But before we move on to explore the secrets of Mother Teresa's interior life, we first need to be sure not to misconstrue her "darkness" -- a darkness God allowed her to experience as a share in the inner night of Calcutta's poorest of the poor. Mother Teresa was wounded with the inner wounds of her people; she bled with them and died with them. God was calling her to share the heavy, if forgotten, inner burdens of the poor, not only their material deprivation. She was to be fixed to the hidden inward cross of the poor, and to be riven by the same interior anguish that Jesus himself had undergone.
But painful as her darkness was, theirs was the true night, the darkness that eats away at faith. In Mother Teresa's time, millions of Calcutta's street population drew their dying breath under the dusty feet of passersby, after having spend an entire existence deprived of any human evidence of a loving God. This was a tragedy not of God's making, but man's -- yet one that burdened not man's heart, but God's. This was the ultimate sense of Mother Teresa's dark night, borne in the name of her God and her poor.
But what of reports that suggested that Mother Teresa had undergone a crisis of faith, or worse, that her smile and her devotion to God and neighbor were little more than hypocrisy? Emphatically, Mother Teresa's dark night was not a "crisis of faith," nor did it represent a wavering on her part. Far from being a loss of faith, her letters reveal instead her hard-fought victory of faith, the triumph of faith's light that shines even in the darkness, for "the darkness has not ovecome it" (Jn 1:5).
The same letters that recount her darkness at the feeling level (not at the level of faith) testify, too, to her unshakable belief, even when she no longer sensed God's presence. Her letters reveal a supreme, even heroic exercise of faith at its zenith, free of dependence on circumstance or feelings. She consistently chose to believe, refusing to turn away from a brilliance once beheld, simply because clouds had covered her inner sky. No matter how long the hours of her night, never once did she suspect that the sun existed no more. Even in the deepest night of her inner Calcutta, she kept her course towards the Day Star, and never lost her way. ...
Mother Teresa's trial of faith is not without precedence in Christian tradition, nor without parallels in Scripture. Recall Jesus' challenge to the Canaanite woman, who, after begging that he cure her daughter, was seemingly rebuffed in the harshest terms. In both cases, Jesus used what appeared to be rejection in order to draw out the fullness of their faith, precisely by challenging that faith to the maximum. Jesus gave each one the chance to surmount his challenges one by one and to stand triumphant as a model for the rest of us. His appreciation of the Canaanite woman could have been addressed just as easily, two thousand years later, to Mother Teresa: "O woman, great is your faith!" (Mt 15:28).
“My name is Legion, for we are many.”
We tend to think of spiritual warfare in either grand terms or in Hollywood clichés. On the larger side, we see it as the good versus evil of modern culture war, abortion, defense of marriage, etc. On the cliché side, we get the likes of The Omen or The Exorcism of Emily Rose. These have one significant thing in common – the evil is an abstraction in both cases. It’s at a distance, and in a form we can deal with psychologically.
But there are moments when evil becomes small and exact and free of cliché. It often comes with surprising speed and clarity, unfathomable fear, and leaves great sadness in its wake. It can come in many forms. It might be the whisper of a welcome temptation or the bluntness of a gunshot. It’s at moments like this that evil can be caught in a bright light and seen for what it really is. But we only see it after the fact, after it’s too late. We feel the bullet strike before we hear the shot.
An event like this took place in Julie’s world around 9:00 this morning. A mother, her eight year old son, and four year old daughter, were shot to death in a quiet, unassuming neighborhood of Dallas. But this seemingly random event echoes to my northern suburb, and to wherever you’re sitting right now, reading these words.
Who did it and why are the questions that first spring to mind, and that’s perfectly natural. But a more pertinent question is - “How”? I don’t mean the how of mechanism. The police already know that – it was a series of gunshots. I mean the how of, “how did this happen in such a quiet place?”
It’s senseless to seek the answer in the obvious. This would lead back to cliché and an abstraction of what really happened. “He had a bad childhood.” “His father beat him” “Poverty is the root of all crime.” “He felt a judgment was unfair.” “He was driven to it by the circumstances of his life.” These are the root causes of the politician or those who seek answers in humanism or sociology. They offer us nothing more than the opportunity to turn our backs, walk away, and resume your lives as if nothing had happened.
The how of this ghastly event is far more fundamental to every human being. For our own peace of mind, sometimes for our own psychological well being, we turn away and hide. But this how is really quite simple.
