Hear, Hear for Bishop Vasa!

Just the other day I mentioned to a friend that no one should be hired to teach in a Catholic school without affirming a commitment to the doctrines of the faith. And lo and behold that is exactly what Bishop Robert Vasa is doing in Santa Rosa. Last year he required catechism teachers to affirm their loyalty and now he has done the same for the 200 teachers in Catholic schools in the diocese who must sign or leave their posts at the end of this school year. The liberal press is not, shall we say, enthusiastic about the bishop's efforts to promote the authentic Catholic faith. (When has the liberal press EVER had anything good to say about the Catholic Church?) Fr. Z has reprinted an article from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat along with some interesting commentary.

Will you join me in sending Bishop Vasa a message of support? What a joy it is to find a bishop serious about his obligation to teach, govern, and sanctify and especially to safeguard the faith of the young. If you would like to say thank you to Bishop Vasa the diocese's contact information is here. You can email a very brief message or write a longer one. And please pray for this good bishop who has so often been in the forefront when it comes to witnessing to the authentic Catholic faith. May a red hat be in his future!

The Sequester is Coming, the Sequester is Coming...

...are you quaking in your boots?

It's all a game you know...like when they close DMV offices and highway rest stops to make sure they inconvenience the most people to create a demand for services. And, of course, then they can say...well, of course we can fix things if we just raise taxes.

The sequester involves a miniscule amount of the federal budget. We could save that money by cutting things no one would even notice -- like money for "green energy." How about putting the employees in the Department of Education and Energy on unpaid leave one day every two weeks (or maybe permanently?). Drop some of the useless studies like the effect of cocaine on quail (real study). Here's a list of 30 ridiculous things the government has spent and is spending money on. Does anyone seriously believe that there aren't many programs that could be cut without anyone noticing?

It is nothing but a con game run by the con-in-chief who lives at 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. He's trying to convince everybody that the world will end if we don't keep spending buckets of money and raise the debt ceiling to do it. Despite the shrill lies about long lines at the airport and no teachers for the children and fewer police officers, etc. ad nauseum -- none of those programs need to be cut. They are deliberately selected to impact the most people and make the most noise. But it's all sound and fury signifying nothing except the moral bankruptcy of the administration and so many of our politicians on both sides of the aisle.

Sickening isn't it?

Christian Alert: Bring God Back to the Marketplace

...and bring back American faith. "America, bless God again." (Hat tip to Political Brambles.)

Church isn't just about what goes on in our Churches on Sunday, but what we do the rest of the week to bring God into the marketplace. This man makes a lot of good, ole, down-to-earth common sense. Are we listening?



And more common sense about politics and "conservative jackasses" (who aren't as smart as Balaam's ass).

Chesterton's Philosophy of Gratitude

Chesterton is certainly an apostle of Joy! Among my other Lenten reading is the book Lent and Easter: Wisdom from G.K. Chesterton which offers a daily quote from Chesterton, a scripture passage, a prayer, and a suggested action. It's a lovely book and a stimulus for introspection. I particularly liked yesterday's reading taken from Chesterton's autobiography:

I invented a rudimentary and makeshift mystical theory of my own. It was substantially this; that even mere existence, reduced to its most primary limits, was extraordinary enough to be exciting. Anything was magnificent as compared with nothing. Even if the very daylight were a dream, it was a day-dream; it was not a nightmare. The mere fact that one could wave one's arms and legs about...showed that it had not the mere paralysis of a nightmare. Or if it was a nightmare, it was an enjoyable nightmare....[N]o man knows how much he is an optimist, even when he calls himself a pessimist, because he has not really measured the depths of his debt to whatever created him and enabled him to call himself anything. At the back of our brains, so to speak, there was a forgotten blaze or burst of astonishment at our own existence. The object of the artistic and spiritual life was to dig for this submerged sunrise of wonder; so that a man sitting in a chair might suddenly understand that he was actually alive, and be happy.

If I had to summarize Chesterton's philosophy it would be,

Homosexuals in the Vatican and the Battle for the Church

All the revelations of the past few weeks indicate the undermining of the homosexual cabal in the Church. And it's about time! Let us pray for Holy Mother Church that the housecleaning is about to begin.

The Damage Done to Children Raised by Same-Sex Parents

Will society listen to the experiences of the victims? Children have a right "to a mother and a father." Same-sex "marriage" is a lie! "Everyone needs a mother and a father....The fight for gay marriage is about what adults want....Mother and father are worth fighting for." It's time to stop exploiting children so homosexuals can play house and pretend their relationships are no different from the complementarity of husband and wife. Pass this around and defend the institution of marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman for the sake of the children.

NYC: Run by a Lunatic!

Gosh, remember the fuss the media made over Rubio's bottled "water-gate?" They ridiculed him for days. Has the media treated Bloomberg's soda-gate the same way? Why not? After all Rubio's drink of water didn't cost the consumer a penny or limit individual choices in any way. On the other hand, Bloomberg's soda-gate means parents having a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese can't buy a pitcher of soda but will have to buy soda by the cup -- much more expensive. Dominoes won't be allowed to deliver 2-litre bottles of soda with their pizzas, but consumers will have to buy more expensive 16-ounce bottles, which means more money for the pizza man, but less for the consumer. And why the heck is it the government's business how much soda you drink anyway? But this is the typical liberal mindset. Bloomberg sees himself as daddy to every citizen in New York and he is the epitome of the daddy-tyrant! No salt, no sugar, no soda -- except in amounts he deems acceptable. No wonder Rush moved out of New York. Any sensible person with the ability to pick up stakes would be nuts to stay. But, please, you liberals who I expect will be running along with the conservatives, please don't move to Virginia. I hear southern California right along the border is a lovely place to live. It's only fair you should experience the consequences of your philosophy.

Phil Lawler Opines on the Homosexuals in the Vatican Scandal

Did it inspire the pope's abdication? A resounding NO! See here.

Feast of the Chair of Peter

It is good to reflect on the fact that no matter how dismal the outlook, the Holy Spirit has promised to remain with the Church. "The gates of hell will not prevail against her." Gates are a defensive instrument. The faithful are the ones called to be "militant" and fight the devil. Our most effective weapons are the Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, the rosary and other devotions, and the truth spoken in charity. We live today in the culture of the lie. We must oppose it with the culture of truth. We must expose the liars for what they are and expose them relentlessly. Creepy crawlies hide in the dark. They must be exposed to the light. That's the job of the Church Militant. And we have a whole army in the Church Triumphant as allies. Ora et labora.

Please Say it Ain't So!

German Bishops, in "Sede Vacante" mood, OK abortifacient "morning-after pill"

I'm an NFP teacher and the male sperm reaches the isthmus (where the uterus connects to the fallopian tube)within minutes after sexual intercourse. If the egg has already been released, there is NO WAY to prevent conception with a chemical contraceptive. The only thing the chemical can do is alter the lining of the uterus so when the growing baby arrives 7-10 days later he or she cannot implant in the womb. 

The pope should immediately demand a retraction of this horrifying decision of the German bishops. And we need to pray hard that the Lord withholds His wrath from His people. Read Exodus if you want to see how God responds to infidelity among those closest to Him. Chastisement is not pretty! Please make acts reparation for the betrayal by these Judases.