When a Vicious Murder Hits Close to Home!

Illegal Alien with More Than 30 Prior Arrests Fatally Stabs Woman at Virginia Bus Stop, ICE Requests Virginia Authorities Not Release This Public Safety Threat

The vicious stabbing of Stephanie Minter who was found dead at a bus stop on February 25th in Hybla Valley shook me. My family lived in Hybla Valley for thirty years less than half a mile from Route 1. We used to walk over to the Seven 11 in Mount Vernon Square. The Arlington Drive bus stop was only a few miles south. 

I didn't take the bus often, but occasionally rode to the Huntington metro station by bus because parking there was often scarce. One summer we had a Christendom College student living with us while she interned at the diocesan paper, the Arlington Catholic Herald. She took the bus to work every day!

The Church is Awake Thanks to the SSPX. So What's Next?

"The current situation regarding the episcopal consecrations in the Priestly Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has suddenly awakened the entire Church."  [Source]                                                         Bishop Athanasius Schneider

Being awake is a good thing as St. Peter reminds us:  

"Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour." [1 Peter 5:8]

In the Old Testament God told Gideon to dismiss any soldiers who knelt and drank directly from the stream. Those who stayed alert, awake so to speak to any advancing enemy by using their hands to bring water to their mouths, became the conquering army. [Judges 7] 

Revelation has a particularly apt point:

"Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God." [Revelation 3:2]

Iran is claiming the elementary school was hit by U.S. Missiles. Where's the Proof?

Iran is claiming that an elementary school in the southern part of the country was blown up by combined Israeli/US forces. The fact that the school was hit by a missile seems to be confirmed [Source], but whose missiles did it? It's prudent to be slow to jump to conclusions when the info is coming from a regime that's killed 30,000 of its own people and has a history of lying propaganda! 

Sunday Meditation: Is the SSPX Today's Ark?

You've probably noticed that the world is in a mess! Francis didn't need to call on Catholics to "make a mess;" the mess already existed. Can anyone deny that the secular world rivals Noah's time? Do the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah come close to the diabolical condition of the modern era? Have you read any of the Epstein files? (I don't recommend it; just know that the evil is so satanic it boggles the mind. I had to stop looking at it and pray the St. Michael prayer.)

You're Not Above the Law, Don Lemon! Read the Indictment against the Church Invaders

The Left's invasion at Cities Church in St. Paul on Sunday, January 18th was an act of terrorism. There have been numerous murderous church attacks in the past two years. In 2024 there were over 400 attacks, some resulting in physical death and injury. In 2025 there were nine, one foiled by church security. 

Sometimes You Just Need to Take a Break!

I need a break from thinking about the controversy over the SSPX consecrations and the crisis in the Church. Even members of the Church Militant need R&R occasionally which is what retreats and days of reflection are all about as well. But hobbies and interests also offer opportunities to put down the stress occasionally and give our minds and hearts a rest.

It's Time for COVID Accountability. Join Me in Signing the COVID JUSTICE RESOLUTION

A number of organizations including Autism Action Network, Children’s Health Defense, Health Freedom Defense Fund, Stand For Health Freedom, and The Brownstone Institute have joined in forming a resolution to Congress to prevent the repeat of the COVID disaster ever again. Remember the draconian measures inflicted with brutality on our people. While my home was never raided, I defied the orders by organizing twice a month rosary lunches where a group of women gathered to socialize and then beg God for help through the intercession of the Blessed Mother. No one ever got sick because of these events. They were a lifeline for us.

"The Heresy of Modernism Turns Minds into Oatmeal." Padre Peregrino Explains it all for You.

It's a sad reality today that many in both secular and religious society are "weaponizing language." We see it in the Democrats who call anyone supporting particular policies of Donald Trump Nazis, homophobes, misogynists, gestapo, etc., etc. But in the Church this weaponized language is used primarily against only one group -- those who support Sacred Tradition and embrace the Traditional Latin Mass and the traditional sacraments and rites of Holy Mother Church. We are rigid, schismatic, insane, trapped in the past, etc. You know the drill. And while the pope will meet with material heretics, pagans, pro-aborts, clowns, etc., those who defend Sacred Tradition are treated like lepers. Give us bells to ring to warn all the contracepting, aborting Catholics they need to run for the hills to prevent contamination.