Evil.
It’s all around us. While it’s true that the law of God is written on every human heart, it’s also true that the baseness of evil is always around us. No human being goes from having the law of God written on their hearts to a terrorizing murderer in one simple step. The evil that he became grew within him over time. Maybe his first temptation was to steal a candy bar from the grocery store just because the thought he could get away with it. Undoubtedly it was something small and long ago. For whatever reason, the temptations kept coming and the will lost the capacity to say no, or even to care. From a first temptation as a child, to this last temptation as an adult, it grew and festered and utterly overcame what was written on his heart by the hand of God himself.
People call this random violence. It’s not random. There’s a pattern. We just can’t see it. This is the nature of evil – to start small and lure men ever so slowly to their doom.
How do you fight evil like this? How do you wage spiritual war against an adversary so cruel?
There is an answer, but it is hard to hear and even harder to live. Who knows what difference it might have made to the man that pulled the trigger if, at just the right moment in his life, someone had spoken to him like Matthew 25:40 really meant something.And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'Take Luke 6:32-38 to heart and live it totally – like your salvation depends on it.Matthew 25:40For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.This is what Paul meant in Ephesians 6:13-19 – the armor of God isn’t made of Kevlar. Be righteous. Live like righteousness matters. It mattered to Paul. It mattered to Christ.
And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.
If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit (is) that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount.
But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful.
"Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."Luke 6:32-38Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.That is, ultimately the answer – Christ and his Word.
In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak as I must.Ephesians 6:13-19
Live your life like Matthew 25:40 really means something. I don't know the people who died today, but I have learned a few things about them in the past eight hours. I may be wrong, but I think they would appreciate that as a testament to their lives.
May God have mercy on us all.
All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.While we are remembering all this, it never hurts to call in the angelic cavalry either. If all we can do is to pray, then that is our job and we must treat it seriously.Julian of Norwich
There's a woman who is embroidering. Her son, seated on a low stool, sees her work, but in reverse. He sees the knots of the embroidery, the tangled threads. He says, "Mother, what are you doing? I can't make out what you are doing!" Then mother lowers the embroidery hoop and shows the good part of the work. Each color is in place that the various threads form a harmonious design. So, we see the reverse side of the embroidery because we are seated on the low stool.Saint Pio
St. Michael the Archangel,UPDATE
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
The world has seen my face destroyed by the fire, now it must come to know my smile full of love and peace…I want to dedicate my life to spreading the Gospel.
[W]e forgive the Hindu radicals who attacked us, who burned our homes…They were out of their minds, they do not know the love of Jesus. For this reason, I now want to study so that when I am older I can tell everyone how much Jesus loves us. This is my future.
Ask Dr. Boli
Dear Dr. Boli: The honey I just bought at a local organic market claims on the label that it came from an “apiary” in Westmoreland County. I thought honey was made by bees rather than apes. What’s going on? —Sincerely, Dr. Carolina Thicket, Curator of Primates, Duck Hollow Museum of Natural History.
Dear Madam: Honey is indeed made by bees, as you were taught from infancy; and an apiary, as you correctly surmised, is an institution devoted to the cultivation of apes. Apes, and especially gibbons, have an instinctive aptitude for tending bees, and are frequently employed for that purpose. It is a happy arrangement for both species, as it is cheaper than employing human attendants for the purpose, and it gives the apes something to do. Dr. Boli is somewhat surprised that a scientist in your position would not be aware of these well-known facts, but he supposes that you are more accustomed to meeting apes after they have paid a visit to the taxidermist, which renders them entirely unfit for tending bees. The advantage of the stuffed ape for museum purposes, of course, is that it tends to be less sticky, the taxidermist having carefully cleaned off the honey before mounting the specimen.
The use of apes in the honey industry is only one of the many ways in which our animal friends are employed to the benefit of humanity. You should ask Dr. Boli about foxholes some day, or perhaps about catamarans.
David L. Alexander - Man With Black Hat
Amy Welborn
Fr. Dwight Longenecker - Standing On My Head
Joshua Snyder - The Western Confucian
Mark Shea
Julie D. - Happy Catholic
Zippy Catholic
Dawn Eden
Kenneth Hynek
Jeff Miller - Curt Jester
Thomas Peters - American Papist
Jimmy Akin
I am especially concerned about that creepy Jesus figure.
