing voice:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Hosts.
The heavens and the earth are full of the majesty of Thy glory.
Thee the glorious choir of the Apostles.
Thee the admirable company of the Prophets.
Thee the white-robed army of Martyrs praise.
Thee the Holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge.
The Father of infinite Majesty.
Thine adorable, true and only Son
Also the Holy Ghost the Paraclete.
Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
Thou having taken upon Thee to deliver man
didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
Thou having overcome the sting of death
didst open to believers the kingdom of heaven.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God
in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We beseech Thee, therefore, help Thy servants:
whom Thou has redeemed with Thy precious Blood.
Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints in glory everlasting.
Lord, save Thy people:
and bless Thine inheritance.
Govern them and lift them up forever.
Day by day we bless Thee.
And we praise Thy name forever:
and world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day to keep us without sin.
Have mercy on us, O Lord: have mercy on us.
Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us:
as we have hoped in Thee.
O Lord, in Thee have I hoped:
let me never be confounded.

SSPX in India

2011-12-26T20:00:00.001-05:00

The note below is from Fr. Bucciani, SSPX, in India.

=======

Dear Friends & Benefactors,

May the Infant Jesus bring you every joy and blessing this Christmas. On behalf of the Mission, the Servi Domini Orphanage and Veritas Academy, thank you for your prayers and material support throughout the year of grace 2011. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered every 1st Saturday for your intentions.

Please can you pray that we find good Catholic teachers for the school.

The links below will take you the photo galleries of the Mission, Orphanage and Veritas Academy.

The Mission

The Orphanage

The School

In Jesu et Maria,
Father Robert Brucciani
--
Priory of the Most Holy Trinity
1 Marcel Lefebvre Place
8A/3 Seevalaperi Road
Palayamkottai
Tamil Nadu 627002
India

Linus on Christmas

2011-12-25T00:01:00.003-05:00

Christmas Day

The King of heaven deigned to be born in a stable, because He came to destroy pride, the cause of man's ruin.
- St. Alphonsus

Man in Coma Wakes Shortly Before His Organs Are About to be "Donated"

2011-12-22T20:00:00.003-05:00

Source

From the article:

* Sam Schmid, an Arizona college student believed to be brain dead and poised to be an organ donor, miraculously recovered just hours before doctors were considering taking him off life support.

* "I tell everyone, if they want to call it a modern-day miracle, this is a miracle," said his mother, Susan Regan, a Catholic. "I have friends who are atheists who have called me and said, 'I am going back to church.'"

* Schmid's mother said no one "specifically" asked if her son would be a donor, but they "subtly talk to you about quality of life."

Commentary
* Here we have an account of a possible miracle coupled with yet another instance of the "subtle" exploitation of the grieving by medical professionals.

* Brain death, according to an article in last year's New England Journal of Medicine, cannot serve as sufficient grounds for the harvesting of vital organs.

* Indeed: it seems to be a pretense for the lucrative organ-harvesting business.

The Wilting of the Flowers

2011-12-21T05:30:00.018-05:00

Source

Actor Christian Bale was in China to help promote the new historical drama war film "The Flowers of War." The movie depicts the fate of a group of women fleeing Japanese soldiers during the Rape of Nanking in 1937. In the film Bale plays a westerner who poses as a priest to help the refugees escape.

While he was in the country, Bale got into trouble with the Communist government for attempting to pay his respects to blind activist Chen Guangcheng. The latter is is under house arrest and subject to ongoing harassment, intimidation, beatings, and false allegations for his outspoken criticism of the Chinese government's policy of forced sterilization and abortions to meet it limited population quotas.

In the AJC article linked to above, the paper, true to form, attributes the atrocities against Chinese mothers as the work of "overzealous authorities."

This is, of course, the Party Line, and with its misleading language the AJC is assisting the work of government officials who need the buffer of plausible denial. Such atrocities are not officially sanctioned (they are only officially tolerated); any excesses are merely the work of over-achievers (who are never seriously corrected or reprimanded).

China is living under a tyrannical government that cannot humanely provide for the people under its iron thumb. Instead of caring for the people and enabling them to operate an economy that can produce more jobs, homes, and food for the people, the government has for many years forcibly reduced the population of the country to match the resources made meager by a corrupt and corrupting centrally planned government.

And by its collusion the AJC is one of many American papers acting as accomplice to this campaign. The Chinese people deserve better.

Old English Prayer

2011-12-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

Old English Prayer

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Bless the bed that I lie on.
Before I lay me down to sleep,
I give my soul to Christ to keep.
Four corners to my bed;
Four angels there aspread:
Two to foot, and two to head,
And four to carry me when I'm dead.
I go by sea; I go by land:
The Lord made me with His right hand.
If any danger come to me,
Sweet Jesus Christ deliver me!
He's the branch and I'm the flower:
Pray God send me a happy hour.
And if I die before I wake,
I pray that Christ my soul will take. Amen.

Even a Child Can Figure It Out

2011-12-19T20:00:00.010-05:00

Source

U.S. Marine Scott Woods' widow Sara and their son Landon have been given a mortgage-free house in Texas as part of Operation Finally Home's worthy project to build houses for wounded and disabled veterans or their widowed families.

Landon is just five years old; he understands that his father will not be coming home. His mother has taught him that he can still speak to his father, however.

"We told him he could talk to daddy in his prayers," Sara said, "and even in the middle of the day, you'll see him walk around the corner and you'll hear him say the 'now I lay me down to sleep prayer,' which Scott taught him. And then he starts talking to daddy."

I'm glad the Woods family figured out that prayers can be directed not only to God, but to souls who are no longer in this world. It is a natural and reasonable -- and thoroughly Catholic -- conclusion.

The Next Generation, Traditional Catholic Style

2011-12-18T05:00:00.007-05:00

Fred Kroner, 35-year veteran sports writer for the News-Gazette in east-central Illinois, published a piece Saturday that describes his astonishment at the impressive conduct at a basketball game of the student body for a boys' parochial school I favor: La Salette.

See http://www.news-gazette.com/blogs/freds-blog/2011-12/thanks-la-salette.html

From the article:

You'd swear the enthusiasm and energy generated by the young men was for a championship game. The cheering reached a peak at the opening tip and was unrelenting during the course of the 32-minute contest, won by La Salette.

They were cheering FOR their team, not AGAINST the opponents. I'm positive there were no negative comments directed to the three-man officiating crew. Nor were there taunts thrown to the other team. Beyond that, they showed their courtesy when players from either team were preparing to shoot free throws. As if someone were coaching them, there was total silence without any hand-waving distracting antics.

It was an experience I didn't think was possible. It reminded me of pictures my grandfather used to show me about crowds that attended games in the 1920s and 1930s. Men were attired in ties. Women were adorned in dresses. You could almost imagine the kinds of wholesome cheers that they brought and they weren't ones where you felt embarrassed to say you knew some of these individuals or sought to cover the ears of the closest non-teenager.

Profanity-laced tirades? The closest these students came to anything questionable was a momentary "air ball" when a Shiloh player missed badly on a shot attempt. A disapproving look from headmaster Father McMahon, keeping the scorebook, quickly stopped the chant within seconds.

The overall respect and sportsmanship demonstrated by the La Salette student body is truly unparalleled in the thousands of high school games I've seen. It's one thing to see exemplary conduct from two or three individuals, quite another to see it from each and ever spectator sitting (standing!) in a particular section.

It was heartwarming and refreshing. I'm told this wasn't a one-time spectacle. It occurs at every game where the team plays. Don't know when I will attend my next La Salette game, but I have a new memory that has vaulted into a position of prominence on my all-time top 10 list of favorite moments.

If these are the next generation of leaders in our country, wow, I can't wait for the future to arrive.

Thanks, La Salette. You made my day and reminded me that I truly haven't seen everything.

Google Digitizing Dead Sea Manuscripts

2011-12-11T05:00:00.008-05:00

Gaudete Sunday

Source

Google has digitized the Dead Sea manuscripts. Within three days of the material going up online, the museum site dedicated to the famous scrolls from Qumran had received one million visitors. The digitized manuscripts drew viewers from 210 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

The objective of the Paris-based Google Cultural Institute is to make accessible to every Internet user documents from museums, archives, universities, and collections throughout the world.

See the site at http://dss.collections.imj.org.il

Entrance to the Visitor's Center at Qumran - Israel

Sign marking the caves where the scrolls were found

The cave where the scrolls were found

The first of the scrolls were found in this cave in 1947 by a pair of Bedouin boys. One of the lads was throwing rocks into the cave for sport, and he heard a crash. Upon investigating, he found jars filled with ancient parchments.

Chalk one up for the benefits of boyish restlessness and curiosity.

For the record, the scrolls -- untouched in their caves for about 2,000 years -- do a marvelous job of reinforcing just how wonderfully scribes and scriveners and copyists reproduced the texts of the Scriptures through the centuries.

Photos from my Holy Land pilgrimage in Lent of 2008

The Immaculate Conception

2011-12-08T05:00:00.002-05:00

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Declared a dogma December 8, 1854 by Pius IX

On this day, so dear to every Catholic heart, we celebrate first of all the moment when Almighty God, in a vision telescoping the ages, showed Mary both to our first parents and to the demon, as the Virgin Mother of the future divine Redeemer, the Woman destined to crush the proud head of the serpent. This episode is narrated in the first book of Scripture, Genesis chapter 3. We find Her again in the last canonical prophecy of the Bible, the Apocalypse or Revelation of Saint John the Apostle, as the Woman clothed with the sun, having on Her head a crown of twelve stars. In this beautiful vision She is also identified with the persecuted Apostolic Church, obliged to flee into the “desert”, and as the Mother of a great Head of that Church, destined to govern the flock of the latter times in the final combat, who like that flock is Her own Child. (chapter 12) Mary, like Her Son, is at the beginning and the end of all God’s intentions, an integral part of His designs for the Redemption of the human race.

Since by eternal decree She was exempted from all stain of original sin from the first moment of Her Creation, and was endowed with the richest treasures of grace and sanctity, it is fitting that we honor Her glorious prerogatives by this special feast of the Immaculate Conception. We should join in spirit with the Blessed in heaven and rejoice with our dear Mother, not only for Her own sake, but for ours, Her children, for we are partakers of Her glory and happiness. “The treasures of the mother are the heritage of the children,” said Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus.

We celebrate at the same time the ever-memorable day, the 8th of December of 1854, which raised the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Lady from a pious belief to the dignity of a dogma of the infallible Church, causing a great and universal joy among the faithful. The Holy See had already permitted the feast day from the time of Sixtus IV, by his papal bull Cum Praecelsa (1477), formally allowing its celebration for all dioceses desiring it. In 1854, the ancient faith of the people in their Mother exulted.

Reflection: Let us repeat frequently these words applied by the Church to the Blessed Virgin: “Thou art all fair, O Mary! and there is no stain in Thee” (Cant. 4:7).

Sources: The Holy Bible: Old and New Testaments; Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources, by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894).

Love of the Father

2011-12-04T05:00:00.004-05:00

The Catholic Faith began with a family -- Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The same Faith continues much as a family, which is why our parish priests are addressed as Fathers, and our religious men and women are addressed as Brothers and Sisters.

"Honor your father and your mother, that you may be long lived upon the land which the Lord your God will give you." - Exodus 20:12

"Call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven." - Matthew 23:9

We have a Father in Heaven, who suffers no rival -- "I am the Lord your God, mighty, jealous..." (Exodus 20:5)

To the extent we place something created in God's place and make that our primary frame of reference, we violate the admonition of Christ to call none on earth our father (cf. St. Matthew's Gospel above). That place is reserved for the Almighty.

To the extent we show honor and obedience for our parents and guardians and teachers and patrons and governors and officials, we exercise the virtue of justice, which is to render to a man all that is owed him. In so doing we practice suitable proportionate honor (cf. Exodus above).

Our goal is to have nothing in our soul contrary to the Divine will -- no undue attachment that would leave us subject to a creature or created thing, or that would cause us to act out of love for an inferior cause as if it were our chief purpose.

Christmas Novena

2011-11-30T00:01:00.002-05:00

Here's the novena I pray November 30 - December 24.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment at which the Son of God was born of a most pure Virgin at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, oh my God, to hear my prayers and grant my desires. (Mention your intentions here) Through the merits of our savior Jesus Christ and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

Say 15 times a day from St. Andrew's Day until Christmas.

Willing Victims

2011-11-29T20:00:00.019-05:00

Source

Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has been deemed criminally insane and thus unfit to stand trial. This means he is unlikely to be sent to jail; rather, he will live out his days in a psychiatric institution. That assumes, of course, that he isn't deemed healthy at some future time -- in which case he could be released.

One young survivor of the killer's murderous rampage said, "The most important thing for me is not to punish Breivik...what matters to me is that he no longer poses a threat to society."

Such sentiments give encouragement and hope to future sociopaths, who are confirmed by such tolerant and judgment-impaired remarks in their murderous notions. To paraphrase Martin Luther, the contemporary message is kill and kill boldly, because nothing will separate you from the tolerance of the modernist mind -- i.e. the mind that holds "free will" to be the mechanism by which one accepts illogical precepts as truths. Delusional unreality means innocents suffer.

Prosecutor Svein Holden said Breivik "lives in his own delusional universe and his thoughts and acts are governed by this universe." And there Breivik shall remain, having no external constraint brought to bear that would oblige him reconsider his assumptions. Justice, meanwhile, is deferred -- for a time.

Advent Upon Us

2011-11-27T05:00:00.004-05:00

I Sunday of Advent

Advent is upon us. The next few weeks are a preparation for Christmas. This time parallels the period in history when the faithful ones waited with great longing for the arrival of their Messiah.

