If Bureaucrats Ruled (More Of) The World (Than They Already Do)...

‎"10/26/2011, 9:22 AM, Washington, DC - After a nearly 10 hour standoff that resulted in the deaths of 8 police officers and 279 civilians, law enforcement agents finally succeeded in subduing an unarmed elderly man who had attempted to illegally install a light bulb without government approval. According to police records, John Doe, aged 75, had grown increasingly more frustrated with government bureaucrats who were still processing his request - made in 1962, when he was 26 years old - to replace a broken light bulb in the front porch of his home.

As the bruised and beaten Doe was being led away in handcuffs, he allegedly screamed out, 'Who takes 49 freaking years to replace a stupid light bulb?!'

According to eyewitnesses, the standoff began just after 10 P.M. last night, when an enraged Doe - who had been on hold with the Federal Department of Light Bulbs for nearly 8 hours - took the unprecedented step of removing the nearly 50 year old burned out light bulb from its fixture.

One concerned neighbor, who asked not to be identified, happened to witness Mr. Doe's unseemly action while passing by her living room window, and immediately called 911.

'Half a dozen patrol cars were on the scene in less than 15 seconds,' the amazed neighbor said. 'Heck, it took them 15 minutes to respond to a murder in progress last week.'

A number of police officers, pistols at the ready, immediately tried to talk the elderly man down from his mini-ladder. Instead, Mr. Doe flashed them a grin and said, 'Did you know that my call was very important to them?'

'He had crazy eyes,' convicted felon (and now police Lt.) Buster Faisup recalled. 'But here he was defying the federal government. We just couldn't let that pass. So the moment he started trying to replace that light bulb again, we had no choice. We brought out the heavy artillery.'

Indeed they did. For the next 10 hours, the police and arriving SWAT, FBI, and Army divisions began pouring murderous and unrelenting gun, rifle, machine gun, and tank fire on the defenseless Doe, who was less than 20 feet away.

Unfortunately, these crack shots - themselves trained by government bureaucrats as a 'cost cutting measure' in the federal defense budget - were not always accurate. The end result was the destruction of more than 100 homes, irreparable damage to the Washington Monument (located some 10 miles away), and 279 dead, 863 wounded, and 6,790 other civilians unaccounted for beneath the resulting rubble. Additionally, 8 police officers lost their lives when an order to remove the pins from their hand grenades was issued, but the follow up order to lob the grenades at Mr. Doe's house was not.

'We have no idea how that happened,' Undersecretary of Light Bulbs Dearing Hedlites said. Undersecretary Hedlites - who was responsible for issuing all orders to law enforcement personnel throughout the course of the standoff - assured us that he would form an investigative committee to find the person responsible just as soon as he could secure an executive order to authorize it.

Despite some setbacks, the 10 hours of bombardment seemed to have some effect. The Doe residence suffered minor damage to the roof, and Mr. Doe himself suffered minor injuries - the result of falling from his ladder due to excessive gun smoke inhalation - which provided SWAT personnel with the opening they needed to go in and subdue him with a barrage of blows from half a dozen nightsticks. This happened less than an hour after the bombardment began. With Mr. Doe securely in custody, the bombardment was finally called off some 9 hours later.

Afterward, we caught up with a grinning Mr. Hedlites. 'Wow, 9 hours,' he said. 'I can't recall us ever pulling the plug on an operation that quickly.'

When asked about the massive collateral damage, he said, 'It's a small price to pay to ensure the rule of law in our society.'"

New Bishop of St. Augustine to be Named Tomorrow

In accordance with canon law, St. Augustine Bishop Victor B. Galeone submitted his letter of resignation upon turning 75 years old in September of last year. The resignation was accepted, and it has only remained for the Holy Father to name a replacement.

Apparently, that wait is over. According to this Florida Times-Union article, the announcement is set for 10:30 tomorrow morning at the diocesan center.

My desire, and my prayer, is a simple one: I want a man who is faithful to the teachings of the Church and who has the moral courage to run those who are not out of positions of influence, because the moral confusion that has resulted from allowing such individuals to remain in place has done incalculable spiritual damage to the faithful.

If, however, the Holy Father chooses to name someone who will have the National Catholic Distorter screaming bloody Armageddon at the top of its lungs before his installation, and have them reconsidering their stance on capital punishment after, I can't say that I'd object ;)

Please storm Heaven with your prayers, asking for an inspired choice in our new shepherd. We remain ever in need of such a shepherd. More to come as this story unfolds. God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald

Thought for the Day

To say, "It doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you're a good person" is akin to saying, "There's only one rule: no cheating."

Coming up on 38 years and counting...

...since unborn children were declared to be the disposable property of their mothers by 7 unelected and unaccountable jurists; and what should have been lamented as a step backward in our nation's moral development following the abolition of slavery was instead lauded as a civil rights victory by a bunch of misogynists who cynically labeled themselves women's rights advocates.

Only in the minds of the most selfish of people can the existence of an unborn child be justifiably described as a threat to the civil liberties of the expectant mother. To everyone else, such a child would be called a blessing.

