I presume that the custom of eating cucumbers on the feast of the Prophet Elisha refers to the poisoned stew in 2 Kings 8:38-41. The stew was poisoned with wild cucumbers, but Elisha miraculously made it safe to eat.

'When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. Once, when the guild prophets were seated before him, he said to his servant, “Put the large pot on, and make some vegetable stew for the guild prophets.” Someone went out into the field to gather herbs and found … [More]

How much good could be done by those extremely wealthy persons, if only they could see and understand the teaching of the Catholic Church in Humanae Vitae. They could provide much needed help for the pro-life movement, for unwed mothers, and for needy children. But instead, they squander billions of dollars on schemes to flood the world with more and more contraception. We should be praying for their sincere repentance and wholehearted conversion.

Ouch. That was painful. If these poor novices ever get ordained, they will probably live to regret the fact that someone convinced them to prance around on the stage like this, and worse, that someone put the whole thing on video. It was painful to watch it today, and it will be painful, years from now, to have to watch it again.

It was entirely appropriate for the archbishop of Chicago to warn an Italian Catholic organization against giving honors to an American public figure who opposes the Church's teachings. This is a matter of faith and morality, not "politics."

Ear rings on a nun? When was the last time she smiled?

What is wrong with giving severence pay to a former employee? It does not imply approval of the immoral actions of the employee.

There was a peculiar phrase used by the Ursuline sister, in the midst of her jumble of peculiar statements. She did not say that the billionaire "follows" her conscience, but that she "leads" from her conscience. I am not sure what the sister meant by that.

But it sounds like a case of "the blind leading the blind." If one has an erroneous conscience, one leads others into error.

Perhaps, the only thing worse than covering up the Holy Name of Jesus behind the podium of a pro-abortion politician, would be letting a pro-abortion politician speak at a podium in front of the Holy Name of Jesus.
It would have been better to tell the pro-abortion speaker to go somewhere else, because we do not hide the Holy Name of Jesus, and we do not allow speeches by pro-abortion politicians here.

The absurd non-reaction of the faculty to immoral and heretical speakers is as bad, or even worse, than their protests against cardinals and other faithful Catholic speakers.

The deep sense of self-pity in this speaker gives rise to a shocking level of vicious anger and cruelty toward others. He seems incapable of seeing himself as the bully he has become. It was encouraging to see the good sense of the many young people who left during his ranting and raving.

I doubt that many Planned Parenthood employees and supporters will actually persevere in any amount of "prayer" for forty days. Having a colorful piece of paper with forty pro-abortion "intentions" is not actually praying.

I doubt that many of them will actually meet together and pray together for a long period of time (where would they go?). But if some of them try to do so, they may quickly find themselves changing their beliefs. If any of them make a sincere effort to pray, they will be in … [More]

"Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” Mark 6:11

Let the Vanderbilts keep their name. Leave it behind entirely.

"Shot and strung up" would be redundant, but "over-killing" is not without precedent. Many of the English Catholic martyrs endured the dreadful and revolting torture of being "hanged, drawn and quartered." Fr. Finnegan refers to a classic book by Adrian Fortescue, "The Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described." But Fortescue is silent on the question of what to wear to a hanging.

That was a little painful to watch. I hope they are better at the study of theology than they are at aerobic exercises.

In a world forgetful of God, evil practices flourish. Even in the great crowds that gather to celebrate sporting events, organized crime finds a "market" for sin. It is good for the Sisters to fight against it.

However, it is a little disconcerting to see the website of this particular group of sisters from Cleveland, because their list of social justice issues and "women's issues" omits any reference to abortion and the pro-life movement. Perhaps they are pro-life; I hope they are. But their … [More]

This posting has been cancelled by the author of the medium.

Young people singing a beautiful Byzantine chant to the Blessed Mother. O pure and virgin Lady,/ O spotless Theotokos: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride! O Virgin Queen and Mother/ O dewy fleece most sacred: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride! O height transcending … [More]

This song is no substitute for studying the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, and maybe it has very few socially redeeming qualities at all. But you may want to watch it just because it is so utterly peculiar.

The secular media ignore the March for Life, even though it is the largest gathering of people in Washington every year.

Just a few minutes of a very long procession. Over 10,000 people, mostly young people, crowded into the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for this Mass.

Let us also pray for the Jews that God our Lord should illuminate their hearts, so that they will recognize Jesus Christ, the Savior of all men.

