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.

If Christ were here today, would He be crucified again? For all the persecuted Christians, check out this painter...who is a prophet in our times

Can you spare a half-hour for this artist? A hint from Drudge opened an extraordinary meditation series on political art, which I usually do not like. However, I think the man is inspired and guess which one is my favorite?

For all the persecuted Christians in the world, including the States.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=DBNdSRz9t24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=WL9x5vG8ib4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGZR7FaTq7I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VUo8OuFaiI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXAfrSy04R0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4KGlBHyVeYU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&src_vid=4KGlBHyVeYU&annotation_id=annotation_37902&v=oRxMQhn0WAg

http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2012/02/03/controversial-artist-depicts-obama-trampling-the-constitution/

Go buy something from this man on his website as seen on the videos.

And, a bishop speaks on this video: http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/02/bp-slatterys-statement-about-pres-obamas-attack-on-religious-liberty/#comment-321279

Perfection Part Four-Conversation and the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

For years, Confirmation classes have been taught by those who do not understand the Life of the Spirit. Part of the problem is a misunderstanding or ignorance on the nature of Baptism. The other is the ignorance of the real meaning of the Gifts of the Spirit.

Perhaps the problem is partly the same problem of the modern generations in thinking that any talents which they have are "theirs" and not given by God. Meritocracies create this false ambiance of a person having done it "my way" with "my effort" and "my talents". Garrigou-Lagrange highlights the teaching of the Council of Trent in his section on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, writing that:

To know the teaching of the Church on this subject we shall re­call what the Council of Trent says: "The efficient cause [of our justification] is the merciful God who washes and sanctifies gratuitously (I Cor. 6: II), signing and anointing with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance (Eph. I: 13 f.)." (11)

The Catechism of the Council of Trent fixes this point exactly by enumerating the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost according to Isaias (11: 2 f.), and by adding: "These gifts of the Holy Ghost are for us, as it were, a divine source whence we draw the living knowledge of the precepts of Christian life. Moreover, by them we can know whether the Holy Ghost dwells in us." (12) St. Paul says, in fact: "For the Spirit Himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God." (13) He gives us this testimony by the filial love which He inspires in us, and by which He makes Himself, so to speak, felt by us.(14)

Now out of these rich paragraphs are two concepts I want to highlight. The first is the idea of "gratuitously" given gifts. And, the second is the fact that we can know if we have the Indwelling of the Spirit.

In Baptism and in Confirmation, God freely and gratuitously gives us the Holy Spirit, and this means that the Trinity dwells in us. The word gratuitous means given freely without us having to earn these gifts. These are not ours to earn, but ours to accept. By Faith, we know we are given the means to live a Christian life of perfection here, now, on earth. We are freely given by God all we need to be saints. As a reminder, these gifts are listed in Isaiah: "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness, and He shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord." 

All Catholics, who are in sanctifying grace, can exhibit these gifts. All are called to do so. And, how do we observe these in ourselves?

Garrgiou-Lagrange and Thomas Aquinas point to two easy ways to determine whether we actually have the gifts, which we do in Faith, and these are first, our relationship with God and secondly, our relationship with others.  It is that simple.

If we are in a relationship with God, using the Gifts of the Spirit, we are in conversation with God, as St. Ignatius points out, as if He were a friend of ours in the same room. We can discuss anything with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can be in a habit and attitude of prayer constantly, even when doing work, even menial work. When Garrigou-Lagrange, in quoting St. Paul notes that we can know through the Holy Spirit that the Trinity dwells in us, we only need to look at ourselves in relationship with God first and all others second.

Are we seeking to be in the Presence of God? Do we use the Gifts as a source of Life daily? Do we practice the virtues using these Gifts? Do we express love for God daily, gratefully, in prayer and deeds? The Holy Spirit testifies to our own status.

Second, do we love? Do we sacrifice for others? Do we die to self? Do we want and pursue perfection?