Continue to pray for the conversion of heart of our elected officials, that this dreadful slaughter of the innocents will some day soon be brought to a merciful conclusion. And failing that, pray for the conversion of the voters who have repeatedly elected those with hardened hearts to office, that they may soon cast their votes for those who recognize that our best interests will never be fulfilled by the attempted destruction of our own posterity.

Election Day, 2010: the Anti-Socialist Revolution

As I write this, we are an hour and a half away from the closing of the first polls of the 2010 election cycle. By all accounts, this election is set to become a major referendum against the Obama administration's aggressive attempts to push America in a socialist direction. While it is largely a rebellion against the administration's fiscal policies, it should not be overlooked that this election should go a long way towards reigning in the administration's equally aggressive attempts to push America further into the clutches of the Culture of Death.

I cannot stress enough just how much socialism and the culture of death dovetail with one another. At its core, socialism (and its logical offshoot, Marxism) is a rejection of Western civilization and its Judeo-Christian underpinnings. That is why organized religion (and its moral precepts) inevitably comes under severe persecution every place where socialists gain power (see the Soviet Union, China, North Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc.). It is also why Marxism, under the guise of liberation theology, aggressively targets Christians (particularly Catholics) who are ignorant of their faith and undermines the supernatural aspects of revealed truth while focusing only on earthly, sociopolitical concerns (see Cuba, Venezuela, and most of Central America). In order for socialism to succeed, the reality of Jesus Christ as God the Son and bearer of eternal salvation must give way to the illusion of Jesus the hippie political rebel who commands only moral authority, and not tangible power such as that wielded by the state.

Christ tells us: "You will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16). St. Paul tells us: "Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God" (2 John 1:9). Socialists who attempt to pass themselves off as faithful Christians will speak loudly about social justice and service to the poor and downtrodden. This is a good and admirable goal, and should be shared by all Christians (understanding that "social justice" goes well beyond the liberal notion of the "common good" - which is an offshoot of Jeremy Bentham's utilitarian notion of "the greatest good for the greatest number" - and must necessarily take into account the sanctity and inviolability of human life, a truth rooted in the reality that we are each precious, unique, and irreplaceable beings lovingly and purposefully created in the image and likeness of God).

However, you will soon see that such individuals never address the supernatural truths of our faith: namely, Jesus Christ's fully human, fully divine nature, and our moral obligation to love Him not as our Redeemer, but in His eternal being as God the Son; our similar obligation to love God the Father and the Holy Spirit above all things and for Their own sake; the reality that we are created for eternal reconciliation with the Father, and must view salvation first and foremost as applying to our immortal souls; the reality of Satan and his demons, and their constant attempts to ruin our souls and deprive us of the greatest gift of all, purchased for us at the cost of the Precious Blood of Christ; and various other truths that are of infinitely greater importance than whether or not a politician supports minimum wage increases and universal healthcare. More to the point, you will never see such individuals seriously attempt to distinguish between their faith and their politics, for they see the two as one and inseparable and refuse to address any conflict - be it political or religious in nature - outside of a strictly political context (hence their chronic inability to label anyone who objects to their agenda - be it on political or religious grounds - as anything other than "right wing extremists" or "extreme right wing operatives").

I have spoken at length about groups like Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and how they attempt to pervert authentic Catholicism in the minds of the faithful in order to promote their Marxist political agenda. I have spoken at length about how politicians who regularly support measures that in the end prove punitive to those who dare express authentically Christian views in public will pay lip service to their own Christian belief during election years (and then often proceed to display their profound ignorance of their professed belief by misquoting and misappropriating Sacred Scripture). And I have addressed how asinine it is to assert that a genuinely Catholic or Christian politician should check his or her beliefs at the door before discharging the duties of their elected office (whereas liberal self-professed "Catholics" and "Christians" are strangely never asked to do this and are even lauded for their "strong religious convictions").

Today, many voters will go to the polls and call BS on this long-running subterfuge. As the results are not yet in, there is no way of knowing at this moment exactly how big the left's losses will be. What I can say is that, regardless of the result, the work is not done for men and women of true faith. We must continue to push back against those who would silence us in the public sphere. We must continue to call out those who attempt to hijack our faith and portray it as some ugly caricature of what it truly is (or, in the case of liberation theologians and their ilk, as some morally minimalist advocacy of Marxist beliefs). Most importantly, we must continue to roll back all of the unchecked attempts to obscure America's Judeo-Christian heritage, apart from which our nation's Constitution simply cannot survive in any recognizable form.

Christ never promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against America. He only made that promise about his Church. But that does not absolve us of our moral obligation to fight back against the gates of hell wherever it seeks to prevail, for wherever it prevails, it will claim unsuspecting souls as the spoils of victory.

The devil knows he's lost the war. He now wages incessant battles to take as many people down with him as he can. We must engage him in each and everyone of those battles, so as to curtail his influence in this world. That includes the political as well as the religious sphere, for wherever the devil gains a lasting foothold politically, the Church militant will suffer. Go out and vote today. Do not vote merely by party affiliation. Vote according to what will be most pleasing to God and most spiteful to the devil. God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald

Redemptive Suffering and Spiritual Combat

"Why do bad things happen to good people?" It is a question that is almost as old as suffering itself. We live in a world that firmly believes that living a life of goodness will lead to good rewards. On this point, the world is absolutely right. However, the world far too often fails to understand that not all good rewards can be perceived through the use of our senses. And all too often, what is perceived by the world as a good reward is little more than a scrap that is tossed to us by an evil one who wishes to blind us to the reality of far greater rewards, so that, as William Wallace puts it in the movie Braveheart, we become so busy fighting for these scraps that we lose sight of our God given right to something better. I firmly believe that bad things happen to good people so that we can be reminded of the fact that something better awaits, and that we should not content ourselves merely with earthly consolation prizes.