But here's the secret. All these charges are bogus.

John Henry Westen Challenges Cardinal Sarah on the SSPX Consecrations.

I was seriously disappointed by Cardinal Sarah's article criticizing the SSPX plan to consecrate bishops in July. The cardinal has been a beautiful voice of truth. His book, The Power of Silence, was a wonderful companion to me on one of my five-day, silent, Ignatian retreats. My great respect for Cardinal Sarah magnified my grief over his article. I simply had to shake my head as I read it, because so many points conflict with the reality of Rome's actions. You can read the complete letter, translated from the French, here. I will quote some excerpts that troubled me.

In the first and second paragraph we read this:

Need a Good Read for Lent? Credo Will Build Your Faith!

I decided to read Credo: Compendium of the Catholic Faith by Bishop Athanasius Schneider for Lent. If you want to love God, you first have to know Him. And what better way to know Him than to study the faith using a solid Catholic catechism. 

Unfortunately, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, like so many things coming in these modernist-infected times, has been corrupted.  Studying a catechism like the Catechism of the Council of Trent or the Baltimore Catechism or, in fact, Credo is more likely to build up the faith without introducing novelties that twist the truth.

Traditionally most Catholic catechisms begin with the creed. I'm on Chapter 16 "I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints." With all the chaos in the Church at present, this chapter offers clear teaching on the nature of the Church, the papacy, and our obligations as Catholics. I'll quote several questions: 

Bishop Schneider Warned Pope Leo about Five "Wounds" in the Church that Need Healing.

Pope Francis often described the Church as a "field hospital" for sick people. Thinking along those lines, I see Bishop Athanasius Schneider as a doctor who correctly diagnoses the plague invading the Church when so many "doctors" claim the patient is healthy. He brought up five wounds in his December 18th meeting with Pope Leo and described what he sees as the prescription for healing. One of those wounds dealt with the Traditional Latin Mass and the situation with the SSPX.

Archbishop Vigano: “''pastoralism' of synodal officials is a hypocritical rhetorical pretense."

Archbishop Vigano responded to the SSPX letter to Cardinal Fernandez outing him for hypocrisy. Really! 

Hypocrisy at the Vatican? Can you believe it? Or has that become the default position of many of our spiritual fathers? I personally wonder how many of the magisterium actually believe what the Church has taught for millennia. If they do, how can they abandon it so completely that they are ready to canonize a man I can only describe as a sexual predator, Bishop Alejandro Lbaka. What else can one call a priest who cavorted nude with young men and let them touch his genitals and bring about arousal? Is he going to be the patron of all the clergy sex predators who brought such scandal on the Church? Will his canonization be used to justify nudity and sexual play as natural?

Good for Michael Matt, Chris Jackson, and Others: The "Best revenge" of the SSPX!

Today my focus is on the recent meeting between Fr. Davide Pagliarani and Cardinal Victor Fernandez, head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), about the upcoming SSPX consecration of new bishops scheduled for July 1st. Many of us recognize the ploy for what it is, a last ditch effort to gain control over the Society. They (the modernists at the Vatican) want to control the Society because the SSPX is the main roadblock to what they want, complete annihilation of Sacred Tradition: not only the Traditional Latin Mass, but all the sacraments, the rites (e.g., exorcism), etc. All that reeks of that old fashioned Church. must be purged to make way for the new, ever-evolving Church. Watch the movie, The Catholics, with Martin Sheen to see the end game. The book and film were truly prophetic.

If You Really Want a Holy Lent, Walk it with Mary!

On the first and third Sunday's of the month we have catechism after Mass. It's short, only about twenty minutes, but what a grace! There is always a message that touches the heart and brings clarity to the "fog of the moment"* in which we live. 

