It started when we moved the prize turkey down to the fridge. Michael had dragged the wheeled cart out to Kroger to buy our week’s groceries, with a gift card from a generous friend. That’s how we do most of the shopping during the current COVID spike. Once in awhile we chance the bus, if it’s not crowded, and get cheaper groceries at Aldi or Wal Mart. But usually we drag the cart to the slightly more expensive place and... Read more
 A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew: Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king... Read more
 Hey folks, I have a wonderful opportunity to perform a huge work of mercy for a young lady who’s had a spot of bad luck. Remember how last year, we all pulled together and helped my friend with eight kids who had fled an abusive marriage and needed a hand at Christmas? This year, to warm up for the Advent season, we get to do it again for another vulnerable woman. My new friend, Angel Marie, is a young... Read more
 It’s not that there isn’t a lot to be thankful for, the weekend before Thanksgiving. All kinds of small things are going right. Michael came home this week with the hand shopping cart impossibly stuffed, having bought enough groceries in one sitting to win a free turkey. When he got to the Kroger freezer to claim his prize, there weren’t any small turkeys left, so I had to make room in our tiny freezer for a twenty-pounder. That was... Read more
Last night, the United States committed another federal execution. Orlando Hall, a rapist and murderer, was put to death by lethal injection. This happened after a stay of execution was overturned by the United States Supreme Court. One of the justices who voted to overturn the stay was the newest supreme court justice, a Charismatic Catholic and darling of the pro-life movement, Amy Coney Barrett. Of course she’s not the only Catholic on the Supreme Court; Justice Kavanaugh ruled to... Read more
I dreamed I went swimming with all of my friends. I don’t exactly have friends. I have people I know and love to interact with online, but in Steubenville I keep to myself most of the time. When I woke up I didn’t know who these people were. But in the dream, we were old friends, talking and laughing together. I dreamed my friends and I were all staying in a great big fancy high-rise hotel. We met in the... Read more
 Hey guys, this isn’t a real blog post, this is just my monthly reminder that Steel Magnificat, and my family, depend almost entirely on tips. I get a very small paycheck from Patheos based on clicks in the United States, and the rest of my income is gratuities from satisfied readers, or readers who just feel like being nice. Think of it as tipping your Doordash driver, or a magazine subscription where you get to pay whatever you think... Read more
I am aghast at just how bizarrely people are behaving right now, especially in the Church. As a Catholic blogger, it’s practically my job to be aghast at my fellow Catholics. But this past few weeks has been especially off the wall, in an exhausting way. I’ve been marveling for ten days straight at Taylor Marshall’s rants about how the election was rigged. The best thing I can say about his rants is that he has a jaunty taste in... Read more
 It’s mid-November. Advent is beginning in Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches; the rest of us won’t be far behind. And it’s a week and a half before Thanksgiving. This is the time when many families, churches and other communities are especially focused donating food and other necessary things to the poor. This year it’s going to be more important than ever. There are far, far more needy people this year, and the pandemic has made circumstances much more... Read more
The War on Christmas seems to get earlier every year. It seems that today, a nice round forty days before Christmas, Doctor Fauchi appeared on television talking about social distancing and how we’ll all have to be extremely careful during this surge in coronavirus cases. A vaccine won’t be widely distributed for some time yet, and even as it’s being distributed we’ll have to take care. Jake Tapper morosely replied “Christmas is not going to be possible.” And the internet... Read more
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