A second question is often asked. It is much like the first question, but is far more direct in the answer that it seeks. The question is this: "How can a God who is good allow people to suffer?" It is a question that has led many bitter and disillusioned people, consumed by despair, to abandon their belief in God, or at least in the goodness of God; and unfortunately, once they do this despair is exactly what awaits them, for hope depends upon faith. And once a person ceases to believe in the existence or in the goodness of God he loses the very hope that allows him to cope with the suffering that remains a part of his life whether or not he chooses to believe.

No man escapes suffering. Not one of us. Whether it is a physical form of suffering such as a disease or a physical wound, whether it is an emotional suffering such as a broken heart, loneliness, or the death of a loved one, or whether it is a spiritual suffering such as struggling with discerning our vocation, suffering can and very often does find us all. God spares no man from suffering. And for those who would ask why God would allow good people to suffer, I am reminded of what Jesus Himself said to the rich young man who called Him "Good Teacher." Jesus replied, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." He said this that we may be reminded that God is the source of all good, and that we can do no good apart from him.

But even this does not answer the question, because even if we accept that no one is good but God alone, we have the example of the suffering of the One who was good. "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Look at the good man who died on the Cross, and ask yourself: "If God had not allowed the very worst of things to happen to the very best of men, then how would the very best of things have been made available to me?"

I look at this, and I can't help but ask myself: "Is suffering necessarily a bad thing?"

Now mind you, I'm not saying that we should go out and seek suffering for its own sake. Far from it. That's called masochism, and those who engage in it are deeply disturbed individuals who derive no true benefit from what they are doing. But if we learn to accept the fact that suffering is an inevitable part of our life, then we can accept those sufferings when they do come and attempt to do some good with them.

We all know from personal experience that good things can come from suffering. We can all point to some painful episode in our past and identify good things that came about as a result of that painful episode. More to the point, we can look back and see that some good things that came about - things we treasure and which we would not trade for anything - would never have happened if those painful episodes had not taken place.

We also know that there are things in our lives for which we are willing to suffer. Those who have children will sacrifice everything for their sake. No greater love exists than to lay one's life down for the sake of another, Jesus tells us. Ask a parent sometime whose life they would choose to save if they had to choose between themselves and one of their children.

Of course, sacrifice usually takes on less severe forms. We have all been confronted with times where we had to choose between something we wanted and something that a loved one wanted. I think we'd all like to be able to say that we always denied ourselves for the sake of those we loved. Unfortunately, I think we can also say that we haven't always been that generous; but I like to think that we can all look back and remember times when we were. And that small cross of self-denial, while a source of discomfort, was also very rewarding when we saw the look of joy on the face of our beloved. Indeed, we can say that we took joy in that small cross.

We think about how much we love the people who are important to us, and what we are willing to sacrifice for them. How much more than that does God love us? It is a love beyond measure. It is a love so great that God the Father willingly sent God the Son to live and suffer as one of us. It is a love so great that God the Son willingly came and suffered for us when He had absolutely no obligation to do so. He recognized that through our sin we had incurred a debt so great that in our limited capacity we simply could not pay the devil his due, and so He willingly offered Himself up as a ransom infinitely more valuable than what was owed in order to redeem us. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe in order to help us settle a debt we could not pay. And He did it completely out of the boundless love in His Sacred Heart when He was under no obligation to do so.

And what was this debt that was paid? So many books and movies have tried to depict the Passion of Our Lord. So many Saints have been blessed with visions of those horrific events. But none can truly do the suffering of Our Lord justice. Even the frankly brutal depiction in the recent movie The Passion of the Christ, as much as it jarred our senses, falls laughably short. Consider that it was more than just the physical beatings He endured. Consider that it was more than just the many emotional humiliations that were visited upon His divine dignity. Consider that it was more than just the spiritual anguish of seeing His Blessed Mother's heart break, or that he saw the tears of His followers and the lament of the heavenly host of angels who were there, just waiting for Him to give the word so that they could come to the defense of their most Beloved, or who were even willing to offer themselves up for sacrifice in His place. Consider that, from the moment He left the upper room where He instituted the Eucharist and knelt in anguished prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the moment He was laid in the tomb of St. Joseph of Arimathea, He placed Himself completely at the mercy of the evil one. Satan and his legions were given this one chance, one opportunity in all of time or eternity, one chance to destroy God! One chance to throw everything he had at God - every horror that his sick, twisted, yet incredibly creative mind could devise - and God the Son humbly stood there, making no effort to fight back. Do you think the devil held back? Do you think there was a single kitchen sink that was not uprooted from its place in the bowels of hell? Do you think there was a single form of suffering known to man - and countless other forms besides - that were not inflicted upon Our Lord's precious form in that small window of opportunity afforded to the evil one? We think we know what it means to bear a cross. We should be thankful to God for our ignorance! Such was the love of the Eternal Word that He became flesh and dwelt among us, and did what no sane human being would ever do. He said, “Devil, do your worst!” And the devil did.