In practical terms, my own efforts will involve minimizing my exposure to activities that are premature for the pending holy day. The Advent wreath will be out; Christmas carols will be postponed; Christmas decorations will go up Christmas eve and will stay up at least until January 6 -- the 12th day of Christmas.

Soon the Savior will be here -- soon, but not quite yet.

What a Choice

2011-11-25T05:00:00.003-05:00

Source

Apple guru Steve Jobs was adopted as a child. In the early 80s he set out to find his birth mother, even hiring a private detective for the task.

The reason? Jobs explained:

"To see if she was OK and to thank her, because I’m glad I didn’t end up as an abortion," he said. "She was 23 and she went through a lot to have me."

Jobs did locate his birth mother. He said that after they met she would often burst into tears and apologize for giving him up for adoption.

"Don’t worry," he told her. "I had a great childhood. I turned out OK."

Forming a Conscience

2011-11-20T05:00:00.002-05:00

A women I spoke with years ago informed me she was giving up being Catholic.

"I don't like feeling bad all the time," she said.

"I feel bad only when I've done something wrong," I replied.

She didn't like the reply -- in fact, she became downright caustic.

It turns out that she'd made a wreck of her marriage and was abandoning her husband; small wonder she felt bad. Worse, her Catholic faith obliged her to do the right thing, which meant owning up to her misconduct and repairing the harm she had caused through her neglect and selfishness. Ergo, the Catholic faith had to go.

We're responsible for the right formation of our own conscience. A correct conscience is not something that happens to us -- rather, it is something we develop just as we develop correct grammar, correct posture, correct handwriting. We start with the instruction given by those in authority over us -- e.g. parents, teachers. With time we learn to recognize good sources of authority and follow their lead. Just as we'll never be at a point where we won't need to go back to the dentist to check out our teeth, we'll never get to a point where we won't need good instruction and helpful reminders on how to live a good life.

"I have a clear conscience" can be a sign of a bad or selective memory.

Gertie Coble, RIP

2011-11-18T11:20:00.000-05:00

My friend Gertrude (Gerti) Coble passed away this morning after her battle with cancer. She was very devoted to the Catholic Faith and had a very special love for children, providing little gifts for them and auctioning beautiful gift baskets to benefit the summer camps. Her vast amount of charitable work is largely unknown except to the beneficiaries. She is survived by a sister and brother and two nephews.

Please pray in a special way for her eternal repose, that she may rest in the peace.

Requiescat in pace.

Abp. John Donoghue, RIP

2011-11-13T05:00:00.003-05:00

The retired Archbishop of Atlanta, John Francis Donahue, died last Friday. Requiescat in Pace.

An article published by a local paper ended its story on the topic with this parting shot:

"The AJC cited several controversial stands, including refusing the participation of women in foot-washing ceremonies and denial of the Eucharist to politicians who took pro-abortion positions."

Not surprisingly, the article's author describes himself as "a registered Democrat, with moderate to liberal beliefs" and a "casual Catholic." Pity he didn't also include the moniker "casual reporter."

Anyway, the irony here is that the controversy is not the late Archbishop's lawful directives. Rather, the controversy is (1) the intrusion of anti-establishment notions into ancient Catholic ceremonies and (2) the fact that pro-choice opportunists try to exploit the good name of "Catholic" for their own political ends. If the agitators would quit trying to outrageously pass off these utterly foreign elements as Catholic, then the Archbishop's routine statements about everyday Catholic matters would have a better chance of being reported in the proper light.

Veteran Relatives

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Three of my Great Uncles served in WWII.

Cyril F. Wehrkamp
* January 21, 1922 - November 8, 1944 (age 22)
* Served with the 318th Infantry Division, Company C in France under General Patton.
* He was killed in France at the Battle of the Bulge.
* He was awarded the Meritorious Service Award and the Purple Heart.
* Buried in the St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery, Carthegena, OH.

Bred ("Bud") W. Wehrkamp
* Great Uncle Bud was my grandmother's twin brother.
* September 8, 1924 – January 8, 1954 (age 30)
* Entered the Air Force and served in the Pacific Theatre of War with the 5th Air Force.
* Was wounded several times and was awarded the Purple Heart.
* Dad said it was the war wounds that eventually caused his death.
* Buried in the St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery, Carthegena, OH.

Cletus J. Wehrkamp
* August 3, 1919 – July 2, 1978 (age 58)
* Served in the U.S. Army December 6, 1941 - March 31, 1963.
* Great Uncle Cletus took officer training at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, and was stationed in Vint Hill, VA and England, Italy, Japan, Korea, Turkey, and Germany.
* He died at Walter Reed Hospital in 1978 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery (grave 884, section 65 on Marshall Drive).

That part of the family is German Catholic (with a Prussian army officer thrown in to boot). The various German families came to the States in the 1840s and 1850s and settled for the most part in Ohio.

My father’s father also served in the US Air Force in WWII. He was a bombardier navigator on a B17 that flew sorties over Germany and took out oil refineries. My grandpa blew up Nazis.

In your charity, kindly remember the repose of the souls of these veterans this Veteran's Day.

Bruce Fagan, RIP

2011-11-09T21:00:00.006-05:00

My good buddy Bruce died today. He'd had a massive heart attack on Monday and spent the past few days in a coma. Padre was able to give Bruce Last Rites and the Apostolic Blessing. The Commendation of the Dying was prayed; his soul was commended to God with the prayers of the Church. He passed away very peacefully, wearing the brown scapular, after all of the heroic efforts of the ICU had been tried without success. After his heart attack he never regained consciousness. He was attended on his deathbed by his priest and surrounded by his loving wife and family.

Kindly say a prayer for Bruce, and for his wife and family.

Requiescat in pace.

Hotel Room Service Fees

2011-11-06T05:00:00.003-05:00

So the restaurant in the hotel where I stayed was out of commission, but the hotel offered room service.

The room service tab came with a 19% service charge. Well and good, one might think, that way the staff gets its tip and the hotel gets a little markup.

But no, there is also a $3.00 delivery charge. I suppose every little bit helps.

When I signed for the meal, I noted that the bill had a line where I could also add a tip.

Are these people crazy?

Christ the King

2011-10-30T19:30:00.005-04:00

Christ the King Sunday

The last Sunday of October is Christ the King Sunday. This is the day where we especially call to mind and honor the royalty of Christ, which rests upon a twofold basis -- He is our King (1) by right of birth and (2) by right of conquest.

The first refers us to the personality of the Son of God, whereby, in His divine nature as God and by virtue of the hypostatic union, He is the sovereign Lord and Master.

The second places before us the God-Man coming down on earth to rescue fallen man from the slavery of Satan, and by the labors and sufferings of His life, and passion, and death, to win a glorious victory for us over sin and hell.

With credentials such as that, it is fitting that we publicly honor Christ as King not just of individual lives, but of all society. Thus, in addition to Mass this morning, then, we had a public procession to an outdoor altar, and then concluded the day's ceremonies in the main chapel with Benediction.

Making Religion Irrelevant

2011-10-23T23:00:00.004-04:00

This Thursday, October 27, at the chapel of St. Michael's, SSPX, in Roswell, GA, beginning at 11:00 am, we are having a Mass of reparation for the nonsense going on at Assisi in Italy. Mass will be followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and then Benediction. You're all invited.

At Sunday Mass this morning our pastor's sermon was on this topic. He pointed out that if the sede vacantists were right and the chair of Peter sat empty, this inter-religious prayer meeting would be a non-event. The truth, however, is far different, and far more terrible: it is the Pope himself, under color of authority as St. Peter's successor and the vicar of Christ, who will be guilty of this abomination that causes millions of people to regard religion with indifference and so end up in Hell.

Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.

=======

Mass and Exposition in Reparation for the Ecumenical Meeting of World Religions in Assisi

St. Michael’s SSPX, Thursday, October 27, 2011

IT'S WORSE THAN WE IMAGINED. On October 27, 2011, the Pope will preside over a prayer meeting of world religions in Assisi. He called this event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of John Paul II’s first Assisi meeting of 1986. Some prelates in Rome gave empty promises that relativism and syncretism would be avoided, but the official press releases now contradict this, and the Assisi event remains a grave scandal for the Church. The Holy See has even described the meeting as "a search for truth[1]" and a common prayer service is scheduled. The Vicar of Christ will place himself side-by-side, again, with false teachers, Rabbis, Brahmins, Islamic clerics, Buddhists, African voodoo practitioners, New-Age cultists, heretics, imposters, even a representative of the Communist Party...the official list goes on and on[2]...all of whom publicly reject Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Triune Godhead, and who fight directly against Him and His Church. It is a direct attack against the first Commandment of God: "Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me." This is the rotten fruit of Vatican II. It is without doubt that these acts will push many souls to hell. This offense is additionally grave due to the fact that the Pontiff responsible for this truly occupies the Chair of Peter and has been truly entrusted with the Power of the Keys. Can we even imagine how much this grieves the Immaculate Heart of Our Blessed Mother?

In a spirit of reparation, on October 27th a Mass Pro Fidei Propagatione (For the Propagation of the Faith) will be publicly offered at St. Michael’s at 11:00 AM. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed after Mass until 12:30 PM to be adored in a spirit of reparation for this public and grave offense. The Mass and Exposition in Reparation are taking place throughout all chapels of the Society of Saint Pius X.

[1] Press Office of the Holy See, Oct. 18, 2011.

[2] Delegations: Eastern Orthodox: 17 including the Ecumenical Patriarch; Protestants: 13 including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the World Lutheran Federation, Baptist World Alliance, Methodist World Council and others; Judaism: 3 from Chief Rabbinate of Israel, Chief Rabbinate of Rome, ICIC and other international Jewish organizations; African, Caribbean and Indian voodoo and animist religions: 4; Hinduism: 7; Jainism: 3; Sikhs: 5; Zoroastrians: 1; Baha’i: 1; Buddhism: 67; Confucianism: 1; Shintoism: 2; Taoism: 1; New-Age religions of Japan: 4; Islam: 60, from Mecca, the Middle East, America, and Asia; Austrian Communist Party: 1 delegation. Atheists will also be represented by various delegates, including a militant feminist sociologist, Dr. Julia Kristeva, who will deliver a lecture to the Holy Father and the assembly. (Dr. Kristeva has been a frequent lecturer at the Grand Orient Lodge of France and has published essays to make Freud blush.) Participants will watch a commemorative video of Assisi 1986 together. All participants will then light a peace candle and engage together in a para-liturgy of "Solemn Renewal" of the vows to pacifism, with the participation of various religious choirs and liturgical dancers. The Holy Father will participate in all events. The event is titled "Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace: Day of Reflection, Dialogue, and Prayer for Peace and Justice in the World."
Sources: (1) Press Office of the Holy See, Oct. 18, 2011; (2) official website of Dr. Kristeva; (3) numerous official programs of Grand Orient salons searchable online.

Eternity Described

2011-10-23T05:00:00.012-04:00

I believe in life everlasting.

This sentence is from the last article in the Apostle's Creed. The statement references eternity, which is not an unending succession of time (that would be boring), but like a point, a lasting moment. It is a continual "now."

The past, you see, is dead. The future, meanwhile, doesn't exist. As far as time is concerned, the only thing that is real is the present instant.

I'm not paving the way for modernist claptrap about needing to escape that past like it is something that infringes on modern personalities. I'm reminded of Gabe, who was pontificating over dinner one night -- he literally had one finger in the air as he lectured us -- that the world is divided between those who are stuck in the past and those who look to the future, "No," I interrupted him mid-diatribe, "the world is divided between those who look for the truth and those who don't care." But Gabe was a materialist and an atheist, and the counter-point was just brushed it off without comment.

Such is the dilemma for the materialist: he is trapped inside of time, which is an illusion, or even a mystery if you will. Unable or unwilling to consider spiritual causes, the materialist has rendered himself incapable of factoring eternity into his ruminations. He says the religious man is fooled by false notions of the hereafter, when in fact it is the person who places his hopes in a future that never arrives that operates by wishful thinking.

The happiness of eternal life, meanwhile, is an exemption from all evil, an enjoyment of all good. In our own limited way we will know God -- who infinite Truth, Beauty, and Goodness -- as He actually is.

Healing Spiritual Wounds

2011-10-21T05:00:00.011-04:00

Excerpted from The Mass of All Time by Abp. Marcel Lefebvre:

The wounds of original sin remain even after Baptism. Consider the effects of the injury done to the four cardinal virtues, and the consequences of the vice opposed to each virtue.

Virtue: Justice
Meaning: to render to everyone what belongs to them
Contrary vice: Malice
Consequence: prevents us from rendering to God and our neighbor what is his due

Virtue: Prudence
Meaning: right reason applied in practice
Contrary vice: Ignorance
Consequence: blinds us

Virtue: Fortitude
Meaning: moral courage and endurance in trials and suffering
Contrary vice: Weakness
Consequence: characterized by inconstancy

Virtue: Temperance
Meaning: the use of pleasures of the senses in accordance with the norm prescribed by reason
Contrary vice: Concupiscence
Consequence: disorders the measure we must exercise in using the goods of this world

These deep wounds can be closed only by sacrifice and renunciation. The return to order requires sacrifice. That is why Our Lord vanquished the devil, destroyed sin, and re-established order by His Cross. And the Cross is the Mass. The Mass reminds Christians every day that they must live a life of sacrifice.

Christian Civilization

2011-10-20T05:00:00.001-04:00

From Our Apostolic Mandate of St. Pius X, August 25, 1910:

No, civilization is not something yet to be found, nor is the New City to be built on hazy notions; it has been in existence and still is: it is Christian civilization, it is the Catholic city. It has only to be set up and restored continually against the unremitting attacks of insane dreamers, rebels and miscreants. Omnia in instaurare in Christo.

