Praising God that COVID and all the Nonsense of Closed Churches is Behind Us!

Sometimes it's a good thing to remember the lunacy of previous days so that we can do all we can not to repeat them. I was in Florida visiting my friend Susan in 2021 during what I can only think of as the Lunacy COVID Twilight Zone Time. Fortunately, things were normal at the SSPX chapel in Sanford where we went for Ash Wednesday, but lunacy reigned in many other places. Priests really were using Q-tips to distribute ashes. Have you forgotten? I thought it was worth looking back on the insanity and promising ourselves never to let the hoaxsters and hucksters delude us again. So I repeat the blog post Susan and I wrote together using our alter egos Topsy and Tuptim. Don't fast from laughter this Lent. Smile and spread cheer as an alms that's good for both the mind and the heart.

Remember, Alligator, That Thou Art Dust...

Really!? A Q-tip?

Topsy and Tuptim have escaped snow and ice in the north to enjoy a Winter holiday at a Florida wildlife preserve. Neither of them sleeps very well in a hotel and are bemoaning the bad dreams they had last night.

Topsy: I had such bad dreams last night and got so little sleep and had a terrible nightmare. I kept waking up screaming, "No God! No!! No-o-o. Pleeeease!" ...Didn't you hear me?

Tuptim: That was you? I thought it was me. I had nightmares too. What was your dream?

Topsy: I was following an alligator into his underwater den. Then everything got really crazy. It looked like an ugly modernist chapel.

Tuptim: Oh my gosh! That was my dream too except I was being chased by the alligator!

Topsy: Did you end up in a chapel? 

Ash Wednesday Silence

Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.

 

Guest Post on Ash Wednesday: PROACTIVE REPENTANCE by Fr. Tom Collins

Return of the Prodigal Son 
by Pompeo Batoni 1708-1787

Editor's comment: I'm always pleased when Fr. Collins sends me one of his wise and insightful articles. This one seems especially appropriate as we begin Lent. Growth in the spiritual life begins with acknowledging our sinfulness and repenting. A relationship, damaged by sin, requires repair and that can only happen if we acknowledge our responsibility and seek forgiveness. The Father of the prodigal son stood in the doorway looking down the road, and he waited. It took the son's recognition of his own sinfulness and his return in repentance before forgiveness and restoration could happen. So let us begin Lent on our knees, confessing our sins, doing penance, and making a firm purpose of amendment. With the help of God's grace, all things are possible, including changing our stubborn and rebellious hearts. My Jesus, help me to make a good Lent drawing closer to your Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Amen.

It's Ash Wednesday. Do You know Where Your Ashes Are?

 We do.

Topsy says, "No flour sifter shaking ashes into my hair!"

Tuptim says, "No drawing on my face with Q-tips.

There were two priests distributing ashes. We would have liked to have had them placed on our foreheads by the priest who drew beautiful great black crosses on each person's forehead but at least the priests were TOUCHING the people with their own thumb and not Q-tips. There were no rubber gloves, no masks, no Q-tips, no social distancing, no ashes sprinkled in anyone's hair and, thankfully, no silly Repertoire of Safety rules. There was holy water, reverence, respect for Our Lord both by the people and the priests and there were 10 (?) altar BOYS.

The 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal states: Ashes are blessed by four ancient prayers, sprinkled with holy water and incensed, and then placed in the form of a cross on the foreheads of each of the faithful with the words: "Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.

Note the words "ON THE FOREHEADS". It's becoming ridiculous that the customs of other cultures are to be respected (Pachamama) while our customs more and more are to be ignored.

Remember, Alligator, That Thou Art Dust...

Really!? A Q-tip?

Topsy and Tuptim have escaped snow and ice in the north to enjoy a Winter holiday at a Florida wildlife preserve. Neither of them sleeps very well in a hotel and are bemoaning the bad dreams they had last night.

Topsy: I had such bad dreams last night and got so little sleep and had a terrible nightmare. I kept waking up screaming, "No God! No!! No-o-o. Pleeeease!" ...Didn't you hear me?

Tuptim: That was you? I thought it was me. I had nightmares too. What was your dream?

Topsy: I was following an alligator into his underwater den. Then everything got really crazy. It looked like an ugly modernist chapel.

Tuptim: Oh my gosh! That was my dream too except I was being chased by the alligator!

Topsy: Did you end up in a chapel? 

Tuptim: Yes!

Topsy: What did it look like?

Tuptim: I couldn't figure out whether I was in Orlando or LA. It reminded me of the West Coast Religious Ed Conference with a table and dancing girls and everything was purple! It was Ash Wednesday and it was so weird.

Topsy: And Cardinal Cupich was the celebrant? (Tuptim nods vigorously.)

Tuptim: And Father James Martin was the Master of Ceremonies. He was wearing a purple chasuble... 

Email to my pastor - The NON TANGERE of Ash Wednesday

Someone forgot that touching is forbidden.

Dear Father,

Supposedly it isn't your fault that you cannot touch our foreheads with ashes but that of Bergoglio the Jesuit, Bishop Noonan and other left leaning Marxist bishops all of whom dispense blasphemous dictates to Catholics across the world as if we are all stupid.

