Of Noisy Mass and Quiet Parking Lot

We just returned from 11:30 Mass -- a very noisy Mass, I might add. The funny thing was at the end of the Mass we walked out amidst little groups of laughing and talking families and friends who couldn't wait 90 seconds to take their conversations out of the church. Once we threaded our way through the chattering throng we found ourselves in the blissful peace of....the parking lot. What's wrong with this picture?

Perhaps it's because I just read the article on the Mass by Dietrich Von Hildebrand which I posted earlier this morning, but I found the experience particularly disturbing. So I came home and reread Dietrich Von Hildebrand's article. Let me highlight some points he made and questions he asked that were illustrated by this morning's Mass which was certainly not unorthodox:

The Wisdom of Dietrich von Hildebrand

Visiting my granddaughter, a freshman at the University of Steubenville, I took a turn around the bookstore and picked up Alice Von Hildebrand's biography of her husband Dietrich, The Soul of a Lion. Pope Pius XII called Dietrich Von Hildebrand the "20th century doctor of the Church." As I was reading the initial chapters I remembered he wrote a book called Trojan Horse in the City of God. I haven't read it, but plan to.

Recently, I've been in a few discussions where traditionalists are being trashed and it made me ponder what this great traditionalist defender of the faith said about the changes to the Mass after Vatican II.
Actually, he had plenty to say. The article below was written in 1966, but remains relevant today. Despite the "reform of the reform" that we have seen in recent years, many of Von Hildebrand's criticisms accurately describe our modern Mass. (Hat tip to Traditional Catholic Priest):

“The arguments for the New Liturgy have been neatly packaged, and may now be learned by rote.

Pat Buchanan on Fergusonn

As usual...a voice of common sense in a world that has very little of it!

Race-Based Justice

James O'Keefe Crosses Border Dressed as Osama

And more:

Terrorist Attack on Texas/Mexico Border Imminent?

Are you praying?

Become Like Little Children

When Jesus said, "Become like little children," I think one of the traits he had in mind was children's sense of wonder. I remember our little son once chortling from the back seat as we drove by our house, "Look, there's our tree!" All he could see was the top of the trees but he recognized our tree as something special.

And if anyone understood the attitude of wonder in children, it was G.K. Chesterton. Here's what he wrote in his essay, Sandals and Simplicity:

[I]n nothing is the child so righteously childlike, in nothing does he exhibit more accurately the sounder order of simplicity, than in the fact that he sees everything with a simple pleasure, even the complex things....To the child the tree and the lamp-post are as natural and as artificial as each other; or rather, neither of them are natural but both supernatural. For both are splendid and unexplained. The flower with which God crowns the one, and the flame with which Sam the lamplighter crowns the other are equally of the gold of fairy-tales.

If you want to understand the simple things of life (which are usually the most profound), spend time conversing with children.

Thoughts for the Day from St. Augustine

Happy Feast Day, St. Augustine!

I think every Catholic must be familiar with St. Augustine's statement (which I put in poem form to remember):

O Lord, you made our hearts for thee
And ever restless will they be
Until they rest in thee.

But there's another saying that makes me reflect frequently on my life and what I'm doing:

It is better to do great good among few than little good among many. 

Toward the end of his life, St. Thomas Aquinas put down his pen calling all his brilliant writings "straw." Well, my writing doesn't add up to a pile of cow pies. And my grandkids are the treasures of my life, each a pearl of great price. With several home schooling families who would happily enjoy some assistance from Gramma, I wonder if putting down my pen and putting on my apron is a better use of my time.

Prayers for discernment would be most welcome.

Ben Carson and Common Sense on Ferguson

Ben Carson nails the tragedy and real problems reflected in Ferguson with some hard questions:

Could it be that we are erroneously being manipulated into making this incident a racial issue, when, in fact, it is a component of a much larger social issue? 

Why are there so many young black men in the streets of America with defiant attitudes that frequently lead to incarceration or death?

Could it be that a large number of them grow up without a father figure to teach them how to relate to authority and the meaning of personal responsibility?

He also suggests some solutions:

As a society, we must concentrate on ways to break this tragic cycle that has produced a higher poverty rate in black communities across America with the increasing frustrations that underscore potentially explosive, tinderbox situations, as we have seen in Ferguson. 

