Little Changes in History

A lot of changes have occurred in my lifetime of almost 70 years. The big changes in religion, politics and law, and 'lifestyles' have been noted many times over. But it's the little undocumented changes that are also very important and show how much our society has changed (declined?) in the past 50 to 70 years.

MUSIC--When I was in grade school, the music on the noon radio was live cowboy music, mostly played with fiddles, a bass, and a horizontal steel guitar. The music was quite popular at the time. My favorite radio program was The Lone Ranger with its William Tell Overture as the accompanying music. My favorite movie star was the singing cowboy, Roy Rogers. I really liked to listen to the Sons of the Pioneers. I loved the colorful cartoons, especially the ones where the little yellow Tweety Bird says, "I Tawt I Taw a Puddy-Tat!"

While in college in the late 50's and early 60's, I purchased a small blue-green radio for about $30 earned from a summer job. Virtually all of the FM stations I received on that radio played exclusively classical or semi-classical music and with very few advertisements. Almost all the girls in my hall loved classical music, although they also crowded around the TV to hear Perry Como sing. [Over the years, the number of FM stations in KC has increased dramatically, but not one now plays classical or semi-classical music.]

BABIES--One of my freshman classmates in college was a very good student. I wondered why she did not return for her sophomore year and was told by another girl she had gotten married over the summer because of becoming pregnant. This was typical of the situation at that time.

Until my third or fourth child, changing a diaper meant changing a cloth diaper. A really dirty diaper was one that you washed out in the toilet stool before placing it in a covered bucket for later washing in a ringer-roller washing machine.

TOYS--The toys that my children played with were much more interesting and fun than toys of today. One particular toy for small children that was taken off the market, presumably due to safety reasons, was a wood block with an entry hole in the top on one side and an exit hole on the other side near the bottom. Dowels were placed in the entry hole and the child used a hammer to pound the round pieces of wood through the interior wood channel so they came out the exit hole.

SCHOOLS AND NUNS--When I attended early Catholic grade school, the tuition was $1 per month. Tuition for my first year of Catholic high school was $40 per year and my Dad thought that was high. In both cases, the nuns worked hard and received little monetary pay. By about 1950, one young nun had ~60 children in a first or second-grade class--and she kept order, too!

I remember my aunt driving the teaching nuns to the grocery store and other places they had to go on a weekly basis. The sisters never had a car and relied on parishioners to furnish them transportation. Parishioners also contributed food from their gardens to the nuns. Doctors who treated the nuns did so on a pro bono basis.

The nuns sold candy to the students every Friday afternoon and a nice sized candy bar cost 5 cents. Students were prohibited from buying more than two pieces of candy, if I remember. The selling of candy was a money raising effort for the school.

Once a month, mothers fixed breakfast for the students after the First Friday Mass because everyone had to fast from all food and water from midnight on. To make sure students avoided drinking water before First Friday Mass, the nuns covered the school drinking fountains with paper bags.

CLOTHES--Everyone dressed up if they went to church or to town for shopping. Women and men wore hats or the women wore scarves. Only leather shoes were believed suitable for dressing up. The first tennis shoes were said to be unhealthy for children's feet. X-ray machines in a few shoe stores were used to show how well shoes fit on a foot, although they were discontinued by the time WWII ended.

KITCHENS--There was no plastic wrap or aluminum foil when I was young. The kitchen was a plastic-less world. Wax paper was used to cover food. Milk was not homogenized and the cream came to the top of the glass bottles The cream could be poured off to put in coffee or make whipping cream or butter.

When oleomargarine was introduced, the dairy industry forced the margarine producers to make it white. Only the buyer could color the margarine by mixing in a packet of yellow dye. Eventually consumers complained to state legislators and the law was changed so that yellow margarine could be sold.

A primary activity in the summer kitchen was canning. I remember helping my mother can 80+ jars of strawberry preserves one year. She also canned lots of tomato juice and some pears.

Two Church Letters on Homosexuality

Cardinal Sean O'Malley has a blog where his letter on homosexuality issued November 23 was published. Here are portions from his letter.

The Church’s efforts to defend the institution of marriage has been interpreted by some as an indication of the Church’s hostility toward homosexual persons....

Right from the beginning of this controversy [sic] I have called on all Catholics to rally behind the cause of marriage....

The Church’s position is not based on an animus against people with a homosexual orientation. Each and every member of the Church is called to holiness regardless of their sexual orientation. The Church has often warned against defining people by their sexual orientation in a way that diminishes their humanity....

We do not want Catholics who have a homosexual orientation to feel unwelcomed in the Catholic Church. We remind them that they are bound to us by their baptism and are called to live a life of holiness. Many homosexual persons in our Church lead holy lives and make an outstanding contribution to the life of the Church by their service, generosity and the sharing of their spiritual gifts....

We must strive to eradicate prejudices against people with a homosexual orientation. At the same time the Church must minister to all people by challenging them to obey God’s commands, the roadmap for a meaningful human life that allows us to draw near to God and to one another.

The full communication by Cardinal O'Malley is published here, and you will notice a glaring omission--not one word is said about homosexual priests in the Catholic Church in Boston.