If we can say "yes" to all of these questions, in conversation with God and ourselves, we begin to recognize the Gifts. And why is this important? We cannot use what we do not know we have. If we have love, we give love and if we know love, we can give and receive love. Now, sometimes the only love we receive is that from Christ directly, and not from some other human person, who is not the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Such unrequited love is the love of self-denial and self-sacrifice. The Gifts allow us to give and use that love in practical ways. Love is practical and not merely an idea. Love results in works of love. If we see this, we know we have the Gifts of the Spirit truly, and not just by Faith and Hope, but in Love. 

If we are not exhibiting the virtues, there is a blockage, a hidden sin, which takes an honest examination of conscience and Confession to change. The virtues flow from the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Go to the Buxton Panto!

If you are in the area of Buxton, go see the panto, The Three Musketeers  which includes a family friend, Michael Hall, on the far left as Athos, who has many other talents besides acting. From the article--Expect an all-singing, all dancing panto spectacular as the group presents its latest seasonal offering at the Burbage Institute, on Nursery Lane, Buxton, on Friday February 3 and 10 at 7.30pm, and Saturday February 4 and 11 at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.Tickets are priced £6.50 for adults and £5 for children, and available from Clowes the Chemist, Burbage News or on the door. A special ‘buy one get one free’ offer on child tickets is available for the 7.30pm performance on February 3 and the 2.30pm performance on February 4.

And, I hope all Catholic parents have this great classic on their childrens' bookshelves. 

Judith Miller on Looking for Christian Scapegoats in Egypt

Look at my post below a day ago and check out this article by Judith Miller. Thankfully, journalists are waking up to the dangers presented to Christians in the emerging Arab Winter countries. It has taken a year, but better late than never. The ostriches in the media are lifting their heads. Here are some extracts:

"There is a reluctance to acknowledge what is happening, which is that these revolutionary movements that were spearheaded largely by secular, liberal young people have been taken over by Islamist forces, and there is an unwillingness to come to grips with the direction in which these revolutionary movements are moving."


"If the Egyptian economy fails, and it’s rapidly on route to failing, they are almost out of hard currency --you could actually have riots and chaos in the streets. You could have a turning by the Muslims on their Christian brethren in the hunt for scapegoats. And that is what the Christian community fears the most."

Better late than never. Watch her video as well at the above link.

BBC Series on Catholicism--Comments Wanted

Independent Catholic News states that the Westminster Diocese has cooperated with a BBC 4 series on Catholicism. Here is the link. If others have news on this, let me know. I do not have a television, nor do I watch it, but "would be nice" to get feedback from those of you who do.

Praise ye Him, O sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars and light . Ps. 148

Right now, from where I am in Ireland, I can see in the night and morning sky, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn and the great constellations of Orion and Canis Major with Sirius, the brightest star. If one is in a dark area, Canis Minor and the Hare may also be seen.

Last week, I saw three large shooting stars, one in Orion. Orion is also called "Strider", which, of course, reminds us of Aragorn in LOTR. When I look at Orion, I think of Aragorn , the Christ figure in the book, and of Christ Himself, who is the Hunter of our souls. In the winter sky, He calls us and how can one not praise The Father Creator for such beauty? The winter sky is worthy of watching both at dawn and at dusk. I love to watch Orion stride across the sky.  One can also see Draco and the Little and Big Bears if one is in the right place.

Orion is my favorite constellation and The Pleiades, my favorite cluster. I can only see four of the seven sisters in The Pleiades, and I shall tell their story in another post.  There is too much highway and town light pollution for me to see as much as I would want, but the sky is fantastic.



Here is a great link for all.

By the way , if you want to know more about telescopes , visit my brother's  website in Iowa at this site.

Housekeeping and St. Blaise

On the right side, I have added several links to key encyclicals which I quote regularly on this blog. Also, I have links to popular articles. In addition, just to remind us that we are a VISIBLE CHURCH instituted by Christ on earth, I have linked the Vatican national anthem.

