Pope or Politician? Looking at West Virginia.

Poor Wheeling-Charleston, a diocese that covers the entire state of West Virginia! What has Pope Leo done to you, conservative state that cooperates with ICE? He's named a bishop committed to the illegal invasion as your spiritual father. In fact, the bishop is himself an illegal invader who's never apologized for or repented of his own criminal entry into the country. Let's face it, most of those who enter illegally claim a right to be here and a right to help themselves to the wallets of citizens. Hospitals closing and schools overwhelmed? Citizens victimized by criminals? No problemo for the leftist thugs.

Termites in the Church...

During my middle school years, my parents rented a lovely home on Juniper Lane in Falls  Church, Virginia. The street got its name from an enormous Juniper tree that occupied a plot along the road. I think it was in the center and the road went around it on both sides, but that memory may not be accurate. At any rate, it was an impressive sight! Much more than the picture above.

Building the Faith in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

Our SSPX community in Linden, VA recently started a website that is now online. I invite and encourage you to visit virtually and then join us for Sunday Mass if you live in the area or are visiting. If you've never been to a Traditional Latin Mass it will no doubt seem a little uncomfortable at first. What's going on? Why is the priest doing that? Where am I in the book?

The Argument for the SSPX from Supplied Jurisdiction

If the Society and priests who minister to me are about to be declared schismatic and excommunicated, I want to know the rationale and justification for their consecrating bishops without a papal mandate. Canon law 1387 from the 1983 revised code of 1917 says this about those consecrations:

Can. 1387 Both the Bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates a person a Bishop, and the one who receives the consecration from him, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See. [For anyone who wants to read the law, the entire 1983 code is online here.]

The "Gospel" of Fairy Tales

My husband and I went to the opera last Sunday -- not a complicated opera, but a simple opera. We saw Hansel and Gretel in the English version at Shenandoah Conservatory. What a delight! And, as I watched, I thought how right G.K. Chesterton was in his essay on Fairyland where he describes the mistaken notion of poets to think the fairies operate with a freedom that is really license to do exactly as they please. Chesterton vehemently disagrees:

I think the poets have made a mistake: because the world of the fairy-tales is a brighter and more varied world than ours, they have fancied it less moral; really it is brighter and more varied because it is more moral.

Good News for Virginia -- Injunction on Redistricting Stays

The fight isn't over, but a temporary win in the state supreme court prevents certification of the vote. I hope there are serious investigations into cheating because no doubt that went on big time. But for now, Spanberger and her allies are stymied. Let us pray for a permanent defeat of these liars and cheats! Even the wording on the ballot was a lie! Fraud anyone?

Virginia Supreme Court declines to overturn injunction to temporarily halt certification of redistricting vote

The Schism is Coming! The Schism is Coming!

I hate what my first thought was when I read Vatican journalist Diane Montagna's article about the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and their plans to excommunicate the SSPX bishops if the consecrations go forward on July 1st. There is talk that the entire Society will be excommunicated, every single member, which includes all the clergy and I presume the seminarians, brothers, and nuns. 

The laity are not members of the Society so if rumors turn out to be true, I presume we will be told we cannot fulfill our Sunday obligation by going to Mass at SSPX chapels and that they do not have the authority to forgive sins so sacramental confessions will be invalid. And, of course, so will the sacrament of Confirmation and Matrimony. Whew! The sword of Damocles will be over our heads wielded by Cardinal Fernandez of kissing and porno book fame. Really, it boggles the mind. So while Pope Leo embraces and dialogues with Patriarch Bartholomew of the schismatic Easter Orthodox Church, he refuses to meet with the SSPX.

What a father, eh?

Monday Morning in the Bee Yard

Want a daily adventure with sweet rewards? Become a beekeeper. My husband and I have had an apiary at Camp Kreitzer for about fifteen years. We've gone up and down from one season to the next with our current seven hives the most ever. At least four are queen right. The others are hopefully raising queens following our splits a month ago.We plan to give away one hive this season, perhaps two, to a family that wants to become beekeepers.

