Anybody remember the BILLY JACK movies from the early 1970’s? As a teen-ager, I just loved them. Billy Jack, a Vietnam vet, a Native American, returns home and fights people who are persecuting Native Americans. He was Chuck Norris before Chuck Norris and his martial arts feats captivated us kids. Then we grew up and realized that the movies were a mish mash of naive social justice concepts and stereotypical portrays of tribal customs and life on a reservation. I... Read more
The U.S. Bishops had an unimpressive week at their biannual meeting. That means this first paragraph will be boring. But take heart! It shall get better. They approved three measures to help alleviate last year’s iteration of the sex abuse crisis, namely, the ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick controversy. First, they approved a way for a bishop to discipline another bishop within his diocese. Next, they approved norms to codify Pope Francis’ February Conference on Sex Abuse results. And finally, they approved... Read more
NO HARD HAT BIRETTAS? THE CHURCH HAS LET US DOWN AGAIN. Picture from the Daily Mail, showing the first Mass in Notre Dame Cathedral since the fire. Priest celebrants had to wear hard hats in case of falling debris. Even the Archbishop has to wear one in place of his miter. Seems like a good opportunity for all Church Supply companies to take advantage of. Read more
What in the world is Cardinal Burke doing? What can he and his compatriots be thinking? The cardinal and several other clerics have published a Declaration of Truths which purports to be a clarification of Catholic beliefs that the signatories hold to be under attack by theologians and clerics within the Church, including the Pope himself. Please check out the story and the actual document here: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/new-declaration-of-truths-affirms-key-church-teachings. I’ve had the honor and privilege of meeting Cardinal Burke several times. He is... Read more
Great bluegrass song out called “In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company.” By the time summer ends, we Catholics will be humming it as we grapple with the crisis in the Church once again. Looks like last year’s Cardinal scandal will have a sequel this year after the Washington Post’s expose of Bishop Bransfield of West Virginia. But before we get on the bandwagon of bashing priests, bishops, etc. again, perhaps we Catholics could all agree to share... Read more
On the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, the governmental elites, the ordinary folks, and most especially the remaining living soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy so long ago, gathered on that hallowed ground to remember. Who cannot stand stunned at the enormity of what the Allies accomplished? I’ll tell you who–most of us. The notion of Valor has faded in our consciousness. What boys of 20 years did decades ago seems impossible to replicate now. Heroism is left to Hollywood... Read more
And no one lived happily ever after. That’s what I got out of eight seasons of Game of Thrones–that awful parable for our time. It’s a storyline with no heroes, no hope, and the constant, unremitting triumph of death and evil. Humans defined only as sinners. But how surprisingly appropriate for our times. In this millennium, evil conquers everything. Commit Sin; Go To Hell Know how I know this? The New York Yankees cast the soul of Kate Smith into... Read more
Welcome to the newest Catholic blog on Patheos. It’s called “Thin Places“. My name is Monsignor Eric R. Barr, STL, and I’m the author of what I hope you will find to be an exciting, challenging, enjoyable and spiritual blog experience. Sure, it’s a little bit Celtic, a little bit theological, and rather wide in the net it casts. Primarily, though, this blog is about the struggle of folks in this world who are trying to find hints of the... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In