Sunday Meditation: Are Catholics Masochists?

Are Catholics masochists who turn every landscape into a dystopian city of suffering? What do you think?

In his homily this morning, Father mentioned reading an article by a psychologist who stated that Catholics worship pain and suffering. His evidence? Our churches have a bloodied crucified man at the center, many of our saints suffered gruesome martyrdoms, we offer a Mass with the unbloody sacrifice of the slain Lamb of God, etc. And, of course, there's the guilt factor. Father didn't mention that, but it's part of the picture painted by disbelieving psychologists. The Church lays a guilt trip on their followers who need to spend significant time (and money) de-compressing with a professional who will relieve them of their guilt. All those poor Catholics who wear a metaphorical hair shirt, if not a real one, are paralyzed by unending guilt that needs to be eliminated by drugs or talk therapy. Hmmm.

Let's Pray the Southern Poverty Fraud Center Gets What They Deserve!

Many of us have known for decades that the Southern Poverty Law Center is an evil, lying grifter group. Now we have the proof. Let us hope and pray they get dismantled and the fraudsters go to jail!

Of Miracles and Bad Shepherds

It's looking like the site of Noah's ark really has been found. Will the skeptics mock? Often when I read an article about evidence for biblical events and miracles I think of this quote:

“For those who believe in God no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe in God no explanation is possible.”

The quote is often attributed to Franz Werfel who wrote Song of Bernadette, because the film included a similar quote in the introduction. It does not appear in the historical novel, however, although Werfel's powerful testimony to the Lourdes miracles proclaims it without words. 

Some Good News After the Bad News in Virginia

Virginia Judge Blocks Democrat Power Grab in Virginia, Rules New Map Unconsitutuonal

Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. issued an injunction barring certification of the election results pending appeal. The judge reaffirmed prior rulings, declared the referendum unconstitutional and the amendment process of HB 1384 unconstitutional.

God bless Judge Hurley and his tribe. I would love to see a class action lawsuit against the Democrats by voters. I'm no lawyer; is that even possible? I would join in a nano-second and contribute to the legal expenses. Virginia is my patria. 

Poor Virginia, the Tyrants Reign!

The redistricting results are in. The barbarians have destroyed the gates of the city and are burning, looting, and setting all on fire. The white witch reigns and will no doubt sign the bill which will make voting in any general election in the future pointless. I'll still go to the polls and cast my vote realizing it won't matter because Virginia will go with the popular vote of the nation even if every voter in the state disagrees. 

We need to change the Virginia seal because the tyrant has risen and executed the patriot!

With the Novus Ordo the Validity All Depends on the Priest's Intention

Fr. Joseph Gill has an important article at Crisis Magazine about the Novus Ordo, The Novus Ordo and the Interior Life. Don't miss it! 

An Important Question: Is the New Mass a New Religion?

Fr. Albert Kallio is a Dominican, ordained in 1994 by Bishop Bernard Fellay. In this video he addresses a number of questions about the Mass before and after the changes by Annibale Bugnini. He explains in an easily understood way the impact of all the changes to the Mass put in place in the name of Vatican II. Many of those changes flew in the face of the wishes of the Council Fathers. Sadly, few of the Fathers objected when the destruction of the Mass went into effect. Here's how Fr. Kallio summarizes the disastrous impact:

Sunday Meditation: Reflecting on the Good Shepherd

"I know my sheep and they know me." John 10:14 

Does your diocese have a good shepherd? Does your parish? How can you tell? Scripture says, "By their fruits you shall know them." The measure of a good shepherd is how zealously he defends the faith and protects his flock from scandal. If you are fortunate enough to have a good shepherd, be sure to express your gratitude.

And now I have a story to tell from my own two dioceses, Richmond and Arlington. Arlington is blessed to have many faithful priests. How grateful I am for them because they have kept Arlington from going the way of so many places that have essentially lost the faith altogether. Fr. John Hardon, S.J. warned about the crisis of faith for years and predicted that entire dioceses would lose the faith. Has that happened in your diocese? He described the crisis in a 1997 article that outlined what has become ever more obvious. Who can deny it today?

The Language of Faith and the Mass

I occasionally have conversations with people about the Traditional Latin Mass and almost invariably they express the point that no one understands the Latin so they aren't really getting anything out of it. If that were true, it might be a good argument for the vernacular. Although I wonder why, in that case, the committee that developed the Novus Ordo didn't just translate the Mass into English. But that's a thought for another day. 

Whenever someone tells me that people didn't understand the Mass that was the norm for centuries, I ask myself whether that was really true. Do we only understand the spoken word? And, in fact, does the spoken word sometimes fail to impart a message? My contention is that the answer to those questions is NO and then YES. 

A Reminder to Be Vigilant against the Predators Who want to destroy Life's Sweetness

Satan may prowl around the world seeking whom he may devour. But there are other predators out there as well. I thought about that this morning when I looked out at the bee yard and realized we'd had a stalker prowling the bee yard who did a number on one of the hives. The worst part was we knew that hive had a queen. Now we don't know whether she survived the assault.