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. 

We Captured a Swarm! Wouldn't it Be Wonderful If We Could Capture Souls Like That?

I love being a beekeeper and I love all the saints who appreciate the bees and use them in their teaching. St. Francis de Sales mentions bees often in his sermons. Many other saints did too, e.g., Thomas Aquinas. 

I thought of that today when I went out to check our swarm trap and saw that we had, indeed, captured a swarm. It's been up about a month since I set it up and we didn't think it was going to be successful. Surprise! Today, after I got back from visiting my sister in Maryland, I went out to check, and the opening was covered with bees. To make the trap I used a bucket and put honey wax and some lemon oil in it and a little propolis. My husband cut a hole in the side for the entrance.  Yippee! We captured a swarm. 

What next? We put a frame of brood, some honey, and some pollen in a hive box and turned the swarm trap bucket upside down over the top entry after covering the entry hole. The bees have no place to go except into the hive box. Now we wait until evening and hopefully all the girls will have gone down and set up their new home. We'll leave them alone for a week or so and then see if the queen is laying.

The Shroud of Turin and the Face of Jesus

When I saw this image of Christ the King, I fell in love with it. One of the main reasons is because it looks so much like the face of Jesus reconstructed from the Shroud of Turin. All of the hoopla from unbelievers trying to say the shroud was a medieval fake has fallen by the wayside. The carbon dating that supposedly proved it wasn't old enough to be authentic was taken from a sample corrupted by the fire of 1532. No one has ever been able to recreate an image like that of Christ on the shroud by artificial means. Certainly, the technology to try to fake it was not available to the ancients. 

Thought for the Day: We All Need Beauty, and Don't Need to go Far to Find It!

 Remember Dorothy at the end of the Wizard of Oz: 

We don't need to go far from home to find incredible beauty with ample reason to praise God. If you can't find God in your home, your yard, and your neighborhood, you probably won't find Him anywhere.

Sunday Meditation: How Can We Be Happy in Heaven if Our Loved Ones Aren't There?

Funerals turn the minds of the faithful to the four last things: death, judgment, heaven or hell. That's not too surprising when you think about it. Even those who have little or no relationship with God must think about "What's next!" when they attend a funeral. "Is this really all there is?... Where is my loved one, friend, acquaintance, colleague now?...What will happen to me after I die?" 

Question for the Day: What is Our First Duty?

 "I must be holy because my Jesus wants it."    

                                    St. Bernadette Soubirous

The Church often reminds us of our obligations according to our state in life. A priest's or nun's duty is not the same as a husband or a wife, a mother or a father, a student, an employer, or employee. But one duty in which we all share is to be holy "because my Jesus wants it."

How do we do that? It's not very complicated, but it's anything but easy. Mary showed us how in her "fiat." When she responded to the angel, she gave us the answer. "Be it done to me according to your word." The angel was the the messenger of God's will. If we want to be holy we have to do one thing -- embrace the will of God! It's better to embrace His will out of love than out of fear, but Scripture tells us that the "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." A child may behave out of fear of Daddy's anger, but it's better to behave out of love and respect. And as we mature in our faith, that hopefully becomes our default position.

Death has a way of focusing the mind.

My husband and I have experienced two deaths in the past eight months, an older sibling in each family. Reflecting on death and the power of prayer makes me so grateful for the Catholic Church family. Whenever I ask for prayers, dozens of you respond immediately offering Masses and rosaries and who knows what other acts of charity for the requested needs? I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

What Do You Think? Is the Divine Mercy Devotion Legit?

I've always felt a little queasy about the Divine Mercy Devotion. Personally, I don't pray it. Instead I pray the Sacred Heart novena which Padre Pio prayed every day. There are thousands of devotions in the Church. No one Catholic could pray them all. God gave us this abundance because we are like a huge flower garden. What nourishes one flower could kill another. The rosary is certainly a devotion for all that is like putting the best fertilizer on every flower in the garden. Most devotions aren't like that. 

