We are all philosophers searching for life's meaning.

Jesus in the Temple by Heinrich Hofmann

Watching an episode of the Papal Posse the other day, I listened to Fr. Gerald Murray discuss the reason so many young people are coming to the Church. He described the four fundamental questions that encourage a serious examination of life. These questions often lead people, especially the young and idealistic, to make life-transforming decisions. 

The Way the Vatican is Dealing with Those who Love the TLM is "Not the Style of God!"

The papal posse and Dr. Peter Kwasniewski boldly address what the pope and Cardinal Roche are doing to those faithful who attend the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). Fr. Gerald Murray, a canon lawyer, calls it "a basic violation of Church order" to throw Catholics out of the churches. "There is no reason why any parishioner should be thrown out of his parish church. Absolutely none!...It's a persecution of Latin Mass Catholics plain and simple and it can't be justified....This is damaging the Church." Watch this episode. The first twenty minutes deal with the latest papal document restricting the TLM.

 

Sunday Meditation: Are you praying for the Synod? Pray harder!

Remember St. Boniface? He was the 8th century saint who dealt with the Germanic pagans by cutting down their "sacred oak" dedicated to the god Thor. He took the wood of the tree to build a church. Many pagans converted because they saw the power of the Christian God to overthrow their false gods.

Too bad St. Boniface didn't attend the opening ceremony of the synod and cut down the tree being planted in the Vatican garden. With the sacred smoke being blown and the rattling going on....well....who exactly was that tree honoring? Was Gaia on the tribal minds? -- Mother Earth? Is the face of the Amazon really being shown? Some missionaries describe the major problem of pedophilia and child abuse which is completely lacking in the working document.

The Strategy of Silence

At our old house in Alexandria a beautiful old willow oak graced the front yard. It was the biggest tree in the neighborhood. I didn't love it so much in the fall when we were raking leaves, but the rest of the year it was my pride and joy. I loved to see its skeleton in the winter as it rested and the fresh chartreuse leaves in the early spring. It provided shade in the summer and a colorful display in autumn.

The year before we moved to the Shenandoah Valley (2001), my husband and I were standing at the front door during a violent thunderstorm when a huge flash and explosion shocked us! A bolt of lightening struck the willow and later we saw that it had actually blown the bark off one side of the tree. The tree "doctor" who came to examine the willow said to water and feed it and give it a year to see if it could come back. We sold the house when the leaves were just starting to come out. Things didn't look good, and when we returned to the neighborhood some time later our beautiful willow oak was gone.

Nabi Sayeth: Humble People Listen to God's Messengers

Nabi Sayeth: In troubled times, times of confusion, God sends His messengers to us called “Nabi” or “Prophet”. Prophets were hard-linked conservatives who in Old Testament Times were sent by God, first to the king and then to the people to call them out for having turned away from God’s way and to call them to obedience to His will.

As you might imagine, human egos got in the way. The kings enjoyed their power and deluded themselves into thinking they were in control. To prop up the kings, there were employed in the royal court priests and prophets who sang the kings praises and told him only what he wanted to hear but never what he NEEDED to hear. To break up this monopoly on the king’s attention, God called His prophets to speak His words of judgment to them