Have a lovely Feast of St. Blaise. And, thanks again to Wiki for this picture and so many others.

Prayer for Priests, One

A friend of mine sends me prayers from a booklet for priests, the title which I do not have. Here is one prayer for today. Please pray for priests, and today, for all our good blogging priests. I especially remember Father John Zuhlsdorf, Father Ray Blake, Father John Corrigan, Father John Boyle, Father Tim Finigan, Father Ed Tomlinson, the Transalpine Redemptorists, all the Ordinariate Priests in England, Scotland and Wales, the Priests of the Monastery of San Benedetto, the Priests of St. Kevin's in Dublin, and my parish priests.


This prayer is for you.


A Prayer for Priests

Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord,
Keep them, for they are Thine -
Thy priests whose lives burn out before
Thy consecrated Shrine.
Keep them - Thou knowest, dearest Lord -
The world - the flesh are strong.
And Satan spreads a thousand snares
To lead them into wrong.

Keep them for they are in the world
Though from the world apart,
When earthly pleasures tempt, allure -
Shelter them in Thy Heart.
Keep them, and comfort them in hours
Of loneliness and pain
When all their life of sacrifice
For souls seems but in vain.

Keep them, and oh, remember Lord,
They have no one but Thee
Yet they have only human hearts,
With human frailty.
Keep them as spotless as the Host -
That daily, they caress -
Their every thought and word and deed,
Deign, dearest Lord, to bless.

No Revolution Works Without Democratic Leaders-in-Waiting: Women and Christians to the Lions

Last year, when I was watching the revolution in Egypt happening, and listening to idiotic American television commentators go on about the Arab Spring, I knew we would witness an Arab Winter. Maybe it is because I am a woman and very aware of the lack of civil rights for women in almost all the parts of the world under sharia law, or maybe because I am a student of history and have seen all this before. Those who wished by a fantasy that a democratic government was to come out of Tunisia, or Egypt, or Libya, were and are living in a false world of wishes of their own making. The liberal media does not and will not understand Islamic sharia law. The media does not uphold the rights of Christians, or women in the Middle East or African nations.

One of the elements of which I was aware as the riots were happening, was that there were not and still are not any democratic leaders waiting in the wings to take over. The young man who started the twitter revolution in Egypt last year was thrown off the stage in Tahir Square by the Muslim Brotherhood speakers. Try and find that video I watched last year on YouTube, which, by the way, censors regularly such types of videos. Such silencing of young democracy seekers in Egypt happened last week as well. Check here.

Finally, some European journalists are waking up to the fact that the only seeming replacement for tyrants are more tyrants. In the French paper Le Monde, an article written by Peter Harling reveals some semblance of reality. I quote part of a translated text from here.


What makes the transitions underway impossible to judge is that they have all brought to the fore innumerable tensions at the heart of the region’s societies, at the very moment when these societies are ridding themselves of the traditional means to manage these tensions, since the the usual means used by the regimes are exactly what their subjects no longer tolerate. At stake in these negotiations is precisely the creation of mechanism to regulate social conflicts, but on new bases which are themselves sources of conflict. It is therefore not surprising to see disagreements, and even violence. The real question mark is whether new political systems will appear that will give a central importance to popular legitimacy, in a region that has hitherto been deprived of such systems.


This is mild compared to what I would have written, as I am very concerned about women and Christians, who we all know, are not respected now in Egypt and are under increasing persecution, noted in the Vatican and among those who are not afraid to contradict the BIG LIE about moderate Islam taking over Egypt. 


Revolutionaries must have something in mind, in place, when they overthrow tyrannies. A democratic process takes intelligence, leadership, time. Under a military rule, or sharia law, there can be no democracy. We are witnessing the Arab Winter and I wish our own governments in the West would admit to this. Instead, Washington is pandering to a group which will be just as bad, if not worse, than Mubarak's government was.