Contrast Cardinal O'Malley's letter with one published by Pope Pius V on August 30, 1568 "Against any cleric whosoever, secular or regular, who are guilty of a heinous crime."

A ghastly crime, by which the joined (papal) states were polluted enflamed by God’s fearful judgment, flares up our bitter sorrow, and gravely moves our soul so that we lend now our attentions to repress it as much as possible.

1. It was properly denoted by the Lateran Council, that whatsoever Cleric will have been discovered to suffer from that incontinence which is against nature, on account of which the wrath of God falls upon the sons of disobedience (cf. Vulg. Eph. 5,6), is to be ejected from the ranks of the clergy and be reduced to do penance in a monastery.

2. But lest the contagion of such a scourge, from the hope of impunity which is the greatest lure of sinning, more confidently grows in power, We determine that clerics guilty of this execrable crime are to be quite gravely punished, so that whoever does not abhor the ruination of the soul, the avenging secular sword of civil laws will certainly deter.

3. And thus because We have made a decree in this matter at the beginning of Our Pontificate, now in a fuller and stronger way intending it to be followed strictly, every and all priests, whoever they are, and other secular clerics, and regular clerics of any grade and dignity, busy at such a detestable monstrosity, We deprive of every clerical privilege, every office, dignity, and ecclesiastical benefice by authority of the present legal instrument. So it is enacted that once they are degraded by the Ecclesiastical Judge, they be handed over immediately to the secular arm, which will exact upon them the same (death) penalty, which is ascertained to have been constituted by legitimate sanctions against laymen who have slid down into this ruin. Nothing to the contrary withstanding, etc.

Did you notice the differences between of the two letters?

The King of the Internet

History always repeats itself and so we should expect new kings to arise in the future. A long time ago, I heard that when society begins to topple from its sins, a man on a white horse will appear. The new king will be an incarnation of Mao, Mohammed, or Charlemagne--take your choice.

How will the king take power and who will be the king? The first question is dependent on a third question--will the web survive the toppling of society? My guess is the web won't be destroyed because it is crucial to the success of all parties to the battles. Both devils and Saints want to touch others to condemn or save souls. Rather, I believe a peacetime web may be controlled rather than destroyed, with general consortiums of web villages achieving supremacy to control most of the other web villages.

Web villages bind people together because of similar religions, backgrounds, and political and social views. A village can cross bedrooms and oceans to provide homes for people of like mind. Village citizens are characterized by:

1. Little or no reading of local newspapers or watching of live TV
2. Frequent connection with other villagers through the web, email, and cell phone
3. Exposure to immense amounts of information that support the views of a particular web village
   
4. Sharing common experiences so that personal allegiance to the village matures
5. Activation of militants on projects designed to reach specific goals.

R.J. Stove writes in the Remnant News, "Should We Blog." Frankly, even though the world of the Internet has many temptations to sin, it is the framework that must be used if new Charlemagnes can come to the forefront of history. "Should We Work?" may be an alternative title for Stove's article, and if we are not yet dead, the answer has to be positive.

In the past, a one-to-many news system has meant the distribution of information from a few central locations to many people through the TV, magazines, and newspapers. In contrast, the internet is a many-to-many world, where everyone can be considered his own program director or editor. Moreover, new voices both listen and talk with their peers to form alliances and even generate more information, usually on an ad hoc basis to pursue a common goal.

The Internet democracy now consists of:

• Almost 60 million blogs
• Almost 130 million MySpace pages
• Over 70 million YouTube videos watched each day.
  

Yet most information is acknowledged to be wrong or worthless, and some even poses considerable danger. For example, the web can show you how to kill people (both en masse and secretly) and also how to commit suicide. Additionally, the web is full of important facts mixed with biased commentary--making all information not equal.

Special Internet tools are needed to allow people to use the web to rebuild Christian civilization. Internet filters are of much greater importance to the building of a Christian presence on the internet than is commonly discussed. Directories of Christian information and Catholic blogs are also very important. The establishment and growth of Christian web villages (e.g., blogrolls, leagues) are most critical, because the web shows a polluted people that must be converted using some of the same techniques that were used to proselytize them for evil.

Some of the techniques will involve "Hive" software (think bees that make honey and swarm to protect the hive) to enable the rapid working together of many people in a village. I suspect that even an iPod may be a necessary 'gun' of militant Catholics in the future, mounted on a belt, worn as a watch, or held in a pocket to promote and defend their faith whenever necessary. [If the current pace of computer storage capacity continues, by 2015, an iPod is estimated to hold everything ever printed or broadcast in the history of the world, in any language or medium. ] "Hive" software will be needed to use this information effectively and efficiently, as required by specific militant Christians who have volunteered to serve in special team roles.

Even more, I believe "Hive" software is needed to use the democracy of the Internet to tap the intelligence of the crowd. No, I'm not talking about deciding on religious doctrine, but how best to employ group intelligence that has been demonstrated by many experiments to better judge questions of fact than individual persons. As individuals contribute to such a process, they also buy into subsequent actions. "Hive" programs will allow contributions of proposed procedures/tasks to accomplish a specific goal, then to achieve agreement on the goal, and then to manage subsequent activities that must be performed. A superhive web environment will be needed to deal with many like-minded villages in different environments.