Occupied

2011-10-17T05:00:00.001-04:00

I've noticed that the occupy crowd -- aside from the late-arriving communists and their ilk -- is having trouble coming up with the reason for what they want or why they are there.

In a spirit of fraternal helpfulness, I’ve compiled a list of starter ideas (only the first one is mine). Feel free to add your own.
* Occupy Here and There, Now and Then, This and That
* Students Wildly Indignant About Nearly Everything (SWINE)
* The Flea Party

Photos from the New Seminary

2011-10-16T05:00:00.009-04:00

Last Thursday -- on the anniversary of the 1916 Marian apparition at the Cova da Iria in Fatima -- the SSPX broke ground on a new seminary in Virginia. I was on a retreat in Phoenix and so could not attend, but my pal Allen snapped a few photos while he was at the event.

Model of the New Seminary

Grounds of the New Seminary

Say a few prayers for the success of the new enterprise.

Don't Ask Adams

2011-10-09T05:00:00.006-04:00

Last week Martha sent out the following request:

I ran across someone who has the preposterous signature line shown below...I would like to compile a list of quotes from the Gospels which refute, would you like to help? Or would you recommend just forgetting about it?

"The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole carloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity." ~John Adams

Yes, that's this John Adams.

=======

My reply to Martha went thus:

That Adams was a liberal and a harbinger of modernism there is, I think, little dispute.

Even so, liberals have been mis-quoting Adams as their messenger to attack Christianity for years now. The "quote" you named, for example, is spurious -- coddled together by different people over the years and made to look a bit different from the original.

Spurious Quotation #1
"The ‘divinity’ of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole carloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity."

Attributed to Adams in Spirit (1988) by William Edelen. This is actually a paraphrase portions of two of Adams' diary entries:

"Mystery is made a convenient cover for absurdity." (13 February 1756)

"Where do we find a precept in the Gospel requiring Ecclesiastical Synods? Convocations? Councils? Decrees? Creeds? Confessions? Oaths? Subscriptions? and whole cart-loads of other trumpery that we find religion incumbered with in these days?" (18 February 1756)

Spurious Quotation #2

"The doctrine of the divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity."

Attributed to Adams in Pathway to the Stars (2007) by Rev. Ernest A. Steadman. Another paraphrase of the entry for 13 February 1756.

I suppose one could debunk the spurious quotation, and then tackle the original (there are problems in both instances). Perhaps something like this:

"The 'popular sovereignty' of the governed is made a convenient cover for absurdity. What need does anyone have of Declarations, Protests, Oaths, Continental Congresses, and whole carloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in the colonies."

=======

In the same vein, Helmut offered, "If the assumed logic from Adams is correct, what does that mean for the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner, the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, Supreme Court rulings, the procedures of Congress and the inauguration of presidents and swearing in of elected officials..."

Thus armed, Martha sent these and similar pointers to the source of the offending signature line. The offender's response in turn was not surprising -- as Martha put it, he "jumped into the last ditch immediately (sneering) and told me to save my stereotyping for someone who cares."

How very Adams-like.

William Tyndale

2011-10-06T05:00:00.003-04:00

William Tyndale was an English Franciscan priest turned Protestant reformer (sic) inspired by the continental heresies of Luther et al. He was an outspoken dreamer, of strict moral character if stubborn and proud, who had more than a touch of the firebrand in him.

He based his English translation of the Bible not simply on the Latin Vulgate, but on the on the Greek (provided by Erasmus), on the Hebrew, and on the translations of Martin Luther. Tyndale then used the recently-invented printing press to disseminate his flawed translation into English, which is credited by the Anglican political figures in England with leading to the spread of confusion and turmoil among the masses.

Tyndale was a scholar of no little ability. At the same time his translation of the Scriptures -- which later served as the chief foundation for the King James Version -- was marred by his perversion of many passages (i.e. due to the theological bias of the translator), all in the service of continental Protestantism. For example, he used “overseer” instead of “bishop,” “elder” instead of “priest,” “love” instead of “charity,” and “congregation” instead of “church” -- modifications that were less about rendering an accurate translation in the vernacular than undermining the Catholic position. His version of the Bible is credited with having about 2,000 inaccurate translations and errors. These numerous errors are the chief objection to Tyndale’s work -- that, and not that he rendered the Scriptures in the local tongue.

His polemical writings were also heavily accented with naïve political teachings, which earned him the wrath of the rulers of the day for their anti-establishment tenor. Tyndale was especially critical of his king’s severe taxes and ambitious build-up of naval power.

Tyndale’s translation was also banned by the Anglicans, who took his criticisms of their king very badly and would have seen Tyndale's writings burned and the man himself executed. His practice of including revolutionary notions in his Scriptural translations was deemed dangerous to public order. The political unrest he caused as much as the suppression of his writings is why he fled England for the continent.

Because his Scriptural translation was considered heretical by the Anglicans, Tyndale had earned the displeasure of his king, who was not known for his forbearance. Henry VIII subsequently asked the Emperor Charles V to have Tyndale arrested and returned to England. Tyndale was eventually taken into custody in Belgium (Flanders). He spent 500 days in prison, received a brief trial, and was executed for heresy. His dying words were, “Lord! Open the King of England's eyes.” It would seem that perhaps in William’s view at least, his chief quarrel lay not so much with the Catholic Church as with his own Anglican monarch.

At Tyndale’s trial, the main charges against him were as follows:
1) he maintained justification by faith alone and
2) belief that the Gospel alone could save,
3) professed that human tradition was not binding,
4) denied the freedom of the will and
5) the existence of purgatory, and
6) asserted that neither the Blessed Virgin Mary nor the saints pray for us in their own persons and
7) that neither the Blessed Virgin nor Mary the saints should ever be invoked.

You’ll note that "translating the Scriptures into the vernacular" is not among the reasons given for his condemnation.

Flanders was where Calvinistic Protestantism began to flourish in Belgium in the 16th century. Tyndale was a harbinger of religious and political unrest akin to what the Flemish were witnessing in Germany to the south. If one thinks the internecine wars instigated by Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli were a good and necessary thing, then one will naturally be inclined to see Tyndale as a martyr for the Protestant cause. If, however, one takes the Catholic view that Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and their disciples were profoundly wrong, and that the consequence of embracing their errors was eternal damnation, then the spectacle of executing an unrepentant public heretic who blithely urged the populace to tread the broad path that leads to social unrest and personal perdition seems less surprising.

Regarding his trial, the custom would have been for an ecclesiastical court to read the charges against him, and then see if he acknowledged the errors. He would not have been tried by a civil court because he was a Franciscan priest -- he fell under Church jurisdiction.

If he repudiated the errors, then he could have been spared or sentenced with some penance or a fine. Given that Tyndale was a public and persistent heretic and a source of grave civil scandal, the penalty would have been severe.

If he persisted in professing the errors, then he would have been stripped of his clerical faculties and handed over to the state for punishment. In Tyndale's case, the punishment inflicted by the Belgium state for his offenses was death. The Flemish were still substantially Catholic at the time, and the pernicious errors of Luther were something they wanted to keep out at all costs.

Today William Tyndale is still lauded by the "Scripture Alone" crowd. My experience has been that folks of that camp won’t care about much else except how Tyndale provided a seemingly plausible argument for dismissing clerical authority and opening the way for recourse to relying on personal interpretations of the Bible (think "apostle of liberty" and "liberty of conscience"). Everything else is window dressing.

Tallulah Gorge Visit

2011-10-02T05:00:00.008-04:00

Last weekend's visit was to Tallulah Gorge State Park.

Here are Collin's photos from the same outing.

Perhaps the next stop will be a corn maze (maize?)

Meeting of SSPX Superiors

2011-09-25T05:00:00.001-04:00

Source

Following the meeting with Cardinal William Levada, Bp. Bernard Fellay will consult the Superiors of the SSPX about the doctrinal preamble, given to him by the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Society’s Superiors will meet together behind closed doors at the Italian District Headquarters, in Albano, October 7-8.

Possible Next Assignment

2011-09-21T13:30:00.001-04:00

I'm still waiting on the official word, but preliminary reports are that when I complete my current project based out of Hartford, CT, there is a good chance I will be working on the redesign of this site:

http://www.nascar.com/

A while back my company sponsored an office outing to the local karting track. Out of a pool of almost 100 people, I had the fastest single circuit time. Having completed my training, I think I'm ready for my next assignment.

Wish me luck.

20 Years

2011-09-20T22:00:00.023-04:00

The year 2011 is the 20th since I graduated from college (undergraduate); 13 years have passed since I finished graduate school.

This evening I was compiling a list of all the clients I've worked with over the years on various consulting assignments, and I came up with a list of 38 names (there were a few more, but I counted only the ones for whom I did a substantial amount of work).

I did the math on the number of employers I've had as well, and my present company makes a baker's dozen -- thus, I've topped the American average of 7-10 job changes in a career. This frequent change of jobs was not by design, mind you: in my first professional job after college, I had notions of retiring there; that idea lasted only six months until my first of three layoffs (I beat out another layoff by hitting the exit before the curtain dropped).

Sounds awful, doesn't it? Yet my former manager (who quit just last week) said that I always over-delivered on my work, and that I was a dependable person in a business not known for dependable people. Go figure.

About the only thing I'm confident of regarding my employment is that I don't expect to retire doing what I do today. We'll see how it goes.

Poll: Battle of the Ages

2011-09-18T05:00:00.009-04:00

In the spirit of this post, I've dredged up this bit of nonsense inspired by the meanderings of my misspent youth.

=======

What fantasy character matchup would make for the battle of the ages?

(1) Gandalf vs. Merlin
Middle Earth meets King Arthur’s Court

(2) Tom Thumb vs. the Gingerbread Boy
The Mighty Midget tries to catch his running nemesis

(3) Robin Hood vs. Legolas
One shot, patch over the right eye, triple ricochet off two trees, between the hobbit’s legs, and through the opening of the spinning bee hive

(4) Queen of Hearts vs. Glenda the Good Witch
Caged grudge match between the champions of Wonderland and Oz

(5) Cthulhu vs. Apocalypse
But who really cares?

Pray for the SSPX-Rome Meeting Today

2011-09-14T05:00:00.002-04:00

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Pray for a successful outcome to the SSPX-Rome meeting that is taking place today.

On August 15, while at the Universite d'Ete de la FSSPX held at St-Malo, France, the SSPX’s Superior General, Bp. Bernard Fellay, confirmed the news that he and his two Assistants have been invited to meet with Cardinal William Levada, Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (and the Ecclesia Dei Commission) in Rome on September 14.

On June 17, during his sermon for the priestly ordinations held at Winona, MN, Bp. Fellay stated:

"The truth is that Cardinal Levada has called me to Rome and it appears that it will be around the middle of September. That’s the only thing I know. It’s about the discussions we had with Rome. After these discussions, it had been said that 'the documents will be given to the higher authorities.' These are the exact words..."

According to the agenda given to the Superior General, the purpose of this meeting is to give a final evaluation of the doctrinal discussions between Rome and the SSPX which have occurred since October 2009.

Prayer
"O God Who, for the defense of the Catholic faith and the restoration of all things in Christ, filled St. Pius, the Supreme Pontiff, with heavenly wisdom and apostolic fearlessness, mercifully grant that, by following his teachings and examples, we may receive Your eternal rewards. Through the same Jesus Christ, thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen."

- Collect from the Mass of St. Pius X, September 3

Origins of Genesis

2011-09-11T05:00:00.004-04:00

What was Moses up to in Genesis when he described the Creation of the world? The universe came together in six days? First came light, and then water, and then the sun and the moon? Small wonder that people these days ignore the Bible as just an irrelevant collection of myths and fables.

So say the moderns fixated on the gamut of minutia for fantasy football but who don’t know the answer to the first question in the basic school-kid catechism.

Yet one cannot help but feel some some sorrow for people these days who are not provided with much in the way of religious instruction. They’re told that silly religious people think the world was created in six 24-hour periods, and aren't we glad we're not like them.

Even back when people were better educated in the domain of religion, there was still plenty of discourse on the proper meaning of some Biblical verses. St. Augustine (AD 354 - 430) in his Confessions spends the final three books of his composition discussing the many ways to interpret Genesis. Thus, “In the beginning God made heaven and earth,” what is meant allegorically by Heaven is the spiritual creation, while by “earth” is meant the formless matter of which the material world was to be made.

In Book XIII Augustine lays out a more complete interpretation of the first chapter of Genesis:
Day One: The light which God created on the first day is the spiritual creation, which became light by the reflection of God’s glory; and in this instance the darkness is the soul without God’s grace in it.
Day Two: The firmament separating the waters above and below is the Scriptures.
Day Three: The sea is the human race given way to sin, while the dry land is the good souls that stands out from the sea and produces plants and trees.
Day Four: The lights that shine in the firmament are the wisdom and knowledge given to men so that those who possess them are the lights of the world.
Day Five: The waters bring forth moving creatures, which are signs and Sacraments by which souls come to know and love the truth.
Day Six: The living soul is produced, which has Faith, Hope, and Charity. Man is in the image of God in the sense that he has the gift of reason by which he can know God’s truth. Man’s rule over animals is a symbol of this reality.

So what of Moses? Did he intend an allegorical meaning in accord with what Augustine described? More to the point of the original line of questions above, was he writing a historical and chronological account of the origins of the universe?

If we say no, I trust that the example of Augustine’s writings is sufficient to refute any charges of reworking the story to make it seem plausible to modern ears. You’ll note that St. Augustine – who lived over 1,000 years before America was discovered by Europeans – cannot rightly be accused of modifying Church teaching to accommodate 20^th century scientific discoveries.