Once we get the most powerful economic engine the world has ever seen back on track with sensible economic policies, we should devote some of the tax revenues generated to child-care facilities that would allow many of those unwed mothers to get their General Education Development or higher degree and become self-supporting.

There are also a number of programs across the nation that offer free classes that teach social and job skills, which would give many of the young men some different options.

We must concentrate on these kinds of programs because we cannot afford to lose large segments of our society to despair and underachievement in an increasingly competitive world. We have a social crisis brewing if we continue down the path we are on now, but we have the power to change our downward course with true compassion that allows people to rise and escape dependency.

Is anybody listening?  (Read complete article here.)

A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two on Your Head?

Or two on your hat?

What You Don't Know about Stealth Euthanasia Can Kill You!

What do you know about...

• terminal sedation
• POLST
• living wills that can kill you
• "futile care" provisions to hasten your death (Think death panels.)
• false declarations of death

St. Francis University in Loretto, PA is hosting a conference on November 15th, Defending Life at Risk in a Throwaway Culture. Want to learn more? See their brochure here.  I'm hoping to go.

Is This the Namby-Pamby Jesus of Liberalism?

Today's gospel shows Jesus the head of the Church Militant in warrior form. Can't you almost see Him brandishing the "sword of the Spirit, the word of God."

"Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. 

"Woe to you , scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. 

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.' Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?" (Matt 23: 13ff)

Jesus is certainly the lover who won't break a bruised read or quench a burning ember. But he never flinched at condemning hypocrisy, especially from the Jewish clergy of His day. And John the Baptist, among other saints, imitated Him. No one could ever accuse him of being non-confrontational!

So what are we called to do in imitation of Christ? Certainly pray and fast. The Bible makes it clear Jesus often went away to a deserted spot to pray. But are we not also called to confront the evils of our culture and admonish sinners? Shall we not follow Christ into battle with the "sword of the Spirit?"

Little Ones Hear for First Time!

This is what science is meant for. Praise God for these advances -- "medical miracles."

St. Rose of Lima, Pray for Us!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if all of us loved Jesus the way Rose of Lima did? Her name was really Isabella, but she was such a beautiful infant everyone called her Rose. She lived a quiet life making a little hermitage in the back yard of her family's home, refused to marry, and even did things to disfigure her beauty like rub her face with pepper. She didn't want the young men flocking around her like bees to a flower. Here's a brief summary of her heroic life:

When her parents fell into financial trouble, she worked in the garden all day and sewed at night. Ten years of struggle against her parents began when they tried to make Rose marry. They refused to let her enter a convent, and out of obedience she continued her life of penance and solitude at home as a member of the Third Order of St. Dominic. So deep was her desire to live the life of Christ that she spent most of her time at home in solitude. 

During the last few years of her life, Rose set up a room in the house where she cared for homeless children, the elderly and the sick. This was a beginning of social services in Peru. Though secluded in life and activity, she was brought to the attention of Inquisition interrogators, who could only say that she was influenced by grace. (Read more here.)

Rose was the first saint of the Americas. She died in 1617, only 31-years-old, was beatified 50 years after her death, and canonized a few years later.  What a wonderful saint for our coddled age! We would do well to imitate her humble life.

I am happy to have two little granddaughters named after her, Amelia Rose and Marianna Rose. Happy feast day, girls!

No Riots Over the Murder of This Teenager!

Oh, yeah, because it was a white teen murdered by blacks. No whites marching to protest the killing and demand the black perpetrators be brought to justice! No white looters ripping up the town Ferguson style! No Redskins' tribute or Denton becoming a household word with people praising him for being a "gentle" guy. Just families mourning for their children since a subsequent accident en route to the hospital took the life of Ward's date, Lauren Bailey Crisp.

Here's the story in brief. White college freshman Denton James Ward was beaten to death at a McDonald's near Texas A & M by a group of black thugs looking for a fight. He was coming to the rescue of his friend who was also beaten, but survived the attack. The media in typical politically correct fashion ignored the obvious racial hate that precipitated Ward's murder. Here are a few paragraphs from David Paulin's article on the killing:

Incredibly, the race of the assailants was scrubbed from local news coverage; and utterly missing from tersely written wire-service stories about a Brazos County jury’s whopping $27 million negligence verdict on July 30 against “University McDonald’s” – an outlet owned by the Oak Brook, Illinois-based fast-food giant. What the media considered unmentionable nevertheless loomed over a riveting seven-day trial, which came amid the growing phenomenon of black-on-white violence — unprovoked attacks on whites and black mob violence like the so-called “knock-out game.”...

