Time Out for a Beauty Break!

The true, the good, and the beautiful always witness to God's glory. Praise him in the wonder of His world and the talent with which he blesses individuals.

Another Good Bishop Supports Canon 915

Thank you, Bishop Paprocki, for supporting Canon 915 and the parish priest who implemented it against Sen. Dick Durbin. It's an act of charity to keep a person from compounding one mortal sin with regular mortal sins of sacrilege. Pray for Sen. Durbin's conversion. "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul in the process?" Politics is just not worth it!

Illinois bishop upholds priest’s decision to deny Communion to pro-abort Sen. Dick Durbin

The Muddled Thinking of Our Catholic School Students

It had to happen. The secular world feeds lies and distortions to our kids by the bucketful: films, videos, TV sitcoms, song lyrics, dirty dancing with the stars, violent and sexually depraved video games, easily available internet and print pornography. Good grief, you can't pass the check out at the grocery or pharmacy without blinders!

Are parents teaching their children the real faith?

So the situation in Charlotte over a nun discussing sexual issues including homosexuality has taken on a life of its own. (Perhaps nightmare would be more accurate.) The Charlotte Observer is covering the flap. So is LifeSiteNews (LSN). Here's the basic content of the student petition condemning the talk which is now closed. Interestingly, the petition can no longer even be read on the petition website. Here's what LSN reported as its content. I've highlighted several spots in red with my comments in blue:

“We the students of Charlotte Catholic High School would like to issue a formal complaint regarding Sr. Jane Dominic’s speech given on on [sic] Friday, March 21st,” the petition begins.

The Randy Weaver Case Revisited: Why Gerry Spence Defended Randy

I had a comment on a past blog post which included the government massacre at Ruby Ridge where Vicki Weaver was murdered by a sniper and the Weaver's young son, Sam (14), was shot in the back running back to the cabin after agents killed his dog. (Self defense, right?) While I was responding, I found a letter by the lawyer who defended Weaver at his trial written to a friend who objected to him taking the case. It makes for gripping reading.

The Weavers' racist views in some people's minds (My nasty anonymous writer for one.) seems to justify the cold-blooded murder carried out by the Federal Government. It's the same rationale that led to the mass murder of the Branch Davidians. Well folks, exactly what views do you hold that the government doesn't like? I know what mine are. I'm pro-life, I support the second amendment, I'm Christian. All these things make me dangerous to a godless, secular culture that has called me a "domestic terrorist" even though I have never committed a violent act in my life. (Well, in the interests of full disclosure and transparency, I did occasionally have hair pulling fights with my sisters when we were kids. I couldn't compete in the scratching matches, though, because I bit my fingernails.)

Read the excerpt that's linked below and weep for our lost freedoms. And pray for a return to the godly principles on which this country was founded.

From Freedom to Slavery by Gerry Spence explaining why he decided to defend Randy Weaver.

Fr. Z Plans to Skip Noah Too!

Review of Noah (sort of)

But Liberals Say There's No Voter Fraud...

...and we know they never lie!

New Evidence of Voter Fraud

More evidence of 2012 voter fraud. Tens of thousands voting twice....people voting after they're dead...but, hey, we shouldn't do anything to protect the vote. There's no problem. Obama and company tell us so! And asking for IDs is racist even if it applies to everybody including green men from Mars. Only 28 states involved in this cross-checking found tens of thousands of cases where people with the same name/date/  and/or last four digits of social security # matched. But there's no fraud!

Ring of Fire Acting Up -- A Warning?

Chile had a major 8.2 quake last night. Check it out here. A 5.1 quake hit L.A. last week. The entire "ring of fire" is very active at present. 

And what's going on at Yellowstone? A 4.8 quake on March 30, the largest since 1980. 

Well, my theory is that every time we sin we open up a fisher and pump extra heat down into the lower and hottest regions of hell and all that heat is building and getting ready to explode. So if you want to avoid a super-explosion and the accompanying tsunamis and other excitement, repent, go to Confession, pray for God's mercy, and be faithful to the duties of your state in life. It's good for your soul and good for the environment!

By the way, the National Park Service says it's safe to visit Yellowstone. There's no danger of an imminent eruption. And if they're wrong, what a spectacular way to go, eh?

Bravo, Archbishop Cordileone! On the Other Hand, Who is He to Judge?