Let us pray. Let us genuflect. Rise.

All-powerful and eternal God, you who wish that all men be saved and come to the recognition of truth, graciously grant that when the fullness of peoples enters your Church all of Israel will be saved.
Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

The cliche that "you can't legislate morality" is false. The only thing that can be legislated is morality. Laws are unjust when they fail to do so.
The fuzzy thinking behind the cliche could be clarified by making a few distinctions. Passing a law against a crime does not automatically make men virtuous or holy. Also, not every sin should be punished by civil law (e.g., missing Mass on Sunday?). However, even if some will disobey a just law, the law helps to teach and clarify which things are … [More]

It would be easy to find a more credible voice to articulate the teachings of the Catholic Church. For example, maybe there is someone who has not publicly spoken and campaigned against the Church's teachings? Or maybe someone who has publicly repented of having done so?

It is not clear that the priest actually "stole" the money donated to the parish, but that large amounts of money, several hundred thousand dollars, were put in "slush funds" instead of the proper accounts for the parish.

This kind of book-keeping hides large amounts of money from legitimate authority, and prevents the diocese from exercising its responsibility to supervise the parish finances. If this is true, then the priest was engaged in improper book-keeping, at the very least, on a very … [More]

The author of this article uses a peculiar phrase: "the increasing animosity of conservative Episcopalians ..." What is the meaning of "animosity" in this context? The author seems to perceive only "animosity" in Catholic moral and doctrinal teachings, for example the teaching that homosexual behavior is sinful.

I notice that the article was published on a militant atheist website called "(A)theologies." That website is filled with attacks on Christianity, God, and any form of religious belief … [More]

Dog haiku:
A stiff steady breeze.
My ears ripple and billow.
The window is mine.

I think this is the feast of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, not Christmas. The feast of St. Lucy is December 13th.

The Jesuit who wrote this peculiar article for the Washington Post has a long history of peculiar and ambiguous statements regarding faith and morals. He is the "culture editor" for America magazine.

The perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was affirmed by the Second Council of Constantinople in 553, calling her "the holy and glorious Mary, mother of God and ever-virgin (aeiparthenos)." The Church constantly reaffirms this title, "ever-virgin," in the sacred liturgy, and there is no … [More]

A few of the occupier/bystanders seemed to welcome the Nativity scene (e.g., "Christ is the reason for the season. I don't see why you'd be offended").

But it was sad to see the disdain, hostility and confusion shown by some of those who expressed their opinions. One of them should occupy a math class ("What about the other 10%?").

We would all do well to look up a few words, for reasons of orthography as well as orthodoxy.

The dour Puritans of Massachusetts never liked Christmas to begin with, because the festivities were too much associated with the Catholic faith. In 1659 they made it a crime to celebrate Christmas, punishable by a fine. And the old Puritanism lingers in modern, secular Massachusetts. What a dull, unenjoyable celebration, with no sweets and no cookies for the kids.

But the Catholic mind knows how to fast and how to feast. Let Advent be a time of fasting and penance, by all means, but let … [More]

Our Lady of "Ransom," pray for us.

I'm not sure about this one. I think that the law would support the homeowners association. The statue was not on the man's own property. But it is sad that anyone saw the statue as a problem. And the article says he is being fined for $4000? That is too extreme.

Several people deserve praise: the administration of the college, the police, and the person who caught the attack on video.

The college immediately expelled not only the attacker, but also the eight witnesses who cheered for the attacker rather than helping the victim. Criminal charges will be filed soon.

The headline is misleading. Catholic moral teaching certainly permits the use of anti-ovulant pills if, indeed, they have a therapeutic effect, and if there is no danger of a contraceptive/abortifacient effect.
Since all anti-ovulant chemicals have an abortifacient effect, at least 4% of the time, only a woman who is completely celibate (such as a nun who is faithful to her vow of chastity) could safely take that pill for its alleged therapeutic value. The full article admits that the … [More]

Denouncing the archbishop for "persecution" of the SSPX is going too far, even if his decision about who may participate in the "RC Challenge" can (possibly) be questioned. It is not in the same category as the public defilement of the picture of Christ in a vulgar and blasphemous French play. The French play was truly an attack on Christ and his Church. But, given the still unresolved irregular status of the SSPX , it may be wise to limit the "RC Challege" competition to members of … [More]

Some theological commentary on holding hands, during the Our Father, or at other times.
I think you'll understand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQC7ecXQIJg&feature=related

This absurd "legend" is a great piece of fiction, but anti-Catholic propagandists have tried repeatedly to pass it off as a true historical event, in order to advance their own agenda.

