Saturday, March 31, 2012

Kudos to Anna Maria College - Cancels Victoria Kennedy Commencement Speech

Kudos to Bishop McManus, who takes his vocation to protect the flock very seriously.
A small Catholic college that invited Victoria Reggie Kennedy to speak at its spring commencement has rescinded the offer under pressure from the Worcester bishop, who described her apparent political views as out of line with Catholic teachings.Anna Maria College in Paxton, west of Worcester, released a statement today placing the decision at the feet of Bishop Robert J. McManus and saying it still believes Kennedy is an appropriate choice.
But now they know, she isn't. And every student in the school now knows, along everyone who reads story.
"However, the statement continued, “after hours of discerning and struggling with elements of all sides of this issue, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees decided with deep regret to withdraw its invitation.”
Alicia Savo, Anna Maria’s student government president, said she that while she had been excited to hear Kennedy speak, she trusts the bishop’s judgement in the matter.“I feel bad that they had to disinvite her, and she took it very decently,” Savo said. “But I don’t think the bishop would have said he didn’t think it was a good idea unless it wasn’t a good idea. I understand where he’s coming from.”
Deo Gratis.

It takes a tremendous dose of humility to tether yourself to truth when you have to do it "with deep regret".

I don't know any practicing Catholic who doesn't regret having to forbear things (or people) we think are appropriate choices. Surrendering our own discernment to those whose guidance is in harmony with the Magisterium, in spite of our regret, is the key that unlocks the mystery.

You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

It doesn't look like freedom or feel like freedom when we deeply regret withdrawal or forbearance, but it is.

I really get a kick out of the urban legends about people who act in harmony with the Magisterium even when we regret we can't act in accordance with our own desires. I suppose the legends come from a generation of priests who did not (and do not) teach the discipline, personal sacrifice it takes to accept God's commandments and how to live by them.
Anna Maria, a independent liberal arts college with 1,100 students, is deeply entwined with the diocese; last night, its president attended a dinner with McManus. Its statement notes that “as a small, Catholic college that relies heavily on the good will of its relationship with the Bishop and the larger Catholic community, its options are limited.”
Amen brother. Amen.

Mrs. Kennedy put out her own statement:
“He has not consulted with my pastor to learn more about me or my faith,” read the statement. “Yet by objecting to my appearance at Anna Maria College he has made a judgment about my worthiness as a Catholic. This is a sad day for me and an even sadder one for the Church I love.”
The facts are, there is a very long and public record to base judgments upon, including her husband's funeral where she used the Sanctuary of the Catholic Church to promote dissent from Church teaching with a long list of speakers and prayer petitions that repudiated Church teaching.

I am sad for Mrs. Kennedy. The church she loves only exists in her mind. It's a figment of her imagination. She and her husband's family have been exploited by disordered prelates who have spent their vocation maligning the teachings of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church Christ established - misleading good, kind, naive but uncatechized Catholics like herself.

Mrs. Kennedy is suffering from the same affliction that her husband suffered. She believes she can publicly lead the masses into sin and meet with the Bishop to tell him privately she would never commit such atrocities. That's about as worthless to Christ as the innocent cry of Hitler from the bunker that other people carried out the plans he laid.

The Bishop is committed to responding to her public witness, and not just for the sake of those led into committing murder through her witness, but for Mrs. Kennedy - who will be held accountable on her day of judgment for all those she is misleading.

She is not alone. Every one of us has walked a mile or two in those moccasins. God doesn't permit us to kid ourselves for too long. At some point, He comes moseying on up the road to lead us to truth. You can lead a horses ass to the water, but you cannot make us drink. That we have to do on our own. He is praying for us.

Anyhoo - here's an amusing little piece of this story:
Patrick Whelan, president of the national Catholic Democrats and a longtime acquaintance of the bishop, said he had spoken in-depth with McManus and found him adamant on the issue.“He’s always been very warm with me, but he struck a combative tone about this from the first moment: ‘I am not happy about this; it has put me in a very difficult position,’” said Whelan, who also is a pediatric specialist at Harvard Medical School. The bishop, he added, invoked what he believed were Kennedy’s positions on divisive social issues, including abortion, gay rights, and health coverage for contraception.
Whelan also said the bishop took responsibility for his decision during their conversation.“I said, ‘I’m sure you must be under a lot of pressure from people in the conservative camp’ -- I was trying to express some empathy -- and he reacted very sternly to that too,” said Whelan. “He said, ‘this is my decision and mine alone, and nobody’s pressuring me to do this.’ But then he did add, ‘sometimes it’s lonely at the top.’ ”
First of all, who is Whelan in this scenario that he is put in a difficult position?!!Is this chumley stumping for speaking engagements within the Catholic Church for democratic political cronies who repudiate Church teaching?

There is no such thing as a 'conservative camp' in the Institution of the Catholic Church. The camps are divided into those who promote obedience to Church teaching and those who promote disobedience. The Kennedys and Whelan are the latter. Bishop McManus is the former.

Viva Christo Rey.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

My Week

Maybe more like the story of my life...Like the moth to the flame! There was a verse in today's scripture I really appreciated. Something like, when the Son of Man sets you free, you will be free. I wonder when He'll get tired of saving me from myself! I am such a maroon. LOL.

Dive Bar Uses Monstrance and Chalice for Drunken Revelries

Cyril with the scoop.