An illustration of where this tool could have been used is the recent Missouri Stem Cell Initiative. Opposition to the cloning amendment was not well developed on the web, partly because relatively few Christian bloggers or MySpacers were identified in Missouri and most worked not at all or were alone rather than in concert with each other. With the right tools, 200 active bloggers could have motivated more interest and activities on a daily basis. Moreover, 200 people would have contributed their own ideas on what efforts would achieve the most success. Many more than two hundred Christian blogs in Missouri is reasonable within the near future because of very high growth rates in web connectivity, knowledge, and blogging.

Is this really possible? Yes, it is happening in Estonia which seems to have a lot of internet-savvy citizens. The government of Estonia has set up a website called 'Today I Decide'. Some of the policies and actions suggested by citizens have now been implemented by the government. Others are generating a lot of heat in political discussions.

Are there bad things that will likely happen? Yes, certain persons may become renegades to challenge the village raison d’être. Other maverick villagers may try to expand their own universe of beliefs or achieve a personal agenda. In both cases, identified troublemakers should be removed from the village through voting or by a village leader. Web tools such as "Hive" software should insure non-friendly input is restricted in making village decisions.

Christian villages on the web will motivate Catholics and Protestants to take the fight to the enemy and rebuild the Church. While Christian unity in the one, true Catholic Church remains a far-away dream, a subset of that unity is now possible on issues related to life, secularism, and Islam. Villages are not local churches and so should encourage membership to any friend of Christianity.

Can good Catholic Internet villages restore the Church and eventually the world? I'm betting it has already started and needs more prayer, intelligence, development, and action. Eventually, Jesus Christ must be placed in his proper place as King of the Internet.

The New Totalitarianism

I tried to google a book of about 30 years ago entitled "The New Totalitarianism." I remember it was a very powerful book that discussed the new sexual freedom. Guess what? There are more than one new tyrant staring back at me.

1. Islamism
2. Thought police for "hate" crimes
3. A "Brave New World" which is numbed by frequent, meaningless sex that keeps the populace seduced and willing to accept government tyranny

The book published in the 70's addressed No. 3, pointing out the price Scandanavian countries paid for sexual freedom--government control of most aspects of personal lives. Thirty years later, here are the results for liberal Sweden as reported by the American Family Association:

• There is more crime in Sweden than in New York City, though they are comparable in population.

• Drug abuse is rampant, with the number of deaths from overdoses having doubled in the past 10 years.

• Sweden has one of the highest incidences of rape in the world.

• Burglaries are so numerous that many citizens have stopped reporting them, because the police are overloaded and cannot undertake to investigate them all anyway.

• Attacks on money transports (like highway robbery) are so frequent that the transporters are threatening to quit, thereby effectively closing ATM’s all over the country.

• Violent outdoor muggings are becoming routine, having increased 15% last year alone.

• In Stockholm, the police recently admitted having lied when they claimed to have neutralized some 130 of the city’s most prominent gangsters; in reality, their sting operation was a bust.

• Swedish courts are plagued with perjurious police officers who routinely lie to support fellow cops in trouble.

Thanksgiving Day

When I was young, our family and our aunts, uncles, and cousins on Mother's side would get together for holiday dinners, usually three times a year. Just before my Father's death, he turned to me and said, "Don't ever forget how important family gatherings are." He repeated that statement perhaps twice to make sure I wouldn't forget it and I haven't.

Tomorrow on Thanksgiving we will gather at a son's and his family's house. The family hosting the dinner usually supplies a meat and perhaps two or three other items and drinks, and everyone else brings something to complete the dinner. One person will fix a dessert, another will make a fruit salad, a third will bring a vegetable dish, etc. My job is to bring smoked hams and fruit pies.

The cousins will have a wonderful time, as always. They will play together and talk together and totally ignore the adults. The older girls will likely discuss their storywriting ideas. The little boys will race up and down the stairs and then scout out hidden places in the house to share secrets. The little girls will talk and probably play with the babies. The older boys will likely go outside because Kansas City is forecast to have one of the warmest Thanksgiving days on record.

Some of the dads will quietly consider whether they should ask their wives if they can leave after dinner for a couple of hours to race over grassy knolls hitting little white balls. Mothers will talk about children, and will find out how the newest mother-to-be is feeling these days. Most importantly, before we sit down to eat, we will all pray and thank our Father in heaven for his many, many blessings to our family.

New Mega Catholic Church

Texas likes to be bigger than anyone else. Here's a news announcement of the dedication of a new 33,000 sq ft Catholic megachurch in Round Rock, TX. Interestingly, it's not like the structures of Protestant megachurches.

St. Williams has a traditional look, with a painted ceiling and beautiful altar. The stained glass windows are more than 100 years old.

"They were made in Germany and they were in an orphanage in Philadelphia. And the orphanage closed and basically, these windows were lost in storage. And somebody discovered them and we said we want them put our name on them," [Fr. Joel] McNeil said.

McNeil has headed the church since 1999. He said they expect to expand the building to accommodate 1,000 more people over the next 10 years.

Dishwashing Lessons

My husband and I just finished washing and drying dishes together. This teamwork reminded me of when my siblings and I shared dishwashing and drying duties back in the 50's. That was a great lesson in learning to work together with contesting peers!