The Gospels tell us that when Christ knelt in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, His stress was so great that His sweat fell to the ground in drops of blood. It’s easy to overlook this moment in light of what the Lord later suffered, but it is such an important part of the Passion to understand. Ask a medical expert sometime what incredible amount of stress is needed to sweat blood, and then try to imagine how much greater the stress needed to be for the God-man to do so. Theologians and Saints blessed with visions of the events of the Passion have long held that in those moments when He knelt in prayer, Our Lord was receiving the final preparations for the ordeal that was now beginning for Him. In that time, He was shown every sin for which His sacrifice would bring forgiveness, and every sinner for which His sacrifice would bring redemption. He saw each and every one of us, for before we were formed in the womb He knew us; and He saw each of our joys, works, and sufferings. He saw everything in us that was sinful and broken, and He saw every grace that would be given to us from that infinite deposit of grace that He was about to win for us. He saw us, He knew us, and He loved us. And as He saw each of us, He knew in His heart that He would gladly do it for any one of us, to say nothing of being willing to do it for all of us.

In the Agony in the Garden, Jesus assumed the weight of the world. He was shown every cross that each of us would bear, and each of those crosses, burdens that are so terrible for us to bear alone, were but a mere speck, a speck of a speck, of the True Cross that He was about to bear.

It is important for us to understand this fact. Every cross that we have borne, every cross that we now bear, and every cross that we have yet to bear was added to the burden that Our Lord carried for us. So it is with every person who has ever lived and who is yet to enter the world. And just as each of us is unique, so every cross that we bear is unique. No two crosses are alike. More than one person may be affected by the same event - such as siblings losing a parent - but due to a variety of factors each person will respond to the event in a different way and as a result they will bear separate and unique crosses. And just as each cross that we bear is unique, so are the graces that we receive to bear each cross unique. We often speak of wishing we were in a certain person’s shoes, or of certain people with whom we would never want to trade places. We sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that others are better or worse off than we are as far as bearing crosses. We need to abandon this way of thinking. We could literally trade places with anyone in the world - from the person perceived as living the most wretched existence to the person perceived as leading the most charmed life - and I guarantee you that within a week everyone would be begging to have their old lives back. This is because while we might be able to trade the crosses, we can never trade the corresponding graces. Each cross that we bear comes with a unique grace to be able to bear that cross. We are literally tailor-made for our crosses. Such is the will of God, and it is one of the many reasons why He has a unique plan for each of us.

If we understood just how much of a grace the crosses we bear can themselves be, we would not want to trade them away anyway. None of us can possibly understand how truly blessed we are to have the crosses we carry. As I mentioned before, each of those crosses is a speck of the one True Cross - but it is a unique speck. No one else can ever fully understand what it is like to bear one of your crosses. There are those who may have some notion of what it is like from bearing a similar cross, but their cross, however similar, is just as unique as yours. No one can fully help you bear the burden. No one, that is, except the one who already bore that burden. If any of us could truly understand what a unique and irreplaceable bond we have with Our Lord through each cross that we bear - something we share with Our Lord that is uniquely ours - we would bear each cross joyfully and without complaint, despite the suffering involved (and the suffering must be present, otherwise it is not truly a cross). But we don’t see it, because of our fallen nature. So we must pray every day for the eyes to see how blessed we truly are, so that we may live our lives accordingly with joy in our hearts.

As He knelt in the Garden, Our Lord not only took upon Himself the weight of the world upon His shoulders, He also gave us the proper example of how a burden should be carried. There are those who look at His comment - “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” - and they say that Jesus was experiencing a moment of weakness. If so, then as the perfect human being it must have been a perfectly human moment of weakness. By that I mean that Jesus is revealing something to us about the nature of man. Remember that He entered the world free from sin, and was not affected by the effects of original sin that leads to our fallen nature. If He is telling His Father that He would prefer not to suffer, then the obvious conclusion is that man had an aversion to suffering even before the Fall of Adam and Eve. Thus, Jesus is having an honest moment where He is telling the Father that He is not looking forward to what comes next. In those moments when He knelt in prayer, Our Lord was, in fact, already bearing the Cross of redemption.

But Jesus did not just come into the world to redeem creation. He also came to sanctify us, to teach us how to rise above our own weaknesses and to turn our eyes toward God despite our fears and aversions. Thus He goes on to say, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Let Your will be done Lord, not mine. Jesus is calling to us to obey the will of God. More than that, He is calling us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart and soul, and to be willing to make any sacrifice that is pleasing to Him for the sake of being with Him. Jesus offered up His cross - His most perfect Cross - for the perfect fulfillment of God’s will. For our own suffering to have any merit, we are called to unite our own meager crosses to those of Our Lord, apart from whom no good can be done.