With that most profound respect
which divine Faith inspires,
O my God and Saviour Jesus Christ,
true God and true man,
I adore Thee,
and with my whole heart I love Thee,
hidden in the most august Sacrament of the Altar,
in reparation of all the irreverences,
profanations, and sacrileges, that I,
to my shame, may have until now committed,
as also for all those
that have been committed against Thee,
or that may be ever committed for the time to come.
I offer to Thee,
therefore, O my God,
my humble adoration, not indeed,
such as Thou art worthy of,
nor such as I owe Thee,
but such, at least,
as I am capable of offerings;
and I wish that I could love Thee
with the most perfect love
of which rational creatures are capable.
In the meantime,
I desire to adore Thee now and always,
not only for those Catholics
who do not adore or love Thee,
but also so supply the defect,
and for the conversion of all heretics,
schismatics, lebertines,
atheists, blasphemers,
sorcerers and idolaters.
Ah! yes, my Jesus,
mayest Thou be known,
adored, and loved by all
and may thanks be continually given to Thee
in the most holy and august Sacrament!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Bryan Hehir's Chickens Have Come Home at Catholic Charities to Roost

A federal court in Massachusetts has ruled that the U.S. bishops’ contract with the federal government for the provision of counseling support for trafficking victims was unconstitutional.

In a further blow to the free exercise of church-affiliated institutions, Judge Richard Stearns ruled on March 23 in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which challenged the constitutionality of the federal government’s contract with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services (MRS).

The court ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services contract with MRS violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.




I wonder how the klu klux klan at the Chancery feel about Hehir's political career now?

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Ms. Fluke Continues to Be Made a Jackass

This cartoon is the spitting image of her!

"Cartoonist made 'pro choice' women appear: fat, ugly, bitchy, slutty, selfish, and obnoxious..."


Heh. It's a biography!

SCOTUS Hearings on The Mandate

Today's accounts of the Supreme Court Justice chatter indicate the court is not ready to unleash the power of the government mandate what the citizens will purchase.

Some good highlight at Reuters and the chatter about how killing the mandate affects the law in its entirety HERE.

The Solictor General was out-lawyered by Paul Clement.

Good times:



God is good. We like stuttering, stammering from opposing counsel.

This is all dangerous territory and the implications in the future would be catastrophic to the entire foundation of the government the people have built. It is coming down to one or two people will decide whether 250 years of building the government will be seized and handed over to a communist tyranny.

I wonder what killing the mandate will do to Mr. EtchaSketch's Socialized Medicine here in Massachusetts?

I wonder too what Obama's oppressive regime will do. They are huddling in the bunker, stumped.

We've got a lot of praying to do for those justices until the decision comes out in June.

St. Philomena Rocks

I didn't know about this saint until yesterday. Let me tell you something - this young saint does not fool around.

I went to my Divine Mercy Hour of prayer last night. As I mentioned before,the hour is done in a Church that has perpetual Adoration and the deacon who does it offers the opportunity to be prayed over. I am extremely careful about letting people pray over me but this situation is done by an ordained deacon who is overtly drawing the power from the Exposed Eucharist.

I felt a woman behind me, who gently placed her hands on my back and I heard her praying to our Lord through the intercession of St. Philomena. A few short hours later, the wind in a little vortex that I had been dealing with through Lent completely and abruptly changed direction.

Intrigued, I checked out her history and found this website.

St. John Vianney attributed all of his miracles to her and said that he never once asked for her intercession without having been answered. Apparently she was so powerful the fraidy cats at the Vatican got scared and threw a wet blanket on her veneration on February 14, 1961. Her honor was restored ten years later by the local Bishop.

I think I have a new invisible friend! Check her out. Ask for her intercession. It seems Our Lord finds her pleadings hard to resist.

weapons of mass destruction

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Rough Day at POTUS for Socialized Medicine/Obamacare

Seems the Justices are aware that they would be handing a Republic over to tyranny. If the government can compel us to purchase health insurance or pay a fine, the people in the republic lose the freedom and protection of a republic.


I doubt Kennedy is ready to go along with the communists on the bench but we should keep praying. Tomorrow they discuss whether the unconstitutionality of a mandate would implode the whole law. Should be another interesting day.

Monday, March 26, 2012

It Turns out Trayvon Martin was a Thrice-Suspended Gold-Toothed, Tatooed Druggie Who Assaulted Zimmerman from Behind

Here's an updated picture of Trayvon Martin which explains the reason why they aren't using current pictures to community organize racist lynch mobs.

Do you think that's what the maroon in the White House meant when he said if he had a son, that's what he would look like? Covered in tats and gold teeth?

Among other allegations now surfacing. He allegedly has a history for beating up a bus driver, a suspension from school for drug-related offenses - and eye-witnesses reports that it was Trayvon Martin who assaulted Zimmerman from behind. Beat the daylights out of him, pounding his head on the cement broke his nose and wrestled Zimmermann for his gun. According to police and prosecutors, eyewitnesses and evidence corroborate Zimmerman's story.

Zimmermann reportedly comes from a very religious Catholic family.

The assassin group Black Panthers have put a ten thousand dollar bounty to 'capture' Zimmerman.

The village idiots are being manipulated, used to tee up racist lynch mobs. My God...Barack Hussein is systemically destroying our country.

UPDATE - According to this report, the police report that Martin was suspended for having stolen jewelry and a burglars tools.

UPDATE 2 - Oops, make that more than one suspension.

UPDATE 3 - Check out Martin's "tweets". Warning - they are filth, disrespectful and abusive.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

The Chicanery from Cardinal O'Malley and His Staff Continues to be Breathtaking

Following up on Cardinal O'Malley's yogagate, the following was sent to Chancery employees last Monday:



Date: Mon, Mar 19, 2012
Subject: "Catholic Yoga" = An Oxymoron
To: Staff at the Boston Chancery

+
IHS

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am writing to you today in response to Monsignor Deeley's decision to continue to provide yoga at the Chancery in honor of your friend and colleague Richard Ely.

Please know that I am terribly sorry for your loss, and will keep all of you, and of course our brother Richard and his family, in my prayers. Please also know that I have a great deal of respect for Monsignor Deeley but have prayed about this matter, and am concerned enough about the spiritual welfare of all that I felt compelled to write you.