Some of us say: “May Allah curse the Jews and the Christians, the offspring of apes and pigs.” Is this the language of progress? Is this the language of enlightenment and tolerance? If you had been born in Rome, you would have been Christian, if you had been born in Tehran, you would have been Shiite, and if you had been born in Saudi Arabia, you would have been Sunni, and so on. How wonderful it would be if all these people could gather in love around the table of humanity.This is from 2006 and so perhaps I am the last one to see this video of Bahraini intellectual Dhiyaa Al-Musawi. It is still worth watching as a powerful statement from a thinking man who understands the serious problems with the Arab world today. I found it inspirational.
Jack Skellington's Visit to Las RamblasTHE PRESIDENT: I don’t think you can take one guy throwing shoes and say this represents a broad movement in Iraq. You can try to do that if you want to. I don’t think it would be accurate.
QUESTION: Well, then, separately from him —
THE PRESIDENT: That’s exactly what he wanted you to do. Like I answered on your question, what he wanted you to do was to pay attention to him. And sure enough, you did…
[There was a noise on board the plane.]
THE PRESIDENT: The other shoe just dropped. Look, I’m going to be thinking of shoe jokes for a long time. I haven’t heard any good ones yet.
View from the rotunda of Daniel Burnham’s Pennsylvania Railroad Station,
Then a few years ago Dr. Richard D. Grant taught me the difference between introverts and extraverts.This was a very enlightening way for me to consider the differences between these two personality types. I will be copying part of this into my quote journal as a reminder. Go read ... or listen to ... Roy H. Williams' Monday Morning Memo here.
Introversion and extraversion don't refer to shyness and boldness. They refer only to how you charge your emotional batteries. Introverts gain energy from internal contemplation, centering, and quiet time. Extraverts gain energy from external people, places, and things.
...
Books are written for introverts. Audiobooks are recorded for extraverts.
Introverts rarely say what they are thinking.
They say only what they have thought. Introverts think to talk.
Extraverts talk to think.
The world's happiness is a poor and transitory thing. The Christian's happiness is profound and can exist in the midst of difficulties. It is compatible with pain, with illness, with failures and contradictions. our Lord has promised: Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16:22) Unless we separate ourselves from its source, nothing and nobody can take away this joyful peace.This is the cause of our joy. This is what we long to share with others who have not yet found Jesus. "Lift up your heart, lift up your voice; rejoice, again I say, rejoice."
To have the certainty that God is our Father and wants all that is best for us gives us a serene and joyful confidence even in the face, sometimes, of unexpected hardships. In those moments which a man without faith would consider to be meaningless and deadly blows of fate, the Christian discovers God, and with Him a much greater good than he seems to have lost. How many obstacles vanish, when in our hearts we place ourselves next to this God of ours, who never abandons us! Jesus' love for his own, for the sick and for the lame is renewed, expressed by different sufferers in different ways. "What's the matter?" he asks; and we reply, "Its my ..." At once there is light, or at least the acceptance of his will, and inner peace. (J. Escriva, Friends of God, 249)
We will have difficulties, as everyone always has, but whether they are great or small these contradictions will never be able to destroy our happiness. We have to expect the setback as part and parcel of ordinary life, and we cannot put off being happy until some impossible time arrives in which there are no contradictions, temptations, or sorrows. What is more, we should have no opportunities at all for growing in virtue if we had no obstacles to overcome.
We need a firm foundation for our happiness. It cannot depend exclusively on changeable circumstances like good news, good health, peace and quiet, enough money to bring up the family comfortably and having all the material possessions we would like. All these things are good in themselves if they do not separate us from God, but they are unable to provide us with real happiness.
Our Lord asks us to be happy always. Let each man take care how he builds. For no other foundation can anyone lay other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 3:11) Only he can be the support of our whole life. There is no sorrow which he cannot alleviate: Do not fear, only believe, he says to us. (Luke 8:50) He knows everything which is going to happen in our lives, including those things that will result from our stupidity and lack of sanctity. But he has the remedy for them all.
Very often, as we are doing now in this time of prayer, we shall have to come to him in the Tabernacle and have a conversation with him which is both serious and intimate. And we shall need to lay bare our soul in Confession, and in personal spiritual direction. There we shall find the source of happiness; and our gratitude will show itself in greater faith, in an ever-increasing hope which banishes all sadness, and in our care for other people. For yet a little, just a very little while, and He that is to come will come, and shall not delay; (Heb 10:37) and with him come peace and joy; with Jesus we find meaning in our life.