In the Agony in the Garden and the following events of the Passion, Jesus also shows us another important aspect of how to suffer properly for Our Lord. Though He had every right to do so, He didn’t just march up to Calvary at the head of a royal procession and say, “Let’s get this over with.” No, for the duration of the Passion he submitted to the authorities - both natural and preternatural - that would carry out His Passion. Jesus knew that the crosses we bear in our everyday lives would hold no redemptive value unless we bore them humbly. That is the single greatest challenge that each of us faces when it comes to embracing our crosses. This is certainly the case in my own life. Lord knows - literally - that I have not always been gracious in receiving the crosses that He has willed for me to carry. I can point to many times in my own life where my crosses left me bitter and disillusioned, and more recently than I care to admit. I know we have all had this struggle. Jesus set the proper example for us. When we recognize that we are carrying a cross, we must recognize our own weakness - “let this cup pass from me” - but also recognize the grace we have been given to be able to say, “Let your will be done, Lord, not mine,” and move forward, asking for the help of the one who bore the True Cross to help us bear own meager cross humbly towards whatever goal God desires.

Of course, we are not without an enemy as we seek to embrace our crosses and fulfill God’s will. This enemy seeks to remain in the shadows, always working to separate the Body of Christ from its Head, always seeking to separate us from the Cross that proved to be his own downfall, so that he can pick us off one by one. It is the same ancient enemy who first posed the question, as innocently as his twisted lips could convey it: “Why would a good and loving God let you suffer like this?” Always, the devil strikes first where he knows it will hurt most - our pride. Why, he would ask, would you be willing to believe in someone who would torture you like this, and worse, expects you to delight in that torture! That doesn’t sound like a loving God to me. You deserve better. There’s so many pleasures around you. Why keep denying yourself? There’s no need to suffer like this.

Always, the devil tries to convince us first that God doesn’t exist, because not believing in God means not believing in the devil; and he wants us to think that the voice counseling us to turn away from God belongs to us and not to him. When he sees that he cannot turn us from believing in the reality of God, then he tries to undermine the reality of God as good and loving. So many people in the world today who claim to be atheist and launch a crusade against the Christian religion - people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens - are so full of bitterness towards anything that smacks of Christianity that I have a very hard time believing they are true atheists. You do not launch a crusade against something you do not believe in. You launch a crusade against something you hate. I believe the devil, having failed to convince the likes of these that God does not exist, convinced them instead that God was not good and loving, thus making Him in their mind an entity worthy of revilement. Nothing else can explain their desire to destroy all evidence of anything that gives glory to God.

The devil’s next trick, after failing to convince us that God is neither present nor good, is to make us think that God did not intend for us to suffer. And if we counter that with the obvious question of why He would allow His own Son to suffer if this was indeed the case, then he would answering by saying that Jesus suffered so no one else would have to. To which I reply: “Yeah, tell that to His Apostles.” Every step of the way, the devil will try to talk us out of the need to embrace our crosses. Mind you, he so hates us that he still wants us to suffer from the burden of the crosses, he just does not want us to find redemption in that suffering.

This is the battle that is waged around us every day - the devil always trying to appeal to our pride so we do not grow in that wonderful virtue of humility, while our guardian angel works to keep him at bay so that divine grace can take firm hold in our hearts and leads us to do what is good. You see, the devil is always taking what is good and from God and creating twisted versions of these things. God gives us virtues, and the devil gives us vices; and through those vices, seven deadly sins. God gives humility. St. Augustine writes that humility is the foundation of all other virtues; hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there can be no other virtue except in mere appearance - and the devil is all about appearances! Without humility, we cannot practice the greatest virtue of all: charity, which properly defined is the love of God above all things and for His own sake. Simply put, without humility we cannot truly love God.

To oppose humility, the devil gives us pride, the love of our own excellence, that wretched sin that was the catalyst for Lucifer’s own fall from grace, and which keeps us from acknowledging our own limitations and our own brokenness and blinds us to the glory of God. Pride is the foundation of all vices and all of the deadly sins, because pride is what allows us to justify our sins even as we are committing them. And unless we embrace our crosses as an opportunity to grow in humility and thus closer to God, the devil will use our sufferings as an opportunity to nurture our wounded pride and drive us further from God, as he has succeeded in doing with so many embittered souls.

This is the battle that is being waged every day. It is the same battle that Our Lord fought, with the devil trying to turn Him away from the mission He took on flesh in order to accomplish. This is the battle of which we need to be aware, so that we can cooperate in the act of our salvation by responding to the sacrifice of the Cross and the promptings of divine grace. We must forever be mindful of the fact that hell is not a punishment, but a choice. God desires that we be with Him in eternity, but He so respects our free will that He will never force us to choose Him. The crosses we bear are such a wonderful opportunity to respond to the work of divine grace. They are the perfect way to unite ourselves to and embrace the crucified Christ, so that just as He conquered death we may, through His divine example, gain everlasting life. They are, finally, a constant reminder of what Christ told us concerning the need to grow in holiness in this life. He never promised it would be easy, He only promised that it would be worth it. God bless!