I am sorry too, that your grief has been compounded by the doctrinal and spiritual controversy that has developed in response to the yoga classes being offered. I want to assure you that Catholics raising their concerns are motivated by agape for Richard and for all of you at the Pastoral Center.

I also want to assure you that concerned Catholics do not object to a stretching program offered by an instructor trained in physical fitness by a reputable college, if that is what you wish to do to honor the memory of your friend and colleague. As Catholics, we hope and strongly urge you to arrange a Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the repose of his soul and the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet for those suffering from despair, as these are the invaluable resources done in memory of a loved one that benefit the deceased and those suffering anguish.

Simply put, even if it is your intention to just stretch, Catholics cannot participate in yoga, in any way, for a number of reasons.

The critical substance that separates yoga from a stretching class offered by a professional athletic instructor is the incorporation of seeking enlightenment from spiritual sources other than the Holy Trinity. This practice is a serious violation of the First Commandment which then brings very harmful effects upon the soul who teaches or practices it. It is a summoning of counselors, the source of which is not angelic. Like the angelic, these counselors always respond to an invitation. These forces accompany the yoga instructor wherever he or she may go.

A false enlightenment of the mind is the distinguishing characteristic of "yoga" and an immutable part of the exercise and objectives, evidenced by the invitation sent by Ms. Gustavson that you will increase "the fitness level of your body and mind".

Like a ouiji board, the immutable spiritual genesis and characteristics of yoga cannot be separated from those practicing or present during this dangerous practice. Inviting an at-risk and uncatechized individual teaching yoga to lead employees of a Catholic Cardinal in the practice puts each Catholic attendee in the position of committing a sin of ommission against the yoga teacher. We have a duty to inform that soul of the dangers to himself and others when he teaches outside of the chancery.

We have no way of knowing whether the fruit of the practice contributed to Richard's despair. It is a very hard thing to tell you, but the sad truth of the matter is, the possibility does exist. Furthermore, it is indisputable that the practice did not increase the fitness of his mind. And, while you may be vigilant about the practice of remaining in a state of grace, some of your colleagues may not. They are being put at risk from the disordered spiritual forces that will accompany the practitioner.

Unless the stretching program at theChancery is arranged through a reputable fitness professional and disassociated with the disapproved practice and teachers of yoga, the most honorable response to this offering in Richard's memory would be to forbear your presence.

In Christ, Carol McKinley


Who do they think they are kidding?

Also this week, the thievery of the good old boys was given some publicity in an article in the Boston Herald.

The Cardinal fired 50 employees and brought in 14 cronies of his wealthy donors, paying them each salaries over 150 thousand, increasing payroll costs by close to 1 million dollars. And, the best part of the story is the Cardinal and his secretary Terry Donilon claim that by doing so, they are saving Catholic donors $250,000 dollars in payroll cost.

Catholics are not well-known for their math skills, but this one is a no brainer: If payroll increases by $1,000,000.00, it has not decreased by #250,000.00. In other words, we are paying one million more dollars and we put 50 people with families out onto the street.

Any way the Cardinal wants to slice it, it is baloney.

Which brings us full circle to our religious freedom rallies across the United States. The same people who are funding and politically active in taking away the religious freedom of Roman Catholics are being hired and employed by the Cardinal and deployed in parishes, as evidenced by the Fr. Massaro talk being sponsored by the notorious unfaithful priest, and 'friend' of the Cardinal, Monsignor Paul Garrity at St. Catherine's in Norwood.

St. Catherine's in Norwood is no longer a place that is safe for Catholic's with children. One should no more subject your own children to Monsignor Garrity's debasing of the mind and soul than one would bring your children into a clapping audience of Charlie Sheen or the Kadashians. If you're there - get out. It is anathema. Liar and murderer from the beginning. A danger to the salvation of your family, friends, neighbors. But before you flee, stand up and publicly warn the ignorant and naive whose children are at risk for his propaganda of demoralization.

Catholics are not 'every man for himself'. We are our brother's keeper.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Yes, I am still breathing...

I know I have some catching up to do. Yoga and thieves taking megasalaries in the chancery, etc. Mea culpa. Enjoying Lent, pre-wedding activities - and have a few things occupying my thoughts and prayers. All is well and will catch up this weekend.

Love and prayers to all of you.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Is there anything else to say?

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.


Blessings of St. Patrick to you and yours.

Friday, March 16, 2012

I Can Feel It Coming in the Air

Did you read the news yesterday that Obama's 'peace talks' with the Taliban included the offer of an office in Qatar?

Really?

Well, I suppose when we withdraw the troops, the Taliban won't have to drive too far to mow the people down. They can just set up snipers.

The masses have elected a lunatic. And, that is not even the worst part...they can't see he is a lunatic.

Karzai is now telling Americans to stop night-time air raids and told NATO to get out of town. It's all blowing up.

There is something cooking and we all know what it is.

Glen Beck even knows what it is. Note Fr. Z's last comment - something is brewing. Fr. Rutler and other priests and prophets are alerting us to what is in the air.

If Barack Hussein and the maroons who were sucked into idolizing him were born at the turn of the century, the devil would have been successful with the third reich. He is back. to finish the job he started.

Stay alert, because the temptations are going to come at times and places when you are the least prepared. Weak, hungry, wanting, your defenses down. The hand that will offer you temptation are people whom you trust, love. It doesn't look sinister when it beckons - it was Peter tempted Christ to reject the cross. Good, loving, well-meaning people are used.

If you are conscience and guarding your own soul, you're in the best place you can be. But sometimes, even when we are there, we loose our footing and fall - and from that vantage point - we tempt others. When that happens, it's much more difficult to guard our own souls because we are further away from the gifts that come with sanctifying grace.

