 The O Antiphon for December 18th: O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel,qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti,et ei in Sina legem dedisti:veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento. O Leader of the House of Israel, giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue us with your mighty power! O come, Adonai, Lord of might, Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height, In ancient times didst give the law In cloud and majesty and awe. Rejoice!... Read more
The O Antiphon for December 17th: O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae. O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence. O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, And order all things, far and nigh; To us the path of knowledge show, And cause us in... Read more
 A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that... Read more
I was looking for cheap houses for sale near Pittsburgh, as I often do, daydreaming. On a whim, I searched for houses for sale in the neighborhood I grew up in. The next thing I knew, I was looking at the Street View in a Google Map Search, and Rosie was looking over my shoulder. “Want to see where I grew up?” I asked, and she said yes. I showed her. “Now this is Breevort Park.” “Revoort Pork?” Rose repeated,... Read more
This post is not a real post, this is only your periodic reminder that Steel Magnificat, and my family, are almost entirely run on gratuities. I work from home as a writer due to my chronic illness, churning out three to seven literary art projects per week here, my husband copyedits for me, and he’s also the homemaker who takes care of Rosie and does the housework since I’m so often too sick to get off the sofa or out... Read more
  So. A couple of months ago now, when just about every rape survivor in this country was being forced to re-live our trauma as the senate questioned, coddled and encouraged Brett Kavanaugh on live TV, I wrote a piece asking why his appointment was necessary. I wrote this as a Catholic woman who is completely against abortion, though I am often highly critical of the tactics of many of the big name players in the pro-life movement. The... Read more
We ended up walking home from Mass, on the vigil of the Immaculate Conception. There was a bus out to the vigil Mass, but no bus home. The cough I’ve had for a week was much better so I decided I was well enough for a hike. Mass was so crowded that we sat in the weird room in the back that the priests use as a vestry, facing that plaque with the face of Mary from the Pieta instead... Read more
 I have a request for my readers. I want you all to help me obtain justice and mercy for a young woman who has been severely abused. Cyntoia Brown is a young woman who reports that she was forced into prostitution from a very young age. She was sexually and physically abused by her pimp and had been the victim of many, many rapes. When she was sixteen years old, she shot and killed one of the men who... Read more
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the... Read more
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On Jesus, Gingerbread and the Question of Alphas
People are still up in arms about gingerbread. Somehow, my calling out of Dr. Taylor Marshall for claiming gingerbread was effeminate went semi-viral, at least compared to my usual shares. I wish just once the things I write that are worth reading would go viral– my Way of the Cross or Sorrows and Joys of Mary. But it’s always politics or random posts about gingerbread. Next thing I knew, everyone was making jokes about gingerbread. Even Doctor Marshall himself apparently... Read more