The media’s handling of this case was no surprise:

Yes, There is Racism in America, but It's Not What You Think!

It's black against white: the REAL race scandal.

But it stems from the racism of white liberals who destroyed the black family with their "Great Society" and politics of envy and entitlements. They use it to keep blacks on their political plantation. It's all about personal political power, as Bill Whittle points out.

Conservative blacks (more here and here) urge their brothers and sisters to stop swallowing the swill of liberal liars like race-baiters Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, and President Obama who couldn't care less about Michael Brown or Trayvon Martin or any of the other young men destroyed by the breakdown of the black family. These politicians only care about themselves and their careers, and black rage serves their cynical purposes.

Bill Whittle pegs it!

Hmmm...Now Why Isn't THIS News?

Black cop kills white twenty year old. Ho-hum.

Sounds like this kid may have been completely innocent unlike the "gentle giant." But it's pretty clear why Al Sharpton and Eric Holder aren't heading out to Utah. A white kid killed by a black cop? Ho-hum. No news. White's can't be victims and blacks can't be victimizers in the liberal mindset. And don't look for Dillon Taylor to become the darling of the Redskins either.

The Lynching in Ferguson

Things have come full circle since the old battle over segregation. The targets of police brutality during the Selma to Montgomery marches have joined the lynch mobs. After the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, blacks rushed to judgment declaring the police officer involved, Darren Wilson, a murderer who must be brought to justice. No trial, no evidence, just lynch the S.O.B.! Wilson, in fear for his life, has gone into hiding. As Thomas Sowell observed:

Is Ferguson a False Flag Event?

Outside Provocateurs Stir the Pot in Ferguson

Is martial law in our future? It wouldn't be the first time corrupt politicians fomented unrest for their own benefit.

Does this Explain Robin Williams' Despair?

Robin Williams Acknowledged He Channeled Demonic Spirits For Comedic Power

We are all the product of our choices and there's a price to pay for the choices we make. Choosing God and His will takes us out into the light. Choosing Satan takes us further and further into the dark. Pray for Robin Williams and other entertainers who are willing to sell their souls for fame and fortune. It's a bad bargain! 

Once a Meathead, Always a Meathead!

Rob Reiner: Tea Party Should Be 'Eliminated' Like Hamas

And don't you just love liberal compassion and tolerance? You see it all the time in the comment section of blogs. Matt Walsh got a big taste of it for daring to suggest that Robin Williams' suicide was a choice he made.  His critics are vocabulary challenged -- mostly limited to four-letter words. But that's not surprising since liberal policies have destroyed education. As for Rob Reiner, well his brain has obviously been ground up and filled with what's left on the floor after the butcher is done.

Words of Wisdom from Korea

“The family remains the basic unit of society and the first school in which children learn the human, spiritual and moral values which enable them to be a beacon of goodness, integrity and justice in our communities.”

Pope Francis

Read more about the pope's trip here.

Save Holy Innocents!

Liberal Press Threatened by Ferguson Looters

Well ain't that just too bad. The liberal press has helped to create a barbarian jungle in our cities where some residents use any excuse to riot and loot, and now they are the targets. Guess the chickens have come home to roost! You help foment racism and division and are surprised when whitey reporter becomes a target of aggression? Wake up and smell the coffee.

Ferguson Rioters Harass, Threaten Reporters

"The Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery reported on Twitter that one looter “just threatened to pull knife” on him and other reporter outside a liquor store that was being cleaned of inventory....

"The experience of being aggressively confronted and sometimes threatened over photographing and video-recording the riots was common enough that most reporters on scene huddled in small groups far away from the actual theft, vandalism and rioting. 

"Many veteran photographers wore helmets — fearful of being hit by flying objects or rubbery bullets. (Police did not fire rubber bullets, though the Associated Press reported that tear gas was briefly deployed.) Some reporters wore gas masks.
At least one print reporter removed the camera he was carrying from his neck and returned it to his car because of the harassment and intimidation. In other cases, print journalists were forced to repeatedly insist that their iPhones or other smartphones were not recording to demonstrations who confronted them."