There is a window of opportunity before our senses and intellect fall into a deep slumber. If you are conscious enough to recognize that you are tempting others - pray for humility.


I'm going to continue thought on this tomorrow. And, I'm going to elaborate on a specific example. It is not a very encouraging one, but a familiar one: we have met the enemy and it is us! A temptation offered by the Vicar General of Boston.

Before I dissect it, take ten minutes and listen to Archbishop Fulton Sheen on the manifestations of the devil - part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Bishops Pressured Komen on Planned Parenthood - and Cardinal Dolan's Latest

This ought to pour salt into the wounds of uncatechized women!

And, if that doesn't THIS will!

Better double up on the Adoration and Praise. They'll all be cursing the Church tomorrow.

Things are shaping up nicely. I really think Cardinal Dolan is going to kickass.

You Are What You Do/Say/Think

This reflection is so where I'm going.


But starting today, starting right now, we can begin to paper over the weaknesses, the embarrassing trivia of our lives, with memories that will stand up to Christ’s scrutiny.

We can give freely of ourselves to friends and strangers. We can smile at small children and at the homeless man on the street. We can say “I love you” whenever possible. We can murmur prayers, sweet ejaculations of praise, as we go about our day. In time, we will find those prayers on our lips as we open our eyes to the morning sun; and it is then that they will be imprinted on our neural pathways, etched in myelin.

And when the day comes—when our life on this earth is over and when at last we rest in the arms of the Father—we will have a great blanket of love to cover over the offenses and shortcomings. We will still blush, as any imperfect thing blushes in the presence of great purity and light. But we will hold up our gift of love, grateful to have something to offer—glad to have, in our lives, magnified the meager talents we were given.


Choose to be happy. The anarchy, moral chaos, wars brewing, persecutions - can siphon your energy and happiness, if you let it. The devil is prowling waiting to sift us all like wheat. It will be tough to watch. The spiritual abuses call for righteous anger. Righteous anger inspires us to take actions - because we are our brothers/sisters keeper. The discernment process on what to say, when to say it and to whom, when to be silent -- takes tremendous discipline and a state of grace. Keep on your toes least we trip and fall. When we do trip and fall, start over. Every hour if necessary. Watch your back. Test everything. Listen to your intuition. Keep on your toes. If someone or something is leading you into temptation and away from sanctifying grace, witness. If they can't hear it and you can hear the big sucking sound - mosey on down the road. Keep them in your prayers.

As low as the world sinks from the weight of sin, there is an equal force lifting up. Ride the right wave baby!

Your Will above all else
my purpose remains
The art of losing myself
in bringing you praise
Everlasting, Your Light will shine when all else fades
Neverending. Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart and my soul, I give you control
Consume me from the inside out, Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
to love You from the inside out.




Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Fr. Guarnizo Fugatz

Fr. Z has the latest.

The conduct of the woman in question, and her lover, is shocking. No doubt the grief of losing her mother and malice towards the teaching of the Catholic Church overwhelmed their sensibilities. Weddings and funerals always bring out the best in everyone's dysfunctional relatives!

I am so glad Fr. Guarnizo has disclosed the facts.

Prayers for all - especially the poor dead woman! Imagine spending your whole life avoiding scandal and going out with this kind of a bang over your casket?

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Cardinal O'Malley Bringing in a Yoga Master to teach Sanskrit to Chancery Employees

Boston bloggers have been hearing now for months that the coven of women in the Chancery have had a serious outbreak of the vapors.

Since sitting in front of Our Blessed Lord in Adoration does absolutely nothing for them, they consulted the ouiji board and Cardinal O'Malley has decided to bring in a yoga master for sanskrit.

The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on the Hindu concept of divinity or Brahman. The word is associated with meditative practices in Hinduism, Janism and Buddhism.


I'll bet you didn't they couldn't get any weirder.

Off the record: my sources tell me that the women are so grateful, they have bought the Cardinal special red leotards and tutu, and will be presenting it at the first class. (It is a surprise, so please button your lips.) Sources also tell me Jim McDonough's former office has been turned into a space for the Hare Krishnas to do cleansing enemas, under the supervision of Mark Dunderdale.

It could happen!


Our friends at BCI have posted the contact information for the legumes who have oversight and accountability for the pagan ritual. Please give them a call or drop them an email.

Monday, March 12, 2012

An Act of Valor


Don't miss this movie about our Navy Seals. I saw it over the weekend and loved it. It's a little bloody but it is mostly terrorists who get all blowed up.

Navy Seals accept, train and execute some of the most dangerous missions to protect and defend our sovereignty. They have got to be demoralized by Barack Hussein's despicable seizure of this weekend's tragic events to malign the character of honorable men and women in the military.

What a weasel.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Bryan Stevenson asks: Why are millions of Americans locked up?




Why are millions of Americans locked up?

I'm an attorney and I represent incarcerated people, both in my home state of Alabama and across the United States...I spend every day with people who are poor, disadvantaged, condemned and marginalized. I am persuaded that we can and should do better to create more hopeful and encouraging solutions to poverty, crime and inequality in this country...This policy of mass incarceration did not come out of nowhere.


Why are millions of Americans locked up? "Mass incarceration did not come out of nowhere"?

This one is a no brainer.

Most times, people commit crimes simply because they want something you have or they don't want you to have something you have - like your life, liberty and possessions.

The policy to incarcerate came out of laws that make assaulting, raping, stealing and killing, etc., crimes that get reported to the police. Then Stevenson and his clients and the lawyers who represent the victims of Stevenon's clients all get to go to a court of law and testify about factual information and present evidence. A judgment is made based upon evidence and either the accused goes free or he or she is incarcerated.

The masses incarcerated "came out of" justice.