What We Can Learn from the Bees.

Bees have been the subject of countless meditations from the saints over the generations. They are mentioned so often I believe they must have a special place in God's kingdom. And what a privilege to serve as a beekeeper for these tiny creatures of God. They teach me so much.

Yesterday my husband and I inspected our hives to make sure they all have enough room to expand. This time of year we try to prevent swarming.

 Three hives had so many bees and the boxes were so full of nectar and pollen we added a new box to each one. It made me think of the posts I've seen lately about how many people have come into the Church this year. Praise God for all the newbies (and newbees)! 

Can we stop with the circular firing squad already!

I read a post yesterday that set my teeth on edge. It was from a Catholic who had his assault rifle aimed dead center on traditional Catholics. Well, he wouldn't want to call them "traditional" Catholics because the word Catholic should stand alone -- no adjectives. We're all just plain, old Catholics. 

Halleluia, He is Risen! Have a Blessed Easter.

Let us walk with Jesus like the disciples on the road to Emmaus listening and learning from Him. He has the words of eternal life. 

Of Hope, Sacred Tradition, and the Mass of the Ages Trilogy

 "Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire."  Gustav Mahler

Things that impressed me from this this third film in the Mass of the Ages trilogy:

The pilgrimage by the French mothers (and grandmothers) of priests. They walked 800 miles to beg the pope for the continuation of the Traditional Latin Mass for the sake of their sons. His answer? The crushing and uncharitable Traditionis Custodes.

Resurrecting an old post: Good Friday Gift from Hilaire Belloc and Jacques Tissot

I wrote this in 2019 shortly after the Notre Dame fire. I find this crucifixion one of the most poignant. Mary reaching out to her Son is so like the gesture of a mother reaching for her baby who perhaps has climbed something that puts him in danger. Now her reaching seems to be a gesture of uniting herself to Him on the cross and begging to take His suffering upon herself. Surely the lance that pierced His side pierced her heart.

Death of Jesus by Jacques Tissot (1836-1902)

Our Lord and Our Lady
by Hilaire Belloc

Let Us Go to the Last Supper with Jesus and His apostles.

Have you ever wondered how many people were at the last supper? Was it really only the twelve apostles? Jesus had many disciples. Were none of them included in that sacred night? The painting above, by Jean-Baptiste Jouvenet (18th c.), includes a few extras -- servants? Tintoretto in the late 16th century included even more.

One of the things I love about the Spiritual Exercises is St. Ignatius's advice to include yourself in scriptural scenes. What would it be like to be at the last supper: to see Jesus washing the feet of his apostles, hearing him give the last discourse? Will you go to the Last Supper today in your mind and see Jesus's face as He speaks the words of consecration? Will you see His grief as He points out His betrayer who dips in the dish with Him?

May this day be a source of blessing for all of us as we experience these final moments in the earthly life of Christ. Let us be witnesses who can then proclaim the truth of the life, passion, death, and resurrection of our Blessed Lord.

Lord Jesus, help me to enter into Your passion that it may set me on fire and make me a burning furnace of charity.

Spy Wednesdays from the past

I've written many posts on Spy Wednesday over the years. Here are a few. Today I'll be meditating on the betrayals in my own life. My sins were among those that caused Jesus's bloody sweat. Let me put sorrow for my sins in the cup of consolation the angel brought to Him in the garden. 

 Did Jesus Love Judas?

Why it's called Spy Wednesday

How does the evil one mess with you?

Betrayal

Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord.

I'm a beekeeper so when I saw this quote I had to share it.

"As it is impossible to verbally describe the sweetness of honey to one who has never tasted honey, so the goodness of God cannot be clearly communicated by way of teaching if we ourselves are not able to penetrate into the goodness of the Lord by our own experience."

+ St. Basil the Great

What will the pope say next?