Writer's Block

It seems like a lot of the blogs I have followed have gone through a bit of a dry spell, where they can go months without a new post. This blog, sadly, has not been immune to that phenomenon. You'd think a guy whose mind is constantly running would never run out of things to say or write about; and in my case, you'd be right. The problem with me has never been a lack of things to speak about. It's always been an issue of taking one of the many thoughts swimming around in my head and running with it. Occasionally, I'll be successful with that. I have a number of blog posts that attest to that fact. However, when I can't settle on one thought, I go nuts trying to hold on to a single coherent thought; and that's when writer's block sets in.

I guess that's been the state of things since my last blog post nearly 5 months ago. I remain unemployed (now going on 15 months), and far more often than I care to admit, my days have been spent watching TV, surfing the internet, and playing The West and Business Tycoon Online among other addictive internet MMOs (massive multiplayer online games). These activities all have one thing in common: they are, for the most part, mindless pursuits and a distraction from the much more mundane activities of day to day life. I will occasionally have the presence of mind to pick up a book, add a bit to a Catholic-themed fantasy story that has become a 6 year long hobby of mine, or even give an RCIA presentation or help out on a young adult retreat when called to do so. But on the whole, I cannot honestly say that I have been making the most constructive use of my time of late.

I would ask for prayers from those who still drop by this blog from time to time. I ask always first and foremost that God's will be done in my life. I just pray that as I continue to discern what that will is to be, that I may be graced with the discipline to structure my life around the daily staples of prayer and pursuits that will actively advance me along the path that God has set down for me.

And one last thing: even though I sometimes have trouble latching on to a single thought and running with it, I am always open to suggestions from others about particular thoughts that I can focus on. If you can think of something that you would like to see me write about and which falls within my competence (whether it is my primary discipline of theology or related fields such as history, philosophy, or politics within a theological context), please feel free to e-mail me. Or even if you want to chat. I am notoriously bad about keeping in touch, but I do tend to be pretty responsive when contacted by others ;) God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald

The Twelve Days of Obama

It's been a while, I know. There's more to come, but I thought I'd leave this for now for your reading pleasure. I know, I had WAY too much time on my hands when I wrote this :-). Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald



On the first day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
A fast track to bankruptcy.

On the second day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Two losing war plans
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the third day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the fourth day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Four years of lies,
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the fifth day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Five Sheiks in court,
Four years of lies,
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the sixth day of Chrismas Obama gave to me:
Six polls a tanking,
Five Sheiks in court,
Four years of lies,
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the seventh day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Seven tax hikes looming,
Six polls a tanking,
Five Sheiks in court,
Four years of lies,
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the eighth day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Eight trips a billing,
Seven tax hikes looming,
Six polls a tanking,
Five Sheiks in court,
Four years of lies,
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the ninth day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Nine Marxists aiding,
Eight trips a billing,
Seven tax hikes looming,
Six polls a tanking,
Five Sheiks in court,
Four years of lies,
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the tenth day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Ten Commandments scorning,
Nine Marxists aiding,
Eight trips a billing,
Seven tax hikes looming,
Six polls a tanking,
Five Sheiks in court,
Four years of lies,
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the eleventh day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Eleventh Chapter filing,
Ten Commandment scorning,
Nine Marxists aiding,
Eight trips a billing,
Seven tax hikes looming,
Six polls a tanking,
Five Sheiks in court,
Four years of lies,
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

On the twelfth day of Christmas Obama gave to me:
Twelve scandals brewing,
Eleventh Chapter filing,
Ten Commandments scorning,
Nine Marxists aiding,
Eight trips a billing,
Seven tax hikes looming,
Six polls a tanking,
Five Sheiks in court,
Four years of lies,
Three networks fawning,
Two losing war plans,
and a fast track to bankruptcy.

Commemorating the Feast of a Namesake Saint

I will admit that, while living in Steubenville a few years ago, I experienced a bout of jealousy over the fact that so many of my friends shared names with prominent Catholic Saints, whereas the name Gerald did not appear to stand out in this regard. This led me to do some research to see if there were, in fact, Catholic Saints named Gerald. My search proved more fruitful than I imagined, as I found at least four St. Geralds among the Church Triumphant (not counting those that also went by the alternate spelling Gerard). There was St. Gerald of Mayo, noted as a holy abbot of one of the prominent Irish monasteries of the late 7th and early 8th centuries. There was St. Gerald of Braga, the Portuguese Bishop who died in 1109 and was known for being a vocal opponent of lay investiture (the process of lay nobility appointing hand-picked candidates to ecclessial posts). And there was St. Gerald of Sauve-Majeure, a noted 11th century Benedictine monk and reformer.

There was, however, one particular St. Gerald that caught my attention, and to whom I eventually developed a devotion. As I was remiss in failing to note his feast day this past Tuesday (October 13), I would like to make mention of him now. St. Gerald of Aurillac was a French nobleman who lived during the 10th century. He is unusual among the Saints of his day in many respects, most notably in the fact that he was a layman and lived an ascetic and pious life during a period of history specially noted for the immoral excesses of its nobility. The following biographical sketch, found here, briefly describes the Saint's life and notable accomplishments.

Gerald of Aurillac, Confessor

Born 855 at Saint-Cirgues; died 909. He was of noble birth and suffered lengthy illness in his youth. For this reason, he gave much time to meditation, study, and prayer instead of the martial pursuits that ordinarily would have been expected.