Wow. I mean really. What sophistry.

You know what I wonder?

I wonder if Stevenson would apply his theory about doing something other than incarcerating criminals to some poverty-stricken, crazy whitey who put on a white hood and carried out the agenda of the Klu Klux Klan?

Somehow, I doubt it.


Problematic Boston Priest, Fr. Paul Garrity Sponsoring Jesuit Lecturer Who Opposes Catholic Conscience Protections


Boston Catholics concerned about priests with a history of maligning Church teaching who report these incidents to Cardinal O'Malley for his intervention, have a double header in Boston on March 26th at St. Catherine of Siena parish in Norwood, Mass.

Monsignor Paul Garrity (who has a long history of maligning Church teaching) is sponsoring a Boston College Jesuit who opposes Catholic conscience protections. Fr. Thomas Massaro has been invited to St. Catherine's speak about conscience protections and how to vote in 2012.

Fr. Garrity is caricatured by chancery luminaries as a 'friend' of the Cardinal. Essentially, this means these priests are not to be disciplined for their scandals. Rather, they are rewarded and awarded.

While we all know how the good old boy dynamic panned out for them, the more things change, the more they stay the same. In this case, it has entrenched itself.

Massaro teaches moral theology to students at Boston College by telling them they should exclude the guidance and moral teaching of the Catholic Church, make up and live by their own set of values. He was one of the 26 signatories to sign a public letter supporting the nomination of friend of the eugenics of infants Kathleen Sebelius. The leading sponsor of the assault on the Roman Catholic Church. He is into class warfare, anarchy and of course encourages and supports the "Occupy" movement. Massaro gives the thumbs up to indoctrinating children as young as kindergarten into immorality, gender confusion and homoeroticism.

In short, he fits the profile of the 'friends of the Cardinal'. Perfectly. So perfectly, in fact, that Massaro was selected to be the keynote speaker for the Cardinal's Peace and Justice Conference last year.

Across town, another of Cardinal O'Malley's 'friends', Fr. Unni is sponsoring a lecture on the theology of sacramental grace. Fr. Unni is bringing in a speaker to teach sacramental grace comes from sex. A conversation between Karl Rahner and Lady Gaga. When you're teaching your flock about grace, who needs the Catechism when you can bring in a woman who invents a conversation between a reprobate and a slut. Do you suppose the next series is a conversation between Walter Cuenin and Heidi Fleiss? The lecture is being given by Mary Ann Hinsdale. Google it. There's a description of her credentials on page 7. Her expertise is women-shaping, theology comes from the people. Let's give the devil her due - these women have done a fantastic job shaping sissies out of priests and bishops.

I have never been able to figure out whether the Cardinal is really this stupid, or he thinks we are. At the end of the day, what difference does it really make?

He is accountable for things like this. He has the keen ability to publish exactly the right kind of publicity statement pass the muster of the Romans, while submarining Catholic teaching and the sovereignty of religious freedom in the execution of them. He only stops it when the scandal gets big enough to potentially expose the agenda he is actually carrying out here in Boston. Most of the time, he conceals, protects, rewards priests who help him carry it out - and threatens and intimidates priests and lay people who try to expose it. He is definitely not on the team. Every good faith hands-on Boston Catholic dismissed his dog and pony show years ago and is praying for the day when he gets another assignment.

God only knows what will be left by the time Rome has the fortitude to do something about it. They are keenly aware that there is a wrecking ball going 24/7 to three centuries of hard work in the vineyard in Boston. In the meantime, all we can do is continue to expose it, and pray. There is no worse enemy than the enemy within.


All the science of the Saints
is included in these two things:
To do, and to suffer.
And whoever had done these two things best
has made himself most saintly.
-Saint Francis de Sales

The Light Shines in the Darkness and the Darkness Has Not Overcome it.



FROM THE PASTOR
March 11, 2012
by Fr. George W. Rutler

As the Plymouth Bay Colony was starting up, a scholar back in England published the philosophical reflection,Anatomy of Melancholy, analyzing his own tendency to depression, which he attributed to “black bile.” It is not clear whether he hanged himself, but he certainly made it fashionable for philosophers to be gloomy. Yet even he had his moments: He liked listening to the barge-men in Oxford swearing, “. . . at which he would set his hands to his sides and laugh most profusely.” In the next century, an old friend of Dr. Johnson said that he had tried to be a philosopher “but cheerfulness kept breaking through.”

Something more than cheerfulness keeps breaking through the dark patches of life: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). The Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary evidence the divine clarity lighting up the shadows: Christ's Baptism, The Wedding at Cana, The Proclamation of the Gospel, The Transfiguration, and The Institution of the Eucharist. The Transfiguration is a singular instance of the joy of heaven bursting blatantly into this world. So, some of the Church Fathers have said that the Transfiguration was not a miracle at all, because it revealed the glory of God that miracles only hint at.

Christ showed this radiance to Peter, James and John to sustain them as they were about to enter the dark whirlpool of the Passion. Whenever times seem dark, Christ keeps breaking through. The darkness makes the light ever more vivid. It is a principle in painting, called chiaroscuro, that colors are brightest when they are contrasted with darker shades.

One of countless examples of how this is lived out was that of a young priest, Alois Andritzki, born in 1914 to a family of the minority Sorb people in eastern Germany. He was ordained in the diocese of Dresden-Meissen and ended up in the Dachau concentration camp on trumped-up charges. His real offense was to have preached against the eugenics policies of the Nazis. In a nearby “sanatorium,” doctors and nurses killed 16,000 handicapped and mentally ill people, including children, who were declared “unworthy of life.” On February 3, 1943, Father Andritzki was ill, and his handsome and athletic body had become emaciated. He asked for Holy Communion and instead was given a lethal injection. Last year, he was beatified as a martyr.