Several Sundays ago Fr. Albert, a retired Dominican in residence at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, delivered the teaching and focused on discouragement and Mary's role in protecting us based on the teachings of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Knight of the Immaculata.

Lent is about identifying our disorders and choosing penances that attack them.

This guide will help us make really valuable choices during Lent that bring us closer to Christ by the time we reach Easter. I've listened to several times and it's already helped me identify a disordered thing in my life that needs attention. Father discusses penance, mortification, and making concrete resolutions "to clean things up in the future." Those are the luggage we need to take on our Lenten journey.

"What we're after during Lent is to remove obstacles to God's grace -- to remove those obstacles from our souls and our lives."

Want the journey to Easter to be fruitful? This is a good starting point? May God pour out His grace on us that we may reach our goal and be able to say, "That was a really fruitful Lent. Thank you, Lord. Help me continue to grow closer to You during the Easter season of celebration." 

And People are Saying the SSPX is in Schism? Get Real!

Thanks to Fr. Z for posting this.

Anything and everything is allowed except for the TLM pic.twitter.com/2B7OulGgj5

— T C (@TC_HELLCAT) February 16, 2026

Be Careful Who You Trust! Not Everyone in a Roman Collar Is Reliable!

I recently read several articles on substack defending the Novus Ordo by Msgr. Arthur Holquin, a retired priest of the Diocese of Orange in California. I don't subscribe to his account and won't. Once I realize someone isn't trustworthy, I shake the dust off my feet and move on. I left one comment and that's it. Someone else can argue with him. He writes a dissertation responding to anyone who disagrees with him and mentions over and over how educated he is. 

Need a friend for the year? There's a whole heaven full from which to choose!

I recently read that a Catholic tradition for Valentine's Day is to choose a saint for the year to be your special friend. What a great idea! I've been pondering the question. So many saints deserve a better acquaintance. Who would bring me to a closer walk with Jesus this year if I beg their intercession every day? Padre Pio? St. Gemma? St. Alphonsus Liguori? St. Philomena? St. Joseph? St. Francis de Sales? St. Jacinta? What a wealth of friendship there is in the Communion of Saints.

Those who embrace Sacred Tradition are uniting behind the truth: The SSPX is NOT in Schism!

STATE of EMERGENCY: Is the Society of St. Pius X In Schism?

Michael Matt's video is a must see. He presents the situation very well. 

"The faith must survive in someone!...The thing that unites us is the Catholic faith itself.....God has given us, even in the midst of this darkness, He has given us oases of light....God has not left us orphans. He has not abandoned us, Yes the shepherd has been struck with the sheep. Maybe we don't need to scatter as much as we thought. Because God has provided us faithful shepherds....So what do we do? We support them.

Where is Your "Third Space?"

I'm sure many of my regular readers know I like the Epoch Times. I almost never read an issue without clipping an article to send to someone. Today it was this:

 Reclaiming the Third Space

The Games Have Begun! How Long Can the Vatican Stall the Consecrations with their Fake Dialogue?

BREAKING: Cdl. Fernandez urges SSPX to drop plan to consecrate bishops

OR ELSE!

Cognitive Dissonance Is Engulfing our Beloved Church

We are becoming the Church of cognitive dissonance. Let's begin by defining that psychological term:

Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that occurs when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes, or when their behavior conflicts with their beliefs. This discomfort motivates people to change their beliefs, justify their actions, or avoid new information to reduce the inconsistency.

Think about that. What happens when the actions of our pope and bishops show diametrically opposed philosophies. How do you reconcile two mutually exclusive propositions? You can't! Jesus called Himself "The way, the truth and the life."  Embracing truth means one has to choose. Which of two things is true, or are both untrue and is the truth elsewhere altogether.

St. Cyril of Alexandria Reminds Me of Archbishop Lefebvre

Today is the feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and Doctor of the Church from the 5th 
century. As I read the entry in Butler's Lives of the Saints this morning I came across this statement which immediately put me in mind of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre:

Throughout his life, he made a rule never to advance any doctrine which he had not learnt from the ancient fathers. 