My younger sister and I were usually at odds over who would dry and who would wash. Mother would have to choose, and she quickly figured out that it was best to make assignments for an entire week. Even then we had arguments over whose turn it was to wash.

The person who washed the dishes had the worst job. He had to start first, scour out grimy pots and pans, and clean the cabinet top and sink at the end. The person who dried dishes would usually have the upper hand. She could come late (making the dishwasher angry because the rinse sink was now overflowing with dishes), or throw dirty spoons back into the wash water--with a "You forgot to clean this!"

In those days, Mother cooked daily meals from scratch using non-Teflon pans. The only thing that made the skillet easier to clean was the gravy which during cooking had released the stuck browned meat and flour. An electric clock hung above the sinks of wash water and rinse water. Looking at the clock's second hand, we held regular contests on who could hold their breath the longest.

The issue that led to the most fights was who got to sing. Naturally we did not like to sing together. We finally agreed that whoever started singing first could continue without interruption. Yes, dishwashing days are over in most families. A pity, because I can't think of a better way to practice getting along with your neighbors.

Praying with the Horse.... (in mind)

A very long time ago, a good Catholic nun told me this story in grade school. The nun first explained that we must concentrate on the meaning of the prayers we say, and not be distracted. She admitted it would be difficult. To show the difficulty, she told this story.

A woodsman was cutting trees in the forest when a stranger on a horse appeared. Dismounting, he asked the woodsman for a drink for himself and his fine horse. The woodsman took the well-dressed stranger to a nearby well and the two men sat down and talked as the horse finished drinking from the water bucket and began grazing.

In those days, it wasn't too long before the mens' conversation changed from a discussion of the weather, crops, and livestock to a discussion of religion. Soon the two men began to tell how they prayed while working. The stranger said he could not retire to a room and pray quietly, so he sang his prayers as he rode. The woodsman explained he prayed the rosary while meditating on the mysteries while he worked to chop down and debark trees.

The stranger sadly remarked he had problems in concentrating on his prayers, even though singing them helped The woodsman answered that he had learned to pray attentively when very young and could keep his attention focused on his prayers. The stranger vigorously objected that total attention was impossible but the woodsman vigorously disagreed.

Soon the argument flared into a bet. The stranger said he was so sure that it was not possible to totally focus on a prayer to the exclusion of everything else, that he would bet his horse that the woodsman could not say the Our Father without losing concentration. The woodsman accepted the bet and began to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
They will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,
... By the way, does the saddle come with the horse?

The nun proceeded to explain that if we lose attention during a prayer that we should not go back and repeat it, but should ask God to forgive us and continue with succeeding prayers. I've found that to be a good recommendation.

Local Archbishop in Boston Newspaper

The Boston Globe reports that Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas made an important statement at the Catholic Bishops' Meeting in Baltimore this past week. I think the Archbishop deserves a pat on the back and our continuing prayers.

"As teachers, we have an obligation to teach, not just about the things people agree with, but the difficult things as well. . . . We have a responsibility to try and help our people understand things that, because of the culture being hostile, aren't easily accessible to them."

Glorified Body on the Road to Emmaus

Catharina Senensis of The Cornell Society for a Good Time has initiated a great discussion on the sex of the resurrected body. A couple of persons have noted that Catharina has proposed "a fine question... one fit for Thomas' Summa." I'd like to add a few points for further consideration.

One of the stories in the Gospels that I've pondered a lot over the years is the story of Jesus' appearance on the road to Emmaus, as told in Luke 24:13-32. Two of Jesus' disciples were walking away from Jerusalem the day after His Resurrection from the dead. The Bible says Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them. The disciples talked with Him as a stranger about the happenings in Jerusalem and Scripture, apparently for some time, and finally asked Him to abide with them for the evening. They ate together, but did not recognize Jesus until the breaking of the bread.

How was it that they did not recognize Jesus? I speculate that Jesus, in his glorified body after His Resurrection from the dead, had the appearance of a young man, even as the boy He was when His Mother, Mary, and His foster-father, St. Joseph, found Him in the Temple.

Personally, I like the idea of having a young glorified body when we are free of sexual concerns, yet we still retain our identity as male and female. Was Jesus implying this when He said that we must be as children to enter heaven?

New Family Planning Doctor

Carol McKinley says this appointment is HUGE! I tend to agree with her.

Bishop Bruskewitz at the Bishops' Conference

EWTN's weekly news, The World Over, is hosted by Raymond Arroyo. This evening Arroyo focused on proceedings of the U.S. Bishops' Conference that is meeting this week in Baltimore. You really need to see the reruns of tonight's program that will be replayed early Saturday morning, November 18, 1 am EST and at several other times in the next couple of days.

Raymond Arroyo shows various clips of U.S. Bishops at the Baltimore meeting, including Bishop Bruskewitz quoting from Pope Benedict who has said a Bishops' Conference is not worth its weight in butterfly wings! (no, he really didn't say quite that--but you get the message). Even if you don't like some of EWTN programming--you should listen to this week's news of the Bishops' Conference as reported by Raymond Arroyo.