Moses, then, did not intend to provide a chronological order. Rather, he described the Creation story in accord with a literary convention that was adapted to a popular style of speaking. It’s identical to the way we say the sun rises in the east – a scientist or a pedant will remind you that the sun isn’t actually moving; rather, the earth rotates and the sun only appears to rise. The real scientist, for the record, will allow you to proceed with your point if you explain that you are not speaking scientifically, but only in a popular form; the real pedant will not.

According to Moses' formula, eight acts of creation are described that span a six-day period.
* In the first three days, the creation of unmovable things is described, ending with two works on the final day.
* In the second six days, the ornamentation of the unmovable things is described, ending with two works on the final day.

Further, during each day there is a command from God, its fulfillment, and an approbation of its results.

On the seventh day God is said to rest – not that God can ever be tired. Rather, this bookend served as an admonition that on one day man should rest and give himself to honoring in a public and special way his debt to the Creator of all things.

Thus, neither the time nor the order corresponded to objective events of the creative process itself (Cf. rising sun example above).

Q: Does that mean we are free to read Genesis – and by extension the rest of the Bible – as nothing but allegory?

A: No. That the Scriptures can be read with an allegorical meaning does not mean that the work is nothing but allegory. God did create the universe and us. He does want us to keep the Sabbath day holy. We are all descended from a man and a woman who fall from grace and were banished from a terrestrial Paradise. God did take the form of a man and walk the earth 2,000 years ago, then rise from the dead and ascend into Heaven. We will meet our maker one day and be judged, and then end up in either Heaven or Hell.

Deus spes nostra.

Babies in Space

2011-09-10T05:00:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine was exasperated because a persistent chap wouldn't quit asking her out. She'd politely but clearly said no many times, and he kept on calling. Aggravated, she sent me a tongue-in-cheek text message asking if she should just tell the guy she had a boyfriend so that he would leave her alone.

Don't do that, I texted back. Say no, and stay firm. Telling a lie just complicates things, and can also lead to bigger problems later that aren't worth the temporary relief. I added that she should seek a bit of extra moral support from her friends to weather the storm.

It was the right thing to say, and my friend knew it. She hadn't been serious after all; she was just blowing off steam. Sensing an opportunity to bring a bit of levity to the grim campaign, however, I embellished.

Never lie, I continued. But if you did want to color the facts, show some originality. "I already have a boyfriend" is old and hackneyed; at least try to have some fun with it.

For example, start wearing an engagement ring. If anyone asks, say, "I can't talk about it."

Tell the guy you seem to suffer from amnesia. Add that you're not sure, but you think you might already be married.

Tell him you're thinking about being a mail-order bride, and ask if he'll serve as a reference.

Say that you want to be the first woman to have a baby in space.

No problems were solved with that string of suggestions, but my friend got a few laughs out of it.

Mission accomplished Houston.

Evolving View on WMDs

2011-09-04T05:00:00.001-04:00

I think we're more likely to find WMDs in Iraq than we are to find the missing link.

Pope St. Pius X

2011-09-03T05:00:00.002-04:00

Feast of Pope St. Pius X

Pope St. Pius X
(1836-1914)

This canonized holy Pope of the twentieth century remains beloved by all as “the Pope of Frequent Communion.” This is indeed a beautiful and fitting title, but we would like to stress here what is less known of his pontifical works — his battle to conserve the faith against those mining it from within.

Joseph Sarto, born in 1836 into a family poor in earthly goods but very rich in virtue, was the first living son of eight children, including six sisters. He soon found himself orphaned of his profoundly Christian father; Joseph had already announced his desire to become a priest, and his parents had approved. When his widowed mother continued to desire like himself this unique ambition of her son, their parish priest found financial aid for him.

He became an assistant priest in 1858, and in 1867 was named in charge of the large parish church of Salzano. His three unmarried sisters followed him, as they would do even to the Vatican. He was immediately appreciated by his parishioners, then seen as heroic when an epidemic of cholera broke out. An ecclesiastic who witnessed his activity wrote that “he was everywhere present. He buried the dead and confessed the sick; he saw to the needs of the various houses, he gave remedies if necessary, at all hours of the day and night. He did not permit his vicars to expose themselves to a danger associated with a duty which was first of all that of the parish priest. He inspired courage in all.” His sisters tried in vain to moderate his zeal, but the Padre did not contract the disease, and continued to need only four hours of sleep all the time of his pastoral life. In 1875 he was named a Canon of the cathedral of Trevise, where he fulfilled the administrative and pastoral duties of that charge with a success that edified all concerned.

In Trevise Father Sarto learned of his nomination in 1884 as bishop of Mantua. He asked not to be received at Mantua by a brilliant reception, but that his diocesans come to the cathedral to pray with him and receive Communion. As bishop he taught catechism to the children and continued to visit the sick like a parish priest; and it seemed to them that it was his passage among them which cured them. He manifested a remarkable compassion for the working people. He defended a man who had calumniated him and who soon afterwards was ruined financially, and sent money anonymously to his wife.

In 1891 he became Patriarch of Venice, and never was there one more appreciated than Monsignor Sarto after his arrival. Twelve years there confirmed the inhabitants’ profound affection and respect for him, until in 1903 his final promotion came about at the death of Leo XIII. He was chosen to replace him in the Vatican in that year, as Vicar of Christ.

He saw with perfect perspicacity that the Church was falling ever more deeply into the disastrous errors of modernism, that “crossroads of every heresy.” The teachings of his predecessors had entered into deaf ears; everywhere defenders of the Catholic heritage in all domains were becoming sparse. Nonetheless there remained a group of them to second their Head, and strive with him to arrest the rising tide. Saint Pius X absolutely supported all that the great encyclicals of Popes Leo XIII and Pius IX had proclaimed or enjoined upon the authorities of the Church. He brought about the resignation of a considerable number who resisted that authority and who in ambiguous language continued to promulgate the subtle errors propagated by the manifold isms, the false doctrines of the modern world separated from Christ.

He will always be known as the Pope of the Eucharist. For he was determined that the faithful should imitate the example of the earliest Christians. In consequence, he urged the reception of frequent and even daily Holy Communion for all in the state of sanctifying grace and of right intention. He insisted that children be allowed to the Spiritual Banquet prepared by Jesus at an earliest age, and declared that they were bound to fulfill the precept of the Easter Communion as soon as they reach the age of discretion.

Saint Pius labored until the very last days of his life. His Will and Testament contained the words: “I was born poor, I have lived poor, and I wish to die poor.” He died in 1914 at the age of 78 years, at the onset of the First World War, which he had foreseen. He was canonized by Pope Pius XII forty years later, on May 29, 1954, and recognized universally as a Saint for his charity, his piety, his zeal.

Why Does the Catholic Church Use Latin?

2011-09-01T05:00:00.016-04:00

Compiled in 1938 by two Catholic priests, the book Radio Replies is a series of questions and answers about the Catholic faith.

Question 1395 of Volume I in the series is: "Why does the Church cling to Latin, a dead language?"

The answer follows; pay attention especially to the last sentence:

For one reason, precisely because it is dead! In modern and living languages, words are constantly changing their meaning whilst in a dead language, such as Latin, they do not. The essential doctrine and significance of Christianity must not change, and the safest way to preserve it intact is to keep it in an unchangeable language. Again, a universal Church must have at least her chief form of worship in a universal language. Christ came to save all men, and wherever a member of the true Church may be in this world he should be able to find himself at home at the central act of Christian worship. The Mass, being said in Latin, is the same in all lands. If a Frenchman, who could not understand a word of English, were to enter a Catholic church in London, he would be at home the moment the Mass began. An English service would be a mystery to him. I myself have said Mass with as many as fifteen different nationalities present, and not all could follow my discourse when I spoke to those present, though I spoke for a few minutes in English, in French, and in Italian. There were still many who could not understand any of these languages, but being all Catholics, they were quite at home the moment I turned to the Altar and went on with the Mass in Latin. It brings out the wisdom and the universality of the Catholic Church. The Priest ascends the Altar to intercede with God on behalf of the people. Those present kneel, and in their hearts pour out their prayers for their own necessities. They feel no more need to know just what the Priest is saying than the Jews who knelt at the foot of the mountain felt a need of knowing just what Moses was saying to God on their behalf at the top. And here once again let me say that if anyone should complain of the use of Latin, it should be those who have to endure it. And I have never yet heard a Catholic soul complain that it caused difficulty, or that he or she would like it changed.

In the 1960s when Catholics were told their central act of worship -- the Mass -- would dispense with Latin and be replaced by a worship service in their native tongue, it was not something the average man or woman in the pews expected, wanted, or even considered to be possible. If good Catholics never complained about the use of Latin or expressed a desire to change it, why was it changed? And when churches emptied, vocations dried up, and countless schools, seminaries, and houses of formation closed after the changes were introduced, why were the changes not reversed? Why indeed.

My Second Ignatian Retreat

2011-08-28T05:00:00.005-04:00

I was poking around some old computer files and discovered the old note below. It was a brief reverie after my second Ignatian retreat, which Helmut and I made in 2001.

For the record, I'm making my next retreat in October.

=======

Today was my second day back to work after my retreat last week in Connecticut. Within 15 minutes of turning on my computer on Monday, three people (including my boss) had pulled me aside to have a word about "what happened" in my absence.

It’s not uncommon in the frantic life of start-up Internet companies for business decisions to be made in light of...shall we say aggressive?...project time-lines that no sane business person would ever contemplate, to say nothing of implement. An example of such is running a million dollar project whose most up-to-date documentation is an email trail.

So it came to pass that while I was serenely enjoying the New England Autumn change of colors, the folks back in my office were trying to find out who did and said what when, knowing that something important had been written down by yours truly somewhere at some time but not knowing where to find it.

Such is life in an Internet shop: it is a tale, told by a digitized idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing so much as the struggle toward the next paycheck.

The retreat was a welcome respite.

Fifteen fellows gathered at the retreat house in Ridgefield, CT for five days of quiet contemplation. The days were structured: we rose early, went to Mass, attended conferences throughout the mornings and afternoons that were punctuated by meals and free periods during which we read, prayed, napped, and wandered the 14 acres of turning hardwoods before retiring by 10:00 p.m.

Don’t be fooled, praying and meditating for a whole day is hard work: imagine trying to stay focused on a meditation for even a quarter of an hour without letting your mind wander. How long can most of us spend working out the details of the Nativity without an intruding thought nosing its way into our contemplation? And what a contemplation: Was the temperature cold enough for breath to turn frosty? Was the donkey in the stable on the left, or was the ox? How long before the shepherds arrived? What did the choir of singing angels sound like? With all the amazing things happening, did anyone even notice the prickly straw in the manger or the smell of the stable? What joy is this being born into my life? Such thoughts are not the normal stuff of the computerized office: pulling your mind out of that routine to think for a spell on something holy and quiet and wonderful takes real effort. After a day of that, I slept well at night; a sleeping peace for men of goodwill indeed. And after a week, not even the airport security guards armed with M-16s alarmed me. And tackling a first-thing-Monday-morning workplace surprises was a walk in the park.

The Crew From Retreat #2

But that's Pakistan, Not our Neighborhood...

2011-08-24T05:00:00.002-04:00

Source http://womenofgrace.com/breaking_news/?p=8983

A young Pakistani Catholic woman from Quetta, Pakistan is refusing to renounce Christ even after being forced to convert and marry a Muslim man who regularly drugged her and subjected her to mental and physical torture for two years.

Agenzia Fides is reporting that Alfred Arifa, 27, who was kidnapped by a Muslim man named Amjad in May 2009, was finally able to escape after two years of unimaginable suffering. Her story, which was told to Fides by the Pakistani Christians Association in Italy, is not unlike hundreds that routinely take place in this predominantly Muslim country where Christians are barely tolerated and treated as second-class citizens.

Arifa’s ordeal began two years ago when she went to the home of two trusted friends who had secretly aligned themselves to Amjad in the plot to kidnap her. She was given a cup of tea laced with drugs that caused her to fall unconscious.

When she awoke, she found herself in Amjad’s house. He told her she had converted to Islam and married him. Amjad even produced a phony marriage certificate. Arifa said it was impossible for her to have converted to Islam or married him because she was unconscious.

Amjad decided to overcome her resistance and began to mentally and physically torture her. She was constantly drugged, suffered severe beatings, and was locked in the man’s house for two years. She attempted to escape several times but was not successful.

On July 31, after another severe beating, she was shocked to find the front door of the house unlocked. Although seriously injured, she made her escape and took a rickshaw to the nearby Civil Hospital where she was treated for her wounds. She then went to her brother Adnan.

Arifa filed a complaint against Amjad but the police have so far done nothing to bring him to justice. Instead, the police inspector told Arifa how happy he was that she had converted to Islam.

Amjad has begun to send Arifa and her family death threats which has resulted in them being forced to flee for their lives. Because Amjad considers Arifa to be a Muslim and his wife, she and her entire family can be put to death if caught.

But Arifa is standing firm: “I am a Christian and have always remained steadfast in my Christian faith and continued to pray to Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary in my heart for liberation during these two years of imprisonment”.

Rome Approves Transfer of Dominican Sister to SSPX Dominicans

2011-08-23T05:00:00.006-04:00

Dominican Sister of New Zealand transfers to SSPX Dominicans - with permission of Rome

Source: http://dominicansisterswanganui.blogspot.com/2011/08/momentous-occasion.html

On 28 May 2011 Father Couture, the SSPX District Superior of Asia, received the vows of Mother Mary Micaela as she transferred from the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of New Zealand to the Dominican Sisters of Wanganui. She had special permission from the Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes in Rome. The whole procedure implies a recognition of the Congregation, and of the religious of Tradition, by Rome.