The only major voice of reality in the media is the Washington Post, which wrote about Washington's blindness a few days ago.

And, can you believe there are some in America, who do not believe this photo is real--including Jimmy Carter? A phrase that was popular when I was in high school was "Get real and face the situation". (Thanks to Father Miclot). Get real, people, get real. 


I fear in this Arab Winter for my fellow Christians and women of all creeds. I do not want these images and truths to be suppressed, just as the Tienanmen Square photos and history have been suppressed in China. Remember during the Olympics there when Westerners were showing a generation of youth photos and history they had never seen online?


 from Wiki:

Public memory of the Tiananmen Square protests has been suppressed by the CPC since 1989. Print media containing reference to the protests must be consistent with the government’s version of events.^[157] Presently, many Chinese citizens are reluctant to speak about the protests due to the possibility of repercussions.^[160] However, some individuals do speak out, such as Ding Zilin of theTiananmen Mothers organization.^[161] Regardless, youth in China are generally unaware of the events that took place, and cannot recognize symbols such as tank man,^[162] or even the date itself.^[163]

Internet searches of '4 June' or 'Tiananmen Square' bring back censored results or cuts the server connection temporarily.^[161] Specific web pages with certain keywords are censored, while other websites, such as those of overseas Chinese democracy movements, are blocked wholesale.^[154][161] The censorship, however, has been inconsistent - with many sites being blocked, unblocked, and re-blocked over the years, including YouTube, Wikipedia, and Flickr.^[164] In addition, the policy is much more stringent with Chinese-language sites than foreign-language ones. In January 2006, Google agreed to censor their mainland China site to remove information about the Tiananmen Square massacre and Taiwan independence.^[165] Google withdrew its cooperation on censorship in January 2010.^[166]

Leading up to and during the event's 20th anniversary on 4 June 2009, party authorities increased security around the square. Members of the Public Security Bureau and the People’s Armed Policewere present at the square in uniform along with several hundred plain clothes officers.^[167] Tourists were allowed into the square subject to security checks. Journalists were denied entry.^[167] Some journalists who attempted to film at the square or interview dissidents were briefly detained.^[168] The 20th Anniversary also saw the shut down of global social-networking sites in China, as well as heavy policing of dissidents and their interactions with journalists.^[156][169] No protests were to be tolerated on this occasion in Beijing.^{[170][171][172]}

The younger teens and twenty-somethings did not recognize "tank man".  Remember, please. And, the same thing will happen in Afghanistan. Watch and see. I wish I had kept articles from last year which are missing. If someone can find the reference to the youth leader who was not allowed to speak in Tahir Square, please let us know here.  Remember, please.

Eurasian Siskins on February 2nd

My favorite animals are birds. And, although I do not care whether my cats go to heaven, I would wonder whatever could take the place of birds, especially the morning chorus, which will not occur for several months.

One reason out of several I decided I could not live in Malta year round was the lack of birds.That may sound like a drastic decision to some, but I love birds. But, now that I am in Ireland, I am happy to see and hear birds, even for the past six very cold weeks I have been here. Today is perhaps the coldest day we have experienced. It was colder here yesterday, in the built-up village north of Dublin where I am staying, than in Iowa! However, as cold as it is, the grass is green and the birds live in the hedges and conifers.

Beside the ubiquitous European Robin, the Hooded Crow, Ring-Necked Doves, European Starlings, Magpies, and Seagulls, today I saw a small flock of Eurasian Siskins in a set of dilapidated yew trees near my flat. I cannot tell you how exciting this is for me. I kept a bird diary for about 35 years, only stopping when I could not keep up with the entries. I have been a serious birder since my early twenties, keeping records, using good field glasses, tromping around soggy Minnesota, Wisconsin and other bird sanctuaries, including some in England. I can recognize many species by calls, as I trained myself by memorizing songs, first from tapes, and then from CDs. If one can hear, one can look in the appropriate place for the bird.