Chinese One Dog Policy

The Chinese policy limiting Beijing families to only one child has created an environment similar to the U.S. where people substitute dogs for missing children. Now Beijing authorities are setting a limit on dogs. Only one small dog is allowed per family.

The BBC and others report at least 200 people protested against restrictions on pet dog ownership. The police detained 18 demonstrators, but released them after organizers agreed to disperse the rally.

Benedict XVI in Turkey

The itinerary of Pope Benedict XVI has now been announced for his visit to Turkey on November 28-December 1. I am most intrigued by the statement that "On Thursday morning, Nov. 30, Benedict XVI will take part in the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul. He will deliver an address and sign a joint declaration."

The Pope is expected to encounter a chilly welcome from this 99% Muslim country. The Turkish Daily News implies the Pope could be assassinated, as described in a book written by Yucel Kaya, Plot Against the Pope (which Zenit says is one of the best selling novels in Turkey). The story was noted by Reuters back in September.

The cover of the Kaya book, sub-titled "Who will kill the pope in Istanbul?" features Benedict XVI with a cross engulfed in flames behind him, and a bearded man aiming a gun at the pontiff. The Vatican representative in Turkey is quite concerned because attacks on priests have become somewhat routine recently.

Mehmet Ali Ağca, the Turk who attempted to kill the late Pope John Paul II in 1981, stated from prison that the Pope should not travel to Turkey because he would be unsafe. Moreover, a 26-year-old Muslim has fired four shots into the air in front of the Italian Consulate in Istanbul to protest the Pope's visit to Turkey.

Gerald Augustinus of The Cafeteria is Closed and many others have expressed concern about the Pope in Turkey. The Vatican's secretary of state, Italian Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, has asked Christians to pray for the Pope's pilgrimage.

Great Moral Defect of the Catholic Schools

A close relative was a long time teacher in the Catholic elementary schools. She taught during the cross-over from the 'old' Catholic schools of the early '60s to the 'new' Catholic schools of the '70s. I asked her about her experiences, and she mentioned two. Her first observation was that the later children were definitely not as well-behaved and seemed to find learning more difficult. She believed these were the result of many more divorces of parents and especially of women working outside the home.

Her second observation was related to the first. Because so many children now had parents who were divorced, the diocese, in its teacher training program, strongly recommended that the sins of divorce and remarriage be slighted in the classroom. The purpose was to not to place a child in the situation of having his/her parents criticized by the teacher, especially if the teacher also taught the child that mortal sin condemns a soul to hell. An additional purpose was not to drive students away from Catholic education because their parents were divorced and attempted remarriage. Many Catholic schools apparently continue this policy today.

The results of the policy not to teach students about the death that mortal sin causes have not been good. In some Catholic schools, even though 90+ percent of the students are Catholic, they are not taught Catholic morals, if it means criticizing the practices of the parents. The schools seem afraid that they will lose students if they do this. Is it then surprising that the great majority of Catholic students do not attend Sunday Mass? Even up to 95 percent, as estimated by some friends?

Parishioners are promised that parochial schools will develop new Catholics for the future of their parish, but they begin to wonder why they should contribute to parochial schools when the results are so bad. Some good Catholic parents believe that this kind of compromise with sin is so much in error that they begin to home school their children. Some of the best Catholic children are lost to the Catholic school system. Good parents strongly believe it is necessary to follow the example of Jesus Christ who said to follow a narrow path to heaven and avoid sin, even those sins well-liked by some in the community!

Pope Benedict XVI reminded the faithful that mortal sin leads to damnation, in a sobering message at his Angelus audience on November 5. [See the related post on Fr. Gonzales' blog--BTW, he offers the new Tridentine Mass in Phoenix.] Yet how can sin and its effects be discussed in a classroom without offending parents of students? Short answer: It can't!

Teachers must teach about mortal sins, even those committed by family members of the students. The teacher can explain, as my own grade school teacher did for a student whose parents did not take him to Mass one Sunday, that the student is obliged to tell his parents that he really wants to go to Sunday Mass and that it is a mortal sin to miss. The nun then explained to our class that the student was not responsible for missing Mass if he did this, even when the parents did not take him to Mass.

With regard to other serious sins, this age requires the child to remind poor parents that serious sins will send them to hell. Teachers need to explain that children must continue to respect their parents in all things but sin, and give examples of the kinds of statements and questions that students should make to their parents living in sin. That has to become a major purpose of the Catholic schools. Yes, some students will be lost, some homeschooled children will now attend if the faith is taught clearly by the teachers, but the children who remain will know what God requires of us. Most importantly, they will begin to practice evangelization--starting with their parents!

The Remnant Analysis

I subscribed to The Remnant Newspaper beginning in the late '60s after Walter Matt resigned as editor of The Wanderer and began to write a new, small newspaper that claimed Vatican II was not good for the Church. Walter Matt and his columnist, Michael Davies, always seemed to say what I felt and wanted to say myself.

Walter died some years ago, and his son, Michael Matt, is proving to be a worthy successor to the highly respected father. I recommend Michael's recent analysis of the Universal Indult, in the context of current rumors and projected happenings in Rome.