Father Andritzki’s dark cell was transfigured by the same light that keeps breaking through in the dark days of our own culture as morbid voices sound increasingly like the eugenicists of the past. Only the willfully blind can deny how dark it is getting. And only the melancholy can ignore the brightness that is enlightening many people who in less challenging days may have taken the Faith for granted. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Hope vs. Optimism


For a variety of reasons, it's been a very busy Lent.

I'm spending more time in prayer, Adoration.

More time with friends and on my treadmill. :) My daughter's wedding plans, other family weddings, new babies being born to family and friends. Watching Romney purchase the nomination with lies and destroying the reputation of real pro-lifers. Watching daffy women debase the beauty and vocation of women to that of a mindless whore. The wars. Insurrections.

Observing. Praying.

I went to a Frank Kelly prayer service this week. Frank is a...let's see, how would I describe Frank?! A humble, faithful, prayerful man with a gift of discernment. He prays over you, discerns your weaknesses, strengths. Gives you specific Saints to pray to for specific graces, physical/ spiritual healing. I've always wanted to go, to get guidance from our invisible friends as a "woman with blog"...who needs all the help she can get.

There was a Mass, magnificent homily which I'll talk about in a minute, and then hundreds of people lined up to be prayed over. He asks your first name and instructs you to ask Christ to come into your heart as he prays over you.

My few minutes with Frank went something like this..

He prayed over me as I opened the door to my mind, soul. He told me he felt my peace and to preserve it but that I should stop trying to control God, that He leadeth me, the saint to pray to for graces and assistance with that particular foible (St. Teresa of Avila). Then, almost as if he had just been hit with a bolt of lightening, and with absolute certainty, he said "WHOAH!!...YOU'RE A WRITER!" Though he needed no confirmation, I nodded in amazement. He acknowledged Christ's omnipotence, in knowing all things. We both smiled, acknowledging His presence in the encounter, and he asked me to pray to St. Francis de Sales for counsel in writing. Good luck to that guy. Aquinas must be pooped out? I wore out the ox.

There were a few other things he said along with the Saints to pray to for graces and intercession - all-in-all, an amazing experience. If you ever get the chance - just do it.

Before Frank's prayer service, the priest at the Mass gave a great homily. What he didn't say was as profound as what he did say. He casually mentioned some of the things happening in the world, said times are going to get tough. We are on the edge. He was on fire. Advised us to be watchful and to pray that God will raise prophets. Pray God raises the watchmen, who can see the signs, interpret, understand and alerts us to the trajectory in the public square. It raises consciousness and we all do what needs to be done.

He gave what I believe is the wisest counsel on how to navigate through the storm. Be joyful. Zealous. Keep your energy and focus on the many good things are happening and will continue to happen as it unravels. See Him high and Lifted Up, shining in the Light of His Glory, pouring out His Love as we sing Holy, Holy, Holy. These are the days. I really believe this is where we need to be. Where we need to go with it. Always giving a reason for our hope and joy.

I had already been thinking about all of this after reading Fr. Rutler's prophetic reflection this week (below), and especially in light of Romney's advances in the election. What the worst case scenario really is if it comes down to Obama and Romney.

With Obama, the people who are conscious at least know what is happening to them. The Church is responsive. Prophets rise. Political forces gather and take action.

Romney will roll out an agenda that is nearly identical to Obama's, but he will lie about what he is doing. The worst part about this scenario, the narcissists on our own side in positions of influence and power, lie right along with him. Most people do not scratch the surface of the lies. I remain unconvinced that for the purposes of Christendom, any of us should participate in this charade. And, it is a charade. The people are much better off knowing what is happening to them and taking actions accordingly.

That's where I am with it, at this moment in time.

I pray you are all having a great Lent. Blogging will be a little slower than normal. You're in my thoughts and prayers.

Here's Fr. Rutler's piece. It's a whopper.



FROM THE PASTOR
March 4, 2012
by Fr. George W. Rutler

In March of 1938, when the naïve among his contemporaries still thought they might cut a deal with the National Socialists, Winston Churchill saw his country “descending incontinently, fecklessly, the stairway which leads to a dark gulf.” A gulf beckons today, and no amount of forced optimism or self-conscious jollity will stop the descent to its shadows. There is nothing inevitable about what lies ahead, but providence will overcome fatalism only if people absorb what Pope Benedict XVI said last January: “…it is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.”

Those words would probably confuse the comfortable man who objected to me about a prayer that mentioned “enemies of the Faith.” He said with suburban unction that “there are no enemies anymore.” He was unaware that somewhere around 200 million Christians live under daily threat in 197 countries. Last year, nearly 100,000 Christians were killed because of their Christianity, in lands from North Korea and China, to Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Laos, Sudan, and on and on, including some supposed allies of our nation, such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt.

The man who saw no enemies might plead with good reason that the media have, to put it mildly, inadequately publicized these persecutions. That kind of plea, however, can no longer be sustained when elements of our own government have declared war on the Church, and persecution both subtle and blatant has gone domestic. Catholics have not been prepared to deal with this, and some have even been compliant. If we rely only on institutional bureaucracy to be our line of defense, we may find it to be a Maginot Line. The Allies were unprepared when Churchill spoke in 1938 because people wanted butter not guns, but found soon enough that butter was being rationed, and guns were pointing at them.

Pope Benedict spoke of “a worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.” It is not possible to look through stained glass windows, so the man who saw no enemies outside his air-conditioned and centrally heated church will be surprised if he tries to visit a Catholic hospital two years from now and finds that there is none, only a dark gulf. The Archbishop of Chicago has considered that possibility if the Health and Human Services regulations are not rescinded.
Hope is a theological virtue. Optimism is not. The wise have warned that pessimists are unhappy fools and optimists are happy fools. But the hopeful are not foolish. Christ began his war with a forty-day battle in a desert filled with wild beasts, but as they prowled about, He could hear angels.

