Steel Magnificat - Everything is grace

Let it be an Ordinary Day

November 12, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

Have you ever found yourself in a museum, when you were terribly anxious? Anxiety is one of the two hundred possible symptoms of fibromyalgia. It’s something I live with from time to time. I wake up with a strong, heavy, nearly physical sense of impending doom gnawing at my stomach. It’s not that this day and age we live doesn’t give one enough reason to be anxious; it’s just that I know my anxiety would be here anyway. I… Read more

The Friendship Room Needs Help!

November 9, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

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I am about to leave for Pittsburgh for the Convivium Gathering, which promises to be tons of fun if any of my readers are in town. I’ll be giving one of the talks, at 2:45 tomorrow. But before I leave, I have here an urgent request for help from The Friendship Room in Steubenville. For those of you who don’t know, in addition to their hospitality house, the Friendship Room runs a safe house for vulnerable women and women… Read more

Trump is Doing the Monkey Dance

November 8, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

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Well, it’s gotten a bit dicey around here. I was feeling moderately hopeful right up until yesterday morning, and then things began to happen. I expected they would, though it’s still dizzying to watch them. I do not count President Trump’s petulant tweets as anything more threatening than usual, since he makes them about everything. But then the president, looking particularly haggard and wearing more contouring powder than usual, took to the podium and had a particularly undignified name-calling fit…. Read more

Looking Back and Ahead One Election Day: What Now?

November 7, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

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That was quite an evening. My stomach went up into my throat more than once. And here we are, on the other side of the midterm elections. The proverbial blue wave swept the House, bringing in all kinds of new talent, and the Senate remains about the same. I never thought I’d be so excited about people in whom I had so little faith. I don’t put my trust in princes, on the Right or the Left. I came… Read more

One More Word Before You Vote

November 5, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

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I need to talk to my fellow Catholics right before they go vote. It’s just going to take about twenty minutes if that. Polls are open all day. Give me a little time. I want you to watch a video for me, please. I know that John Oliver’s vulgarity is not to everybody’s tastes and I absolutely don’t agree with all of his political views. I am sure he’d have nothing but contempt for many of the things… Read more

My Pro-Life Vote This Year

November 3, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

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“A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favour of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.” That is… Read more

A Legacy of Scandal: Sheltering Abuse at Franciscan University

November 1, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

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I loved Father Mike Scanlan. I know that I have been less than complimentary about FUS. I had a horrible time there. But I genuinely loved Father Mike. He used to pray with me and anoint my forehead with blessed oil. Then he’d hug me and give me a kiss on the forehead; then he’d bless Michael, who was only my boyfriend at the time and who always came to meet me after I had spiritual direction. I invited… Read more

You Must Not Hurt People

October 30, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

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I want to be absolutely clear about something. It is a sin to hurt people. There are many issues we can disagree on and it’s not a matter of sin, but not this one of them. It simply is a sin to deliberately hurt people. If you have, with reasonable thought and not through paranoia, come to the rational conclusion that you or someone you are responsible to protect are in danger and have to deflect the attack, you… Read more

Chaos and Conviction in the Neighborhood

October 29, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

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I apologize for the recent silence; have been exceptionally sick for a week– for months, if I’m to be honest, but I hit a proverbial wall on Monday. The mounting stress of the past several months has slowly built up to a severe flare of my chronic illness. Fibromyalgia is never not a problem, but this past week it’s been a nightmare. I tried to stay on task with my writing online, but honestly just being online has been… Read more

The Church Ought Not to be a Torture Test

October 21, 2018 By Mary Pezzulo

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I don’t know how to tell you that you shouldn’t mock people in spiritual crisis. If you are a Christian and that is not obvious to you, I don’t know what more I can say. I don’t know how to tell you that you’re not supposed to kick people when they’re down. Fighting back against bullies who live to hurt others– well, we can debate about that. I always say, the ad hominem isn’t a wrong tactic if you’re… Read more