Bloody Scars

I would like to personally congratulate Missouri Catholic bloggers who worked so hard to oppose the Cloning Stem Cell Initiative. Wolftracker, you led the way with blog after blog, day after day. Curmudgeon did much the same and introduced a final three major posts on the Clone and Kill Amendment: Perspectives from a Cleric, Lawyer, and Doctor. Catholic Knight, more than anything, your good post on spiritual measures needed to march into immortal combat brought the battle into perspective.

To all of you who prayed, lost sleep, made deep financial sacrifices, wrote blogs, passed out signs, talked with your neighbors, wrote letters, developed bumper strips, and gave deeply of yourselves to do God's work--May God bless you with His choicest gifts for recognizing His littlest ones. Our Lord Jesus Christ wants more people to fight like you fought. Your bloody scars will make you even more worthy combatants in the future. This war is a long one.

Una Voce - Arkansas Ozarks

Una Voce Arkansas Ozarks has developed five recent monthly newsletters. The latest one discusses Kansas City traditional Catholics.

The Ottaviani Intervention

One of the most important documents of the Catholic Church in the 20th century is the Ottaviani Intervention. The Intervention is a relatively small study developed in 1969 by a number of good bishops and theologians. It was presented to Pope Paul VI by two senior Vatican Cardinals who saw serious theological and other problems with the new Mass. You'll have to judge for yourself as to the validity of their observations.

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council assumed that the great Roman Rite would be maintained in all its essentials and would continue to be the principal form of the Mass. This did not happen. Inside the Vatican magazine notes in a May 2004 editorial: "A New Mass was created that "attracts and 'enables' abuses because it was intentionally shaped to diminish the 'transcendent' and emphasize the 'profane' dimension.

"The New Mass has turned out to be a rite too rapidly produced and too influenced by the rampant secularization of the 1960s. Pope Paul VI himself was hesitant about the new Mass, as he was about so many things. He approved it half-heartedly. It is said that after he attended a 'trial run' of the new Mass, he said, 'But where is the mystery? The mystery is gone!' He himself felt something was missing in the new Mass, but promulgated it anyway."

Pope Benedict XVI is trying to patch up the New Mass, but I believe his efforts may take too long and achieve only limited success. Current news items indicate Benedict XVI soon may free the ancient, holy liturgy of the Roman rite that sustained the Saints of the past and allow it to be restored in almost all parishes. The restoration of the old Latin Mass seems necessary for the Church to come out of a very harsh 'winter' when many of our children and friends became spiritually weak and died.

Rat Poison in the Church

Don't forget to read the recent speech by Bishop Bruskewitz of Lincoln, NB.

....we should however, realize that the Catholic Church in the United States, and to a large extent throughout the Western World, is facing a very formidable series of crises.

....it is an aphorism that probably can be statistically verified that the largest religious group in the United States is the Catholic Church, but the second largest is fallen-away Catholics, lapsed, non-practicing, those who have abandoned the Catholic faith.

Unless there is a strong realization among practicing Catholics that there is a crisis, and that this crisis deserves our resolute determination to confront it and overcome it, we will not get very far, except to descend further into the bleakness of this sad kind of winter. Unless the patient realizes he is sick, he will not expose his wounds to the necessary healing medicine that would provide a cure for his problems.

Even the healthiest fish cannot swim along in polluted waters.

In Nebraska, where I come from, at this time of the year, harvest time, there are a lot of rodents who try to intrude themselves in, feasting on the corn, soybeans, and other products of the fields. This requires the farmers to put out appropriate amounts of rat poison to prevent this from happening. The rat poison that is put out is always 95% healthy, good, wholesome, nourishing food. It is only the 5% in the poison that does the killing. I think that this has been overlooked in the ecumenical and inter-religious dialogues sometimes, that inserted into things which might have elements of truth, are also very serious elements of error that place in jeopardy one's eternal salvation.

The clash of culture represented by the Muslim demography and onslaught in our time, which reflects the Islamic expansionism of times past, cannot be successfully confronted by an easy-going pluralistic tolerance. It can only be confronted by a reinvigorated Christianity, a reinvigorated Catholic faith.

Vocation to the Cloistered Life

Discalced Carmelites
CARMEL OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
Valparaiso, Nebraska

A young woman from Kansas City was recently clothed with the garments of the cloister. In her investiture of early November, 2006, Lindsay Jennings assumed the religious name of Sr. Mary Pia of the Cross.

The Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Valparaiso, Nebraska was dedicated on December 14th, 2001, the Feast of St. John of the Cross, and the Papal Enclosure was set by Bishop Bruskewitz. Over 25 priests were in attendance. Perhaps just as important, over 4,000 visitors attended the open house following the dedication.

One of the very interesting stories that happened at that time is told at the website of the Las Vegas Marian Center.

The Lincoln Journal-Star had published a really nice article about the dedication and more specifically about the high altar. They published two photos of the altar. One from the dedication and one as it was, back in the hospital chapel. Saturday morning a gentleman from Minnesota was traveling through Nebraska and had stopped to eat breakfast. While reading the paper he saw the article and could not believe his eyes! There on the page was the altar that he had disassembled over 30 years ago.

