Advent will very quickly be upon us, and with it all of the worldly distractions, commitments and tight schedules that have helped make Christmas itself feel–for some–like an ordeal to be gotten through, instead of a season of dawning light and enduring, mysterious love. Particularly in difficult times such as we are facing, we need to be sure we’ve made some time to consider that light, and that Incarnational mystery, which we will never fully comprehend whereupon, as the great... Read more
Our Lady of Salvation Church, Iraq In the gospels, Our Lord made it very clear that to claim His salvation and his Name was to put oneself at odds with the world. His cross is a sign of contradiction, and our lives are meant to be, as well. In truth, Christians should be happy, not angry, when the world despises them; it despised Him, first. If the world loved Christians, or loved the church, it would indicate that the church... Read more
For those of you looking for Gateway Pundit and heading over here to ask me about it, the answer is, I am so much in my own little world and busy with my own work that I didn’t even know he had gone! But a quick look at his twitter feed informs that he has headed over to Right Network, and is in the process of moving his huge amount of data there. Right Network is the new right-wing oriented... Read more
There is a story–or a bit of blarney, I’m not sure which–about why Catholic priests wear the distinctive Roman Collar, all black with just a tab of white showing at the front, rather than the full white collar. I heard it a while ago, and don’t remember details, but in this telling it seems that during wartime many priests were easy targets because their all-white collars were easy to see, particularly at night, and so the collar was changed to... Read more
Fr. Tim Vakoc, Military Chaplain, RIP A Hero is as a Hero Does Nice posts at Hot Air and at Deacon Greg’s place and elsewhere, but I like this piece by Frank Weathers, because it reminds us that (as with this priest) soldiers and saints are sometimes one and the same: Martin of Tours by Charles L. O’Donnell “As I today was wayfaring”— Holy, Holy, Holy!—low— Said Christ in heaven’s evening— The Holies yet more hushed and slow— “I met... Read more
It’s the most wonderful tiiiiime of the yeeear! That would be the time of the year when the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming bring out their twice-yearly limited special-blend Jingle Bell Java, and children dance in joy as their harried parents settle down for a cup of this so-incredibly-delicious-God-had-to-have-inspired-it blend and all becomes right with the world. No kidding. This is the stuff. With its notes of white chocolate and bourbon, Jingle Bell Java has come to be the Christmas gift... Read more
Ever have one of those moments, as you go through life, when someone comes along and says just the right word at the right time? It’s usually when we needed it most! Or did you ever have a song play on the radio, or in the shuffle of the iTunes library, and you just knew that somehow that song was meant just for you? A moment of inspiration can make all the difference, for it contains a small blessing. Tucked... Read more
In her excellent piece, on praying with children Kathy Coffey writes: Ever hear of an exercise class where you just talked about it? No coach would allow the idle chatter of “It’d be nice to stretch or do sit-ups.” The people who benefit from jogging do it regularly. So our children must see us making sense of our experience through the lens of prayer, trying to understand where God has been active, leaving an unmistakable but invisible imprint. Kathy is... Read more
This kills me!: The Interior Department’s inspector general says the White House edited a drilling safety report in a way that made it falsely appear that scientists and experts supported the idea of the administration’s six-month ban on new drilling. The inspector general says the editing changes resulted “in the implication that the moratorium recommendation had been peer reviewed.” But it hadn’t been. The scientists were only asked to review new safety measures for offshore drilling. “There was no intent... Read more
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