These young sisters dressed as
I love strolling through cemeteries no matter the size but monuments like this one in the Allegheny Cemetery just call out to me. Who would have thought that there would be so many interesting memorials there? Of course, in the summer, it would be that much more inviting for lingering and speculating upon why this gentleman feels he must go on working even now.
Who is the best in Catholic New Media? Where are the innovators in Catholic evangelization? I want the world to know. So this year I am rolling out the first annual Catholic New Media and Innovation Awards. The purpose is to find and highlight the best in Catholic New Media and acknowledge those using innovate ways to evangelize the faith.I got this via email, but you can check it out here also. This will be interesting.
This is something I have wanted to do for some time now. It is my hope that this informal award will bring attention to those working tirelessly and unselfishly to promote the good works of the Catholic Church and share the gifts of our faith.
Here are the rules:OK, so there's no red carpet, banquet, or celebrities fawning over the winners. Just me and my platform to share the good works of generous people. I'll probably announce the winners on a Catholic radio program or perhaps EWTN or Catholic TV if they'll have me. First things first. Send me your nominations. I promise to thoroughly review them and announce the winners in early January.
- Open Nominations
- There are no specific categories. I prefer to keep the nomination field broad and defined only to new media and innovation. It will be fun to see what suggestions people send to us.
- Jury Panel = me. The awards are subjective but based on my experience, expertise and input from those who are kind enough to send me their thoughts.
- Winning entries will be posted on this blog and will receive a glowing email with congratulations from yours truly. Wow!
I set up a special email account for nominations and related correspondence. Please send you suggestions and comments to: awards (at) lovetobecatholic (dot)com
Looking forward to hearing from you.
We have received news from the New York Province of the Society of Jesus of the death of Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ, the dean of American theologians, and the first American Jesuit named a cardinal, has died this morning at the Jesuit infirmary at Fordham University.I received this email from Father James Martin just now. My first reaction ... "Oh no!" I had no idea of Cardinal Dulles' age or state of health. Looking at the photo in the linked article, I see that he is older than I imagined him from reading his excellent writing. He shall be greatly missed and I pray that his time in Purgatory is short and he is soon enjoying the Beatific Vision (a.k.a. Heaven).
RIP.
Author and Rolling Stone journalist Randall Sullivan's personal experiences of the supposed apparition site at Medjugorje. The best writing I've encountered on spiritual themes. Hugely entertaining. Occasionally infuriating. Impossible to pin down. Honest. Brave. Sullivan has that rare quality in a writer, the quality of the genuine. If only Christian writers could write like this. But that's the thing. When God uses an atheist, sometimes the atheist, after a genuine conversion, will reveal a light in our faith that the rest of us have never seen.I've seen several people mention The Heelers Diaries lately, from whence comes the above insightful comment and recommendation of The Miracle Detective. Check out the complete list at the link.
It is horrifying to think that an image that had received so many prayers over the centuries could be so blithely destroyed. Then again, the Church could reply that works of religious art are intended to be not receptacles for prayer, but windows to a higher reality; that one prays through, not to, an image. A statue of Mary is not Mary, and maybe it's better to melt down the images from time to time before they turn into idols.I am reminded that I reviewed The Miracle Detective long ago, as well as Virgin Trails which is about an atheist who nevertheless becomes interested in going on Marian pilgrimages. Heeler Diaries' observation applies to both books, as you might surmise from the above excerpt from Virgin Trails.
Because there are only two weeks left before Christmas, we'd like to help make the rest of your Christmas shopping easier by giving you and your readers a coupon for free priority shipping on orders over $55 at our store.Thanks y'all!
Just enter the code BloggerSpecial into the coupon field during checkout.
In order to ensure delivery by Christmas, we're encouraging our customers to place their orders by Thursday, December 18 at the latest if they want priority shipping (this date is only applicable to in-stock items). Don't wait too long to get great Catholic gifts for everyone on your list!
Have a blessed Advent!
False Barbed-Wire taken by DL Ennis of Visual Thoughts
Experienced Mexico travelers recognize a sure sign that a local fiesta is in progress whenever they spy a churchyard or stretch of roadway bedecked with lines of bright tissue paper cut-outs. Papel picado-- an enchanting Mexican popular art form with roots in the country's ancient cultures--lends a festive air for many types of celebrations. ...