He immediately went to the monastery and when he walked in to the chapel he could not hold back the emotion. He sobbed uncontrollably. He never thought he would ever see the altar again. He was the man that was hired to disassemble it and for years it bothered him that he had been the one to take apart something so beautiful and it would never be seen again. Once again he was standing before it in all its glory. We had never seen a man so happy. He stayed and talked with the Sisters for over an hour. Just one more example of the countless graces and blessings being poured out on people as a result of the Sisters' prayers.

Photos of the investiture ceremony of Sr. Mary Pia of the Cross are courtesy of a friend who attended this important event. Other photos are here.

Kansas City Catholic Bloggers

Kansas City has a good stable of Catholic writers, most of which seem to be traditional Catholics of a younger age (with the exception of old man Jovan and me!) If you haven't visited their web sites, this might be the time.

Dr. Bombay is a student at a public university and has blogged since early 2006. The Dr. is a Senior Member of the Catholic Answers Forum and has almost 1,500 posts to his credit. His blog, Confraternity of Uber Catholics, often blows hurricane winds at modernist cows, who if they were standing at the beginning of his post, are laying down dead or laughing hilariously at the end. [Can modernists really laugh at themselves????]

Christopher Rossman started his blog in 2005 and will be ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas next Spring. His homilies are posted at An Instrument of God, but some of the early ones seemed a little light. He is currently writing a piece on the Sacrifice of the Mass that is beginning to sound very good. Finally, Christopher has done a superb job of explaining and motivating readers to pro-life efforts--especially regarding Missouri Amendment 2 that would allow human cloning.

Wolftracker began his blog, Kansas City Catholic, in Spring 2006 and quickly attracted a large audience. If you want to know what is going on in the Catholic church in this area, read his blog. Wolftracker seems to have an eye for good Catholic news. I always ask myself if he is an insomniac to produce so many good posts. He also posts to the Bishop Finn Fan Club.

KCPriest at Sacerdos in Aeternum initiated several very good discussions on his blog, but he hasn't posted anything since August. I hope he returns, because when he writes a post that asks a question, he can generate over 60 interesting comments in response.

Jovan at The New Crusade is a one-issue guy who has projected the Church's main enemy for the next 100 years--Islam. Give the guy credit for great long distance vision! I love the little pig in Crusade armor that accompanies Jovan to battle. Don't forget to give him a look.

Stephen of True Restoration is another busy and very prolific Catholic blogger with attachments to Kansas City. Stephen's excellent blog occupies the very important right flank of the army opposing Modernism. He recently organized a new Yahoo group that features a daily "one minute devotional" from a book of prayer or spirituality or an encyclical.

Curmudgeon has returned to his Cave, and I'm afraid it is a permanent loss. If anyone wanted to know what church was which and its history in the Kansas City area, you went to his blog. If you wanted to get a raspy opinion of what's wrong with the Church, Curmudgeon would clarify it for you. Curmudgeon never bit his own tongue to keep silent; rather he was that rarity of the news--a heretic biter. He constantly nipped at the heels of heretics in the Church--especially those who proclaimed loudly their loyalty but betrayed it with their actions.

Chad is a new (2006) Catholic who posts at Chad is Not Enough. He also contributes to a group blog at Per Christum. Chad first informed his readers last January that he was investigating Catholicism. Read his opening post on Figuring out the Church. The writer who had the most impact on Chad is Thomas Howard, author of Evangelical is Not Enough. I like his sidebar picture, "I Love Bishop Bruskewicz."

Mr. R. M. A. J. Romero is a 23-year old Catholic blogger who has posted at Caritas Christi Vrget Nos since January 2006. He loves God, Mary, the Church, and the poor. See Ave Maris Stella where he tells a little about himself and the Blessed Virgin Mary. I think I'm going to like him!

Then there are the great Kansas City voices who read and comment on Kansas City Catholic blogs. These include Alison, dotte, Cranky, .... Who am I missing?

Prayer for the Defeat of Modernism

With a slight change, the old prayer for the defeat of Communism seems very good for the defeat of Modernism and all the other enemies of God. May I please ask readers to say it today.

Eternal Father, I offer thee the Cross of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and all the instruments of His Holy Passion, that Thou mayest put division in the camp of Thy enemies; for as Thy Beloved Son hath said, "A kingdom divided against itself shall fall."

Vatican II - A Great Moral Flaw?

I've just finished reading an extraordinary article in the October 15, 2006 issue of The Remnant Newspaper. Raymond B. Marcin, Professor of Law at the Catholic University of America, proposes a radical thesis. He argues that a great moral flaw in Vatican II contains within it "an implication that the participants in the Second Vatican Council could not have been cooperating with the oversight of God the Holy Spirit."

Can a Council of the Church be defective? Professor Marcin quotes Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI):

...[n]ot every valid council in the history of the church has been a fruitful one; in the last analysis many of them have been just a waste of time.

...the last word about the historical value of Vatican Council II has yet to be spoken.

Archbishop Chaput of Denver made similar comments in December 2005:

While all true ecumenical councils are important in the life of the Church, some failed to achieve their goals. The Council of Florence failed in the 15th century because the Western Church was badly divided and the Greek Church could not accept a union. The Fifth Lateran Council (1512-1517) failed in the 16th century because it focused on the wrong issues. It did too little too late to change the conditions that led to the Protestant Reformation.