When he succeeded his father as count of Aurillac in Auvergne, and owner of considerable estates, he continued his life of devotion and became noted for his piety and generosity to the poor. He was distinguished for the justice and efficiency with which he discharged the duties of a wealthy nobleman.

His personal life was no less virtuous, and markedly well-ordered and religious. He dressed modestly, ate little, rose every morning at 2:00 a.m.--even when travelling--to say the first part of the Divine Office, and then he assisted at Mass.

But it is possible that he would not have become well-known had he not founded the monastery at Aurillac. After a pilgrimage to Rome, he built a church under the invocation of Saint Peter, and, c. 890, a Benedictine abbey at Aurillac, which was to become famous when it was taken over by the Cluniac order.

He led a life of great goodness for someone of his rank during this rather immoral period in history. He considered becoming a monk at his monastery but was persuaded against it by Gausbert, the bishop of Cahors, who counseled that he would be more useful acting as a layman who devoted himself to his neighbors and dependents. He gave a great part of his revenue to the poor and endowed the monastery generously.

He was blind for the last seven years of his life. He died at Cezenac, Quercy, and was buried at his abbey. He is the patron saint of Upper Auvergne.

Saint Odo of Cluny wrote a Life of Saint Gerald that made him celebrated in medieval France. A later member of Saint Gerald of Aurillac's family was Saint Robert of Chaise-Dieu (d. 1087; canonized c. 1095) who founded the great abbey of that name in Auvergne (Attwater, Encyclopedia, Sitwell, White).


For more information about St. Gerald of Aurillac, you can visit the following links:
- The Life of St. Gerald of Aurillac - by St. Odo of Cluny, a 10th century monk whose research into the life of St. Gerald provides us with most of our extant knowledge of the Saint. This link is to a preview, so some pages are missing, but still a lot of good information.
- Entry on St. Gerald from Butler's Lives of the Saints
- Wikipedia article


As a single man still discerning his vocation and someone who has for the past seven years struggled with recurring and occasionally debilitating bouts of sciatica, I am especially attracted to St. Gerald of Aurillac as an intercessor because he has been proclaimed the patron of bachelors and the disabled. He remains a wonderful model of holiness for laity, for men that are either called to live chaste single life or still discerning a vocation, for those who struggle with disabilities (or any other obstacles that stand in the way of the fulfillment of God's will in our lives) and for those who struggle with a tendency towards materialism. For those seeking a saintly devotion, and even for those are not, I recommend this holy Frenchman as an intercessor. St. Gerald of Aurillac, pray for us! God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald

Unveiling The Latest Weapon In The War On Terror

Granted, the Obama administration isn't putting as much money into the military these days, but the brilliant minds in the White House war room have developed a new weapon that is both cost effective and sure to strike fear into the hearts of our enemies...




Sleep well tonight, my fellow Americans. We are in good hands :-)

Happy Feast Of St. Francis And Respect Life Sunday!

It is a happy yet fitting coincidence that the two should fall on the same day this year. St. Francis is widely and properly regarded as one of the greatest lovers of life (and especially of the Author of Life) that the Church has ever produced.

Let us remember St. Francis as a lover of life, but also as someone who recognized the pre-eminent value of human life above that of all other material creatures. Let us also remember that he had above all else a deep and abiding love for God and His Church, and dedicated every waking moment of every day to furthering the truths espoused by both. It is one of the great tragedies of modern times that a city named after him by well meaning Spanish missionaries has become a hotbed of hostility towards that which St. Francis loved most. Let us then, on this day, pray for that city, and for all others who set themselves against the truth, that they may experience a true conversion of heart and stand up for the inviolability of human life; and that they may devote their lives to serving the One who created all life and gave that life meaning. God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald

Liturgical Abuse In Destin, FL: The Celebrant Priest Involves His Dog In the Procession

Here's the description of the video as it appears on its original Youtube page:

"After a promotion for a dog shampoo by the pastor, Fr. Thomas Guido, before Sunday Mass, this was the procession we witnessed while on our vacation in Destin, FL. The priest can be e-mailed at pastor@rcc-destin.org"

Here is the video. This really is sinking to a new low:




I'm willing to excuse abuses when the person committing the abuse is genuinely ignorant of what is being done. It is extremely difficult, however, to imagine that this pastor did not know that dogs have no place in Mass processions, or that dog shampoo has no place on an altar. Please e-mail this pastor at the address listed above, and if you are in the Tallahassee-Pensacola diocese please contact your bishop and make sure he cannot claim ignorance over this blatant disregard for liturgical norms. God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald

Token Pro-Life Gesture From A Man Who Has Done Enormous Violence To The Pro-Life Cause

If Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins thinks this will succeed in whitewashing his past apostasy and allow him to curry favor with faithful Catholics, he is sorely mistaken.

That said, a journey of 10,000 miles begins with a single step, and we retain a moral obligation to pray that Fr. Jenkins will completely repudiate his past anti-Catholic behavior. God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald

Announcing New Programming In EWTN's Fall Line-Up

I occasionally am sent press releases from the wonderful television apostolate EWTN to post on my blog so my readers can be advised of upcoming programs. The lineup listed below is quite an impressive one. If you don't make EWTN a part of your regular television viewing, I strongly encourage you to do so. If you do not have EWTN as part of your cable line-up, I strongly encourage you to write your cable company and ask them to add it. I would especially recommend it for those Catholics living near parishes where the Catholic faith is not being presented faithfully and accurately.