Hey people, our intellect is called the "seat of judgment." We are called to judge our own actions and the actions of others. Why? Because you can only learn to make right judgments by practicing right judgment. Duh! Parents MUST judge the actions of their children to teach them the "right way to go." The Ten Commandments is a list of judgments. So are Jesus' statements expanding the Ten Commandments when He said things like, "But I say to you, when a man looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery in His heart." Yes, not only does Jesus judge actions, but the thoughts that precede them.

We may not judge the state of a person's soul. "Hey, Joe Blow is going to hell for shacking up with Fanny." But we can certainly say that Joe Blow's behavior is a serious scandal, and if we are friends with Joe and care about him, a little friendly admonishment is in order.

As a matter of fact, I was talking to a man while waiting for physical therapy the other day. He has a son by a failed marriage and a daughter by a girlfriend. He's got another girlfriend now, but hopefully is chaste. He told me he goes to Church. He misses his daughter and doesn't get to see her enough. We had a short conversation and I said he sounds like he's trying to be a good dad, and he really needs to decide to do things God's way from now on for the sake of his kids. I've got him and the children (and his former girlfriend and former wife and his daughter's half brother) on my prayer list now. So many people out there need a little judgment on their actions as a wake-up call. I hope you'll join me in praying for this very broken, very disordered "family" group. Think of all the confusion for those three poor children!

A big thank you to Archbishop Cordileone and may his next act be to inform his priests that those "obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion." (Canon 915)

Review that Gets Noah Right: It Ain't about the Bible!

UPDATE 4/3: There's been a lot of chatter about Mattson's article and a rebuttal from Peter Chattaway with a video response to his critics and a written one by Dr. Mattson. What do you think? Personally, I'm still not forking out ten bucks to see this film.

Sympathy for the Devil by Dr. Brian Mattson

You need to read this review of Noah. In fact, you need to read it twice, maybe even three times to understand the evil roots of Darren Aronofsky's film. It ain't about the Bible...

...It's about gnosticism. Here's just a bit from New Advent's description of gnosticism:

[Gnosticism is] utter pessimism, bemoaning the existence of the whole universe as a corruption and a calamity, with a feverish craving to be freed from the body of this death and a mad hope that, if we only knew, we could by some mystic words undo the cursed spell of this existence — this is the foundation of all Gnostic thought.... Gnosticism is pseudo-intellectual, and trusts exclusively to magical knowledge.

And this is what Dr. Mattson says about gnosticism in his review:

But here’s a little “Gnosticism 101” for you: the Creator of the material world is an ignorant, arrogant, jealous, exclusive, violent, low-level, bastard son of a low level deity. He’s responsible for creating the “unspiritual” world of flesh and matter, and he himself is so ignorant of the spiritual world he fancies himself the “only God” and demands absolute obedience. They generally call him “Yahweh.” Or other names, too (Ialdabaoth, for example). 

This Creator tries to keep Adam and Eve [who are non material spiritual beings] from the true knowledge of the divine and, when they disobey, flies into a rage and boots them from the garden. 

In other words, in case you’re losing the plot here: The serpent was right all along. This “god,” “The Creator,” whom they are worshiping is withholding something from them that the serpent will provide: divinity itself. 

The world of Gnostic mysticism is bewildering with a myriad of varieties. But, generally speaking, they hold in common that the serpent is “Sophia,” “Mother,” or “Wisdom.” The serpent represents the true divine, and the claims of “The Creator” are false. 

Read the review and see all the links to satanic texts and how they are illustrated in the film. It is compelling and horrifying that this is being passed off as something Christians should support!

Here's how Dr. Mattson sums it all up:

Did Pope Benedict Exercise "Conscious Uncoupling" from His Bride, the Church?

I admit it. I was seriously trouble when Pope Benedict stepped down from his responsibilities as pope. I recall saying to my husband that if we can't walk away from our responsibilities as spouses (You know, "in sickness and in health" etc.) how can it be right for the pope to resign? Pope John Paul II certainly had health reasons to quit, but he became a witness of suffering to a world that wants only pleasure without pain.

Well, columnist Peter Weber has a thoughtful article that puts into words what I couldn't and I'd be interested in what readers think. One of my favorite priests, Fr. John Hardon, continued in active ministry until he lay on his deathbed. Many of the saints did the same. What is the legacy left to us by Pope Benedict's decision to retire? Is Weber right?

How Pope Benedict unwittingly made the Catholic case for 'conscious uncoupling'