... To contemplate Jesus will especially help us not to be arrogant, and not to lose our tempers when things go wrong.Guilty, as charged. However, I sometimes am victorious in stuffing that bad temper down until the moment passes by contemplating either Jesus or Mary (the perfect disciple), which is a definite improvement!
We must not make the mistake of thinking that this "bad temper" of ours, which bursts out in very definite circumstances and times, depends on the character of the people around us. The peace of our spirit does not depend on the good nature and kindness of other people. Our neighbors' good nature and kindness are in no way subject to our control of opinion. That would be absurd. The tranquility of our heart depends on ourselves. The ability to avoid anger, with all its ridiculous effects, has to come from within ourselves and not be dependent on the nature of other people. The power to overcome the evil in our character must not depend on some perfection outside us, but on our own virtue. (Cassian, Constitutions, 8)
1. Pope Benedict 16. Well, duh.
2. Bishop Kevin Farrell, Dallas's bishop, and as Mama T put it with wanting to meet her Ft. Worth bishop, one who is breathing new life into our diocese.
3. Mike Aquilina, writer. He has been very kind in sending work to our company as well as unflaggingly enthusiastic whenever we are in contact. I know him "virtually" but would like to make it a face-to-face thing.
4. David Scott, writer. Met him (again virtually) via Mike Aquilina and David also has sent much work our way. There is no one better to have a phone conversation with. I'm just tellin' ya. Also, he wrote one of the most-ignored but best books I have ever read about Mother Teresa.
5. Dean Koontz , writer. His writing is getting more complex and nuanced and shows so clearly his Catholic soul. Plus, his very occasional podcast lets me know that he is funny, realistic, and self deprecating. A truly fascinating combination.
6. Jim Caviezel, actor. Everything I've read and heard from people who are in his parish tells me that he is a genuinely nice person who loves his faith. And, as you may know ... he's hot.
7. Michael Flynn , writer. Writes some of the best science fiction I've ever read and the careful Catholic reader sees his faith reflected in his work.
8. Aaron Neville, singer. He took me by complete surprise when listening to a brief podcast where he spoke of his life. Among all the many singers I heard on that show, he was the one who spoke of his faith and it was compelling. I later found out he is Catholic and has a devotion to St. Jude, whose medal he wears as an earring.
9. Peggy Noonan, writer. I especially liked her book about John Paul II and her faith.
10. John C. Wright, writer. I have liked the two books of his that I have managed to get my hands on, though I am under no illusions I could keep up with him conversationally I think it would be a blast.
Czar Nicholas II of Russia (1868-1918) and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna
- Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
- Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
- Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to this post, which explains The Award.
- Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List (scroll down). That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
- Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.
It's confirmed. Mark Shea will be at St. Anthony's in Wylie on January 24.I will ... repeat will ... be there! (Not to mention that I will get to see Mark Windsor again who is a heckuva interesting guy to chat with. So it's a double bonus.)
Festivities commence at 9:45 with 101 Reasons NOT to be Catholic.
Continuing at 10:45 with This is My Body: An Evangelical Discovers the Real Presence.
Lunch (hotdogs...nothin' too fancy) at 11:30.
The final talk is at 11:45 - Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible as the First Christians Did.
My youth group leader was giving a talk one night and he said, "There are over a billion Catholics in the world. If Catholics decided to wear the color blue tomorrow, everyone would be like...Blue is a cool color." And that made me have this crazy idea.... What if all of us Catholics actually did that? So I decided in honor of our mother Mary, on December 8th, which is The Feast of The Immaculate Conception, we will all wear the color light blue. Please help me accomplish this goal! Invite all your Catholic friends! Even if you are not Catholic and you want to honor Mary...that's cool too. Join us in this movement and be a witness to the world!Today's the day, people. I have to admit that I couldn't find a single blue thing at Target that didn't look dreadful ... so my "blue" is actually a teal. However, I do have my eye on a lovely mail order light blue sweater that I am going to have ready for next year.
"If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire. Let the truth be your delight...proclaim it...but with a certain congeniality."-- Saint Catherine of Siena
With the recent 52nd episode of Aural Delights, StarShipSofa has now delivered a year's worth of poetry, short fiction and fact articles. What better time than now to hold the first ever StarShipSofa awards: The Sofanauts!I'm a StarShipSofa fan ... ahem ... and also a narrator. Not that I'm asking for votes. Oh no! For one thing, my vote would go to Jim Campanella but that's beside the point. If you listen to the Sofa, head on over and make your voice heard.