SSPX Leaders Summoned to Rome

2011-08-22T05:00:00.000-04:00

The web site of the SSPX’s German district posted news from Fr. Schmidberger that Bp. Fellay and his advisory council – Frs. Pfluger and Nély – have been ordered to Rome.

German source

A rough translation from the online translation tool Babel Fish can be found here.

Fr. Schmidberger indicates that the meeting is to be the conclusion of the doctrinal discussions. He added that it could also touch on the matter of the canonical status of the SSPX. Father asks for our prayers for this matter.

Of Talking Animals

2011-08-21T05:00:00.031-04:00

The other day I was perusing YouTube videos of debates between Christians and atheists about whose position was more in accord with sound reasoning.

In the debates I saw, the Christians relied on logic and reason (naturally, as atheists would accept no argument from authority) and formulated correct and reasonable syllogisms in support of their positions.

The atheists, meanwhile worked in their normal claim of appealing to logic. But then they generally turned -- without any warning or explanation -- to moral arguments for why Christianity is wrong. Interestingly, they used a Christian moral code to fault the position of their opponents. It's certainly reasonable to appeal to moral considerations when evaluating a belief system, but one needs to first lay the groundwork for the moral code in a rational, logical way. This they failed to do; instead, they simply accepted certain things as given and went from there. Christian philosophers of the moderate realist school who know their stuff don't, as a rule, make this fatally flawed mistake.

One atheist chap said that he simply would not even attempt to have a discussion with someone who believes in a talking snake (c.f. the Garden of Eden). It was a flippant remark, which deserved a dismissive answer -- perhaps one like this: if you believe humans are kin to apes and other primates, and humans can talk, why will you allow the world to be inhabited by nearly seven billion talking apes, but not allow a single talking snake?

Or this: yes, not only a snake, but a talking donkey too (c.f. Balaam's tale).

For the record, nobody was suggesting a normal snake began to spontaneously talk. Rather, the Devil in the form of a serpent deceived Eve. It was a miraculous event, without precedent, and as far as I know without repetition.

Consider 14th entry in the Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenæus, a saint of the second century AD:

How is it possible to say that the serpent, created by God dumb and irrational, was endowed with reason and speech? For if it had the power of itself to speak, to discern, to understand, and to reply to what was spoken by the woman, there would have been nothing to prevent every serpent from doing this also. If, however, they say again that it was according to the divine will and dispensation that this [serpent] spoke with a human voice to Eve, they render God the author of sin. Neither was it possible for the evil demon to impart speech to a speechless nature, and thus from that which is not to produce that which is; for if that were the case, he never would have ceased (with the view of leading men astray) from conferring with and deceiving them by means of serpents, and beasts, and birds. From what quarter, too, did it, being a beast, obtain information regarding the injunction of God to the man given to him alone, and in secret, not even the woman herself being aware of it?

The point being that many factors converge in support of the fact that the encounter between Eve and the serpent was an exceptional one, an event that cannot be explained by materialist notions.

To insist on materialist limitations and then fault non-materialists for not being slaves to materialists assumptions is contrary to reason and logic. In discussions about miracles, one must first determine if miracles are possible. If no, then any miraculous event is going to have to be explained away. If yes, then events which claim to be miraculous can be examined on the merits of the case. The religious man is simply open to the possibility of supernatural events -- he is not obliged to uncritically accept every claim of amazing events. The person who is constrained by unreasonable limitations is the atheist, who argues a priori that such things cannot happen (he never explains why), and therefore a given miraculous event in history did not happen. He does not logically and reasonably consider the evidence; he merely, in unscientific fashion, adheres to the dogmatic notions of his ideology.

Feeling Superior

2011-08-20T15:00:00.003-04:00

Liberalism is not a system for solving problems, it is a system for feeling superior.

National Aviation Day

2011-08-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

Today, August 19, is National Aviation Day in the U.S.

In 1939, FDR established this holiday – the birthday of Orville Wright – to promote interest in aviation.

The web site of the Engineers’ Club of Dayton, OH has a 6.5 minute video of snippets from some of the early flights by the Wright Brothers -- see http://www.daytoninnovationlegacy.org/

Keeping it Human

2011-08-19T05:00:00.002-04:00

From Time Magazine's 50 Best Websites of 2011:

Some of the biggest companies in the U.S. are in hiding - or at least, you might think so when you want to talk to a real person at one of them. Phone numbers are often tough to find, and if you do uncover one, it could lead to a voice-menu system that tries to placate you with recorded messages. That's why GetHuman is so essential. It provides numbers for thousands of companies, from AT&T to Zynga, plus information on which buttons to press to reach a human and how long you're likely to wait on hold. Users can also vent by writing customer-service reviews; they're pockmarked with phrases like "What a nightmare!"

Among the very worst companies out there? FaceBook.
* Average wait time: 61.9 minutes
* User rating: Horrible

See http://gethuman.com/

Or Else

2011-08-18T09:30:00.000-04:00

I did not put up this sign in front of the coffee pot at the office.

But I approve.

No Thanks on the Turkey

2011-08-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

Dinner tonight was almost a Mexican dish.

I walked into the restaurant, surveyed the menu, and then approached the counter. The ground beef burrito struck my fancy.

"We don't have ground beef any more," the lad behind the register told me.

"Oh?" I said in surprise.

"No, we switched to turkey. But then the turkey got salmonella, so now we don't have that either."

"OK, thanks, I'm good to go," I said, and promptly turned and left.

I dined at the BBQ chicken place instead.

42 for Matthew, 72 for Luke

2011-08-14T05:00:00.016-04:00

In the first chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, the first 17 verses are given over to providing the genealogy of Christ. The sequence ends with this summation:

1:17: So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations. And from David to the transmigration of Babylon are fourteen generations. And from the transmigration of Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.

That makes for 42 generations from Abraham to Christ.

Meanwhile, the Gospel of St. Luke begins its genealogy in the third chapter at the twenty-third verse. And St. Luke lists 72 generations from Adam to Christ.

A contradiction? Only a seeming one.

St. Matthew's primary audience was the Jewish Christians; St. Luke, the gentile Christians (beginning with the "most excellent Theopilus"). The latter was the missionary companion of St. Paul, the apostle to the gentiles.

In his genealogy St. Matthew demonstrated that Christ was the Messiah, the son of David. In the Hebrew language, David's name consists of three letters, D-V-D; like Arabic, written Hebrew does not record vowels. Among the Jews, the letters D-V-D were given the numerical significance of 4-6-4, which added together equals 14. Adhering to the Jewish custom, St. Matthew lists three sets of 14 generations -- or 42 generations -- of the Davidic line.

St. Luke arrived at his number based on the Jewish tradition that the whole world was occupied by 72 races of men; thus, by naming 72 generations, St. Luke demonstrated that Christ had come to bring salvation to all men.

Or again, St. Matthew gave the juridical succession through which Davidic rights descended to Joseph, and then to his legal son -- i.e. Jesus. St. Luke, meanwhile, abstracted from this legal or juridical succession, and followed the real genealogy according to consanguinity.

Slow Learners

2011-08-07T05:00:00.002-04:00

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."

- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 55 BC

Updated 8/10/2011: The chap from Delphi wrote me that Cicero was not the author of the remark above. I did a bit of research and confirmed the fact; it appears the quotation was from a fictionalized history of the Roman statesman. Looks like the authority of Cicero can't be invoked for this one; we're just obliged to take the wisdom and good sense of the statement on its own merits.

How is the Church Holy?

2011-07-31T05:00:00.006-04:00

In the Apostle's Creed we Catholics say that the Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.

How is the Church Holy?

First, Her founder Jesus Christ is holy.

Second, Her doctrines are holy.

Third, Her worship is holy.

Fourth, Her children who follow Her guidance become holy.

Finally, She is holy in the numerous saints of the ages who have been supremely faithful to Her teachings.

So what about the example of Catholics who are not holy?

Note the qualifications in the points above: it is those who follow the example of the Church's divine Founder, accept the Church's doctrines, adore God in Her acts of worship, and live according to Her directives who are holy.

If you are Baptized you are a Catholic, but not every Baptized person lives and acts as he ought. Those who do, however, become holy.

Bias Part II

2011-07-30T15:00:00.012-04:00

About this post, Suekillam commented, “nope! you're wrong! the oslo killer professes to be a christian. like most other christians he hates all others that are not like him. It is a fatal flaw of all christians. The buddhist way is to love all and chant for them”

Here Suekillam demonstrates a taste for inflammatory remarks – something she would no doubt fault Christians for, but which she permits herself (and presumably her fellow Buddhists). Hating others not like them, Suekillam says, is the fatal flaw of “all” Christians. The use of “all” allows for no exception. And yet I do not hate others who are not like me. Accusation disproved.

As for the point that the Oslo killer professed himself to be a Christian: indeed, evil people throughout history have tried to pass themselves off as Christians so that the credulous will pay attention to them. That’s because Christianity is a good thing, and if a bad person wants to be listened, he has to mix in something good or positive so that people will be fooled by him. A spoon full of sugar helps the arsenic go down.

One might ask why the Suekillams of the world are so eager to take at face value what a mass murderer has to say when the statement reflects badly on Christians. Might it be prejudice? Bigotry? Even hate? Do the Suekillams hate Christians? We don’t know what is inside a person’s head unless she tells us, of course. At the same time, based on the author's remarks, I think a case can be made for the objective presence of an unjust bias against Christians.

Now let’s move beyond Suekillam’s accusation and address her two assertions.

First, I have been on the receiving end of venomous remarks from Buddhists. I wrote about one experience in this post; the arrogance and condescension of the Buddhist I was conversing with was palpable. The chap did claim he was being charitable by trying to rouse people from their Christian bourgeoisie apathy, but that claim was not credible: he was too fond of distorting the historical record and sneering to believe he was trying to be genuinely helpful. He was also a lapsed Catholic turned Buddhist; the likelier scenario is that he’d simply turned against what he’d given up. But loving he was not.

Second, we do not have to try to guess what the Norway killer meant when he called himself a Christian – he told us at tedious length what he meant. He published his bizarre monologues, and after reading them nobody knew what in the world the guy was talking about. What we can say for certain, however, is that his notion of Christianity is warped beyond recognition.

Consider:
* Wrote the murderer, "As this is a cultural war, our definition of being a Christian does not necessarily constitute that you are required to have a personal relationship with God or Jesus." Right.

* He is promoting a secular Christian society, one that readily embraces Christian atheists and Christian agnostics. I'm not making that up.

* He does not view his ideal world as a religious organization. Instead, he advocates a Christian “culturalist” military order. At best he's a nationalist; more likely, a wannabe fascist.

* He calls on the "European Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu community” to assist in his campaign against Islam. Perhaps there's a Buddhist war chant he can co-opt.

* He said he is "not an excessively religious man," modestly adding that he is "first and foremost a man of logic" and "economically liberal." In short, he is progressive and secular, not religious.

* He's a Charles Darwin groupie.

So to a reasonable person it would appear clear that the Oslo killer is not a Christian. Rather, he is a nationalist product of a leftist secular society who detests Islam, values some but not all Christian cultural influences, and has little use for religion beyond a few select societal effects. As the killer is not a religious man, ipso facto he cannot be a Christian. Rather, he’s just a homicidal monster trying to blend in.

More Media Bias: the Oslo Killer

2011-07-24T18:00:00.001-04:00

As near as I can make out, the media's efforts to associate the Oslo killer with right-wing Christians started with news stories that the killer wrote on right wing Christian email discussion lists. That seems to be the only item I've seen so far that could be used by a biased media to smear Christians.

In any event, the man is a product of living in a secular society.

As the name Timothy McVeigh has been coming up again, note that McVeigh was not a Christian. He had been raised Catholic, but he renounced Catholicism and became an agnostic. He went on the record as saying that "Science is my religion." Like the Oslo killer, McVeigh was also a product of a modern secular mindset.

New SSPX Chapel in Kentucky

2011-07-22T20:00:00.006-04:00

Source

In Walton, KY the Society of St. Pius X has a new chapel. Under the patronage of Our Lady of the Assumption, the new 11,000 square foot neo-Gothic church with its privileged altar will be the spiritual home to about 150 souls.

What is Assumption’s mission? "To offer sacraments, to teach, preach, and give retreats," said the pastor, Fr. Adam Purdy. He said "people look for Mass as a sign of faith. A Mass celebrated in the old rite is more sacred, deeper, and rich."

Hymn to Ethelreda

2011-07-17T05:00:00.003-04:00

Ethelreda [+ AD 660] was queen to Egfrid, King of the East Angles. The Venerable Bede records that “Although she lived with (Egfird) for twelve years, she preserved the glory of her virginity…the miraculous preservation of her body from corruption in the tomb is evidence that she had remained untainted by bodily intercourse.”

After a year in the convent of Abbess Ebba, at Coludesbyrig (Coldingham), she was made Abbess in the district of Ely. There she built a convent, where for seven years she was “the virgin mother of many virgins vowed to God and displayed the pattern of a heavenly life in word and deed.” Ethelreda wore only woolen garments, washed in cold water, ate one meal a day, and was constant in prayer. In the presence of her community she prophesied the plague that was to cause not only her own death, but the number of those at the convent who would also die. Sixteen years after Ethelreda’s burial the successor abbess decided to move her predecessor’s remains to the crypt church; when the coffin was opened, it was discovered to be “free from decay as if she had died and been buried that very day.”

Other wonders were attributed to Ethelereda, and Bede thought it fitting to insert into his History an elegiac hymn in praise of virginity in honor of this queen and bride of Christ.