Pope Leo says God doesn't listen to the prayers of those who "wage war." Really? History tells a different story. Pope Urban II and Pope Gregory X both called for crusades to take back the Holy Land from the Muslims. And then there is the significance of the Battle of Lepanto that saved Europe from Islam's advance. Had the West not "waged war" we would likely all be answering the Islamic call to prayer today. Yes, blessed are the peacemakers, but sometimes peace has to be won through war.

A Palm Sunday Poem from The Donkey (And GKC)

Sunday Meditation: Honor or Dishonor? Palm Sunday and Good Friday!

What a week this is from Palm Sunday to Holy Thursday to Good Friday to Easter Sunday. We experience a range of emotions from the incredible honoring of Jesus as Christ the King by the crowds on Palm Sunday, to the Last Supper and the institution of the priesthood on Holy Thursday, to the betrayal by Judas and the evil trial by the Sanhedrin that broke every rule in the book during the passion. It's exhausting even to think about the journey including the Stations of the Cross, the last short, but agonizing, stretch to Golgotha.

The Attraction of Courage!

There is something about the virtue of courage that calls to my heart in a way that many other virtues do not. Why is that I wonder? Is it because our modern world overflows with cowardice, that so few are willing to defend the truth? Fr. John Hardon often urged parents to raise their children to be martyrs. "You do not remain faithful to the Savior without paying for it," he once said. 

Of Clerics in Black and Small, Black Hive Beetles

My husband and I are beekeepers. During the Spring we check the hives regularly to try to prevent swarming and keep pests under control. On our last inspection we noticed a significant small beetle infestation in the hives. These creepy little black bugs eat the honey, lay their larvae in the cells and can become so great a nuisance that the bees give up altogether and abscond abandoning the hive to the invaders. When we see them, we need to take action. I've ordered traps that I'll fill with a solution of apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and soap. Hopefully they will be attracted to the scent. They supposedly like fermented things. The scent attracts them and they fall into the traps and drown. Good-bye beetle problem. At least that's the hope.

The Sad Legacy of the Vatican II Church

I was thinking about going to see my sister for a few days. Frederick, MD is halfway on the two hour journey to her home. We've met in Frederick before and walked the Cross Creek path which is lovely and level. So I was looking at restaurants in the area where we might stop after hiking and before going back to her place.

Meditation on the Feast of the Annunciation by Fr. Gordon MacRae

March 25 

- Written By Fr. Gordon J. MacRae

March 25, Solemnity of the Annunciation

The Gospel of Saint Luke opens with a news flash from the Archangel Gabriel for Zechariah the priest, and Mary — Theotokos — the new Ark of the Covenant. On the 25th day of March, the Church remembers the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary marking a pivotal event in Salvation History. The account is conveyed to us in the first chapter of the Gospel According to Saint Luke, a Gentile physician and a companion of the Apostle Paul. Several of the Fathers of the Early Church attribute the Third Gospel to Saint Luke and affirm his authorship of it. I once wrote of this unique Gospel in “Saint Luke the Evangelist, Dear and Glorious PhysicianThis Gospel reveals many facets of the life and mission of Jesus, but foremost among them is its universal message of Salvation. Luke, despite being a Gentile, anchors his Gospel in the traditions of the earlier Covenant, the Old Testament, portraying Jesus as the Savior and Redeemer of God’s Old Covenant people. He thus presents Jesus in history as one foretold by the Prophets (Isaiah 11:10-12, 49:6, and Ezekiel 39:25-29). Luke thus depicts Jesus as the Royal Messiah in the line and legacy of King David to reunite the scattered tribes of Israel and gather them into one nation. Given that he is the only Gentile Evangelist, that is an amazing feat through which Luke has prepared an artistic and spiritual masterpiece.                             [Read the rest at Beyond These Stone Walls.]

When a Dystopian Novel Is Prophetic!

 

A few years ago I read the dystopian novel, Children of Men, by P.D. James published in 1992. The topical bible describes the phrase, children of men, as:

a biblical phrase that appears in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, often used to denote humanity in general. It emphasizes the human condition, distinguishing mankind from the divine and highlighting the relationship between God and His creation.

Chaos in Virginia: An Understatement!