***


There's a Star somewhere in the distance,
But the clouds make It hard to see.
I know you'll find the Sun
as fast as you can run to Me.
So many times I wondered, how you made it through the night
How do you choose the darkness
when I can be your Light
Come in from the rain to a Heart that's warm.
When tears start to fall, I'll be your shelter from the storm.
Tonight in these Arms of Mine,
Let me be the One.
Time will stop and stars will shine
for you
That's what Love can do.
If you want a Love that leaves you breathless,
It's so reckless to stay so far away.
I don't want to live without you
waiting for another rainy day
Come in from the rain.




Sacramento Diocese Pulls Funding From Agency

Father Thomas Reese, SJ, commented: “If the bishops are going to defund every organization headed by someone who disagrees with their views on gay marriage, birth control and abortion, they are going to find very few agencies to fund.”

Cry me a river.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Cher - Another Shining Example of How Sleeping Around Will Lower the IQ to Two Digits

Cher's Twitter.

Listen, I understand why an initiative or mission would use twitter.

But will somebody please explain to me why an individual would perceive the world needs to have access to every thought in their brain?

Unless you're in a place where you discipline all your thoughts - which takes heroic effort - I'm perplexed why anyone would do this to themselves.

I don't even understand what she's talking about.

Am I missing something?

Is there something "stone age" about expecting women to be able to scrape up $9.00 a month between her and the people she sleeping around with?

People are expected to pay for their cancer medication, heart medication, eyeglasses, canes, crutches, wheelchairs, but Catholics who object to the debasement of a woman's human sexuality to a receptacle for men and don't want to pay for it... are taking Cher back to the stone age?

I didn't even know she could still ovulate.

That's impressive.

I thought she could afford her own pills.

What kind of men are attracted to women who use f-bombs?

Nevermind.

I think I know.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Well, it isn't a complete disaster...

...praying hard for Rick in Ohio.

Come on Jesus - give us a crumb!

Even the dogs get the crumbs!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Cardinal Dolan: Why two ethically repugnant choices are not really choices at all

"some worry that we’ll have to face a decision between two ethically repugnant choices: subsidizing immoral services or no longer offering insurance coverage, a road none of us wants to travel."

Both of these proposed solutions are executed by subcontracting people to take actions we will not take ourselves because we know these actions would deprive us of our salvation.

Hiring other people to do it does not extricate us from the sin. Rather, both of these solutions compounds our accountability to the sin, because we intentionally add another layer of people into the vortex of the sins committed through the abortifacients, sterilizations - etc.

Hiring people to extricate ourselves from an immoral act is carried out by exploiting their ignorance or disordered state of mind, soul.

Maybe this will help:

"some worry that we’ll have to face a decision between two ethically repugnant choices: subsidizing crack pipes or outsource free crack pipe benefits to our employees to a company filled with people don't know any better."

Here's another example: What if this were ethnic cleansing?

Could we subsidize it?

Could we outsource others to do it to our employees?

What Cardinal Dolan needs to realize is, this IS ethnic cleansing - of the poor. It is ethnic cleansing of those who suffer from poverty of mind, spirit, intellect and money.

When you have "choices", you can pick one of them. That's the beauty of the word 'choice'. Subsidizing or outsourcing immoral/unethical services are not "choices" for Catholics.

Here are the choices:

1. We can take it court. We can do a big mother of a class action lawsuit. We can try to get a stay while it plays out.

2. If we can't get a stay or reverse it, we shut down operations of these services.

We don't sell it to them. We don't hand over our assets. We refuse their takeover proposals. We empty the hospitals, hand out pink slips, we board it all up and let it all rip.

These are the choices. There are no others.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Rush Only Called Out the Cultural Caricature of Women as Sluts

Is there really a mother that exists who would be proud their daughter is the shill for women who have debased their gift of human sexuality to needing free pills to sleep their way around town?

Is that what parents are proud of these days?

Seems incompatible to the vocation of wanting what is best for your child.

Why do you suppose Obama's own children weren't used to testify?

After all, teenagers are high-risk for immature skills is mastering eros.

I know the reason why. You know the reason why. Rush knows the reason why.

Fluke has just eliminated any decent man who wants a chaste woman from being attracted to her. What future mother-in-law from a decent family could ever look at Fluke without seeing her as a famous American putana.

Have you seen Bill Maher's response?

His excuses don't hold water of course, but it seems even Bill Maher thinks Fluke is a slut.

Again, this is an exploitation of a woman who is obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed. She hasn't the faintest idea what she has just done to herself. I doubt Fluke's parents take any pride in any of it. The sleeping around, the pumping of cancer-causing estrogen and progesterone and the perpetual destruction of her reputation.

What a shame.

Noisy Kids at Mass

A subject we've spoken about before is taken up at NCR.

Been there, done that as a parent with small children. There's no question, it's tough. But with some planning, most children learn quickly that this is an hour when immediate gratification is not available to them and they can be limited to one or two quiet interactions.

There's always one family Mass at a convenient mid-morning time. Everyone who goes to that Mass either has small children themselves or they've disciplined and refined their prayer life to see and hear above what is human. You'll feel right at home.

Buy a small/cheap backpack or tote for each child and keep it filled with things that are only available to them at Mass. Coloring book, crayons, a couple of books and small figurine toys that inspire the use of their imagination. Keep your eye out for sales on toys or crafts that inspire imagination and switch it up every few months. The limited availability of these things keeps them interested. I also packed a snack and drink for each of them in their bag. (Craisins/juicebox type of snack.)