Hymn to Ethelreda
All-guiding Trinity, guide my design.
Battles were Virgil’s theme; let peace be mine,
Chanting in lieu of Helen’s wantonness
Divine compassion, to redeem and bless,
Entering a virgin’s womb, God’s gate to earth.
Fair maid, who gav’st the whole world’s Parent birth,
God gave thee grace. And by that grace empowered
How many virgin blossoms since have flowered!
In fiery torment stood chaste Agatha
Joyful to death; so stood Eulalia.
Kindled with love, Thecla with virgin breast
Laughed at wild beasts; so was Euphemia blest.
More strong than steel, Agnes disdained its thrust;
Nor did Cecilia’s strength betray her trust.
Our age at length in triumphs such as these
Partakes through ETHELREDA’S victories.
Queenly by birth, an earthly crown she wore
Right nobly; but a heavenly pleased her more.
Scorning the marriage bed, a virgin wife
Twelve years she reigned, then sought a cloistered life.
Unspotted to her heavenly spouse she came,
Virgin in soul, her virgin robe and frame,
When sixteen winters they had lain entombed,
Xrist willed it, still fresh and unconsumed.
Yea, from their touch Eve’s Tempter flees dismayed,
Zealous for evil, vanquished by a maid.

Ah bride of Christ, bright fame on earth is thine.
More bright in Heaven thy bridal torches shine.
Exultant hymns proclaim in glad accord:
No power henceforth may part thee from thy Lord.

The gloss reads, “The following version reproduces the alphabetic acrostic with which Bede adorns his tale...it does not attempt to imitate his elaborate device of repetitive half-lines, which makes the hymn remarkable for ingenuity than for any claim to poetic excellence.”

Daring Proposal -- for the 50th Anniversary of V2

2011-07-16T05:00:00.002-04:00

The Italian philosopher Enrico Maria Radaelli, a disciple of the author of Iota unum, Romano Amerio, proposes that on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council the pope should be asked respectfully to perform the “only act that could reconcile the teaching and doctrine given by the Church before and after that disastrous assembly. This unique, heroic and very humble act would be to bring close to the supernatural fire of dogma those doctrines that are regarded as wrong by Traditionalist Catholics, and also those doctrines that are opposed to them: what must burn will burn, and what must shine brightly will shine. We have more than three years ahead of us from now until 2015. We must use them as well as possible.” For in order to rebuild the Church, he adds, “the ecumenical council, Vatican II, must be read through the lens of Tradition with the blazing boldness of dogma.” That is why he hopes that “this anniversary might be for the highest Throne the best occasion to restore the divine munus docendi (the magisterial commission) in its fullness.”

What Professor Radaelli demands is in keeping with the profound hopes of the Society of St. Pius X. It is necessary that this council be judged in the light of dogma, this council that claimed to be simply pastoral but very quickly presented itself as a dogmatically pastoral council, demanding in fact the obedience due to dogmas. For, in reality, Vatican II conveys dogmas that do not speak their name. Dogmas that are not defined but expect to be followed with docility.

- Fr. Alain Lorans

Over 300 Austrian Priests Join "Call to Disobedience"

2011-07-13T20:00:00.006-04:00

Source

Looks like I got out of Austria just in time -- lightning might be striking there soon...

From the article:

The Call to Disobedience document cites "the Roman refusal of a long-overdue Church reform and the inaction of bishops." Priests who support the document pledge:

* to pray for Church reform at every liturgy, since "in the presence of God there is freedom of speech"

COMMENT: If your speech offends God, He will not remain present.

* not to deny the Holy Eucharist to "believers of good will," including non-Catholic Christians and those who have remarried outside the Church

COMMENT: How can someone be a believer of good will when he denies the Catholic Faith and laws?

* to avoid offering Mass more than once on Sundays and holy days and to avoid making use of visiting priests--instead holding a "self-designed" Liturgy of the Word

COMMENT: Absent a priest, there is no Mass. There is no substitute. When there is a shortage of priests, those that remain must offer Mass more than once a day.

* to describe such a Liturgy of the Word with the distribution of Holy Communion as a "priestless Eucharistic celebration"; "thus we fulfill the Sunday obligation in a time of priest shortage"

COMMENT: We do not fulfill the Sunday obligation with a cheap substitute. If one cannot legitimately make it to a real Mass -- e.g. great distance, illness -- then he is excused from the obligation.

* to "ignore" canonical norms that restrict the preaching of the homily to clergy

COMMENT: Let's "ignore" homilies preached by anyone except clergy.

* to oppose parish mergers, insisting instead that each parish have its own individual leader, "whether man or woman"

COMMENT: Parish mergers are caused by a shortage of priests. The proper remedy for this is to nurture priestly vocations, not promote shabby substitutes.

* to "use every opportunity to speak out openly in favor of the admission of the married and of women to the priesthood"

COMMENT: You and the rest of the Protestants. Choose now who you will serve; as for me and my household, we serve the Lord.

Franciscan Sisters in Atlanta

2011-07-10T22:00:00.002-04:00

Two Franciscan Sisters from the Convent of Christ the King in Kansas City, MO are visiting the Atlanta chapel of the SSPX this week. This Sisters are helping with the chapel's summer girls' camp this week.

Sister Francis Marie and Sister Marie Louise

Say a prayer for a successful camp this week!

Secretariat of State Refuses to Follow Papal Directive

2011-07-04T16:00:00.006-04:00

Source: Vatican Insider - La Stampa

The wishes of Pope Benedict XVI are being thwarted by some of his own subordinates, observed Bp. Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the SSPX.

Bp. Fellay said that "when the Pope wants to do good he is hindered, prevented." His Excellency cited the example of a German Trappist monastery that sought papal permission to return to the liturgy and rules that were in force before Vatican II. The Pope signed a letter giving his permission, but the letter was deliberately withheld by an official in the Vatican Secretariat of State. "We know exactly who" sidetracked the letter, the SSPX leader said.

Eventually a friendly prelate hand-delivered the papal permission to the Trappist monastery, Bp. Fellay reported. But the fact remains, he said, that "to bring the news of the Pope's decision they bypassed the Secretariat of State."

Photos Online

2011-07-03T05:00:00.004-04:00

I've put my photos from my recent European expedition online at Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73834238@N00/sets/72157627104563432/

I still need to tag everything, but the raw photos are out there. Here are a few personal favorites:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73834238@N00/5894242074/in/set-72157627104563432

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73834238@N00/5894200456/in/set-72157627104563432

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73834238@N00/5897090536/in/set-72157627104563432

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73834238@N00/5894501044/in/set-72157627104563432

The Welcome Home

2011-06-30T23:30:00.006-04:00

I arrived home around 11:00 pm. A spider had taken up residence on my front porch and spun a web that I encountered in the dark. I was sufficiently glad to be home again that I didn't mind so much, pressing on to the quiet interior of the house and a familiar bed. Stories and photos from the trip to follow.

Himself in Austria

Himself in Switzerland

The Missing Books

2011-06-26T05:00:00.056-04:00

The Protestant version of the Old Testament excludes seven books and several parts of two more.
* Tobias
* Judith
* Wisdom
* Ecclesiasticus
* Baruch
* I Machabees
* II Machabees
* Parts of Esther (10:14-16:14)
* Parts of Daniel (3:24-90; 13; 14)

The Protestant reformers labeled these books "Apocrypha" (i.e. spurious, uninspired) in a calculated attempt to make them appear unreliable in the eyes of uninformed and uneducated readers. Thus, while they were inventing the doctrine of "sola Scriptura" with the one hand, with the other hand the reformers were modifying the Scriptura to better conform to their new doctrines.

Isn't it a dangerous game to go monkeying with the Word of God? You bet.

The rationalization was that they were reverting to an older, purer form of the old Jewish Scriptures that excluded said books and chapters. The Septuagint version, they argued, was newer and scribed by the 70 Jews of the Diaspora in Alexandria in 250 BC; they were not the Scriptures of the Jews of Palestine. As such, the Protestants would not use that version; rather, it was to be the Palestinian version of the Scriptures for them.

At a gloss this might seem plausible. The position turns out to be terminally weak, however.

First, to give credit for the correct component: there were in fact two versions of the Jewish Scriptures in the 1st century AD:
(1) The Palestinian Hebrew Scriptures
(2) The Septuagint Greek Scriptures

Now for the additional details that help shed the proper light on the matter.
* Both versions were considered to be reliable by the Jews of the time of Christ.
* The original Hebrew version of the Palestinian Scriptures had been lost (wars and occupations and various calamities, you see).
* The copies of the Hebrew original had many errors -- thus, there was no longer an authoritative Hebrew version.

What's more:
* The New Testament contains about 350 references, quotations, and citations to both sets of Jewish Scriptures. Of the 350 references, only 50 were of the Palestinian Hebrew version; Christ and His Apostles relied on the Greek version about 300 times. The ratio is 6:1.
* In the 2nd century AD, Jewish Rabbis used the Greek Septuagint to correct the errors of the Hebrew version to establish an authoritative Hebrew Scripture.

In light of these facts, why would the 16th century Protestant reformers exclude books, if not for greater certainty that they were relying on the more accurate documents?

The most probable explanation is that they sought to exclude history and teachings that supported the Catholic position and undermined the Protestant one. For example, the Catholic teaching of saying prayers for the dead -- i.e. assisting the souls in Purgatory -- is seen clearly in II Macchabees 12:46: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins."

The reason the Catholic Church has historically condemned unauthorized translations of the Bible is not because She fears competition or that She dreads a loss of control, but that the alternate translations are unreliable and that people can go to Hell because of the misinformation they contain and the material they lack. Besides, the Catholic Church wrote the New Testament compiled the Bible; of course She should have final say on who gets to user Her material.

Who Should We Read?

2011-06-19T05:00:00.010-04:00

Fr. Robert Barron writes a conciliar Catholic blog called Word on Fire. In an essay published Friday, he described his experience dealing with militant aggressive atheists who engage in seek-and-destroy missions against people like himself.

By way of suggesting a suitable apologetic response, Father wrote, "Have we read the great Christian apologists -- G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, Ronald Knox, Fulton Sheen -- and can we wield their arguments against those who are coming at us? In my own Catholic Church, we sadly jettisoned much of our rich apologetic tradition in the years after Vatican II, convinced that it would be better to reach out positively to the culture. Well, at least part of that culture has turned pretty hostile, and it is high time to recover the intellectual weapons that we set aside."

Betrayed again by Vatican II. Not that the atheists were surprised; in fact, they were instrumental in getting the Church to let down its guard at the Council so that the anti-religionists could take a more free hand in assaulting the works of God. To their eternal shame, most of the Churchmen of the time allowed the Church's enemies to largely have their way.

For the record, even better apologists to read are men like Fr. Henri Le Floch, Bp. Antonio Castro de Mayer, Abp. Marcel Lefebvre, and Cdl. Alfredo Ottaviani.

The Next Heritage Tour

2011-06-18T20:00:00.033-04:00

Today I hop on a series of flights that will land me in Vienna, Austria, good Lord willing. This will be the start of my next pilgrimage, which will wind its way through the Austrian countryside, through a bit of Germany, and end in Switzerland.

Vienna
Vienna (German: Wien) is the capital of Austria. The former capital of the Holy Roman Empire, Vienna is a cultural center for music and the arts, science, and fine cuisine. The city is 50% Catholic, and is home to numerous beautiful churches; my stops will include St. Stephen's Cathedral (which houses the miraculous icon of Maria Potsch and the body of St. Valentine) and the Church of St. Mary where the relics are kept of St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, patron of Vienna.

Danube Excursion
Overlooking the Danube is the baroque basilica of Maria Teferl, which is my next stop. After that I'll visit the renowned Benedictine Abbey of Melk, with its famous library and scriptorium; the whole is embellished with a vast array of marble sculptures and brilliantly colored frescoes.

Salzburg
Salzburg is next, with a stop in Mariazell, who 800 year old shrine is the chief Marian pilgrimage site in Austria. Then a visit to the church of Maria Plain and other sacred sites.

Altotting
I'll hop across the German border for a second visit to Altotting, returning to Salzburg in the evening.

Innsbruck
Innsbruck is next, for some sight-seeing and souvenir gathering.

St. Gallen
I cross the Swiss border this time, arriving at the Benedictine abbey of St. Gallen and its famous library.

Einsiedeln
The Benedictine monastery of Our Lady of the Hermits in Einsideln is next.

Fribourg
A tour of the Gothic cathedral of Fribourg is my next destination; from there I'll go to the church of St. Michael, which houses the remains of the Jesuit St. Peter Canisius. Afterward, the Abbey of St. Maurice, where the Theban Legion was martyred.

Econe
A personal high point of the trip, Econe is a small town where Abp. Marcel Lefebvre formed the first seminary of the SSPX and so commenced Operation Survival. His tombs is in the seminary crypt, where I will go to pay my respects and offer my petitions. The next day I will attend the ordinations of several new traditional priests.

Geneva
I'll get only a peek of Geneva: it's where the will be that will carry me back to the States.

One Year In

2011-06-15T19:00:00.006-04:00

June 7th marked my first anniversary with my employer. When someone hits the anniversary of their hire date at my company, the custom is for their manager to send out a humorous email to the entire office. Below is the installment for yours truly.

=======

Dear team,

Join me in congratulating the one and only Sean in his first year.

Everyone that had the opportunity of working with Sean (Speedy) can speak of his design skills, commitment, work ethics, collaborative spirit and plain awesomeness. Sean is been travelling a lot lately but if you happen to see him at the office please give him a hand shake or a hug or mess with his gray hair. It’s great to have people like Sean in our company.