In Missouri, my son and I saw hundreds of birds, including the Great Barn Owl, the Great Horned Owl, and Bald Eagles almost daily in the summer. In Iowa, we identified many types of birds, including the Peregrine Falcon, the Fan-Tailed Hawk, the New World Quail, and the hundreds listed here. The Wiki list looks like a neater version of my first bird diary. And I have seen most, if not all of those birds on that list.

But, today, on Candlemas, and the coldest day I have experienced in Ireland, to see the little band of Eurasian Siskins is a gift from God. They are still fluttering in and out of the yews, moving quickly and nervously as they do, showing their yellow coloring and improving my cold morning with their bits of sunshine. Ah, the resident Magpie just claimed its space.  The yellow birds have flown away. I think the little Eurasian Siskins are gone.

Memories of Candlemas in a Midwest Church in America and Candlemas Bells at Kingston Lacy

In my old parish in the Midwest, where I was baptized, made my First Confession and First Holy Communion and where I was Confirmed, the families would bring the candles to the Church for the blessing from the priest. These were candles used in the house for the prayer corner, or feast days. The children would bring their candles as well. I have not seen this happening anyplace else, but the custom is delightful. I think Catholics in Poland do this, and if other readers have brought candles to Church, they should make a comment.

Especially when I was young, a home visit from the priest involved meeting the priest at the door with lit candles when he came to bring Holy Communion to the sick. Even in the early 2000s, when I belonged to an FSSP parish and I was ill, my son met the priest at the door with our blessed lit candles. Catholics should renew these good customs, as part of our Catholic identity. Candles at this time of year remind us of the Light of Christ, dispelling the darkness of sin and death.

Candlemas for me is also a time for remembering a great day at Kingston Lacy. Near Wimborne in Dorset, my old county, the snowdrops begin to come out at this time of year, depending on the snow and cold. Recently, the latter part of February has been a good time to see the flowers, also known as Candlemas Bells. The flower pushing itself out of the snow seems a reminder that perseverance is a necessary virtue of the Christian. The temerity of these little blooms heralding in Spring gives us courage.

My first visit revealed a vision of white cascading through the trees. I saw a few of the snowdrops at Buckfast Abbey last year, but I had missed the peak time. Candlemas, being the Feast of the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, should be a time of rejoicing. The snowdrop, being "my flower" for January in old English books, as my birthday is in January, will always be one of my favorites. I, too, bloom well in conditions less than perfect, and look forward to longer days and shorter nights. Candlemas moves us forward to Lent and Easter, as we look towards new life.


And, because of all the stress this week, I thought you all would enjoy this bit of peace and color. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzivTHH9Em8
Happy Candle Mass.

Oedipus and Reality

Because of the great Dr. Sanity, and because I am surrounded by people who have created their own worlds and are completely out of touch with reality, I am inspired to write again about reality and objectivity. From a Catholic point of view, objectivity is holiness, the putting on the mind of Christ. See several posts below. Only when we are truly humble, admitting our own sin, limitations, and even small talents, can we love. Only by standing back and taking an objective  look at life, as it really is, can we love. Love does not play games, or invent parallel worlds. It intersects with the worlds of others, bringing reality, truth into situations and creating freedom.

Freedom is not available to those who want their own way and only see their reality. Freedom is being open to truth and accepting that reality which is not of one's own making, but in the case of the Christian, God's making. Assent to God's Will is reality.

I had cancer, and I had to accept the consequences. This is reality. At first, one goes into a denial, a status quo, until one cannot deny the symptoms, or the diagnosis. The quicker one accepts the truth, the more easily it is to deal with the losses which inevitably come. That God allows cancer, or death, or separation, only means that we are given an opportunity to face reality and be freedom. Deceit creates chains, unhealthy heavy chains, which hold one down to a prison of lies and unreality. Truth breaks those chains, be it through an illness, or treatment for alcoholism or psychological counseling or the Sacrament of Confession. Basically, humility is just truth. I am this and not this. I can do this and not this. I can be this and not this.