Would that those bishops who love introducing novelties and errors adulterating the faith were followers of St. Cyril. And what did Archbishop Lefebvre say? Unlike our dissenting and scandalous bishops, the archbishop wanted to pass on faithfully what he had been given. I think he and St. Cyril have much in common, both Catholic in the fullest sense, both lovers and defenders of the Blessed Virgin Mary and enemies of heresy. Archbishop Lefebvre was never looking for a fight. He simply wanted to pass on the faith as he had received it, protecting Sacred Tradition:

Thank God for Bishop Strickland and His Defense of the SSPX!

Bishop Strickland: The Church is facing a ‘real emergency’

Every Texan knows this story:

Long before we knew about politics, before we knew the arguments, before we knew how to quibble over details, we were taught something in school that shaped our bones. At the Alamo, there came a moment when there were no more letters to send, no reinforcements coming, no negotiations left to try. The enemy was at the gates. Surrender had been demanded. And everyone knew what surrender would mean.

Repairing the Ruins; the Challenge of Life!

When I visited Ireland about 35 years ago, I remember seeing ruin after ruin. Ruined round towers, ruins of ancient monasteries, castles, and abbeys. Everywhere there were reminders of ancient Ireland and her long connection to the Catholic faith. Those ruins are a metaphor, I think, for what's happening in that poor country today. The faith is in ruins for many Catholics whose relationship with the Church is fractured and broken.

Sunday Meditation a Day Early: When God Sends you three feet of snow.....

We all know the saying, "When life gives you lemons make lemonade." Well...two students at Notre Dame decided that three feet of snow from the heavens was an invitation. They accepted and created something beautiful for God, an ice chapel. 

So...Shall We Talk About Schism and the SSPX?

With the announcement of the SSPX plans to ordain new bishops this summer, we return to the question of schism. That question has to begin with whether Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop de Castro Mayer, and the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre without pontifical mandate in 1988 actually committed a schismatic act. If they did, they were excommunicated automatically (Latae sententiae). If they did not, they committed an act of disobedience not an act of schism. There's a world of difference.

Who cares about What's Her Name?

Everyone in the United States at this point probably recognizes and knows these names:

George Floyd - career criminal involved in numerous violent actions

Michael Brown, the "gentle giant" who was an upstanding citizen except when he was robbing convenience stores and attacking cops

Renee Good - just your average lesbian mom minding her own business

Alex Pretti - kind, caring nurse who loved everyone except when he was spitting on ICE and breaking the tail light on their van.

Is Your Novus Ordo Mass the One Described by Bishop Schneider? I'm Betting Not!

I don't go to daily Mass these days. One of the things that impacted my decision was a description of a wedding a priest friend attended at a very conservative Lutheran parish. The groom, a widower and a Catholic was marrying a Lutheran woman whose branch of Lutheranism is the most conservative, even more than the Missouri Synod Lutherans. She wanted to be married in her church by her minister. They got permission from the bishop so all was in order.

Another Confusing Head Scratcher: Pope Leo Tells Material Heretics "We are One! We Already are!"

If anyone wondered whether Pope Leo XIV is Francis II, he only had to listen to the pope's address to the band of material heretics joining him for the week of Christian unity. Don't get me wrong. I love my Protestant friends, but I would never (and neither would they) agree that we are "already one". But that's what the pope said:

Septuagesima Sunday Means the Final Goodbye to Christmas and Turns Our Faces To Lent

Yesterday was Septuagesima Sunday when we fully turn our faces from the celebration of Christmas to the Suffering of Lent. Over the weekend I finally took down the creche and the Christmas tree -- reluctantly. With all the frigid weather, the lights spread a cheery glow in our dining room at every meal spreading warmth, if not to the body to the soul. 

When I use the term liberalism and liberal, this is what I mean.