The Sofanauts will recognise listener favourites from the first 52 Aural Delights shows. You can access all of these shows here.
Nominations for the following categories are now open:You may nominate as many stories and contributors in each of the categories as you like. To make your nominations, please visit this online voting poll. Alternatively, you can head over to the StarShipSofa forums and list your favourites in each of the categories.
- Best Flash Fiction
- Best Main Fiction
- Best Poetry Contributor
- Best Fact Article Contributor
- Best Narrator
The top five stories and contributors receiving the most nominations in each category will make up a shortlist. Every nomination counts, so if someone on the forums has already nominated one of your favourites, you'll still need to nominate it yourself to give it the best chance of making the shortlist.
You will be able to vote on the shortlist in an upcoming online poll. Stay tuned to StarShipSofa for further details.
Nominations will be open from the two weeks following Aural Delights #53.
What have been your favourites in a year's worth of Aural Delights? Please get involved and have your say.
Raspberry Bismarck No. 2 by Duane KeiserMy youth group leader was giving a talk one night and he said, "There are over a billion Catholics in the world. If Catholics decided to wear the color blue tomorrow, everyone would be like...Blue is a cool color." And that made me have this crazy idea.... What if all of us Catholics actually did that? So I decided in honor of our mother Mary, on December 8th, which is The Feast of The Immaculate Conception, we will all wear the color light blue. Please help me accomplish this goal! Invite all your Catholic friends! Even if you are not Catholic and you want to honor Mary...that's cool too. Join us in this movement and be a witness to the world!This is a Facebook group so I'm bringing this out into the larger blogosphere.
"If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire. Let the truth be your delight...proclaim it...but with a certain congeniality."-- Saint Catherine of Siena
Girl Eating PieThis picture was taken in 1899 and shows a little girl eating pie. I find the photograph fascinating, in that it really could have been taken yesterday. It is amazing to me that for all that things change, some things remain the same. You know her parents adored her, and you can not help but wonder what things she saw in her life.
It’s a novel! It’s a philosophy! It’s the instruction manual for a crazy cult! Atlas Shrugged could be all of those things. Then again, maybe it’s just about a little Russian girl who really hated growing up around Bolsheviks.Mental Floss Blog takes a look at the masterpiece and its author.
Let us begin with an apology to our readers in Asia. Unless they are online, they will not see this editorial. For legal reasons, we are refraining from publishing it in The Wall Street Journal Asia, which circulates in Singapore.Click through above to read it all. Clearly, Singapore has a different understanding of "free speech" than we have here in America.
Our subject is free speech and the rule of law in the Southeast Asian city-state -- something on which the international press and Singapore's government have often clashed. We can't say which side would prevail if the Singapore public could hear an open debate, but the fact is that we know of no foreign publication that has ever won in a Singapore court of law. Virtually every Western publication that circulates in the city-state has faced a lawsuit, or the threat of one. ...
... We do not fear or stifle criticism of our policies. But we will not allow our judiciary to be denigrated under the pretense of free speech. ...
Bushes confirm purchase of Dallas home in Preston HollowThe story is at the Dallas Morning News. I can see President Bush dropping into Kuby's of a morning to grab breakfast as so many are doing when I whisk buy to buy the best bologna and hotdogs in town ...
The White House confirmed Thursday that the Bushes have purchased a house in Dallas’ Preston Hollow neighborhood for the couple to live in after his presidency ends in January.
First lady Laura Bush’s office declined to specify where the house is, but it appears likely the couple will live on Daria Place, a cul-de-sac in the upscale neighborhood.
Many Christians think that Christians celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25th because the church fathers appropriated the date of a pagan festival. Almost no one minds, except for a few groups on the fringes of American Evangelicalism, who seem to think that this makes Christmas itself a pagan festival. But it is perhaps interesting to know that the choice of December 25th is the result of attempts among the earliest Christians to figure out the date of Jesus’ birth based on calendrical calculations that had nothing to do with pagan festivals.Check out Calculating Christmas over at Touchstone.
Rather, the pagan festival of the “Birth of the Unconquered Son” instituted by the Roman Emperor Aurelian on 25 December 274, was almost certainly an attempt to create a pagan alternative to a date that was already of some significance to Roman Christians. Thus the “pagan origins of Christmas” is a myth without historical substance. ...