I wonder how the TV program will depict the story of how her feminine identity was finally revealed. The story holds that no one suspected she was a woman until she gave birth to her illegitimate child while she was riding a horse in a solemn procession through the streets of Rome.

Does anybody remember the song, "Temptation Eyes," by a band called the Grass Roots? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj4R2PwC03w

"Custody of the eyes" is an important principle of Catholic moral theology. See Matthew 5:28. The virtue of modesty is important to cultivate in the hearts of men and women. The Saudi Moslems unfortunately take an excessively legalistic approach to the virtue of modesty, as if one more law passed by the "CPVPV" can finally remove temptations from the city. I agree with the comment by "alinalatte." How is the CPVPV supposed to evaluate which women have "tempting" eyes?

However, in our secular … [More]

"Consubstantial" is not a difficult word to say, and there is nothing pretentious about it. It is simply the best word to describe the unity of the Father and the Son. Even a little child can say it with no difficulty. It has fewer syllables than "refrigerator."

Let the Los Angeles Times show us one of those priests who is "deeply distressed" about the translation. I am afraid they will show you someone who may have deeper "issues" than the translation of the Mass.

When the video shows the little (and not so little) children toddling out of the pews to the sound of piano music, it reminds me of the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Why not let them stay at Mass with their familes?

St. Thomas More had this conscience thing, too.
Anne Boleyn did not.

This is a very good idea. It is a very practical way of avoiding the excessive costs that tend to obscure the real purpose of the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. I hope the idea becomes more popular and spreads to the United States and Europe.

Give thanks. To whom?

No one told Abraham Lincoln that he was violating the so-called "separation of Church and State" (a phrase that is not found in the Constitution).

To whom are the citizens invited to give "Thanksgiving and Praise?"
"... to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."

In 1755, Pope Benedict XIV said:
"Pope Gelasius in his ninth letter (chap. 26) to the bishops of Lucania condemned the evil practice which had been introduced of women serving the priest at the celebration of Mass. Since this abuse had spread to the Greeks, Innocent IV strictly forbade it in his letter to the bishop of Tusculum: "Women should not dare to serve at the altar; they should be altogether refused this ministry." We too have forbidden this practice in the same words in Our oft … [More]

Pope John Paul II said explicitly that serving at the altar is not a "right."

The secularized thinking of the people in this article would have to conclude that the Church has been guilty of a profound injustice for almost two thousand years. If there is a "profound inequality" in having only males serve at the altar, what about the priesthood and the episcopacy?

For it was you who created my being,
knit me together in my mother's womb.
I thank you for the wonder of my being,
for the wonders of all your creation.
Psalm 139:13-14

The Catholic Church requires that the remains of the dead be reverently interred, for example, placed in a tomb or a columbarium. Even in a burial at sea, the remains are not allowed to be "scattered." It is completely forbidden to keep the cremated remains on display in the living room, on the mantle or on a coffee table. It seems harder and harder for people to appreciate our Catholic funeral traditions.

The latest trend, also contrary to Christian practice, is to divide the person's remains … [More]

Aretha Franklin's prayer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. The Souls of the Faithful Departed need just a little bit of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the fire, nor a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead. Anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD, and because of such abominations the LORD, your God, is driving these nations out of your way.

The Catechism explicitly condemns what they are doing:

2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future ( Deut 18:10; Jer 29:8).
Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to … [More]

What is the name of this beautiful hymn?

Why would the IPLY conference advertise Fr. Pavone as their keynote speaker, when they knew that he was ordered not to exercise any public ministry outside of the diocese of Amarillo. That order was given back in September, and in November the IPLY website continues to advertise that he will be speaking.

It would be interesting to understand why this man left the Catholic Church, and why the Epsicopalian Church accepted him for ordained ministry.

Has Miss Venezuela/Miss World given up her dream of becoming a nun?

I would prefer a boring homily to the ranting of an Elmer Gantry.

