Pray for Pope Leo XIV to walk in the footsteps of Pope Leo IX.

I've been reading about Pope Saint Leo IX, born in 1002 shortly after the new millennium began. What a great saint! He ruled with wisdom and zeal at a difficult time for the Church. 

I'm reading a book he wrote on the vices and virtues. The introduction gives this picture of the saintly pope:

Bruno [his baptismal name] was ordained to the priesthood. His ministry was characterized by diligence and devotion, which was well supported by his prudence, wisdom, and erudition. Soon, he was consecrated as bishop of the important diocese of Toul, which he governed effectively and fruitfully for over two decades.

At this point in history, the governance of the Church in Rome was highly unstable and tainted by corruption.

Sound familiar?  The "Church of Rome" was "tainted by corruption." All of the sheep out there who think nothing evil can never happen in the "holy" city need to read Church history. Let's continue:

On suffering and our need for intercessory prayer.

I love this image of the Agony in the Garden by Heinrich Hoffmann. All of us on our journey through life can relate to it by our own sufferings. Larry and I have certainly had many opportunities to reflect on it. I don't share too much about our personal challenges, but I know many who come here are Catholics and Christians. Times of suffering invite us to cry out to God and to our fellow pilgrims and prayer warriors in the Valley of Tears. And that's what I'm doing now - begging for your intercessory prayers.

Not all Are Welcome at the Vatican: Sodomites - YES! Summorum Pontificum Pilgrims - NO, NADA, NEVER!

How much evidence do Catholics need before they recognize the reality of the emergency in the Church? I'm frankly baffled by all the tradition-minded Catholics who continually criticize the SSPX claiming there was no state of necessity for the consecration of bishops last July. Many of these folks admit there's a crisis in the Church, but not a big enough crisis for the SSPX to consecrate bishops without a papal mandate. Other bishops in regular canonical situations, they say, are available to ordain priests to say the Latin Mass and offer the traditional sacraments. 

Christ is King over All Nations and People on the Earth Now and Til the End of Time

Today at our traditional Mass we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI to fight the rising tide of secularism and Communism after World War I.

Domenico Fetti: Contemplating the Beauty of His Art

I love classic artworks, so different from the graphic art, almost cartoonish, so common today. When I came across this piece by Domenico Fetti (1589-1623), a 16th century baroque artist, it reminded me of the devotion to the face of Christ. How I would love to see this painting in a museum and stand studying the face of Jesus, reflecting on his divine love for all men. The sadness in His eyes reminds me of His sorrow when He wept over Jerusalem. He knew the beloved city would be destroyed after His death. 

Pope Leo XIII On Jesus Christ Our Redeemer

I just finished Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, On Jesus Christ Our Redeemer. It was promulgated in 1900 on All Saints Day in the 23rd year of his pontificate. The 78th of 88 encyclicals, it is easy reading and constitutes only fourteen paragraphs. A mature sixth grader could understand it! I don't think I can say that about any encyclicals written by our modern popes, many of which are book length and filled with ambiguous language that confuses rather than illuminates. Does anyone read them? I've slogged through a number, but it was like taking a hike in a river of jello.

Let me offer some take-aways from Pope Leo's beautiful testimony on Christ. He wrote a number of short encyclicals that are an easy summary of the faith and accessible to the average Catholic in the pew. I'll frame this in question and answer format with the answers directly from the words of the encyclical.

Reflecting on anger and how one should respond

 I've been reflecting on anger this week during my morning prayer time. It's one of the seven  deadly sins. But anger is also a virtue and St. Thomas Aquinas rebukes the soul who remains passive against injustice and never becomes angry. Righteous anger is a virtue that calls us to redress injustice. Righteoous anger moved me to spend most of my adult life defending the unborn and innocent individuals like Terri Schiavo and Hugh Finn considered vegetables by family members who put them to death by dehydration. There is much going on today that should arouse our righteous anger. The question we should all ask ourselves is how does God call us to respond?

The two images that came to me this week seemed to offer me the answer. The first image showed me Mary at the foot of the cross. What could be more unjust than the crucifixion of Christ, the creature committing deicide against the Savior of the world? He gave us everything! His love for us compelled Him to come as a helpless infant. He didn't come into the world a full grown man in the robes of a king. As St. Alphonsus tells us, that might inspire fear. No, He came as an innocent, helpless little baby born in poverty. His first cross was the wood of the manger on a cold winter's night.

Salus Animarum: For the Salvation of Souls

The salvation of souls is the whole law of the Church. I look forward with joy to the release of the documentary on All Saints Day. In the meantime let us pray for Pope Leo, all the cardinals and bishops of the world and especially for parish priest who directly impact the spirituality of their flocks and for those hermits and monks committed to silence, prayer, and sacrifice for the salvation of souls. 

O Lord, give us priests.

O Lord, give us holy priests.

O Lord, give us many holy priest.

Our Lady, Queen of the Clergy, pray for our priests, especially those betraying their vocations. Bring them back, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, to recognize their true dignity and their responsibility for the sheep of their flock. May they all be Good Shepherds walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

Is Opposition to the Death Penalty an Infallible Teaching?

I'm glad the Department of Defense has decided not to livestream the execution by firing squad of mass murderer, Nidal Hasan. We don't need more folks addicted to violence drooling over the opportunity to watch someone die in real time. It makes me think of snuff films. A live execution enables the sick and voyeuristic to get their jollies. 

Lunacy Rules: "Conservatives" Mainstream Sodomy-Promoter Fr. James Martin, S.J.

We truly do live in the era of diabolical disorientation and, daily, there's plenty of evidence illustrating it. What should we think when a supposedly conservative host at a supposedly conservative Catholic website, sits down in a friendly interview, an almost fawning interview, with the man who is arguably the lead proponent for legitimizing sodomy in the Church! That's what happened a week ago when J.D. Flynn of The Pillar sat down with Fr. James Martin, S.J.