Since I often discuss liberalism which undergirds the nature of liberals, I think it might be helpful to define terms and explain exactly what liberalism is. Socrates often began his dialogues by defining terms. How can people have an intelligent discussion if they aren't using words in the same way? They can end up arguing with Humpty Dumpty who says, "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean- neither more nor less." Unfortunately, many liberals follow Humpty Dumpty's rules of engagement which is a ticket to the Tower of Babel. To use a silly example, suppose an alien landed in Washington, D.C. and someone told him that the first Catholic president, JFK, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Imagine the confusion going forward. But that's often true when people use language in contrary ways. 

Are Liberals Ever Held Accountable? Judge Lets Don Go with No Bond, No Restrictions, No Problem!

Don Lemon Walks Free

The fix is in. Don will get the same treatment that all liberals get: the freedom to lie, cheat, steal, and commit crimes without ever paying a price or being held accountable. His own videos show that he was a co-conspirator with those who invaded the church in St. Paul. He wasn't acting as a journalist; he was aiding and abetting. 

Murder is a Human Right, Dontcha Know?

I don't understand why liberals are going ballistic over the shooting of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. They weren't a bit upset about the murder of Ashli Babbitt by Capitol police officer Michael Byrd. He was awarded for killing an unarmed woman who was no threat to him. Killing a Trump supporter was a patriotic act I guess.

Rand Paul Calls for an Investigation into the Shooting of Alex Pretti

Sen. Rand Paul on Alex Pretti shooting in Minneapolis: "I don't think it's honest to say he brandished a weapon. I don't think it's honest to say he assaulted officers."

pic.twitter.com/4TPJZP908D

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 28, 2026

The shooting of Alex Pretti looks like an unjustified act by the ICE agents. As a pro-life rescuer, I've been involved in civil disobedience attempting to save babies from abortion and their moms from a lifetime of regret. I was arrested about a dozen times and spent time in jail in Alexandria and Arlington, VA and in Buffalo, NY. On several occasions during the rescues, the police acted in anger. Once when I was sitting on the ground I was picked up by two officers and thrown onto several other rescuers who were hurt. At that same event the police were on horseback and they pressed the crowd who were standing against the building to the point that the crush of bodies caused the window to break. Fortunately, none of the rescues I was involved in resulted in serious police brutality. Unfortunately that wasn't the case in other places. 

Will Spanberger Make Virginia the Next Minnesota?

Michael Hichborn at the Lepanto Institute, posted this picture of Spanberger as the White Witch of Narnia who made it always winter but never Christmas. It's certainly an accurate portrayal for our poor Commonwealth under this heartless woman.

Spanberger gave the state numerous poisoned apples after she was sworn in. One of the worst was making Virginia a sanctuary state for illegal aliens and reversing the state mandate to cooperate and work with ICE. Will Richmond or Norfolk or Charlottesville be the next cities to erupt in violence? I pray not, but under this evil Democrat administration I fear the worst. I will be praying for Spanberger by name every day during her tenure. May God convert her from the White Witch and Lady Macbeth to the model of holy motherhood, the blessed Mother. Our Lady of Victory, Queen of Heaven and Earth, intercede for the conversion of Abigail Spanberger and all those women who champion the murder of babies in the womb.

Thought for the Day: How Do I Choose to Behave? How Do I Use my Free Will?

I've been re-reading People of the Lie by Scott Peck. I don't agree with everything he writes, but as I neared the end of the book in the last chapter but one, I came across this absolutely true statement about free will:

Each of us is ultimately free to choose how we are going to behave. We are even free to reject what we have been taught and what is normal for our society.We may even reject the few instincts we have, as do those who rationally choose celibacy or submit themselves to death by martyrdom. Free will is the ultimate human reality. 

What's Wrong with the World? Modernism! Give your priest this oath and ask if he would take it.

Today is the feast of St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, a protege of St. John the apostle and a martyr. What a model for us as modern heretics try to influence us to give a pinch of incense to Caesar. We need to follow in the footsteps of all the martyrs who refused to water down the faith in order to save their lives.

