St Basil the Great, defender of the Church and martyr, From The Divine Liturgy of St Basil: “Free those who are held captive by unclean spirits; sail with those who sail; travel with those who travel; defend the widows; protect the orphans; liberate the captives; heal the sick. “Remember, Lord, those who are in mines, in exile, in harsh labor, and those in every kind of affliction, necessity, or distress; those who entreat your loving kindness; those who love us... Read more
The moral underpinning of the pro life movement has nothing to do with punishing women. It is an affirmation of the simple and obvious fact that the right of human beings to be alive without fear of being murdered is the basic human right. No one has the right to kill another human being for any reason other than self-defense. Self defense is itself limited to situations where the threat is real and imminent, something a reasonable person would see... Read more
When you learn to sit at table with your Judas, you’ll understand the love of Christ. From a meme I saw on Facebook. Forgiveness can be the most difficult demand that Jesus makes of us. Sitting at table with your Judas, with someone close and intimate who has betrayed you, is difficult, I’m sure, although I don’t know much about it. I haven’t been through the betrayals that happen during a divorce, haven’t experienced the back-stabbing that some relatives... Read more
Holy Week opened today as it is does each year, with palms. Churches distribute palms, and worshippers process into the church. Mothers everywhere whisper “Stop that!” to the horseplay that results. We were Episcopalians back in the early 1990s, but the mass was the same. My little boys had to be reminded that the palms were not swords. It was always a challenge to keep them walking in line into the church and then to deal with the squirming, poking,... Read more
A normal Lent for American Catholics is drenched in petty personal piety and nonsensical “sacrifice” like giving up chewing gum and going to confession to seek forgiveness for getting wasted at last summer’s Fourth of July party. Lent, American style, has very little to do with the blood-drenched Passion of Our Lord, and even less to do with the reality that the world around us is a butcher shop. We Americans are, on the surface at least, a privileged people.... Read more
Ave Maria. Enjoy. Read more
Children are a gift that keeps on giving. I remember when I was young and the world was green that young women my age talked a lot about how having a baby was a 20-year sentence. This was a response to the way that childbearing had been used as an excuse to discriminate against women in education, career and every other life opportunity. The anger about the discrimination was totally justified. But the conclusion about children themselves was just hyperbole... Read more
What’s all this talk about the “yield curve” and why does it matter to you? The yield curve is a plot line, just like any plot line you would make in a spreadsheet on your computer. It is based on length of time a bond has before it pays out the interest it has promised to pay the person who bought the bond, combined with the price the bond is worth in the open market. “Short-term” bonds pay out sooner... Read more
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards because Chris Rock made a cruel joke about Will Smith’s wife’s hair loss. Will Smith’s wife has Alopecia, and according to reports of those who were watching her reaction, the joke upset her. Ta da. That’s all there really is to that deal that should concern you and me. It was such a stupid story that it took me a while to even know how I felt about it, or if... Read more
These two stories crossed my feed today, a few hours after the Holy Father consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I’m not drawing any conclusions, although I do have my thoughts. Make of it what you will. Pope Francis Consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Ukraine news live: Zelenskyy says his troops have dealt Russia ‘powerful blows’ as Moscow hints it may have given up on full takeover Russian forces in Ukraine... Read more
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