This video by "Weird Al" Yankowic is a parody of "Gangsta's Paradise" by a singer named Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey, Jr.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFK6H_CcuX8

"Gangsta's Paradise" was used in the soundtrack of a 1995 movie, "Dangerous Minds," starring Michelle Pfeiffer. The movie was based on the autobiography of Louanne Johnson, a retired Marine high school teacher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v298pZi2rs&NR=1

Coolio's song was a reworking of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise"
http://www … [More]

St. Therese was very interested in the martyrdom of Theophane Venard. She wanted to go as a missionary to the Carmelite monastery in Hanoi, but she was already suffering from tuberculosis. She never went to the foreign missions, but she is now the patron saint of all missionaries.

When James Garner goes to Mass in Wisconsin, the ushers have their work cut out for them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lndye1FmhEM

Watching this Letterman video brings back some dreadful memories of some (well-meaning) Catholic school choirs that thought it would be a good idea to use this sort of flamboyant Broadway music during the sacred Liturgy. The pain still lingers.

The big question about the little boy goes unanswered by the news story:
Where is Bobby's father?

I recognize the pamplet as one of the Jack Chick Publications. These cartoons, written by a fundamentalist Protestant, portray the Catholic Church as false, evil, and non-Christian.

They are awful pieces of propaganda (easily refuted by a Catholic who knows his faith), but this could be a golden opportunity to bring a serious relgious conversation back into the public school classroom. It seems that the English teacher violated "school policy" by expressing any opinion at all about religion. … [More]

Perhaps a better way to fight the gangs is for "everybody" to start wearing or carrying Rosaries and crosses, and "take back" the emblems of our Faith, and start a new level of devotion among young people. This could even begin to convert the gang members into devout Catholics.

St Louis deMontfort wrote in his True Devotion:

In a word, we know that they shall be true disciples of Jesus Christ, walking in the footsteps of His poverty, humility, contempt of the world, charity; teaching the … [More]

Just imagine if the gangs started to wear pictures of the American flag as their own emblem. I doubt that the police would advise other children to stop displaying the American flag, or to tuck it inside your shirt, so that no one else can see it. No. People would insist upon their First Amedmment right to free speech. There would be an upsurge of patriotism, and everybody would start wearing flag emblems to show their love of their country.

It is good to know that the enemies of the Church have such regard for the power of the Church. But it is strange to read this article from the Huffington Post on a Catholic web-site. The Huffington Post, founded by Arianna Huffington and others, is unflinching in its support for abortion. Their language is biased and inflammatory, bordering on the hysterical. In their language, for example, the Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life constitutes a "war on women." They seem to have … [More]

The headline exaggerates a little. The number of priests involved in the dissident association is not "huge," but, at 540, it is too many. There have been great saints and missionaries from Ireland in the past, true reformers, in the best sense. But these men are dissidents, not reformers; they are followers of worldly fashions, not heralds of the faith.

But, fortunately, most of the priests in Ireland do not belong to this group.

Singing the Propers, and eschewing non-liturgical music will produce great results. Good theology. Good liturgical music. A good beginning of a good project. Cute baby, too.

I would like to inquire a little more into this report of undocumented aliens of unknown origins. I am particularly interested in the cache of what looks like chocolate from Hershey, Pensylvania. Why would they be smuggling chocolate INTO Switzerland, of all places? Are they really United States citizens? Lions, blue horses and giant frogs are not indigenous to the United States. Are they traveling on US passports? Check their labels. I suspect they were mostly "Made in China."

As a Catholic, I found several terms that sounded strange or unfamiliar to me in this article (DL, Elder, P-day, MP, and the peculiar fact of a "missionary" on a mission in Catholic Austria?). The reason for these terms is that the article is written by a Mormon missionary. If you go to the linked site for the article, this becomes clear.
If there really were demonic phenomena in that house, I hope that those young Mormons had the good sense to find a local Catholic priest to bless the house, … [More]

It seems that this seminary is only a house of formation for students in a two year "pre-theology" program, with classes at Catholic University. When the seminarians graduate, they must go elsewhere for their four years of theology.

It is refreshing to see that young people still have a sense of morality and decency, even when they are bombarded with immorality and indecency, even when they are victims of perverse leadership and ideological propaganda. The students in that public school have shown better sense than their principal.

It is interesting that Les Miserables was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books up until 1959. Even though the kindly bishop in this story is portrayed favorably, the author, Victor Hugo, had abandoned his Catholic faith as a young man, and he had very strong anti-Catholic views.

Such is the reigning, secular mindset, which cannot fathom the virtue of Christian chastity at all. Do they think that vulgarity, lewdness and immodesty contribute nothing to the breakdown of public morals? They imitate the styles and manners of the bordello, and they think that they are encouraging virtue and respect for women?

