Have you ever had a good friend who ditched you after a disagreement? In these days of TDS and disputes over religion, it seems pretty common. I still mourn over some lost friends. I pray for one who died years ago. I'm confident she and I will be friends again worshiping together before the throne of God. Until that day, I think of her kindly and pray for the repose of her soul and our happy reunion.
I spent years focused on pro-life volunteering. For about twenty years I sidewalk counseled almost every week at an Alexandria abortion business located right next to Bishop Ireton High School within a stone's throw of the Eucharist. The other place I counseled for years was in Falls Church within a stone's throw of the Eucharist at St. James. Sad to say both of these Catholic locales adopted the strategy of the three monkeys. Don't look at the abortion facility, don't listen to the silent screams of the babies murdered, and say nothing. Just keep out of it following a strategy of appeasement.
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| Take time to smell the flowers, praise God for the beauty of the earth, and talk to the flamingo. |
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| Is this what the board didn't want published? |
The 8th Commandment isn't a suggestion.
The truth about the attempted coup at LifeSiteNews is coming out and it's ugly. You can read the whole sordid tale at Chris Jackson's Hiraeth in Exile.
A short synopsis: Some of the board members and the co-CEO, Robert Hoover, didn't like the direction that LifeSiteNews was taking under Westen. They didn't want any criticism of Pope Leo's actions. They wanted to change the brand of LSN. What exactly that new brand would look like we don't know.
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| A hero in a roman collar! |
One of the things I mentioned briefly during my talk was the reality that there are traitors in roman collars. In the early days of the pro-life movement there was a real chance of passing a human life amendment to protect all lives from the moment of conception until natural death. That amendment wasn't deep-sixed by the feminists but principally by one priest -- Monsignor (later Bishop) James McHugh. As head of the USCCB's pro-life office, he had many contacts with laity fighting for life. It is an understatement to say he was not helpful, but actually threw roadblocks in the path to saving the unborn.
My dear friend Jack Ames of Defend Life organizes a Maryland Face the Truth Tour every summer. It's a week of multiple stops each day using huge pro-life/abortion signs to expose communities to the truth about child-killing in the womb. Jack asked me to give a talk on the preliminary prep/training day about the early history of the pro-life movement. My qualifications? I'm old and started working in the pro-life movement in 1972 before Roe v. Wade. Some of the early heroes I'll be talking about directly impacted my own involvement in pro-life activism through their witness and inspiration. How much I thank God for all of them!
As a member of the Church Militant (not the Church Milquetoast), I believe in studying warriors' manuals. One of them is The Spiritual Combat by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, a 16th century priest. The book was a favorite of St. Francis de Sales, master of the spiritual life, who carried it in his pocket and read from it every day. He also recommended it to his spiritual sons and daughters. One can't go wrong with such an effective manual for fighting the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Do you ever think about how your are being twisted and turned by experts in language manipulation, semantic gymnastics, and propaganda? I first encountered the term, "semantic gymnastics," in a 1970 editorial in a medical journal, California Medicine. It was titled A New Ethic for Medicine And Society. The unidentified author wrote:
In the old calendar, today is the feast of Pope St. Pius X (pope from 1903-1914). In honor of his feast day, I am reading selections from My Words Will Not Pass Away: doctrinal writings of St. Pius X. I am personally grateful to this pope for encouraging the frequent, even daily, reception of Holy Communion and reducing the age for reception to the age of reason around seven years old. [This is what the Church means when it talks about "development of doctrine". It doesn't mean playing fast and loose with the perennial teachings of Holy Mother Church.] We have a lot to learn from this great saint!
"Judas went out immediately, and it was night." John 13:30
Every year I plant a small garden. (Underline the small." This year, as usual, I planted six
tomato plants a handful of summer and spaghetti squash, three assorted pepper plants and a few herbs in containers. Things were going fairly well and I harvested a few squash and am just beginning to get some fresh tomatoes.
Judas did his dirty work in the dark as well. So do the false shepherds hiding in their dicasteries at the Vatican plotting the next document or synod to attack the faith.
This is nothing new!
Gary Michael Voris, grifter extraordinaire, is at it again! After destroying Church Militant and giving another sob story about his homosexual addiction and going into rehab for ten minutes, he's back on another "retreat" at sea . Well, hey, "retreats" held on cruise ships are a great way to meet new friends. Remember the sitcom called "The Love Boat?" Somehow, I don't think the "retreat" at sea is about love of God. More like love of pleasure. Presumably, Gary is an expert on that.
....And I would suggest that you avoid the staffers who fled the sinking ship and handed out rose-colored glasses to cover up their own culpability in the CM fiasco. Neither Christine Niles or Dave Gordon deserve your support. They participated in the cover-up and now pose as persecuted reformers. Prudence dictates caution!
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| Michael Voris is out at Church Militant for "breaching the....morality clause. |
Editor's note: Michael Voris, founder of Church Militant and chief scandal monger has resigned over "morality issues." Regular readers are aware of our longstanding concerns over Church Militant, their dishonesty and tabloid journalism.