Here's one black man who's fed up with it! He's calling for blacks to change! Bravo! The black Christian community has always been guided by strong moral convictions. You folks in the street are listening to the wrong people. Ditch Al Sharpton and listen to the spiritual brothers of Martin Luther King! And stop using any excuse to loot, burn, and destroy!

A Letter to the Tulsa Mayor about the Black Mass

Want to send the mayor of Tulsa a letter about the Black Mass being said at the Civic Center Music Hall? Here's his comment page and below is the letter I posted. Tulsa can become known as the City that Champions Hate! But what do you think? Would they really allow any of the events suggested below?

Hi,

I heard about the Black Mass being said in your city and want to know if the hall is available for a burn-the-Koran event.

Oh...and then I'd like to organize a skinhead rally where we have a virtual gas chamber with "Jews" in yellow stars who die on stage. We thought that would be very dramatic.

Our group has sooooo many good ideas. Might as well make it a "trifecta" of events. How about a lynching of effigies of Martin Luther King, Jessie Jackson, Charlie Rangel, and Al Sharpton?

We are very excited about the willingness of your city to offer such a lovely venue for all kinds of speech.

Please let me know available dates for these events.

The Beekeepers' Lament

My husband and I are beekeepers. We have three hives of Russian bees. Last year, our first year in fact, we expected to get no honey from our two hives because the bees had so much work to do. You put wooden frames in the bee boxes (called supers) filled with wax foundation that is like a blueprint. The bees "draw out" the cells on the foundation with wax and use them to store nectar and pollen and for the nest cells for the bee brood.  Check it out on the right.

Last year one of our hives surprised us by working so hard that we were able to harvest twenty pounds of honey, a real coup for our first year. This year, we were able to divide our hives and get a third "nucleus hive" and expected we would easily harvest 80 pounds of honey since the frames were mostly drawn and ready to be filled. 

A Russian bee on our marigolds with a full pollen pocket

Well, today is the group honey harvest and we checked out our three hives yesterday. A frame needs to be 90% filled with capped honey in order to harvest. (The bees cap the honey with wax when it's the right moisture content. It prevents the honey from fermenting after it's harvested.) Yikes! Not one frame of 90% capped honey. Lots of nectar, lots of brood, but no honey ready for harvesting. I am complaining today to the patrons of beekeepers, St. Ambrose and St. Valentine. They helped us earlier in the season when we were having queen problems. Maybe they will get in the hives and give those bees a pep talk. We still hope to get a little honey before the end of the summer, but it isn't looking good. My husband says Putin probably sent a message to all the Russian bees to go on strike in retaliation for sanctions against Russia.

Maybe next year we'll add some Italian bees to our bee yard. Hmmm...I wonder if a little opera would help. La Traviata for the Italians; Boris Godunov for the Russians.

Social Workers Make Fake Medical Diagnosis to Kidnap Homeschooled Kids

Parents lose children due to fake medical diagnosis

Justina Pelletier isn't the only child snatched from parents by social workers using a bogus medical evaluation. And this case hits close to home since it happened in my own Virginia County -- Shenandoah.

As If We Didn't have Enough to Worry About!

Huge asteroid that 'could end human life' defying gravity as it moves towards Earth, scientists say

It's scheduled to arrive in 2880, so we'll all be gone. 

But, hey, aren't your descendants worth worrying about?

Have We Forgotten Benghazi Already?

How many more Americans will be put in harm's way and abandoned by this administration? And how many of these feckless politicians will be rewarded for their irresponsible and, dare I say it, evil actions? Think of Hillary in line to run as next president. How would you like her being commander and chief if you were a Marine (or a Marine's mom) at an embassy in a hot spot? This administration has treated our military like cannon fodder to be used up and spit out. And as the body count rises, the world is less safe than ever!