Virginia under the Democrats is less safe, less prosperous, and less free. It didn't take long for Spanberger and company to undermine the great Commonwealth with their evil agenda. We were already purple because of Northern Virginia, Richmond, Norfolk, and the college towns. We are on the way to seriously unchangeable blue! I know several people moving out of the state since Spanberger took over. I have no doubt that many patriots will flee from the tyrants in Richmond and seek a safer harbor elsewhere just like those fleeing New York. It's funny to see Kathy Hochul begging wealthy former New York residents who fled to Florida and Texas to come back. She wants to keep fleecing them to support Democrats social programs including billions to illegals. 

Are You Praying the Stations of the Cross this Lent?

Every Friday my husband and I join several other members of the chapel for a holy hour for priests. It has become an essential and well-loved part of our week. We pray the rosary and then the stations of the cross. The prayers all focus on supporting our own priests and all the priests of the world in their challenging vocation. How desperately we need our priests. Without them Jesus cannot come to us here and now, really and truly present on our altars and in all the tabernacles of the world. 

Sunday Meditation: Authority and Obedience vs. Truth

Recently, I was absolutely staggered by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re telling Archbishop Vigano that, “We must obey the Pope even if the Pope does not obey the Lord.” 

Really?

Living Lent All Year!

I experienced a grief moment this morning. That's not uncommon during my prayer and meditation time. When you're almost 79 you've had plenty of sorrows over the years: deaths, estrangements, betrayals, unkindness, accusations. They turn into the muck that makes up the slough of despond. Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for me.

The Pope and Pachamama: Idolatry is a Grievous Sin against the First Commandment

 Read more at LifeSiteNews. Fr. Charles Murr speaks with true love and concern for the Church. We would be prudent to listen to him. Pray for Holy Mother Church and pray that the pope will address this very serious scandal. Is it any wonder that Francis welcomed the goddess Pachamama to the Vatican? Francis and Leo are spiritual twins. God save the Church.

We Know More about St. Joseph than You Think!

On the Feast of St. Joseph, Let Us Thank Him for All His Assistance!

I have to smile when I think that Joe the Plumber has St. Joseph the worker as his special friend and patron saint. But St. Joseph belongs to all the regular Joes as well: all the fathers and foster fathers, all single men and young boys. They can all claim him for a friend and mentor. St. Joseph has a carpenter's tent big enough for every man or boy no matter who his other patrons are. 

And what a model he is - a real man's man: strong, patient, courageous enough to leave town with his family at night on a road commonly traveled by robbers. No arguments with God, just a hasty response to God's will. Scripture tells us he's a "just man," no small feat in any age. He says not one word in Scripture, but his faithful presence and his prompt obedience to God's will speak volumes. He's a model for us wives and mothers too. If you want to know how to support your spouse, ask St. Joseph. He'll never fail you.

"Top O' the Mornin' to Ye!" a Day Late.

And the proper response is: "And the rest o' the day to yerself."

Just War Theory from the Prayerful Posse: The Bishops Miss the Mark

At this point, I'm inclined to think the war in Iran was a mistake.

An Open Letter to Ted Cruz: Stop Your Calumny Against Catholics!

I follow a writer on Substack, Radical Fidelity, whose posts are always informative and interesting. Recently Ted Cruz promoted a vicious anti-Catholic diatribe by a woman who calls herself Insurrection Barbie. I imagine she channels this babe:

I started to read her screed and decided it wasn't worth the time. Her accusations completely miss the target for the most part. It's like she's aiming her bow at the moon in the middle of the night calling it the sun. But hey, what can you expect from somebody who takes a brainless bimbo for her moniker?

There are NO HOMEOWNERS in the United States

Will this be the only home you can afford? Move over, chickens!

Do you think of yourself as a homeowner because you bought a house? When you first  purchased a home, you probably thought, "Well, the bank and I own it until I pay off the mortgage in 20 or 30 years." Did you celebrate when you "paid it off?"