It's helpful to also take them to visit the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass. (If your parish has First Friday Adoration or you're lucky enough to have perpetual adoration, even better.) Explain why we reverence the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity and our sacred space with silence, and need to respect the people who are speaking to or listening to Christ. Do it a couple of times a month, stay for ten or fifteen minutes.

Infants need to be topped off with nourishment prior to leaving the house. That includes breastfeeding Moms. A woman who doesn't know how to manage the nourishment of her infant so hunger pangs won't upset their equilibrium, so she can run to the grocery store, etc., has emotional, intellectual and/or other problems that I'm not going to get into in this post. Suffice it to say, a woman never uses the Sacred hour to breastfeed. If you are running late and don't get the chance to top off your child, take 3 oz of water in a bottle. (No more than three ounces and nothing but water because the success of breastfeeding relies upon the substance and rhythm of demand. Never decrease that demand, except for an emergency and only with water!) If a circumstance presents itself that has thrown the appetite of your baby off, and you realize you have inconsolable crying on your hands - pack up (with all your children in tow if necessary), excuse yourself from the pews and find a private place to breastfeed your child.

Motherhood is all about planning ahead and executing the plans - a work of art and beauty. Some women are naturals. Some learn along the way. As women, we should always have a handy supply of patience, kindness and support for another woman struggling with this balancing act. If you're in a place where you can't (and I understand perfectly the many reasons why a Catholic may need or want the quietness for these great and holy moments) - my recommendation is to go to the 7am-ish or 6pm-ish Mass. These are two Masses that most mothers with young children can't attend - so you'll be somewhat safe.

There IS a problem with parents whose children are undisciplined and unruly for a multitude of reasons. The economy has enslaved the family. Exhausted parents who pick up their children from day care centers, don't have the bandwith to parent or they struggle with guilt because of the situation and can't bring themselves to discipline in the precious hours that remain in the day. You're not doing yourselves (or your children) any favors by avoiding discipline. If your children are not reasonably responding to the above, you're going to have a problem when they get into school - perhaps for their whole lives. Not coming to Mass really isn't an option. For them or for you. Better to take the bull by the horns and reign it in with help of the mystical and the Sacraments going on around you week after week.


With all of my attempts above, even I was driven away for months by a nasty encounter. We are a community whose fiat is service. Every once in a while, I come across a story from a young parent that tells me we are doing a terrible job responding to their needs with patience and charity. I worry about the fruit of their discouragement - especially if their faith is weak.

May Our Good Lord bestow abundant blessings upon young Catholic parents.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Rush and the Feminazis - What the Fluke is this?

I'm having a hard time trying to gin up some sympathy

Fluke made an impassioned plea for her school to cover birth control as part of its health insurance plan. “Without insurance coverage, contraception, as you know, can cost a woman over $3,000 during law school," she testified at a Feb. 23 Democrat-sponsored hearing. “For a lot of students who, like me, are on public interest scholarships, that’s practically an entire summer’s salary.”


What did she think a rational listener would conclude with her sob story but she's sleeping around and expects the taxpayers to subsidize it?

You know what is really upsetting?

This is exploitation of a woman who is clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed by the Obama administration.


I'll bet they had to ask hundreds of women before they got this poor soul to step forward and make an ass of herself.

This is one step above rounding her up to boo-hoo on Jerry Springer.


Limbaugh, though, sounded less than contrite, telling his critics to "lighten up" and suggesting that Democrats are eager to paint him as a villain. He told his radio audience Friday that he thought he'd been "quite compassionate."

"It's one thing for Obama to call and ask her if she's OK," he said of Fluke at another point in the show. "I'm waiting for Bill Clinton to call her."


A proud moment for her parents indeed.

Wow. What an aspiration for the vocation of women coming out of the White House.

Cardinal Dolan is Voicing Dismay at Obama's HHS Mandate

Well now. I'm just sure that has Obama despondent, with Michelle spoon-feeding him soup.

Is he serious?

Don't get me wrong, I like the public nastygram but it demonstrates breathtaking naivete about the plan they are executing. There isn't any time for waiting for an honorable response to from Barack Hussein.

They are poised to take over Catholic Hospitals courtesty of Cardinal O'Malley, who gave away the conscience protections of Catholics without so much as wooden nickel for the assets. Steward Healthcare and Ralph deLaTorre are gobbling up hospitals and unraveling the structure faster than Al Queda is gobbling up the Middle East with Barack's assistance.


This plan has been rolling for years and has hundreds a gazillion dollars invested in it. They are not going to blink an eye over a letter about what a crying shame it is Obama isn't living up to his promises.

He doesn't see where this is all going?

This was my favorite part:

“The White House seems to think we bishops simply do not know or understand Catholic teaching and so, taking a cue from its own definition of religious freedom, now has nominated its own handpicked official Catholic teachers.”


Really?

Well now, where ever do you suppose they got that idea?!

The 40-year vacuum?

The 40 years of the democrats having strange bedfellows with pointing hats?


If Cardinal Dolan is serious, he better mosey on down to the courthouse and start the process to get it this thing all the way to SCOTUS. Because that is what it's going to take.

Gum it up baby, gum it up. There's no time to waste because it's going to take time to move it up the ladder.

Frankly, I can 't say I'm crazy about the last couple of sentences filled with excuses. What do they care if you pay their fines until Catholics go bankrupt? That is not even a choice.

We can't subcontract insurance agents to bait women into nefarious physical and spiritual services anymore than we could hire drug dealer to pass out free crack pipes. We are only compounding the sins of commission by adding another layer of...how do you say...useful idiots.

They better pull out the Book of Revelation and have a gander at it.

If push comes to shove, our hospitals have to be shut down. Lock, stock and barrel. Throw the whole thing into chaos. Don't sell it to them. Don't forfeit it to them. Shut them down.

And there should be a whole set of actions and inactions before we resort to THAT.