Opting Out of Opting Out

2011-06-14T23:00:00.004-04:00

In this blog entry I described how Orlando airport had decided to opt out of TSA involvement of its airport security and privatize its screening processes.

In this news article we see that TSA has abruptly rescinded the option to do any such thing.

From the article: "TSA stopped the program with little warning and without adequate justification" and "TSA agents actively protested the airport’s attempt to privatize, going so far as to stand at gates in uniform and tell passengers they would be less safe if the airport joined the SPP."

The old Bait and Switch is alive and well.

Travel Tale

2011-06-13T22:00:00.004-04:00

The flight to Hartford today involved three airplanes.

Plane #1 got off the ground, but a suck rudder meant the plane could not achieve the necessary speed to reach flying altitude, so the pilot returned to Atlanta airport 15 minutes after taking off.

Plane #2 didn't even get that far: passengers were sated, and then the pilot came on saying that this plane had a mechanical problem as well.

Plane #3 could have left at 5:00 pm or 10:00 pm, depending on who you asked at which time, but we finally made it into the air at 1:15 pm.

Considering the flight was originally scheduled to depart at 7:25 AM, it made for an unusually long day.

Hopefully all the travel kinks are now out of the way for my next big trip...

They Get One Right

2011-06-12T05:00:00.003-04:00

Pentecost Sunday

Source

From the article: "In late March, the doctrinal committee of the US bishops’ conference warned the faithful about a book by Fordham University theologian Sister Elizabeth Johnson, Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God. The committee said that the book 'contains misrepresentations, ambiguities, and errors that bear upon the faith of the Catholic Church as found in Sacred Scripture, and as it is authentically taught by the Church’s universal magisterium.' The committee noted that it had a pastoral duty to issue the warning, given Sister Johnson’s prominence and popularity and the book’s use as a 'textbook for the study of God' at Catholic universities. The warning generated angry complaints from members of the Catholic left who always find it shocking and 'controversial' when bishops exert themselves to defend Church teaching."

Well done, U.S. bishops: you have warned people about an angry feminist agitator who is abusing her role to remake reality after her own image.

Hat Tip: Helmut

Why be Catholic?

2011-06-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

Pentecost

All being requires a First Cause.

That Cause, to be the First, must be Being Itself, which must be all-perfect being, because any second god, to differ from the First, would have to have some perfection lacking to the First.

So the true God can be only one.

This one true God took human nature once, and only once, in the divine Person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who proved his divinity by a quantity and quality of miracles that have accompanied no other man ever, but have accompanied his Church ever since: the Roman Catholic Church.

Membership of that Church is by faith and is open to all men.

If they believe, that is the indispensable start of their eternal salvation.

If they refuse to believe, they are on their way to eternal damnation.

c.f. Mark 16:16

The Revolution Whimpers Out

2011-06-11T05:00:00.000-04:00

From DICI 236, Fr. Alain Lorans:

“Wanted: First Aid Technician for Leftist Diocese”

You might soon find an announcement like this in diocesan newspapers…judging from the letter addressed in May by 21 French priests to the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops asking him for pastors less enthralled by the “spirit of the Sixties generation” (sic).

“In our country,” they write candidly, “for the last three or four decades, Catholicism has dwindled and continues to dwindle dramatically (a constant decline in Sunday Mass attendance, in the number of priests, religious, catechists and vocations, etc.). It is possible that the Holy See will soon be compelled to transform some French dioceses into apostolic administrations, given the ridiculously low number of active priests in them.

“Now this Catholicism is sick but not dead,” they continue. “This Catholicism wants to turn the page on lethal liturgical abuses, disastrous preaching about marital morality, a latent anti-Roman complex, deviant sacramental practices (blessing the “remarriages” of divorced-and-remarried couples, general absolution), dubiously Catholic catechesis about the Eucharist, etc.”

And these 21 religious and diocesan priests, all of them less than 50 years old, conclude: “In this context, the [current] episcopal nominations seem incomprehensible to us.”

The post-Sixties crew wearing miters can’t get over it. These protesters, witnessing with revulsion protests against their revolution, are growing old and embittered. What will they do in a little while when they read: “Wanted: first aid technician for leftist diocese. Paleo-progressives need not apply”?

You Won't Believe This

2011-06-10T21:00:00.011-04:00

Lunch today included a discussion about the nature of belief.

As Catholics use the term "belief," they mean faith, which is accepting as true what has been revealed by a reliable authority. This applies on a mundane level -- e.g. if I tell you there's a great restaurant at a certain location and you think me a credible source, then you will drive there some time to enjoy a good meal. In a religious context, belief or faith is knowledge by which we yield our understanding assent to whatever the authority of our Holy Mother the Church teaches us to have been revealed by Almighty God: for the faithful cannot doubt those things of which God, who is truth itself, is the author (CCT).

To my colleagues across the table, belief is whatever one accepts as credible or true or beneficial in the absence of any reasons. It is necessarily devoid of thought or intellectual activity; it is always necessarily blind and unthinking; as such it is worthy of nothing but condemnation. Operating under this definition, belief is not limited to the arena of religion: a secularist can be a believer in some cause, and it is his belief that makes him a fanatic (of whatever stripe).

In this instance one wonders if invincible ignorance could apply. Not that my colleagues are incurably stupid -- that is not what the term "invincibly ignorant" means -- but that they have such an incorrect notion of what the Christian faith obliges that they are actually incapable of forming a correct judgment about it.

I'm not qualified to judge, in any event, and so the only safe course was to try to correct their misunderstanding. I don't know that I observed any lights go off after our exchange, but at least they'd heard a different perspective.

Faith is not a mindless activity -- just the opposite: if your intellect is not engaged, you are not capable of making an act of faith. Nothing is more reasonable than trusting an infinitely true and beautiful and good God -- in fact, it is the most reasonable act a human being is capable of.

Louisiana Bishops: Fast and Pray

2011-06-05T05:00:00.002-04:00

The Louisiana bishops designated last Friday, June 3, as a day of fasting and prayer in their dioceses as hurricane season begins.

See http://www.arch-no.org/News.php?mode=read&id=920&title=Friday+is+a+day+of+Prayer+and+Fasting

It's good to see that they've proposed a Catholic solution.

The Most Difficult Requirement

2011-06-02T12:00:00.008-04:00

The Ascension of Our Lord

After reading Eight Years a Tertiary, a woman I know asked, "of all the requirements of a Third Order Tertiary...which do you find to be the most difficult?"

Short Answer
Unlearning the bad habits I acquired before I joined the 3rd Order.

Long Answer
Much of living a Catholic life is developing the right customs and habits and then being faithful to them. Daily Mass was not possible until a traditional priest was stationed in Atlanta, so making a daily meditation become the way I kept the Rule. Developing a routine when I made took a healthy amount of effort: even though one is obliged to make a meditation of only a quarter of an hour each day, a solid 15 minutes of focused meditation does not come easy to a convert who was raised on MTV. I experimented with different times of the day (i.e. morning vs. evening vs. lunch hour), different locations (e.g. home vs. church vs. walks in the park), and different meditation books (e.g. Imitation of Christ vs. lives of the saints vs. Scriptures). I found that I consistently had the best success when I made my meditation first thing each morning (i.e. before breakfast) in my little living room oratory with the statue of our Lady; there I read a chapter from the Imitation, and then I reflected on the contents (on a Retreat the priests give good counsel on how to meditate well), after which I made a resolution for the day in which I asked for our Lady's help in applying some lesson or fruit gained from the reading and meditation. At first I was able to do this only sporadically -- in fact, when I began, all I could manage reading the chapter sans meditation; making a sustained reflection on it came only after a lot distracted effort (moderns are not exaggerating when they say the old rituals of the Faith do not hold their attention: they really do have trouble focusing on anything that is not some species of a paroxysm). After a Retreat I made a resolution to just grit my teeth and commit to keeping that schedule every morning for three weeks; by the time I'd kept this resolution for 21 days, I found that I had the solid beginnings of a new habit that have stayed with me ever since. Not only that, but the success in developing this new custom served as a beach-head for addressing other efforts in a consistent manner: e.g. morning and evening prayers, spiritual reading, daily examination of conscience, keeping the Lenten fast, and even mundane things like tackling difficult projects at work that I used to dread. On this last note, I have a current example: my manager is a militant atheist who finds it strange that I am a practicing Catholic; he has little good to say about the Catholic Church, he loves Obama, and he and I have several times had religious, philosophical, political, and moral discussions in which we profoundly disagree. And last week he told me that I was an extremely reliable worker in a business known for people not being reliable, and he encouraged me to go to our boss and ask for more money because of my performance on our projects together. I don't mean to suggest that developing a daily routine that involves a period of meditation is comparable to dealing with contrarian co-workers at the office, but conquering bad habits and acquiring good spiritual ones to replace them certainly served as a foundation for bigger battles that came after.

Eight Years a Tertiary

2011-05-31T21:00:00.022-04:00

Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

May 31st marks the eighth anniversary of my profession to the 3rd Order of the SSPX, Deo gratias. Being a Tertiary involves keeping the Rule of the Third Order, which is an aid to personal sanctification and a means of making oneself better fit to assist the priests and religious of the SSPX in their mission To Restore All Things in Christ.

The Rule includes morning and evening prayers, daily spiritual reading, daily attendance at Mass or – when that is not possible – meditation, daily Rosary, Confession twice a month, and a retreat every two years. On the negative side, Tertiaries are obliged to abstain from habitually watching television.

This last one is often a show-stopper for a number of people considering entering the Third Order. Give up television? Isn’t that pretty strong?

Indeed. Television shows these days are created by closed-minded people who are sadly infected with militant liberalism and modernism. The most reasonable solution is to turn off the box.

I'm showing restraint; gross distortion is the hallmark of the other side of the debate on this subject. Consider: recently a legal consultant in Los Angeles named Ben Shapiro – see http://benjaminshapiro.com/ – taped 39 interviews with TV industry executives, producers, and writers about whether they think there is a pro-liberal, anti-conservative bias in Hollywood. The answers were vehemently in the affirmative -- the interviewees were proud that Hollywood is an overwhelmingly left-leaning town. Shapiro’s book on the topic was released last Tuesday, and the videos (for those with the stomach to watch them – this crowd is fond of vulgar, coarse, and abusive language) are being made available over the next several weeks. Here’s a sampling of what Shapiro recorded.

* Vin Di Bona, who produced MacGyver and America’s Funniest Home Videos, said of the lack of political diversity in Hollywood: “I’m happy about it.”

* Leonard Goldberg - executive producer for the show Blue Bloods and former executive producer of Fantasy Island, Charlie’s Angels, and Starsky and Hutch, said that liberalism in the TV industry is “100% dominant, and anyone who denies it is kidding, or not telling the truth.” When asked if being politically conservative is a barrier to entry in the industry, Goldberg replied, “absolutely.”

* Family Ties creator Gary David Goldberg said that he tried to make Republican character Alex the bad guy, but nobody could hate actor Michael J. Fox.

* Conservative critics, according to Soap and Golden Girls creator Susan Harris, are “idiots” with “medieval minds.”

* Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman said that she “put together a staff of mostly liberal people” to create the show.

* COPS bad-boy creator John Langley said he deliberately shows more episodes of white people involved in crime than is statistically valid.

* Producer-director Nicholas Meyer, when asked whether conservatives are discriminated against in Hollywood, said, “Well, I hope so.” Meyer added that for The Day After, an ABC TV movie he directed in 1983, “My private, grandiose notion was that this movie would unseat Ronald Reagan when he ran for re-election.”

* House creator David Shore said that “there is an assumption in this town that everybody is on the left side of the spectrum, and that the few people on the right side, I think people look at them somewhat aghast, and I’m sure it doesn’t help them.”

* Fred Silverman, the former head of ABC and later NBC, said that in TV comedy today “there’s only one perspective, and it’s a very progressive perspective.”

* The advancement of a gay and lesbian political agenda is mentioned by Marcy Carsey, a producer of Soap and Roseanne, and Marc Cherry, gay Republican and producer of Desperate Housewives.

* President of the ultra-liberal MTV Networks Entertainment Group Doug Herzog said his network has “superpowers” when it comes to its influence over young people.

A number of these individuals readily showed their true colors as members of the Obama Cult. This is an even richer exposé than Bernie Goldberg's 2003 magnum opus.

This is confirmation for most folks; even the liberals I know won't be surprised by this. I mention these details merely as a preliminary to my conclusion: if you haven’t considered assisting the SSPX by becoming a Tertiary, you might consider giving it some thought – start with the information at http://sspx.org/third_order.htm. And if you have already given the matter some thought and are wavering over what to do with your television, waver no more. If you’re traditional-minded or conservative, the people who produce the shows on TV really do dislike you and want to see you humiliated and the things you cherish eradicated. They are doing you no favors; turn the switch to off when you turn the other cheek, and free yourself of the trappings of a modernist mind-killer.

Instaurare Omnia in Christo.

Children as Accessories

2011-05-30T05:00:00.036-04:00

Source

A proposed bill in Congress exposes a fatal flaw in the notion of allowing for considerations of conscience in the public forum only on subjective or personal grounds.

How so? The bill would effectively ban Catholic adoption agencies by terminating considerations of religious conscience. And -- given the operating principles -- it would arguably be consistent for this to happen.

Of course it would be a chilling irony that the most effective child placement agencies would be driven out of business for the sake of conformity to a liberal ideology. And there's the fact that children are being used as pawns by self-styled social progressives to prove that they are just as good as non-progressives in caring for children.

But when selected matters of individual conscience are not afforded public recognition, and when the people whose conscience is in question accept that formulation, then they build on sand when they try to effect public policy.