Think again. Even after you "pay off" the mortgage, you are a renter. It doesn't matter how long you've lived in your home or whether you've reached the end of the 30 year mortgage; you are a renter. The real homeowner is the government. You'll find out pretty quickly if you don't pay the PROPERTY TAXES who owns your house. The government does. 

Guest Post: THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: THE GOOD NEWS AND THE BAD NEWS

 by James M. Thunder  

published in The Narthex, blog of New Oxford Review, in four parts Feb. 24, March 8, 11 and 13
Part 1: Notre Dame: The Good News & the Bad News | New Oxford Review

Folks, the good news out of Notre Dame is shockingly good. The bad news out of Notre Dame is shockingly bad. I’ll start with the bad.

On January 8, 2026, Notre Dame issued a press release announcing that a professor, Susan Ostermann, was being appointed, effective July 1, as director of the Liu Institute. Because of her public and persistent pro-abortion views, this appointment has been met with objections by:

How Many Young People Can Afford Homes? Are We Seeing the Death of the American Dream?

I was talking to my sister-in-law the other day about the financial situation of our children and grandchildren. Today many families need two jobs just to survive. She described how thankful she was that she was raising her children when it was possible to be a stay-at-home mom. The reality of the problem hit home as I was reading an article in Chronicles by Ryan Neuhaus, America's Affordability Crisis. It's sad and sobering:

We have built a country in which a young person can do well in school, take on debt to get a degree, work full-time, delay gratification, even postpone marriage, and still fail to secure a middle-class life. That kind of change doesn’t just happen. It’s a reflection of how the country has been governed for decades, and the truth beneath all the charts and numbers being thrown around today is that the affordability crisis is a governing crisis: a failure to use power to deliver outcomes that make ordinary life better.

Beauty Touches the Heart!

Celebrating a pontifical high Mass in Croatia, Archbishop Cordileone said this in a talk before the liturgy:

Five R's for Lent -- Remember, Reflect, Repent, Return, Rejoice

Several years ago I did a post on five R words that I kept coming across in my spiritual reading. Sometimes things that repeat become like a hymn that buries itself in your soul like a precious memory. That's the case with these R words for me. So I'm repeating the post with some changes and will be watching for these words every day when I pray the Mass.

The first is remember and we hear it from the very first day of Lent in the Ash Wednesday admonition. "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." A sobering thought upon which we do well to reflect again and again. We need to remember everything God has done for us from the beginning of creation. We also need to remember how we have sinned against him which gives us the next words -- reflect and repent.  

How's Your Blood Pressure? Lower it from the Knees!

Reading the headlines these days is enough to send your blood pressure through the roof. The war in Iran is showing signs, not of de-escalation, but a strategy of horizontal escalation that gives a weaker power the ability to respond to a stronger power. [See Why Escalation Favors Iran.] Reading about it definitely gives one pause about the wisdom of starting the fight. Did we learn anything from Vietnam? And now Hezbollah has joined Iran with coordinated, simultaneous missile attacks.

Lent and the Number 40

I keep coming across the number 40 this Lent. Today was another reminder. It's the feast of the 40 martyrs of Sebaste. Since I hate the winter cold, this story strikes me particularly hard. I think of the poor soul who failed to persevere and died in the warm bath. Is he in an even hotter place now? It's hard to imagine that, under such torture, a person gives full consent of the will to the evil act. I'm praying for him today. I hope he is in the company of his fellow soldiers today glorifying God.

A Saint for Homemakers: St. Frances of Rome, Pray for Us!

Today is the feast of St. Frances of Rome who lived during the Great Western Schism (1378-1417) when there were two competing clerics claiming to be pope. Frances was a wife and mother, married at thirteen to a good man who never tried to curb her austerities and service to the poor. She was charming and kind and well loved, especially by the poor.

One of the amazing things about St. Frances were her visions and mystical experiences.  They included being escorted through hell and seeing the punishments inflicted on those who broke the commandments. 