Meanwhile we continue to meddle in affairs everywhere. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently said the world is exploding all over and promised that we'll be everywhere. He obviously knows nothing about history. Every country that has tried to fight on multiple fronts has crashed and burned. Look what happened to the U.K. We cannot be the world's policeman and we have no business meddling in the affairs of sovereign states where we have no interest. The GOP needs to shut up about Russia and the Ukraine. It is their civil war not ours and do we really want to escalate the conflict? Do we really want to resurrect the Cold War? I remember practicing air raids as a child. Please...let's not go there! This incompetent administration needs to be held accountable. For that matter, so do the hawks in the GOP. All the drum beating against Putin is dangerous. For one thing our wimp in the White House is no match for his Russian counterpart. Can anyone imagine Putin going to bed during a crisis so he'll be fresh as a daisy for a big fundraiser the next day?

We forget Benghazi at our peril -- especially the peril of our young men and women in the military.

Is Fox News Correct? Is the Pope Waging "War on Conservative Catholics"

The Pope Francis Effect

I don't like the terms conservative and liberal when speaking of Catholics. I prefer orthodox and heterodox. But I guess you run into a third category because the orthodox can be split into the orthodox who prefer the traditional Latin Mass vs. the orthodox who prefer the novus ordo or are equally comfortable in either setting.

It does seem these days, though, that those who love the traditional Mass are under major assault. And, frankly, I get pretty sick of the nasty remarks on Catholic blogs about "rad trads" and other disparaging comments about my sisters and brothers who prefer the Latin Mass. What's wrong with that? I generally attend the novus ordo, but also attend an annual Ignatian retreat led by a priest from the Fraternal Society of St. Peter. I love the retreat: the silence, the reverence! What a break from the social hall setting after the novus ordo Mass in my little country parish. (However, the Mass itself is always reverent.)

I find it unsettling to feel like we are living the Chinese curse of "interesting times" since Pope
Francis mounted the papal throne. He seems like a "people's pope," but at the same time some of the people (i.e., orthodox Catholics) seem to be getting the rod, while others (liberal Catholics, liberation theologians, Protestants, etc.) are getting the gentleness. Are some of the sheep smellier than others? I wonder what St. Paul would think.

"Shall I come to you with a rod or with love in a spirit of gentleness?" 1 Cor. 4:21

Another Head Scratcher from Pope Francis

Pope Francis with fellow bishop?

Pope Authorizes Protestant be Buried as Bishop

Can this be true? Why should anyone evangelize if there is no "coming home." If a bishop in a Protestant sect is truly a bishop and can receive a requiem Mass where he is honored as bishop of the Catholic Church what possible motivation can there be to enter full union with the Church? I would like to see no problems with our current Holy Father, but these issues are truly baffling. And when you think of Catholics in different parts of the world martyred for clinging tenaciously to the fullness of the faith, you wonder why they bothered? Were they and are they just "rad trads" of their day who are so foolish they can't see that we are all brothers and no one needs to convert? Is this the new evangelization Pope Francis style? I'm confused. Does yes mean yes and no mean no or is it all if, maybe, and sometimes these days.

Sunday Meditation: Are You Listening to the Lord?

In his homily this morning Father stressed how important it is to listen to the Lord. All the readings stressed listening. Elijah heard God speaking in the tiny sound. Many people would miss his call after the earthquake and the storm. Only the person really listening could recognize that still, small voice. In the responsorial the psalmist declares, "I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord -- for he proclaims peace." But only the one who listens will hear that peaceful proclamation! And if he truly listens, he will put that peace into practice. In Matthew's gospel, we heard the story of Peter walking on water. When he heard the Lord call him to walk on the water, he responded to the invitation because he listened. But fear filled his heart and closed up his ears to the Lord's call. That's when he started to sink. He let the storm and the wind drown out the Lord's voice.

Father mentioned during the homily that often people say to him that they feel like the Lord isn't listening to them. But "that's not how it works," he said. "We're supposed to listen to Him!" So if you aren't hearing the Lord maybe it's because you're speaking instead of listening. Remember the scripture that says, "Be still and know that I am God." If you are still like Elijah and listening for God's proclamation like the psalmist and keeping your eyes on the Lord instead of the storm like Peter, who knows what you can accomplish? -- even walking on water. Be assured that, even if you falter as Peter did, the Lord will be there stretching out His hand to rescue you.

Praised be to God! Have a blessed Sunday!

State Dept. Spending Half a Mil to Train Witnesses for Congressional Hearings

State Department hires testimony coach to prepare for congressional grillings

I'm betting these personal role-playing sessions will be to teach witnesses how to avoid answering questions while spouting great-sounding gobbledy-gook. Don't you just love the government?