Ashes in our hair is the most stupid thing yet. Possibly the Vatican should pass out salt and pepper shakers to all parishes in the world for Ash Wednesday - the day Catholics are to have a Cross of ashes on our forehead which is a witness to the world ALL DAY LONG so that every person we interact with during the day can SEE the Cross and know that we believe in God. Plus, with salt and pepper shakers, priests, deacons and whoever else is dispensing ashes on top of our heads in our hair wouldn't have to dirty their hands with actual ashes at all. Holy Ash Hair Shakers could be manufactured then sold in Catholic religious articles shops across the world. Just think of the millions, possibly billions, the Vatican could make on this one. Holy Water and Holy Water bottles out, Holy Ash Hair Shakers in.

Ash Wednesday Thought

"Remember that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return."

Do you have your spiritual affairs in order? Are you prepared to meet your maker?

If not....  Remember, you know not the day or the hour. Will you meet the Lord at the particular judgment this Lent? Each of us would do well to think about it. What will you say when you see God face to face?

A Beautiful Conversion Story for Ash Wednesday: Pray, Fast, Give Alms, and Share Your Faith!

My Friend Art sent this (Thanks, Art!) and I could almost feel this lovely woman's heart leap in her breast like the little John the Baptist leaping in Elizabeth's womb. That's what being touched by the Holy Spirit does. I'm rejoicing in this woman's faith today and asking God to increase mine that I might run to do His holy will. Are you excited about your faith? Pray this Lent to have a spirit of joy at being a Catholic. We are so blessed to have the fullness of the faith. And pray for our Protestant brothers and sisters to come home. It's what Jesus prayed for when He asked the Father that all might be one.

_______________________________

WHO WILL GO FOR ME


by Terry Fenwick

It is exciting to have found the Catholic Church before I died – almost missed it because I was 70 – almost 71 - in 2003 on that morning of February 2nd, when we, my husband, Tom, and I first went to a Mass and said, “We want to be Catholics!” We knew that day – both at the same moment. What a joy for two very sound Christian Protestants – Bible Study people – to have ‘finally’ found, in one single minute, that one piece we had always missed! The piece we found was the beauty of the fullness of the worship in the Mass.

Now, here I am – 73 almost 74. Older by the second – that is the way it happens – and so much to do. So many places to go, so many people to tell, so many things to read, so many things to study, so many Saints to get to know, so many things to write, so many things to pray for so many people – yet not enough time and surely not enough energy left.

Who will run the streets for me? Who will run out and say, “The Catholics were right all the time!” Who will run about and say, “They DON’T worship Mary! They love the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary but they don’t worship her!” Who will say to those who need to know, “They DON’T worship the Saints! No! They ask them to pray for them because they are with the Lord and they are part of a huge prayer group in the heavens.” Who will tell people that? Who will love these wonderful Protestants who love God and worship Him but don’t know about the Eucharist and who will tell them, “Read John 6 again! No!!!! Read John 6 again and again! See what it says! See what Jesus said? Don’t be those who leave Jesus when he says that without eating his body and drinking his blood you will have no part of me!” Who will say that to the hundreds who need to know? Who will love them enough to tell them the Truth?

Who will stand in line at the market and tell them, “I am a new Catholic and I love Confession. I just love Confession. Let me tell you how wonderful it is to go into a little brown box – almost crawl into the box with the heaviness of sins - and many other things that have just not been right - and come out almost floating because you left the sins with the Lord and had the witness of a priest who, after hearing our confession for God, said, “I absolve you of your sins.’” Who will do that for me? Who will do that for God for me? Who can make sure they know that it was God who forgave the sin – not the Priest. Who will tell them, “The Catholics believe only God can forgive sins!” Who will remember to tell them that? Will you?

Who will do it for me? I hear my body say, “Almost time to fold your tent, little lady. Almost time to fold your tent.” I have been ready to do that since 1971 when I first met the Savior but now that I am Catholic I have so much to do. Are there a few people who will say for me, “Let me run the streets for you, Terry! Let me be the one who says, ‘They were right all the time! The Catholic Church was the Church Jesus started – the only Church started by Jesus – with all the other churches started by a man with a name other than Jesus. It is the pillar and foundation of TRUTH.’”
Who will go for me? Will you?

Terry Fenwick
March 30, 2006

Meditating on Lent: To Blog or not to Blog

I was thinking at morning Mass about Lent which starts on Wednesday. It is always a challenge to reflect on the path to holiness and how to get there. I've already decided to give up my evening video habit and stay off Facebook (which is no real sacrifice) and use the extra time to pray, read, and study. But then I wondered whether I should stop blogging altogether. It takes up a lot of time and, really, does it accomplish anything? Who knows?

But the next thought was a memory of one of my spiritual heroes, Fr. John Hardon, S.J. who died in 2000. I can't count the number of times I heard him say to groups things like, "Write, write, write. Write letters to the editor. Write letters to your children. Write books and write articles." In view of my high regard for Father and his wisdom, I'll continue to blog and pray for his intercession to do it better and with greater charity.

Another influence recently has been the approved apparitions in Champion, WI. I did an article about it in my latest Les Femmes newsletter (Winter issue) which is at the printers and will soon be in the mail and on the website. The message of the Blessed Mother to Adele Brise was "Teach the children." There's more than one way to teach. The internet is the biggest school in the world. It's also the biggest library and the biggest source of social contacts. I learn a lot from using it and I hope I offer at least a little to others who wander across my path, even if it's to visit for while engaging in argument (in the classical sense which means defending your position without acrimony).

My big prayer during Lent is to grow in charity through the Lenten trio of prayer, sacrifice, and almsgiving. I'll be offering my daily Mass and rosary for everyone who visits this site and hope you'll pray for me too. We are all brothers and sisters in the Lord no matter how vigorously we disagree.