The Bible tells us that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and reading her words and the descriptions of her visions will certainly immerse you in the fear of the Lord! It's better to serve God out of great love for Him than out of fear, of course, but often that begins with recognizing his power and judgment of sin. And don't we acknowledge that when we pray the act of contrition?

Fake and Fatal Empathy -- The Left Doesn't Care! about Anybody!

Innocent people are being killed because authorities won't support law enforcement. These videos peg the disaster we are facing both in Virginia and in the country. The Democrats in the executive and legislative branches hate us and they don't even care about their own supporters! The activists they trigger are deliberately put in harms way. And the Americans raped and killed by illegals get a shrug. If they didn't hate us, they wouldn't be facilitating murderers and rapists attacking us. Women and children are the ones most vulnerable to the evil. Face the facts. No comment from the Lieutenant Governor on Stephanie Minter's murder, no message of consolation to her family. The governor signing sanctuary legislation hours after Minter's heinous murder. These people are "far left lunatics." And, yes, they hate us.

Sunday Meditation: How Do You Fight Against the Noonday Devil?

Our sermon today was on the noonday devil, also called acedia or sloth. How many people have any idea what that means? I'm betting most have never even heard of "acedia" and probably think "sloth" is a synonym for laziness. But the reality is much worse.

Sola Scriptura Protestants Don't Really Believe In Sola Scriptura!

I've had a lot of interactions with Protestants on social media over the years, anonymous Protestants usually. They often have no interest in an honest discussion about faith and the differences between Catholic belief and Protestant belief. Often they tell you what Catholics believe which is almost always wrong and, when you correct them, they just repeat their errors insisting they're right. It's actually pretty funny. They know more about what Catholics believe than a life-long Catholic does. They often aren't interested in a good-faith exchange; they just repeat their bigot points. Catholics worship Mary. The Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon and the pope is the anti-Christ. Catholics aren't allowed to read the Bible. Yadda Yadda. Many Protestants are rabidly anti-Catholic bigots who are just trolling and lobbing insults -- not exactly a model of Christian charity.

We All Know the Solution to These Murders: Knife Control Laws!

Virginia woman accused of ramming into another car, stabbing driver in road rage incident

‘Terrified': Mother, daughter say man sideswiped them before 495 stabbing rampage

The world has gone crazy. Iryna Karutska is stabbed to death on a Charlotte, North Carolina subway (ironically it was a "blue" line train). Her murder shocked the whole country. This kind of thing is getting to be a daily headline. But usually it's far away from me.

Religious Schizophrenia: The Battle in the Church between Truth and Authority!

When one examines a crisis, it's important to know exactly what that crisis consists of. We know there's a crisis in the Church; you'd have to be brain dead not to realize something isn't right. But what is it? Is the crisis a fight over different liturgies? Is that really the central issue? Between those nostalgic for the old ways versus those progressives who want what they believe to be a more accessible church with windows open to the world? Or is it primarily about Vatican II?

Update on Stephanie Minter's Murder and the Soros Prosecutor who Helped Kill Her!

The other day I wrote a post about the murder of Stephanie Minter at a bus stop in Hybla Valley, my formers neighborhood for thirty years. 

When a Vicious Murder Hits Close to Home

Let's call this chapter two of the story.

The Iran War: Can Humanity "Break Free from its own Destructive Tendencies?"

I have mixed feeling about the war in Iran. On the one hand, it is terrifying to think of Iran having nuclear weapons with a naval fleet or submarines capable of delivering annihilation to any city in the United States. Europe is under particular threat which may explain the reluctance of Spain and the U.K. to get involved. Is their anti-U.S. talk designed to protect them from retaliation considering their proximity to the conflict? Somehow I doubt that carries much weight with fanatical terrorists!

How to Make Sure Your Comment Isn't Posted

Things change. I would say that old age makes one less willing to suffer fools. I've been blogging for almost twenty years and, in the beginning, I posted most comments. Ad hominem attacks galore made it past my moderation wall without censorship, especially if the one attacked was me. I'm pretty thick skinned. I was less obliging for insults against others.

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!