The Catholic Bishop and Immigration

I just read a great article on the Catholic bishops flawed approach to our border invasion. This is my first time reading an article by this author, Vincent Ryan Ruggiero, but I plan to read more. He really hit the nail on the head!

Check it out here.

Wake Me Up, It Must be a Nightmare!

Strange Papal Treatment of Two Priests

Yikes! Don't You Feel So Safe with the Community Organizer at the Helm?

Russian Bombers Invade U.S. Air Space

"'These are not just training missions,' one defense official said.

"The increase in sightings comes after other accounts of Russian jet aggression. In July, the day after the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in the Ukraine, a U.S. surveillance plane flew into Swedish air space to avoid Russian fighter jets, The New York Times reported."

DIMENSIONS OF EUCHARISTIC THEOLOGY INDICATED BY POPE FRANCIS

by Fr. Tom Collins

The humble reverence and love of Pope Francis for those suffering the crippling effects of poverty is a profound inspiration for many, both within and outside the Catholic Church. And these attitudes have deep roots in the mystery and ministry of the Eucharistic Christ, which are often overlooked. 

The first of these is the fact that the Eucharistic Christ is the source, sustenance and summit of the life of the Church. As such, He is always dynamically investing Himself into the life and ministry of His Bride. This is important to note, since some serious errors have infected the thinking of many theologians and liturgists regarding the nature of the Real Presence of Christ as the Blessed Sacrament.

Dems Really Are the EVIL PARTY!

100% of Senate democrats voted for late term abortions last month (S. 1696) when they supported the most radical abortion bill ever. Fortunately it failed, but it illustrates that the Dems really are the EVIL PARTY. Murder of the innocent is one of the sins that cries to heaven for vengeance and who can be more innocent than the babe in the womb waiting to be born. But killing babies at any point up to birth is a-okay with EVERY Senate democrat. The wag who labeled them demon-crats had it just about right. The demons love to shed innocent blood!

In defending this killer-bill, the Dems called state laws passed to protect women from abortion chop shops "underhanded bills." They want no limits on their abortion sacrament: no health inspections that control other outpatient clinics, no limits on circuit rider abortionists, no requirement for doctors to have admitting privileges at hospitals to protect injured women. In fact, they want the abortion industry to regulate itself. Kermit Gosnell did that for years snipping babies spines and killing and maiming their mothers. He's now in jail for life! Doesn't help the women he killed much, eh? The democrats are just plain EVIL and this bill shines the spotlight on them. The bill is euphemistically called The Women’s Health Protection Act, but it actually protects the abortionist and his business. As one blogger said, the name should remind us of other bills masquerading as compassion like one in the Third Reich labeled Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich that gave Hitler power to bypass the legislature to pass laws for the good of the people. We all know what he did with his unlimited power!

If you have a friend who's a democrat maybe you should print out the Senate bill and ask if they really support murdering near term babies by stabbing them in the back of the head and sucking out their brains or injecting poisonous digoxin into the baby's heart to make sure he or she is dead on delivery. How is this murder different from eliminating any other class of unwanted people -- except for the size of the victims? Can we really believe we are better than the Nazis who kill unwanted jews? Or the Hutus in Rwanda who took machetes to their Tutsi neighbors? Does the size of the victim make the murder less evil or does it make it more evil because of the helplessness of the victim?

I propose that every Senator who voted for this evil bill committed a horrendously evil act. Voting for any one of them is tantamount for voting for any other butcher of the past hundred years from Adolf Hitler to Joseph Stalin to Mao Zedong.

Pelosi: Poster Girl for Term Limits

Pelosi loses it on House floor

Sounds like Nancy is on the skids. She's been losing it for awhile in less dramatic ways, but this behavior on the House floor, well.... Time for the nursing home, Nancy. On the other hand maybe you can teach at your old alma mater, Trinity. They lost it long ago! With their promotion of feminism and the LGBT agenda they are right up your evil alley.

Want to Know What's Happening to the Country?

Policies espoused by liberation theologian priest Fr. Brockmann lead to the evils described in the film below. Watch it for an eye-opening view of the transformation of the U.S. into a godless nation ruled by evil oligarchs just like ancient Rome.

See more about Grinding America Down here.

