The Holy Father has granted a Plenary Indulgence because of the pandemic sweeping the world. I am grateful to him for doing this. Lent is a time when we get a spiritual wash job. It is a time of deeper conversion and getting clean from our sins. The normal ways we do this have been truncated by the exigencies of fighting this pandemic. Life saving is the order of the day. It’s easy to overlook the necessity of soul-saving repentance... Read more
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. St Paul Pope Francis has granted a Plenary Indulgence to all of us who suffer from the Coronavirus. Those who are subject to quarantine, health care workers, family members and all those who care for those who are sick with Coronavirus are all granted this Plenary Indulgence if their hearts are “detached from any sin,” and they do one of the following: Unite spiritually through the media with the... Read more
If you’ve been wondering how you were going to get your records to your accountant and file your taxes without encountering lots of other people, you need worry no more. The filing deadline for income taxes has been moved from April 15 to July 15. That’s a big relief for people who have to use an extended tax form. Now you can put off getting your records together and doing what you do to organize it for your accountant until... Read more
During an interview he gave to La Stampa, Pope Francis said that the only way we will survive this pandemic is if we stick together. He also reminds us to turn to the Source of all healing through prayer. From Vatican News In the interview with “La Stampa”, published on Friday, Pope Francis speaks of the sorrow and pain that “everyone” is experiencing due to the coronavirus. The only way to survive this situation, he says, is by sticking together.... Read more
We’ve had the Hong Kong flu. We’ve had the Australian flu. It’s accurate, and in keeping with naming tradition to call the Corona virus the Wuhan virus. It’s not inherently racist. If that name bothers you, call it something else. The virus doesn’t care. Just don’t let this triviality of a non-issue divert you from the main concerns. The Chinese premier is playing a denial game. He ignored the virus early days too. He arrested doctors who tried to report it,... Read more
Which is lawful on the Sabbath, to do good or to do evil? To save a life of to kill? Jesus Christ. Sometimes, being pro life means not spreading a virus. I wrote yesterday about the sense of loss I feel because my archbishop has ended public celebrations of the mass through Easter. What I didn’t say — what I SHOULD have said — is that I fully support him in this action. Let me say that again: I fully... Read more
It’s been almost a week since I’ve seen my mother. Her nursing home is in lockup due to the Coronavirus, and I’m doing stay-at-home. Mama fell out of bed in the nursing home a couple of weeks ago and gashed her head. I got a middle-of-the-night call. Since she’s in hospice, I had to ok sending her to the ER. When I got to the hospital, they were giving her locals to numb the spot before they put in stitches.... Read more
We spend our entire lives pretending that death will never come to us. We bury friends and loved ones. We stand at their graves and cry. But in our hearts, we don’t believe that our loved ones will ever do the same thing beside our graves. We can’t imagine a world without us. What will it be like when our families come back to the house and we aren’t there? What will the world be when we are gone from... Read more
Heavenly Father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in atonement for my sins and those of the whole world. The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is suspending public celebration of the mass through Easter. The Diocese of Arkansas did the same thing several days ago. Other dioceses all over the world are doing the same. I feel as if a light has gone out. Correction. ... Read more
I had an interesting conversation yesterday with a manager in a local business. He described how terrified some of his employees are of the Coronavirus and the things he was having to do to keep them calm and coming to work. I know that this will mark me as one of the goofiest people around, but it honestly had not occurred to me to be afraid of either the virus or the threat of economic meltdown which we are facing.... Read more
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