More on the Iowa Space Science Center, pets and babies

On my star posting below, a few days ago, I mentioned my brother's cool website. Here is another photo of him with a cat which looks just like a former cat of mine, Puddyman, who now lives in St. Louis, with a very nice girl named Grace. Sadly, when I started traveling, I had to get homes for Puddy, Vladimir and Miho-Chan. Thankfully, they are all with lovely people. This is Lully with Charles Miller. He is my "little brother". I have three-brothers, not cats. As I mentioned a dog and birds below, I thought I should mention cats, as cats are very sensitive. Also, if you want to adopt, there are links towards the bottom of this blog on the right-hand side for kitty, doggy, and baby adoptions. If you can, adopt. This photo was scanned from Saturday's newspaper in Iowa City, so it looks a bit wrinkly.

I Write for Christians, Women, and Those Who Want Freedom

As a follow-up to my two posts this last week on the Arab Winter, just in case any readers have any doubts as to my or the waking media's attention, here is a quotation from the Iranian leadership. Here is the link.


“In light of the realization of the divine promise by almighty God, the Zionists and the Great Satan (America) will soon be defeated,” Ayatollah Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, is warning.

Khamenei, speaking to hundreds of youths from more than 70 countries attending a world conference on the Arab Spring just days ago, told a cheering crowd in Tehran that “Allah’s promises will be delivered and Islam will be victorious.”

The countries represented included Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Palestine and Tunisia, all of which have been involved in the Arab Spring.

The people in that country are waiting for the Mahdi. Again, from this article, "Mahdi, according to Shiite belief, will reappear at the time of Armageddon." 

In other words, if Iran can cause Armageddon, the Mahdi will appear. The British have seen this before

We know the Messiah has come and He is not a political or military ruler. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the symbol of peace.

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Luke 19

Christians, do your duties and here are the lists; not options.

• To feed the hungry;
• To give drink to the thirsty;
• To clothe the naked;
• To harbour the harbourless;
• To visit the sick;
• To ransom the captive;
• To bury the dead.

• To instruct the ignorant;
• To counsel the doubtful;
• To admonish sinners;
• To bear wrongs patiently;
• To forgive offences willingly;
• To comfort the afflicted;
• To pray for the living and the dead.

How many times have I heard that I should not speak to someone about a fault? I was saved from damnation as a very young person because a good nun was honest with me and told me my soul was dead-dead. Now, we cannot say anything, as we may offend someone. What about to admonish sinners, does the Church not understand? And, we are the Church. The lists are from the Catholic Encyclopedia online and the link is above.

There are ways of speaking to friends and family members, but speak we must and not tolerate evil. The toleration of evil is one of the reasons Christ in Revelation criticized the Church at Thyatira, a quotation I put on this blog a month ago or so. But I have against thee a few things: because thou sufferest the woman Jezabel, who calleth herself a prophetess, to teach, and to seduce my servants, to commit fornication, and to eat of things sacrificed to idols. Rev. 2:20

See below for Thomas Aquinas and the Age of Nice here and APOSTOLICAM ACTUOSITATEM and the dumbing down of lay expectations here.

But, this is not all. What about the corporal works of mercy? This list is not for a yearly Christmas giving to the homeless, as good as that is. This list is the daily duties of the Christian. I shall only highlight one, which is visit the sick. There are families which do not go to hospitals, and parishioners which shun the sick and old. Anyone can visit a sick person. The Asian communities put us Christians to shame with the way they love and revere the old. A duty...not an option.

All the items on the list are duties, not options. And, the spiritual works of mercy are just as important as the corporal works. Here in Ireland, I have discovered a sad, cultural phenomenon. The Catholics on the whole do not as adults take the initiative in their Faith. For some reason, they are like babies waiting to be fed instead of finding out what they need to know to be faithful adults. The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are demanded of us by God. Not options, duties....

We shall be asked about our involvement in these duties at our particular judgement. 

Another chance to attend a Tridentine Mass in Ireland

I am in Trad Heaven. I went this morning to a beautiful Latin Mass in a church built just after the Penal Times, in 1806. St. Michael's is near Kells, in the middle of green countryside and hedgerows. The Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Staholmog, Co. Meath is a small gem in the middle of nowhere, as we would say in the States. And here, Ireland is all it should be with green hills, a pub in the distance, black and white cows, handsome Celtic people and adorable Celtic altar boys. The Mass was sung by Father David Jones, a hermit of the Premonstratensian Order. The world is so small, as he actually knows a friend or two of mine. He has a website here.


People here ask me why I would leave sunny and friendly Malta for cold, wet, and, well, cold and wet Ireland. The lack of the Latin Mass is on my list of five major reasons. One other being no birds, except pigeons, (see post from the 2nd). The Church is "so cute" as we would say in the States, but being in a place, where a century or more ago, people were going to Catholic Mass under a shadow, I felt keenly the reality of St. Michael's today. 


What I love about the Latin Mass is not merely the reverence, but the true simplicity, in the sense of purity and grace. It is the simplicity of the Incarnation.  Here is the schedule for those who may not know it.


Sunday: 1pm, 
First Friday: 11am and 
Holy Days announced: 1pm or 11am where no conflict with parish celebrations.

On Augustine and Agatha

Crivelli's  Agatha and Augustine are a strange juxtaposition of saints. but I have been thinking of both of them today.

The painting fits into my theme today of youth, love and sacrifice. I cannot imagine a more painful suffering than Agatha's and she is one of my patrons, as I had cancer. Her peace and trust provide us with a great example of love and perseverance.  So, too, Augustine persevered through his own personal sufferings for the Love of God. Can we do any less? Here is one of his prayers for a small meditation.

I beg of You, my God,

let me know You and love You so that I may be happy in You.

And though I cannot do this fully in this life, yet let me improve from day to day till I may do so to the full.

Let me know You more and more in this life, that I may know You perfectly in heaven.

Let me know You more and more here, so that I may love you perfectly there,

so that my joy may be great in itself here, and complete in heaven with You.

O Truthful God, let me receive the happiness of heaven which You promise so that my joy may be full.

In the meantime,

let my mind think of it,

let my tongue talk of it,

let my heart long for it,

let my mouth speak of it,

let my soul hunger after it,

let my flesh thirst after it,

let my whole being desire it,

until such time as I may enter through death into the joy of my Lord,

there to continue forever, world without end.

Carpaccio's painting of Augustine in the Studio of St. Jerome is one of my favorites. I would have loved to have been that little dog sitting in Augustine's study while he wrote all his amazing works. However, as a dog, I would have had to understand Latin. Some of the objects are symbols of his themes.