In fact, it would be good for every serious Catholic to take the oath against modernism and follow in the footsteps of the saints. As members of the Church Militant, we can only be effective if we fully embrace the faith and step out well armed on the battlefield, with love, charity, the Eucharist, and the rosary as our weapons. What does the oath affirm? I summarize it in the bold introduction to each section.

ICE is Removing Violent Criminals from Our Streets! Do Liberals Care about the 300,000 Missing Children?

Have you ever noticed that liberals have no sense of humor? They label ICE agents "masked thugs" and justify using violent force to interfere with their operations. They scream and yell at all their protests. They have no problem with invading churches or harassing and doxing anyone who disagrees with them. But take care! You better not ridicule the anarchists by laughing about their event being called "Operation Pull Up" as in diapers for toddlers.

An Open Letter to Governor Abigail Spanberger

OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR ABIGAIL SPANBERGER

Dear Governor Spanberger,

Congratulations on winning the election making you our state's governor for the next four years. What a privilege that is, but even more a grave responsibility.  You are the chief authority now in Virginia, and have a moral duty to exercise that authority well. 

All authority comes from God and those He allows to govern are subject to Him. You have been given your authority to bless the people of our state and to advance the common good. What a tremendous opportunity if you choose to advance good rather than evil. If you fail to do that, your time in office will not be a blessing for us. Even less will it be a blessing for you. 

Prepare for the Chastisement, Virginia. The Tyrants Reign!

Virginia elected the most evil slate in our history last November. Abigail Spanberger represents the farthest of the far left favoring abortion up to birth, enabling transgender "girls" the opportunity to rape and injure our daughters and granddaughters by allowing them in girls' bathrooms and locker rooms and to compete against them in sports, etc. You name a liberal cause, no matter how evil, and Spanberger supports it. Her Lieutenant governor is just as bad and Jay Jones, the Attorney General fantasizes about murdering his opponent and celebrating the death of his children. What a trio! And what does their election say about Virginia voters? Read the Old Testament about the infidelity of the Israelites and the condemnation of Yahweh. It's not a pretty picture.

The Screaming Toddler Tyrants are Pulling Up their Pampers!

The anti-ice events truly deserve the word "insurrection." The liberal maniacs are breaking laws with impunity. They dox ice agents, send them death threats, destroy property. They even attack people for driving cars that are the same model as ice vehicles. And now...  church invasions. Hey, it's freedom of speech for them. No freedom of assembly for you!

The Tragedy of Atheism: To Never Know the Love of God!

The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God, They are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways: there is none that doth good, no not one. [Psalm 14:1]

Why I'm thinking about atheism this morning is a puzzle. I don't know anyone who proclaims belief in atheism, although I met a pro-life atheist when I was in prison during the 1992 Spring of Life in Buffalo. They held us for 24 days so the 100+ women got to know each other pretty well. I wonder if she's still an atheist almost 25 years later. I think I'll pray for her today and for all atheists. They don't really believe in no god. Their god's name is Chance or Evolution or Accident. They look at the complexity of the universe and reduce its order to the throw of the dice. Calling it foolish seems to me to be an understatement.

The Chickens Were Nervous This Morning!

The week has started off on an anxious note. The chickens were nervous this morning. A hawk lurking in the yard landed on the pool umbrella stand about 100 feet from the coop and stayed there for some time. No doubt he's hungry and thought breakfast chicken would be a good start to the day. Larry was opening up the coop when he saw him. 

We don't let the chicks out to free range until late afternoon because of predators. They roam the screened chicken yard during the day. Apparently their nerves upset them enough this morning that they ignored the treat Larry brought and hunkered down under the coop. 

The last time they were in the yard and a hawk came, I was looking out the window and immediately went out and chased him away. That day the chickens hid in the bushes not willing to risk being out in the open. I had a hard time coaxing them out and back into the coop even as Twilight descended. Fear of the hawk is the beginning of wisdom for a chicken.

Sunday Meditation: Whom Can You Trust? Start with the Holy Spirit!