Anyway, please read the following press release, and enjoy the upcoming season of EWTN programming. God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald




EWTN Unveils Season’s New Series

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – EWTN Global Catholic Network is proud to unveil a host of new series, which will debut in September. Start programming your DVR now so you preview the shows and find your new favorites. Here is a quick synopsis of what viewers will discover: (Editors: for high-resolution photos, please go to www.ewtn.com/media/Sept2009NewSeries)


NEW SERIES

Theater of the Word: If you love live plays, but hate the hefty price tag, join Kevin O’Brien and the actors of Theater of the Word as they bring a host of biblical and religious-themed stories to life. (Saturdays, 4 p.m. ET)


A Light for All Nations: Do you frequently wish you understood all the fuss about Vatican II? One of its most important documents was Lumen Gentium. That’s where you’ll find all the talk about the role of the laity, the “universal call to holiness,” and a lot more. If you want to “get it,” tape this new series with Fr. Brian Mullady. (Sundays at 5:30 a.m. ET and Thursdays at 11 p.m. ET)


St. Josemaria Escriva and Opus Dei: You’ve heard all the dis-information in “The DaVinci Code.” Now get the facts about the life, mission and apostolate of this great modern saint with Damon Owen and John Coverdale. (Sundays, 5 p.m. ET and Fridays at 10:30 p.m. ET)


Forgotten Heritage: Europe and the Eucharist: Learn how belief in the Eucharist actually shaped Western Culture in this exciting new series with Father Owen Gorman and Fr. John Hogan. (Sundays, 5:30 p.m. ET and Wednesdays, 11:30 p.m. ET)



CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING

The Roamin’ Catholic: With a loveable wackiness all his own, Rob Wahl, the Roamin’ Catholic, and a penguin who lives in a freezer, traverse the globe on exciting missions of discovery that bring kids an entertaining look at the Faith (Mondays, 4:30 p.m. ET).



The Divine Mercy Chaplet for Kids: Your chidren will be enchanted with this animated special, which features St. Faustina teaching her young friends about the Divine Mercy Devotion and how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Adults may learn something too! (Fridays at 5 p.m. ET)



RETURNING TO EWTN

EWTN Cinema: Gather around the television set for a series of classic and inspiring Catholic films such as “The Road to Lourdes,” “A Time to Remember,” “Karol: the Pope, the Man,” “The Passion of Bernadette,” “The Great Mr. Handel,” and many others. (Saturdays, 8 p.m. ET)


Apostolate for Family Consecration: In this wide-ranging new series, you’ll learn about the mysteries of the Church, Sacred Scripture, papal documents and Vatican II. (Sundays at 11 a.m. ET)



NEW EPISODES

Christ In The City: How do you live a Christian life amidst the hustle and bustle of contemporary life? Gain insights from New York City Pastor Father George Rutler, STD. (Tuesdays, 11 p.m. ET).



G.K. Chesterton: Apostle of Common Sense: The President of the American Chesterton Society, Dale Ahlquist, takes viewers inside the unparalleled wit and wisdom of this popular 20th Century thinker and writer. (Sundays, 9 p.m. ET and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. ET).



Defending Life XV: Fr. Frank Pavone and Janet Morana take an up-close look at the contemporary pro-life movement in America, exploring events and activities, talking to experts, and more (Fridays, 10 p.m. ET).



EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 28th year, is available in over 150 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com and publishing arm, EWTN, is the largest religious media network in the world.

Thoughts On The Passing Of Ted Kennedy

As you are no doubt aware, 77 year-old Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy succumbed to brain cancer today; and as expected, news programs have consisted largely of wall-to-wall coverage paying tribute to his career.

I am going to refrain from speaking ill of the dead - especially on the day of the deceased's passing - and will therefore not delve into the many reasons why I do not agree with all the praise that has been heaped upon the late Senator. The fact is, a human life was lost today, one that, like all other human lives, is unique and irreplaceable. I sincerely lament the many personal tragedies that he endured throughout his life - from seeing all three of his older brothers cut down in the prime of life (the oldest during World War II, the others by way of assassins' bullets) to the tragic deaths of numerous younger members of the family to the many scandals that plagued the Kennedy family - and also offer prayers for the repose of his soul and for the consolation of his family.

Those who have read my blog or spoken with me personally can well imagine my opinion of Ted Kennedy as a person and as a politician. Suffice it to say, I do not think that his political career is one worth celebrating. Throughout his life, Kennedy engaged in personal and political behavior that was a source of tragedy in the lives of others. To those who have been affected in such a way, I can only ask that you also offer prayers for the repose of his soul and the consolation of his family, and recall the value of forgiveness, which is not only a source of spiritual healing, but also (and more importantly) the course of action that is most pleasing to God.

I can only pray that the Senator died in a state of grace, and that by the grace and mercy of God we may one day have the opportunity to meet Senator Kennedy in the eternal Beatific Vision. God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald