Would to God that . . . all men could know how very easy it would be for them to arrive at a high degree of sanctity. They would only have to fulfill the simple duties of Christianity and of their state of life; to embrace with submission the crosses belonging to that state, and to submit with faith and love to the designs of Providence in all those things that have to be done or suffered. . . This... Read more
Patheos wants to know, what’s you’re favorite religious joke? We could all use a laugh, so I am more than game. I just left mine over there, so go check it out! Also, this is a good question: Can Complainers Gather Between Heaven and Mirth? I expect there will be more jokes on the twitter feed as the day wears on. I love Pope John XXIII’s quick wit! UPDATED: Max shares a few originals Read more
That’s a song by Alice Cooper, right? Or lyrics? Actually I have another song, “Mama’s Got a Squeezebox” in my head, but the words are “Mama’s got a Burn Out…” The details aren’t important, but I somehow managed to commit myself to several different, rather big, projects whose deadlines all fell between last Thursday and today. Actually, the big commitments end on Thursday, after I speak at a parish in New Jersey on Wednesday night (oh, by the way, I’ll... Read more
All my life, I’ve had to listen to these pop songs about other girls with other names. “Li-li-luh-luh-luh-la-la-la-la-Linda…” “Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-barbra-Anne…” “Gloria-ee-ay-oh-oh-wah-aay…” “Help me, Rhonda…” “Beth, I hear you calling…” “Tell Laura I love her…” “Angie; Aiinnngay…” Eleanor Rigby, picked up the rice… Roxanne didn’t have to put on that red dress… Janie got a gun… Cecilia broke everyone’s heart… Sweet Caroline had the good times… Mary Jane got a last dance… Mandy came and gave without taking… Ruby took her love... Read more
Come on, you Center-Right folk! If you can’t manage to do better than James Carville, then what’s the point? Remember when James Carville smeared Paula Jones, saying you’ll never know what you’ll find “when you drag a hundred dollar bill through a trailer park.” Remember the criticism he rightly received from conservatives for saying such garbage? . . . Someone tell me how Mr. Barron today is any different from James Carville then… Read the whole thoughtful piece. The worst... Read more
Eve and Mary by Sr. Grace Remington, O.C.S.O A couple of years ago I wrote about This beautiful illustration and the poem “O Eve”: A Trappistine nun, [the late Abbess] Columba Guare of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey, who composed the texts for the Abbey’s Christmas cards, wrote this lovely poem, wherein the Virgin Mary addresses Eve with hope and gladness: O Eve! My mother, my daughter, life-giving Eve, Do not be ashamed, do not grieve. The former things... Read more
Well…let’s hope third time is the charm! Kitty is back from the hospital, and this time I think she looks better than she has the last two times; her IV meds are being extended, but she wants to return to work asap and while I worry about her overdoing it, I do think it might be helpful for her to get back into the swing of her life. I thank you all so much for your prayers on her behalf... Read more
I read this and couldn’t stop laughing. And I don’t know why I was laughing — I guess because it all seems so perfectly on schedule or something: This lawyer apparently has a strong hate on against Catholics. And a touch of paranoia, I think. In the sedate and sober world of bankruptcy law, one lawyer’s memorandum sticks out like a sore loser. “Across the country the court systems and particularly the Bankruptcy Court in Minnesota, are composed of a... Read more
Last week when I ranted about Black Friday and the absurd over-commercialization of Christmas, I wrote: “The littlest kids are getting gifts (small ones; hello chess sets!) — and everyone else is getting homemade cookies or Monastic soaps, cremes and candies — high-quality “things” that are quickly used and gone, and whose purchase helps sustain houses of prayer — or books that can actually change people’s lives by helping them to find a measure of true comfort and joy, those... Read more
I love his latest book, Between Heaven and Mirth almost as much as I loved My Life With the Saints (which is to say, a lot) but “Mirth” strikes me as a particularly great Christmas gift, because what heavy-lifting it requires comes with a ready-hand of diversionary wit and humor. It is not scary. You can give it to someone who already has faith — any faith; the book does not speak exclusively to Catholics — and they will enjoy... Read more
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