The lies of our century have created tyrannies. All tyrannies rely on propaganda, the building up and maintaining of lies. Why people assent to believe in propaganda is a mystery to me.I taught college and university levels classes, including logic for years. I gave up in 2010, when I realized that the administrators on the whole were as out of touch with reality as my students. This Post-Modern phenomenon  is the result of complete subjectivism. The world of POTUS is his world, and the world of my student Z was his world and the world of my administrator Y was her world. The thing which I do not understand is that there are many highly intelligent people in Congress and the Supreme Court, in America, in the Catholic Church, who "seem" grounded. Are they all in their own little worlds? Is this how most people survive? As a person raised on Aristotle and Aquinas, I was taught that truth begins with what is, what is natural in nature, for example, or what we perceive objectively. I am not sure how people lose objectivity. A good teacher has it, a good parent has it, and a good spouse had it. How can a person really love without objectivity? Real love is objective. It is God's Love.

How can we trust the nation to a group of people who are living in cloud-cuckoo-land? It is very scary, as some other nations, which are living in reality (are there any) could easily take advantage of our Disneyland outlook. The delusions are so broad and deep, is there any chance of this changing without great catastrophes waking us all up? Ah, the Greeks, who invented that word, catastrophe, knew all about the change of the wheel of fortune, the facing of truth for such as Oedipus, through tragedy. I do not wish for this, but it does seem, as in Greek drama, inevitable. In Greek drama, which I taught and in which my son did some acting, there is a movement of the poetry from strophe to antistrophe to catastrophe.

The prologue and the entrance ode occur followed by the strophe, the turning of the chorus, physically either on or off stage, at a different level. The antistrophe is another turn, matching the meaning of the text, the poetry, so that the physical movement imitates the words. The catastrophe is the sudden changing of the action, following some episode, where, at least in the great tragedies, a sudden event of horror occurs, such as Oedipus' realization that he killed his father and married his mother. This is followed by the stationary ode and the exit ode.  

We are headed in the States for the catastrophe. As long as people, as even the heroes or heroines in the Greek dramas, live in deceit or darkness, there is no truth. The catastrophe brings truth, light and usually, peace. 

We can only hope. Oedipus' story is told in three plays: the trilogy of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. These tragedies have three dramas to work out some type of peace and reconciliation. Do we have time?

Begging because of a sacrilege; if someone can allow a sacred object to be desecrated, it has already happened in the mind and soul of those who have lost the Faith

On Father Ray Blake's blog today is the posting of the sacrilegious selling of Church plate, and other sacred objects at the upcoming Ramsgate Abbey sale. I am horrified. My American family paid for stained glass windows, a gold tabernacle, and other sacred objects for several churches over the years in the Midwest. We assume that these things would stay in a Catholic Church. There is no excuse for selling sacred objects, some used in Adoration, such as monstrances, and even chalices and ciboria used in the Mass. Why did the monks not give those objects to local churches, or to the great abbeys at Buckfast and Downside, which would have cared for these?

I cannot express the inappropriateness of this sale. It amounts to stealing.

However, I am going to beg. My own son and others in the seminaries may not have families wealthy enough to buy them the chalices necessary as gifts for their ordination days. I know a Latino son of a widow who is going to be ordained, for example, from a poor family. Also, there are missionary groups which do not have such beautiful items to use on the altar. Why not, those of you who can, buy some of these objects which have held the Body and Blood of Christ? ( And, do they believe that Christ is Truly Present at Ramsgate Abbey? ) Then, give them to a temporary deacon or missionary, or seminarian? How can the monks defend themselves, even to us lowly laity, who pay for these things?