Truly, their thinking, as well as their behavior, is "slatternly" in the extreme.

@ tbswv - Your quotation from the Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio #1), is taken out of context. The full paragraph makes it clear that the Catholic Church has not changed its teachings. The observation that even non-Catholics long for unity is not an expression of heresy.

The document is referring to the "longing," found among many Christians who are non-Catholic, for a truly universal Church. That longing for unity is a good thing, inspired by Christ himself, although the Council … [More]

The routine use Holy Communion under both species has led to an excessive use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion in many parishes. If an EMHC is only to be used when "necessary," it would seem that distribution under both species multiplies the "need" for EMHCs. Is it ever really "necessary?"

There is something very strange about the sight of - sometimes - more than a dozen lay men and women positioning themselves around the front of the church with so many chalices. Personally, I do … [More]

The Jesuit astronomer, Guy Consolmagno, is too dismissive of the arguments for intelligent design by biochemists like Michael Behe. Professor Behe is not a "fundamentalist" nor a "pseudo-scientist." There are examples of "irreducible complexity" in nature which do not fit the theory of gradual mutation over thousands of generations. If several components must all be present at the same time, natural selection would not favor the development of each individual random mutation. Professor Behe … [More]

Like the old "Candid Camera" routines: how do people react when they are put into an impossible situation.

The French Revolution (in A.D. 1793) tried to suppress every trace of Christian culture. For example, they tried to replace the Biblical seven day week with a ten day week. Needless to say, it never became popular, and it was quickly abandoned after a few years.

The nature of a retreat, both in the military and in the spiritual life, is to take the troops "out of the battle" for a period of time. A retreat does not signal defeat, but rather a tactic that may be essential for winning the war.
From Mark Crutcher's description of the facilities at the convent, located on a dirt road, outside of Amarillo, it sounds very much like most retreat houses, with no phones or tv sets to distract the retreatant from the hard work of prayer and reflection.
When our … [More]

A priest, a minister and a rabbi walk into a bar. The bartender takes one look at them, and he says, "What is this, some kind of a joke?"

This is a beautiful ceremony, re-enacted from an ancient ritual, when Wales was Catholic. The ancient ruins of St. Teilo's Church were relocated and reconstructed in a park-like setting, as part of a large, outdoor National Museum.

It does not seem to be a functioning Anglican parish (obviously, not a Catholic parish either). I am not sure if the "re-enactor" in the cope is an Anglican clergyman or not. http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans/

If the schools would like to ban gang-related clothing, maybe we could convince a few gangs to start wearing tee-shirts with political ads for pro-abortion politicians. Just a thought.

For Catholics, the Rosary is not a "necklace" to begin with. Why not carry the Rosary in your purse or pocket, and wear a Miraculous Medal around your neck?

But the Archdiocese of Omaha was right (and the ACLU, for once!) when they scolded the school for forbidding the girl from wearing her "necklace." She is not in a gang of hoodlums.

The chancellor of the Omaha Catholic Archdiocese the Rev. Joseph Taphorn said Christians shouldn't have to forfeit the symbol because gangs misuse it. He said … [More]

Now it is time for 500,000 Catholics to say the Rosary in Moscow, making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

I will attempt to translate a few things, for those who do not understand the "code" words in the vocabulary of "America" magazine. Just keep in mind that America magazine is consistently in favor of contraception, homosexual lifestyles, and women clergy.

- "larger trends in the Church, in the priesthood, the liturgy and in the role of the people of God" -
The aging dissenters from Humanae Vitae are beginning to realize that their vision of a "new church" is never going to happen the way they … [More]

The news story is not very clear about the nature of the cardinal's letter. He is now retired from his work in the Vatican, although the letter seems to have been written before his retirement. But he was the prefect of the dicastery for the Evangelization of Peoples, not the Congregation for the the Doctrine of the Faith, nor the Roman Rota. His dicastery does not have authority over laicizations. It would seem that his letter only expressed his own personal opinion, not an official policy of … [More]

This poor, misguided teacher is only taking the next logical step down a path that public schools have followed for decades. Teachers and children are expected to act as if they are atheists, for all practical purposes. And if they have any "private" religious beliefs, those beliefs are to be kept hidden and absolutely private. Under no circumstances may "private" religious beliefs interfere with the official work of the school.

This repressive policy applies primarily to Catholics, but also … [More]

Nothing new under the sun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjI8G6gA65w