As a matter of necessity, private considerations can hold sway over others only by consent. The corollary is that the considerations cease to have any import when the consent is withdrawn.

So long as everyone adheres to the same belief system, individuals can get away with playing around with profound realities of human nature and the meaning of human existence by trying to get by on shared opinion and mutual good will. The moment a serious alternative is put forth, however, all private considerations are shown the back door -- on the brutal but logically consistent grounds that one party simply does not share the opinion of the other.

The proper activities of legislatures must proceed from the establishment of proper principles grounded in the recognition of objective reality and a correct understanding of human nature. Absent these, and you have little but current mood or fancy to drive decision-making. Even precedent becomes only another convention that nobody is obliged to recognize; as one uber-liberal I used to debate put it, "I don't care what the Founding Fathers intended."

Universals exist; thus, not everything is relative. Ideas correspond to reality -- i.e. they are not all just artificial constructs of the intellect -- and a thing exists in the mind as a universal. Natures exist, and while they are encountered only in concrete individuals, the mind can learn to recognize the universals that form them -- that is why we can recognize the color yellow every place it appears, whether it is as a yellow banana or a yellow street sign. Human nature is a reality, which is encountered in individual human beings, and we can learn to recognize the characteristics of this nature: e.g. among other qualities, it possess a vegetative aspect of growth, an animal aspect of movement, and a spiritual aspect of a rational intellect that is nurtured by truth, beauty, and goodness.

To bring matters back to my original point: humans are adaptable, but if you treat a human as something inhuman you destroy the person (e.g. set him on fire). Similarly, you do violence against a person's human nature when you try to do things like raise him in a home with poor substitutes like same-sex care-givers instead of mother and a father. Children need a mother and father who show both the maternal and paternal aspects of the Divine Love; in this way a child is naturally fitted to grow in knowledge and love of his Creator. This is not a matter of private opinion; rather, this is a matter of considering the objective spiritual aspect of human nature. Further, individuals who oppose or refuse this are at war with reality itself; no right-thinking person should sit by silently when this unreality is force on them. Or on innocent children.

New Ugly Modernist Statue for Rome

2011-05-29T05:00:00.006-04:00

A 16' tall bronze statue of Pope John Paul II has been erected at Rome's Termini train station. Dedicated on May 18, the ugly and pointless structure was immediately loathed by a staggering majority of Romans.

Deformed Statue of Pope John Paul II

The head of John Paul II appears on top of a large empty box. Though hideous, it is an accurate representation of a head at the summit of a large, empty Church body, with a dwindling clergy and deserted sanctuaries. It's the modern Church in miniature!

Hinglish

2011-05-27T20:00:00.011-04:00

In this post I described how an Indian co-worker instructed me in the way to say thank you ("Dhayanwad") in India.

I told that sory this week to anoyther pair of Indian so-workers. Today Jay (full name: too difficult for me to pronounce) explained that the "Hinglish" spelling is actually "Dhanyavad."

Hinglish, of course, being the blended Hindi-English structure.

Lest you think this is merely a fad, in 2005 author B.K. Mahal wrote the book, "The Queen's Hinglish." Not the stuff of Receive Pronunciation, of course, but an indication that the topic has staying power.

Oh, and "Shukriya" = "Welcome."

Trinity Redux

2011-05-22T05:00:00.018-04:00

This post describes the nature of the Blessed Trinity and includes a few implications of what the reality of Triune God means in terms of relations between the sexes. The heart of all creation is Love, of a kind that forms and sustains life.

It's worth noting that laymen such as this author ought to tread carefully when expounding on matters of dogma: a fellow with nearly everything to learn who presumes to instruct can become a blind guide leading the blind readily enough.

Let the record show, then, that everything written in the post referenced above is in accord with the constant teaching and practice of the Church. What's more, this author sought the advice of three well-formed and well-trained traditional Catholic priests to weigh in on whether the essay held inaccuracies; all three censors said it was fine.

If at any time a competent authority should give attention to the writings in that essay or to any others on the entire Maps, Keys, and Clocks blog and find them wanting, this author protests that these writings are merely the efforts of a traditional Catholic layman to describe in inadequate terms his ruminations on living an integrated Catholic life in a modern milieu, and that no harm to the Faith has ever been intended; further, the author readily submits to the sound judgment of Holy Mother Church, and surrenders any opinion expressed or implied that is false, dangerous, rash, contrary to sound and true doctrine, or ruinous to souls.

And if any incompetent individual should care to offer an opinion on the topics described in this blog, let him know that this author's traditional Catholic colleagues once dubbed him "Hammer of Heretics." You've now received your fair notice.

English Bishops Reinstate Meatless Fridays

2011-05-15T05:00:00.006-04:00

Source - ZENIT

From the article:
* The bishops of England and Wales are re-establishing the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays.

* From the bishops: It is "important that all the faithful be united in a common celebration of Friday penance."

* The date for the re-establishment of meatless Fridays is Sept. 16.

Read more at http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/Catholic-Church/Events/Bishops-Conference-May-2011

Observation
It's a start. They've actually only reminded the faithful of the rule already on the books: abstain from meat on Fridays, or perform some other act of penance to be prescribed by the Bishop's Conference. The rule had been neglected, however; this announcement brings the matter back to the attention of the man in the pews.

Prediction
Nay-sayers, Socialists, and other people of bad faith will say that with so many problems in the Church today, the Bishops should turn their attention to something more significant. A sufficient response to this kind of nonsense is that every chance should be seized on to remedy the damage caused by nay-sayers, Socialists, and other people of bad faith who have been wrecking the Church from the inside for the past century. If they don't like, they can just quit calling themselves Catholics.

Faith and Works

2011-05-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

The other day this question came up in a discussion (I paraphrase):

"Evangelicals say that Catholics have a work-based salvation. I know that this is not true -- that it is presumptuous to say that once saved, always saved, being that a person may become a traitor. But my question is: does it sound that Catholics are working their way to heaven? What words do you say to Evangelicals when explaining the Catholic position?"

The scriptures refute this Protestant error. Consider:

James 2:17: "So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself."

James 2:26: "For even as the body without the spirit is dead: so also faith without works is dead."

Thus, if one thinks he can get to Heaven without good works, he denies the New Testament teaching.

When the Apostles talked about works not being able to save you, they were talking specifically about the ritualistic works of the Old Covenant. Thus, the old work of Circumcision does not save; it is Faith that saves.

But not a formless Faith; rather, what saves is Faith manifested in acts of adoration for the Almighty and works of charity and love of Truth and self-sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom. That is why St. James wrote in the same epistle:

James 2:9: "You believe that there is one God. You do well: the devils also believe and tremble."

Faith or belief alone, the Scriptures tell us, is inadequate for salvation.

Our Lord Himself also warned that there would be those who professed His name but whom He will reject:

Matthew 7:22-23: "Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in your name, and cast out devils in your name, and done many miracles in your name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity."

Works without Charity is condemned here, just as Faith without works is condemned elsewhere. We must have Faith to be saved, and this Faith must be manifested in works of Hope and Charity.

I Corinthians 13:13: "And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity."

New Gizmo

2011-05-11T05:00:00.005-04:00

I am the recipient of a new birthday present: an Apple iPad.

Himself and His Birthday Present

For now I'm occupied in my spare time downloading applications for the device and configuring it for my own use. One of the first apps I installed was iBooks.
* First digital book downloaded: The Lord of the Rings
* Second digital book downloaded: The Hobbit

My first personal touch, however, was to have this Latin inscription added to the reverse side:

Instaurare Omnia in Christo

Rendered in the vulgar tongue, it means, "To Restore All Things in Christ."

Qua patet orbis.

The Incorrupts

2011-05-08T05:00:00.002-04:00

A video on YouTube shows shots of 19 incorrupt saints. There are over 250 on the books; of the 19 here, I've seen numbers 1, 2, 4, and 9. Two additional ones I've seen not shown here includes Pope St. Pius V (d. 1572) and Pope St. Pius X (d. 1914), both in Rome. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbMuB3leqKQ&NR=1

Favorite Dessert

2011-05-05T05:00:00.000-04:00

A 20-year tawny port and a plate of mixed cheese and fruits.

Two Kinds of People

2011-05-01T05:00:00.006-04:00

"There are two kinds of people in the world," a fellow said at lunch this week. "Those who look to the past, and those who look to the future."

He'd said several things of the sort in a number of conversations, and we'd parted company on our viewpoints more than once. This was another one of those times.

"No," I interrupted as he raised an index finger to accentuate his point. "The world is divided into these two kinds of people: those who seek the truth, and those who don't care."

He and I let it go at that.

The Next Rosary Crusade

2011-04-24T05:00:00.005-04:00

Easter

Today begins the next Rosary Crusade for the Church and for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary sponsored by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). The Crusade runs through Pentecost of 2012.

Read the Super General's letter explaining the Crusade here.

Download the Rosary Crusade booklet here.

Jesus Christ and He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; nobody comes to the Father but by Him!

Extra ecclesiam nulla salus.

Relic Chapel

2011-04-22T05:00:00.023-04:00

Good Friday

Here's a photo of the relic chapel at my parish church.

St. Michael's Relic Chapel

Joe, our sacristan, has rescued hundreds of relics over the years and donated them to the chapel. In the mad rush to modernize, a number of churches dumped relics en masse on flea markets and pawn shops (when they weren't just tossed in the trash). In response, the more pious faithful began looking for the abandoned and orphaned relics and giving them good homes.

In the middle of our relic chapel altar is a tabernacle, and on top of the tabernacle is a cross-shaped reliquary whose foundation is a box with glass sides. This particular reliquary houses relics from our Lord's Passion, including a splinter of the True Cross. Here's a close-up of it.

Close Up of the Relic Chapel

During my pilgrimage last year to Europe, the tour guide at Fatima said that she had seen enough relics of the True Cross in her time to create a forest of crosses. She was repeating the standard canard that pseudo-intellectuals have been laughingly espousing at least since the time of Erasmus (for the record, our chaplain on the pilgrimage politely corrected the tour guide).

How can I be so sure that our relic of the True Cross is genuine, the modern mind accustomed to habitual, unthinking skepticism regarding anything sympathetic to or in support of the Christian faith might ask?

Because a French architect and archeologist by the name of Charles Rohault de Fleury (1801-1875) actually took the trouble to track down and measure every surviving relic of the True Cross.

De Fleury calculated that the Cross on which Christ was crucified weighed about 220 pounds. He then calculated the volume of the wood in the Cross at 10,900 cubic inches. Interestingly, de Fleury was able to find and measure a mere 240 cubic inches in all known relics of the True Cross. To allow for splinters and fragments held in private hands, lost, or destroyed in war and acts of vandalism (e.g. the Protestant Reformation), he increased his original number by a factor of 10 to arrive at a new total: 2,400 cubic inches. This was still less than 20% of the estimated size of the Cross. De Fleury concluded that if all the surviving relics of the True Cross were to be reassembled, there would not be nearly enough wood to crucify a man. De Fleury published his findings in 1870 in his book, Memoire sur les Instruments de la Passion.

How the Cross was buried, rediscovered, carried to Rome, turned into numerous relics that traveled the world, and how one of those relics ended up at my little chapel, is the stuff of another entry on this blog. For now, it is enough to observe that efforts to dismiss the relics of the True Cross as pious fakes is itself the urban myth that needs to be corrected.

How to Pray the Rosary

2011-04-21T05:00:00.002-04:00

Maundy Thursday

"So that our prayers may be even more efficacious and each one may derive a greater benefit from them, we wish to conclude by recalling that when one recites the Rosary, the most important thing is not the number of Hail Mary’s, but rather the way in which one prays them. The risk of monotony or distraction can be fought effectively by praying the Rosary according to the instructions of Mary herself: while counting off the Rosary beads, it is a matter of meditating on the scenes from the life of Our Lord and of His Holy Mother and the mysteries that they present. The most important thing is this contact with the life of our Savior, which is established when one thinks lovingly about the events announced with each decade, the 'mysteries' of the Rosary. The decades of Hail Mary’s become like background music accompanying and sustaining this powerful, gentle contact with God, with Our Lord and Our Lady."

- H.E. Bishop Bernard Fellay, SSPX, in his letter #78 of Passion Sunday, April, 2011

A Need for Speed?

2011-04-20T05:00:00.021-04:00

Half of all people have below-average IQ scores.

Hopefully one doesn't have to have been placed in an Abecedarian program to see that this is not only normal, it is a metaphysical necessity.

Yesterday a colleague said, "Only smart people think quickly."

The speed with which one solves mental problems is, in fact, a useful and generally reliable gauge for assessing intelligence. Smart people are, as a rule, gifted with a mental dexterity that enables them to see solutions more quickly than less-gifted minds.

There is a risk in focusing too narrowly on quick thinking: one can neglect other factors that are necessary ingredients for arriving at sound conclusions or making correct decisions. For example, a solid understanding of human nature can make a fellow intelligent beyond his years -- a point on which many moderns fall short with their neglect of traditional morals and their ignorance of what it means to live a good (i.e. upright) life. "I'll do what I want so long as no one else gets hurt" is a sure recipe for neglecting the One Thing Necessary.

Another risk is that individuals infatuated with quick responses will adopt artificial strategies that expedite decision-making but that provide no opportunity for deep understanding. When you see someone extolling the benefits of crowd-sourcing, crowd-wisdom, collective decision-making, social media, and the like, you're probably dealing with someone who is inclined to substitute conformity with group attitudes and norms for developing a deep and meaningful ability to think. Marry to that the modern infatuation with egalitarian social structures and a hostility for authority and tradition, and you will get anything from the banal graffiti that accounts for 95% of all Twitter and FaceBook postings to an unqualified socialist idealogue for president.