“If work was a good thing, the rich would have it all and not let you do it.” — Elmore Leonard Elmore Leonard has passed away. The world is a little dimmer and a little dumber, today. One of my favorite writers — and the source for a few of my favorite films, too. I will have to watch “Get Shorty” tonight in his memory. His “Ten Rules of Writing” are succinct and perfect: Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing... Read more
I’ve never understood why people who have no problem with Elijah and Enoch being assumed into paradise have a problem with Mary — the greatest, and most blessed of all created creatures — being assumed into heaven. “It’s not in scripture” doesn’t cut it, (as Msgr. Charles Pope demonstrates here) because what did the early Christians reference before the bible as we know it finally came into being in the fifth century? Teachings and traditions, as Saint Paul writes to... Read more
That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me, a Child of Faith. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both. — Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe It is fitting that... Read more
Here he is, pitching lots of subversive ideas to a crowd that doesn’t even realize it. “Opportunity looks a lot like hard work.” . . . He went on to talk about working from the age of 13 sweeping floors and washing dishes. “I’ve never had a job in my life that I was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job and every job I had was a stepping stone to my next job.” And… “The... Read more
It is very grim for our brothers and sisters in Egypt: Egyptian scholar Samuel Tadros says Islamists enraged by the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi have attacked more than 50 churches, destroying at least 20 and setting many of them on fire. Tadros, a Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, says Wednesday appears to have been the worst single day of violence against Egypt’s Coptic church since the 14th century. He says the Muslim Brotherhood blames... Read more
So, I haven’t been feeling great these past few weeks — it’s one of the reasons for the scant writing; between the aches and pains and the fuzzy brain, reasoning has been a challenge for me (that is, more of a challenge) and it’s difficult to write with coherence when you feel like you are about to die right…this…minute. Tomorrow I go for more lab work — including some gross stuff that goes on over a few days — so... Read more
Joel Schmidt thinks perhaps yes: By now, you’ve most likely heard the story of the “Mystery Priest” from the car accident scene in Eastern Missouri. If not, here’s the original story from USA Today. Phil Lawler of Catholic Culture has suggested how the priest might be identified: 1) Start showing the witnesses photos of priests with a reputation for holiness. 2) Include photos of priests who are no longer alive. 3) Prepare for a shock. Interestingly, we were at Conception... Read more
Reflecting on Lumen Fidei over at First Things, Nathaniel Peters writes: . . .an unexpected word does appear in Lumen Fidei: idolatry. As is characteristic of his evangelical boldness, Francis notes that in the story of the golden calf, “the opposite of faith is shown to be idolatry.” Faith demands a kind of patience. It requires us to abide the hiddenness of the God we long to see. The pope notes Martin Buber’s definition of idolatry, which he in turn... Read more
In Catholic circles, everyone talks about “The New Evangelization”, but explaining what exactly it is, is not always easy. In my column in this issue of The Catholic Answer Magazine, I more or less “go to the sources” to help give solid examples of The New Evangelization, in Theory and Application: Weeks before his death in 2005, Pope John Paul still appeared at his apartment window and, unable to speak, showed his faithful attention to the people and received theirs... Read more
I’ve confessed more than once that, while working with stockbrokers, I got into a bad habit of cussing; I believe I’ve referred to it as having slipped into “the sailor’s tongue.” I still indulge it — infrequently, but too often. Yesterday we were treated to headlines about a particularly foul-mouthed tirade indulged in by a woman named Barbara Morgan, who is apparently Anthony Weiner’s spokesperson. The Weiner story is for other blogs — I’m not interested it — but someone... Read more
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