The first gift of the Holy Spirit it wisdom. We all need it and the six others that accompany it: understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. It's prudent to begin every venture with a prayer to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance. And I offer this post today in that spirit -- seeking truth and praying for wisdom.

I shared this article by therapist Joshua Coleman today on my substack page. 

What Happens When Childhood Becomes the Explanation for Everything?

Coleman raises some questions that I think need to be asked about psychotherapy and its direction. I'm not saying there is no use for psychotherapy. A good holy practitioner can certainly be a help and support. I respected Dr. Ed Sheridan who died in 2022 who was a Catholic and daily communicant. Our pro-life community met with him on several occasions to discuss our approach to counseling moms in crisis. He was a wise and kind man. He was also a blessing to my own family during a challenging family crisis. 

When the Road Less Traveled Leads to the Abyss

I wrote the other day about re-reading People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck. I'm over halfway through the book now and I have to kind of shake my head to clear it. When I read it some 40 years ago I was still a bit naive and enthralled by men in white lab coats, although my pro-life activism had already dispelled the childish notion that all doctors were Albert Schweitzer.

Today, I'm reading the book with a more critical eye and, while I still find it useful, interesting, and thought-provoking; I'm much more aware of the flaws and my serious disagreements with Peck's philosophy and opinions. So here goes with a few:

• Peck was obviously Freudian in his approach to psychotherapy. Like Freud, most of his client examples go back to childhood assuming that almost all psychological problems are the result of parental abuse, neglect, and, as this book makes the case, actual parental evil. Freud believed that anything wrong with a person was the fault of upbringing, particularly problems with the mother. Many of Peck's cases exemplify this Freudian theory. Mom is a villain, in one case a spider. In several cases both parents are villains and I don't disagree, especially the case of the parents who gave their son a rifle for Christmas that his brother used to kill himself. That appears diabolical!

The Stripping Begins: From Christmas to Ordinary Time and Looking Forward to Lent

I always decorate the house for Christmas over weeks, not days. The stripping as the season nears the end also takes time. My first action this week was to gather up all the displayed Christmas cards, put a few of my favorites in a card album, and add the rest to my craft bin.

 Today I'm returning the dining room table to ordinary time. I love my Christmas placemats, but the twelve days they depict ended with Epiphany, so they are washed off and ready to go back in the Christmas drawer until next year. The fancy Christmas balls never go on the tree because of all the pins that tend to fall out. They add to the beauty of the table, but it's time to collect all the pins and bangles they've dropped, put them back on, and gently wrap and return them to their home in the tin until next year. The rich looking table cloth will come off next. I made it from a bolt of material a friend gave me after she had a chair reupholstered. I will spot clean it unless it needs a trip to the dry cleaners. And then the plain wood of the table will once again be relatively bare. All of this takes on a metaphorical meaning for me. The return to relative bareness reminds me that we should strip and bare our souls every time we enter the confessional.

Looking in the Window of the Church

If I weren't born a Catholic who learned the faith from the cradle thanks to my Catholic parents, I wonder what would have happened to me. Would I have come to the faith or would I still be wandering in the wilderness? I have many convert friends and each has a different story about what attracted them and led to their entry into the fullness of the faith. Many belonged to Christian denominations. Some left the Church and reverted later. What would my story be? If I were not born in the faith, raised in the faith, learned the faith in Catholic schools, married in the faith, raised our children in the faith...would I be a Catholic today? 

Imagining myself as an outsider looking in the window, I think what would have led to my conversion would be the sacrament of Confession. Of course, Jesus and the Eucharist are at the center, but think of the power of forgiveness. 

The Nature of Evil: A Social Disease or the Result of Original Sin?

Yesterday at coffee after Mass I was talking to someone about a difficult situation and asked if she was familiar with the book, People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck published in 1983. I read it years ago and decided to reread it which I've started. The first chapter, about a man who made a pact with the devil, got me thinking about the nature of evil. Christians have no difficulty recognizing the source of evil. While the secular world often wants to reduce it to environmental issues, bad parenting, trauma, psychological factors, etc. Christians go back to the source in the Garden of Evil when Adam and Eve freely chose to rebel against God and say "Yes!" to the devil. 