Burning of a Consecrated Host in Church Ware at a Black Mass 

In the States, art connoisseurs buy these sacred objects for their dining room buffets, living rooms, bedrooms, entrance ways. I know of a homosexual couple who collect religious items from Catholic Churches in California. Why, I do not know. Their house is full of these items sold in auctions.

Or, Satanists buy them for Black Masses. A good friend of mine, years ago in the special branch of a police force in Minneapolis, explained this to me.

Please, Catholics -- save these items--please.
Catalogue-- here-- Save these objects from dishonor, and possible blasphemy and sacrilege.

I am not an emotional person. Ask my family, but I am sobbing while writing this posting.

The Real St. Brigid, "the Mary of the Gael"

Today is the feast day of one of Ireland's patrons, St. Brigid, 451-525. Now, since I have been in Eire, I have discovered some craziness among certain groups of Catholics and lapsed Catholics, who have become infected with the virus of New Age nonsense. Many ideas floating around this great Saint Brigid have become more popular than her real person, who in her own right without the help of New Age myth-makers, was a great leader, abbess of double monastery, (like my patron here, St. Etheldreda), and a holy woman of God.

So, now, in 2012, St. Brigid is being hailed as, (get ready), a feminist, a goddess of the Celts, the first woman priest of Eire, and a bishop, among other things. Why the pagans have captured the story of this woman, who founded the greatest monastery in Eire, Kildare, remains a mystery only clear within the Celtic talent for story, and the mixing of truth and fiction. St. Brigid was famous throughout Europe early on for her own accomplishments and love of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. A good place to start real research is found here. These strong women of the early Church in Ireland and Great Britain, such as Ss. Brigid and Etheldreda, deserve our respect for who they really were, not for our modern, political, and even silly interpretations. St. Brigid stands above all us women here in Ireland, and does not need revisionists to cloud her many achievements for Christ and His Church. But, that is the impetus of New Age cults, to take what is good and separate such things as saints and angels from the Church, so that the members can have "religion" without ethics or dogma. Neat, but deadly for the soul.

The Cradle of Modernist Heresies

In 1983, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, who was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, now Pope Benedict XVI, issued a document under the name of the Declaration on Masonic Associations.  The link is on the name.

In that document, the long history of the condemnation of Freemasonry by the Church, since 1738, was reiterated and clearly defined. The original condemnation of Clement XII, In eminenti apostolatus specula  was upheld.

Since that time, I have had many Catholics, in the United States and in Europe claim that the Church had removed the automatic excommunication on a Catholic who joined the Masons. This is not and has never been so. One has to understand that the Church's condemnation of Masonry is based not merely on the fact that it is a secret organization, but that it upholds several Modernist heresies. Firstly, Cardinal Ratizinger wrote that:

Therefore the Church’s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enrol in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion. He went on to state that no bishop had any right to change this. It is interesting that the SSPX press, Angelus Press, has one of the best books on the evils and pitfalls of Masonry. One can find it here. However, I want to concentrate on a few of the Modernist heresies found in Freemasonry. The first is indifferentism. This heresy proclaims that all religions are the same and that religion has no place in the public life of a nation or people.Mirari Vos  On Liberalism and Religious Indifferentism written in 1832 by Gregory XVI is a forgotten document of the Church. Indifferentism leads to a relativism about religion, stating that all are either the same, or so subjective as to mean only what a person sincerely believes. This pluralism leads to another aspect that because all religions are relative and the same, these beliefs have no role in the public life, cannot affect politics, or governmental decisions. Of course, as the Catholic Church is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, this heresy is condemned as contrary to both Revelation and Tradition. Indifferentism leads to a denial of the supernatural, as if all beliefs are equal or subjective, there is no hierarchy, no Revelation from God. Also denied in this heresy would be dogma, for the same reasons. It is interesting that in the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1907, itself peppered with some Modernist heresies, that this statement from Newman is quoted in the section on indifferentism:  No truth, however sacred, can stand against it (the Catholic Church) in the long run; and hence it is that in the Pagan world, when our Lord came, the last traces of the religious knowledge of former times were all but disappearing from those portions of the world in which the intellect had been active and had a career" (Apologia, chap. v).  The second heresy of many in Masonry is eirenism.This is what I call the forgotten heresy.  The condemnation of eirenism is found in Pope Pius XII's encyclical, Humani Generis. This great work condemns existentialism, historicism (Gramsci watch), immanentism and other isms. The point of eirenism is, in the words of the Pope: setting aside the questions which divide men, they aim not only at joining forces to repel the attacks of atheism, but also at reconciling things opposed to one another in the field of dogma. And as in former times some questioned whether the traditional apologetics That branch of the science of theology which explains the reasons for the Church's existence and doctrine of the Church did not constitute an obstacle rather than a help to the winning of souls for Christ, so today some are presumptuous enough to question seriously whether theology and theological methods, such as with the approval of ecclesiastical authority are found in our schools, should not only be perfected, but also completely reformed, in order to promote the more efficacious propagation throughout the world among men of every culture and religious opinion. This heresy clearly seeks after a type of syncretism, a religion of unity, wherein divisions vanish and people come together to worship some sort of agreed upon god. I would venture to say that eirenism leads directly to Worship of the State. This is the atmosphere of religion and philosophy in the United States at this very moment. The State declares that there is no religious right to conscience, thereby setting up its own standards for so-called moral or ethical behavior. To use an example, abortion is ok because a Supreme Court decision determined it was so, and because further legislation supports it. The State has substituted itself for the Church in matters of conscience.  Wake up, American Catholics. So, the heresies sleeping in Masonry have awakened and taken over the mind-set of the nation's leaders. Simple and neat. What is happening and has happened in Catholic education, wherein schools are rebelling against the Teaching Magisterium (look here in California today, this minute) is a direct result of the concepts of eirenism. Schools and other facilities play down differences for the sake of community unity to the detriment of Catholic Teaching.  It is too late to change this huge momentum, hidden in Masonry by choice, and held in some minds by lethargy and laziness. To take the easiest way out, to placate, to be politically correct is eirenism.  The greatest heresy in Masonry is immanentism, which destroys the Revelation of God as Trinity, replacing Him with a vague, abstract presence found in the world. Pope Pius X condemned this in  Pascendi Dominici Gregis. As Catholics, we do not have much time to read all of these documents, but what is happening today in America, with the attack on the Church from the present administration concerning freedom of religion and freedom on conscience is an attack prophesied by all the documents above. If Church leaders knew their own teaching, they would have seen this coming, or even better, stopped these idealistic heresies from fomenting in the people in the pews. And, as laymen, we only have ourselves to blame if we find ourselves marginalize, persecuted, imprisoned, martyred. See my post below on the stages of persecution and the ideologies which push these heresies. The one I have left for this posting is Freemasonry, which seems to hold many of the Modernist heresies and is able to produce these in the market place as goods. As one can tell, I taught a history of ideas, history of encyclicals, history of heresies. Nothing has changed in 2012 which was not there in 1732 or earlier. Sadly, the revisionist historians within the Catholic Church look like they have won the day. I honestly feel that we are in the times of Arianism, the greatest heresy which rocked and split the Church. However, the Church prevailed, and will, as Christ promised until the end of time. But, the Lord did not assure us it would be a large, powerful, or influential Church. Perhaps the words of one of the Desert Fathers are applicable. I think, but I am not sure, it was Abba Pambo. "When asked by a young monk if they were of the greatest generation because they saw and cast out devils, and prayed, fasted, and converted  and healed people, the Abba answered. 'No, we are not the greatest generation. We have obvious power. The next generation will see Christ establish His Kingdom among the Nations, and there will be unity for awhile. But, the greatest generation is the one, which under great persecution, will survive. They are the greatest and the last.'"