Pope Francis and the Commie Priest

My internet friend, Gary Morella, forwarded an email from a friend of his. It brings up some problematic issues with regard to Pope Francis that have me shaking my head. There are many things I love about this pope, but others I find...well...almost creepy. His lifting of the suspension of Communist priest Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann (the subject of the email below) is one of them. There is no sign Fr. Brockmann has changed any of the views that led to his suspension in the 1980s. His support for liberation theology appears unchanged. And just last year he was spouting his extremism in a letter to President Obama where he had the audacity to say:

But dear President Obama, you are humanity's last chance. [Not for the unborn, the vets, and the vulnerable!] Don't miss it; don't waste it; don't be afraid if those whose hearts are full of hate don't like what you say and do. [Like patriotic Americans who are judged as hate-filled racists for daring to oppose Obama's extreme socialistic policies!] As a follower of Jesus, you should expect that. Be the man God meant you to be and who those who voted for you expected you to be. You're meant to play an extremely significant role not only for the United States but for humanity as a whole and our Mother Earth. [Who really does Fr. Brockmann worship?] Forget what the industrial-military complex and Wall Street want. Follow your conscience; having heard one of your pastors, Jeremiah Wright, I know yours has been well formed. [Well, there you have it! Fr. Brockmann is socialist who hates U.S. and American patriots and approves of Wright's "God damn America!" views.]

Fr. Brockmann labeled Ronald Reagan "a butcher" but Barack Obama is "humanity's last chance." Actually, I thought that was Jesus. But who am I to judge? Unbridled greedy capitalism is wrong. But morally-inspired capitalism has allowed millions to rise from poverty. And many generous capitalists have directed massive wealth to charitable purposes. The record of Communists of Brockmann's stripe is a long list of murderous atrocities. So read the following email and articles and weep. But then let's pray and dedicate ourselves to sharing the truth.

Here's the email from Jim Komaniecki, President, Restore American Liberty:

Justina: You've Followed Her Story. Can You Help Her Family Recover?

Can You Help the Pelletiers Recover Financially from Their Ordeal?

Lou had to give up his job.

Their house is in foreclosure.

Medical bills are mounting.

Will you help them get back on their feet? Go here to make a donation. All contributions go directly to the Pelletiers.

Mea Culpa! Laughing at John Kerry

PHOTO OF THE DAY: JOHN KERRY ON A GIRLS BICYCLE!

Do I need to go to Confession for laughing at this blog post by Angry White Dude? Democrats so relentlessly attack conservatives that seeing a man respond like a man by mocking the lying liberals in the administration is...well...refreshing.

But I think I'll offer my rosary for John Kerry and his family today. You know what Jesus about rich men getting into heaven....

All Good Things Must Come to an End!

At least for now.

Our two Fresh Air Fund visitors from New York City left for home early this morning and we are back to just the two of us. Quiet reigns as we get ready for our next batch of visitors (our Austin son and his family). So laundry, bed changing, pool and yard upkeep, etc. are all on the agenda for the next few days. As we do our chores we'll be thinking of all the fun we had this week!

Walking across the "scary bridge"

And what a busy week it was! We hiked to the Woodstock Tower for a view of our little town to the west and Fort Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east. We waded and threw rocks in the north fork of the Shenandoah River and crossed the "scary bridge," a walking suspension bridge built to let folks get out when they are "river'd in." (That's when the river covers the road.) We picked blackberries at Marker-Miller Farm and visited the Rte. 11 potato chip factory. (Unfortunately, they weren't cooking that day.) We walked around Woodstock, went thrift store shopping, and fed the ducks. On First Friday and on Sunday we went to Mass and Sunday morning we also visited a local nursing home where I take the Catholic residents Communion. The girls charmed them all especially one lady who is generally depressed and hostile. Instead she lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw the girls and asked them questions about school and their summer activities.

At nighttime we read fairy tales and had bedtime prayers and lullabies.

For the first time ever the girls cooked over a bonfire and jumped on a trampoline. And every day but one we swam and swam and swam with an occasional popsicle break. In fact one of the girls learned to swim while she was here and has a beautiful stroke! Our other visitor already knew how and she helped instruct and was a great cheerleader!

The girls baked cookies and decorated cupcakes. They drove the tractor, picked wildflowers and made beautiful arrangements. A high point of the week was visiting the "llama lady" who is always friendly and welcoming and full of fun! They took our two little granddaughters under their wings winning hugs and necklaces made by the six-year-old.

