Captain America: Civil War is now available in the usual assortment of digital and disc formats. I was excited about this one. I enjoy Marvel movies; I admire the way the take the rather outlandish and often stylized world of comic books and weave it into the relative realism of live action films. I like how a character who’s played a part in hundreds of complicated comic book plots is presented to the audience so clearly, so quickly that we... Read more
So, it’s mothers’ day again this weekend. Great. I’ve already shared with you folks about my motherhood, and how painful a subject it is. I’ve suffered more than some mothers, and far less than many others. My daughterhood is a thorny subject as well. My mother stopped being able to accept me when I was in the first grade. I won’t go into the details here; I respect her privacy, and I recognize that a person’s mental health is not... Read more
I’ve got to admit, this is a day that stumps me. I don’t know what to say about the Ascension of the Lord. Take a look at this responsory, from tomorrow’s Office of Readings: During the forty days after his passion, he appeared to them and spoke with them about the kingdom of God. As they watched, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight, alleluia. While he was with them, he told them not to... Read more
In case you’ve been living under a rock since last fall: GET BACK UNDER THE ROCK. You’re a lot safer down there. We up in the United States have been having a knock-down drag-out bare-knuckled cage fight of a primary season ahead of November’s presidential election. It’s a sight to behold. It’s like the Wars of the Roses, if the Wars of the Roses had been fought on a sound stage with unbelievably kitschy red, white and blue decoration. It’s like The Terror, if during The... Read more
I know this is a Christmas hymn, but bear with me. It’s a hymn that’s been on my mind all day, for reasons I’ll explain. Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67uTQX-OJro “I wonder as I wander out under the sky, how Jesus the Savior did come for to die, for poor ornery people like you and like I…” What’s that supposed to mean? Am I a poor ornery person? Are you and I both? I didn’t used to think I was. I didn’t used... Read more
Rebecca over at “Suspended in Her Jar” is talking about modesty again. Rebecca’s cool. I want to sit at her table and talk about modesty too. But modesty gets talked about so often. There are so many things you could say about modesty, so many tacks you could take on the subject. You can agree with the most conservative folks, that women ought never to show their elbows or hair in public, or you can agree with Rebecca that modesty... Read more
It’s a cool cloudy day in Steubenville; as I write this, it’s threatening to storm. I like storms these days. I used to be afraid of them. Want to hear a storm story? Too bad, I want to tell a storm story. The rest of you can come back tomorrow. I want to tell you about the time my cousin was nearly struck by lightning for his irreverence, or maybe not. I was nine years old that summer. My... Read more
Χριστὸς ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν, θανάτῳ θάνατον πατήσας, καὶ τοῖς ἐν τοῖς μνήμασι, ζωὴν χαρισάμενος! Christ is risen from the dead, Trampling down death by death, And upon those in the tombs Bestowing life! For the unity of all Christians, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy! (Image courtesy of pixabay) Read more
I have a confession to make: I am extremely plain. That is to say, I’m unattractive physically. In fact, I’ve been called ugly to my face plenty of times. I think of myself as not hideous, but physically average or below-average looking. Okay, now I want you to think about how you reacted to that statement. Chances are there are some mean trollish people who are giggling at what a disaster I am, and those of you who are polite... Read more
I threw a wood block at a child the other day. I had to. He was trying to break in my window and he didn’t run when I screamed. I went downtown and ratted him out to the police this afternoon. I had to. I didn’t want to. But I can’t just talk to his parents because they’re drunks, and they’re on drugs. They don’t even let him in the house during the day. He bikes around the neighborhood... Read more
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