Have You Been Erased? Do You Erase Others?

I came across an article on substack by a divorced dad who described himself as "being erased" by his spouse. Actually, several divorced men I know have experienced that situation with their children turned against them by their bitter ex wives. Of course, I'm getting a one-sided picture of the situation, but, knowing these men, it's hard to believe they deserved the total annihilation of their role as dads. 

The Cardinals Blew Out the TLM Hope Candle!

The cardinals took discussion of the liturgy off the table as soon as the consistory opened. One of the most important issues facing the Church got deep-sixed in favor of, can you guess, SYNODALITY. AGAIN! AD INFINITEM AD NAUSEUM.

How many times, how many meetings, how many plane trips, how much money, how many cardinals dancing on the head of a pin does it take before we can send that dead synodal horse to the glue factory? And why am I not surprised that, like the Phoenix, it's risen again? 

The Invitation: A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

A reader in the UK who requires 24-hour care sent me this delightful little picture drawn by one of her care givers. Catherine shared with me that she has a condition that makes it very painful to look up, so she gets the constant view of people's feet. Imagine not being able to look up at the sky, not to see the sunrise or sunset or a rainbow. What a gift a colorful garden would be to someone forced always to look at the ground. 

Most of us complain about the most trivial things. But suppose Christ invited us to share in Catherine's condition or the sufferings of St. Margaret of Costello, the little blind, humpbacked beggar abandoned by her highborn parents who kept her hidden away for years before they threw her away.

I often imagine myself at the foot of the cross with my arms wrapped around it to anchor me. Then I kiss the feet of Jesus and beg for His help. What is Christ's invitation to us this morning on eighth day of this new year? Come, Lord Jesus.

As the Consistory Begins, Let Us Pray!

Things aren't looking good these days for the poor, battered bride of Christ. But history shows how often praying the rosary defeats the enemies of Christ and changes the course of history. So let us never grow weary in praying for our shepherds no matter how often they betray us!

About the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals

Feast of the Epiphany in the Traditional Calendar! Wise Men Still Seek Him.

Sometimes Truth Comes to Us Via Poetry, Art, and Music

I love this painting by Luc-Olivier Merson, (1879). If I ever get to Boston I'll make a point of going to see it at the Museum of Fine Arts. Great art inspires not only the mind but the heart, revealing important truths. Sometimes truth doesn't come through argument or profound reasoning, but through poetry, art, and music.

Sunday Meditation: Make the Rosary Your Go To Devotion to Grow in Holiness

After the Mass, there is no greater devotion than the holy rosary. If you aren't praying it every day, you are depriving yourself of one of the greatest aids to lead us to heaven.

Where's Your House? What Land Do You Live In?

Did you ever dream about being in a house? In many cases dreaming about houses relates to a person's identity. Think about the expression, "That really hits me where I live." What does that mean? Doesn't it indicate those things that are most important to you, in fact, those things at the very center of your being, where you live? Knowing ourselves is foundational to the spiritual life. Self-delusion is no virtue and, in order to know ourselves, we need to see ourselves in relation to God and His will for us. If you want to know yourself, get to know God!

Was the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima a Warning for the End Times?

On October 13, 1917, Our Lady made her final visit to the Cova de Iria in Fatima, Portugal. She produced the promised miracle. Not only did the sun dance, but it appeared to plunge toward the earth. Many of the terrified witnesses dropped to their knees and began to confess their sins and make a fervent act of contrition. The sun did not hit the earth that day, it returned to its place in the sky. But was that solar event a warning that a future chastisement would come through the activity of the sun?

"Fire is not put out by fire!" New year's wisdom from two great saints.

Happy New Year! Welcome to the start of another journey on the road to heaven. Want a good start? Use a good roadmap and find wise guides. You can't go wrong with St. Francis de Sales and St. Alphonsus Ligouri. I love them both!