Two local nieces loaned us their ten and eleven-year-old daughters to join in the fun and they are already asking us to invite Bari and Monni again next year. In fact, God willin' and the crick don't rise we are already thinking of what we can do when summer rolls around again. I think a short camping trip will be on the agenda.

Now doesn't all this sound like fun? Why not consider becoming part of the Fresh Air Family. We'd love to tell you all about it if you have any questions not answered by visiting their web site.

Want to do a good deed? Take a child to a nursing home!

Every Sunday I take Communion to eight Catholics at a local nursing home. All but one are seriously mentally incapacitated with either Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Several are often difficult and hostile. But what a change comes over them when they see children! One lady is often negative and cheerless. Not today! We took our two little visitors from the Fresh Air Fund and she just kept telling them over and over how beautiful they are. She asked them questions about school and how they were enjoying their visit. She repeated herself several times. Alzheimer's patients can't remember from one minute to the next what they just said, but the entire visit was sweet and charming.

I love all these dear people and am saddened when people talk about how their lives aren't worth living. Of course they are! They invite us to self-sacrifice. They remind us of what we need to be before our God -- dependent and little. They are the ones in the highways and byways that the master sent his servants to gather in for the banquet. And they are also the ones he said to invite to dinner -- those who can't invite us back.

Please, please take your children and grandchildren to nursing homes. Teach them that the sick, the suffering, and the elderly are precious in God's sight. It is a corporal work of mercy, but I can tell you that you will receive more than you can give.

A Happy Ending! And More Headlines....not so happy!

Meriam Ibrahim Arrives at Her New American Home

Head scratcher:

French Cardinal says Pope Wants Iraqis to Remain in Homeland 

But the U.S. Should Welcome the Border Invaders

Can someone please explain this to me? The Iraqis are under death threats from the Muslim majority: convert or die! But they should stay home? Our invaders are coming because so many family members are here illegally and everybody wants all the goodies offered by Uncle Sammy out of "Obama's stash."  (And of course Obama wants a permanent voting block for the Democrats.) 

There's a lot I like about this pope, but sometimes I'm just baffled. 

Oh, and while we're at it, why don't we start bringing in all the refugees with e-bola from Africa. Hey, we have better health care than they do. Just put them on commercial jets and bring 'em on over infecting all the other passengers on the way. 

And then there are the corruption files:

Clinton Corruption Bombshells

Bias and Hatred for Conservatives at the IRS

Remember the Plagues of Egypt?

Spread of Ebola Virus "Catastrophic"

One is tempted to say that some men in red hats are morally challenged!

From an interview in an Argentinian newspaper reported in Rorate Caeli:

If Jesus were alive today, would he be in favor of gay marriage?

I don't know, I formulate no hypothesis on this. Who must answer this is the Church in its entirety. We must take care not to raise issues individually, because this ends up creating more difficulties for us to reach a valid conclusion. I think we must get together, listen to people, those who have an interest, the bishops. It is the Church that must indicate the ways, and there must be a way for all.

The answers to some questions just aren't all that difficult! Somebody needs to talk to the clueless Cardinal Hummes. I wonder what he would say about people putting other things where they don't belong. "If Jesus were alive today would he be in favor of murdering someone with an ice pick up the backside? Perhaps a brain transplant is in order.

Fresh Air Fund: What a Great Program!

I'm not blogging much this week because we are hosting two little girls from New York City through the Fresh Air Fund. What fun! They had never cooked hot dogs and s'mores over a bonfire! They loved it!

We've also been to see the llama lady. Did you ever feed a llama by offering a cracker held in your mouth?

We picked blackberries at a local farm, gathered wildflowers and made arrangements,

 put puzzles together and played games. Every night before lights out we have stories and songs. If you've never heard of the Fresh Air program check it out. Maybe you'd like to join the fun next year. Our two little granddaughters are thrilled to have two new friends to play with.

And two of our grand nieces who are about the same age have enjoyed being part of the excitement as well. I think there may be some pen pals in their future.

We're sure glad to be part of the Fresh Air Fund and hope to continue as long as our health (and energy) holds out! What's more fun than a gaggle of gorgeous little girls having fun together?