Professor Marcin goes further and points out that all of the Bishops who participated in Vatican II adopted measures inconsistent with the Oath Against Modernism--which they had all subscribed to when they were ordained. This solemn oath was supported by many prior Papal documents, and was not rescinded by the Vatican until 1967, two years after Vatican II concluded.

Professor Marcin identifies remarks of Cardinal Ratzinger, where he explains documents of Vatican II were a revision of earlier Papal documents.

If it is desirable to offer a diagnosis of the text [of Gaudium et Spes] as a whole, we might say that (in conjunction with the texts on religious liberty and world religions), it is a revision of the Syllabus of Pius IX, a kind of countersyllabus.

Professor Marcin notes that Cardinal Ratzinger suggested that Vatican II documents "were intended to 'correct' what he called the the one-sidedness of the anti-modernist position adopted by the Church under Pope blessed Pius IX and Pope Saint Pius X, the Popes whose Syllabi of Errors and Encyclicals warned agains the dangers of Modernism."

The article by Professor Marcin should be read by every serious student of Vatican II.

Looking for Signs and Apologies

For years I've believed one of the first signs that the Church will begin to recover from its surrender to Modernism is when Bishops remove references to Vatican II from the first paragraph of every document they issue. Indeed, it seems there are far fewer references to Vatican II in Bishops' current statements.

The second sign will be a Papal apology to Catholics. This apology should be easy, because recent Popes have already apologized for the schism with the Orthodox, the 'excesses' of the Crusades and the Inquisition, and treatment of the Jews and Galileo. John Paul II in 2000 finally issued an overall apology to everyone who felt aggrieved by past church actions over the past 2000 years.

The new apology from the Pope should be to Catholic parents who now cry daily because of their children's loss of faith. These children are now agnostics, pagans, secularists, and Protestants. I hope the apology comes before the parents die and specifically notes the bad catechetical instruction received by most Catholic children since the last 1960s.

Alas, Curmudgeon, Farewell...

Curmudgeon's departure from active blogging is much regretted. He was usually the first Catholic blog I checked when I logged on. Curmudgeon was the one who bravely charged into the line of fire and often caused readers either heartburn or reevaluation of why they believed as they do. You knew his posts would not waste your time and would be informative and worthwhile to read. He was zealous, irritating, informative, irritating, truthful, irritating, passionate, irritating, Catholic-to-the core, irritating, etc....

Alas, poor Curmudgeon! I knew him well, fellow bloggers: a fellow of infinite irascibility, of most excellent observations: he hath striped us on our souls a thousand times; and.... Where be your gibes now? your wit? your irony? your flashes of passion that were wont to set your readers on a roar? Alas, poor Curmudgeon, farewell...

Kansas City Bishops and Newspapers

Bishop Finn of KCMO has performed as a true leader of the Church in mobilizing Catholics to oppose the Stem Cell Initiative on the Missouri ballot innext Tuesday's vote. I'm hoping that a strong "no" vote on the initiative also will allow Senator Jim Talent to retain his seat.

The Catholic Key focuses on the Stem Cell Initiative, too, and notes the attacks against the Catholic church for opposing embryonic stem cell research. It's good we are being condemned for being Catholics in action. Does anyone remember that Jesus was also condemned?

Archbishop Naumann of KCKS was on KCNW 1380 AM -- Catholic Family Radio -- yesterday discussing the anti-life record of KS Governor Kathleen Sibelius. Now that's another brave Catholic bishop that our area hasn't seen the likes of for a very long time!

The Leaven is definitely improving. This week's edition contains a great story on pornography called The Perfect Storm. Moreover, Archbishop Naumann's column again addresses a great concern of mine--cohabiting couples without marriage. He advises them gently, but firmly, on what is wrong with this common modern practice. Wonderful!

Babies are a Blessing

When the youngest of our children was born, my husband remarked the new baby was such a great blessing. I responded that, indeed, he was a beautiful and good baby. My husband quickly said that this was not what he meant. What he meant was that the new baby was encouraging the older children to take on more responsibility and to love more. The blessing of the new baby was that he improved the personalities and characters of the older children!

Translating News in Italian

I've been watching Rorate Coeli because they seem to have the best information on what is going on in Rome, especially with regard to the liberalization of the old Latin Mass by Pope Benedict XVI. Obviously someone knows how to read and understand the Italian newspapers, such as Il Giornale that keep current on Vatican politics and happenings, including appointments and possible policy decisions.

Translating news in Italian can be done by anyone using the Babel Fish Translator and inserting a web page to translate from Italian to English (or any primary language to another). The translation is very bad, but you can derive most of the meaning.

For example, take the Il Giornale news mentioned by Rorate Coeli. A good translation (provided by Rorate Coeli) is:

In the past few weeks, several French bishops have sent to Rome their lamentations of protest against the "Motu proprio" which would liberalize the pre-Conciliar Mass, but, as it seems, Benedict XVI is decided to move forward, even if with due caution, to heal the mini-schism of archbishop Lefebvre and to assure to the Traditionalist faithful, with an act of liberality, the use of the old missal.

The corresponding translation by Babel Fish is:

In last weeks many French bishops have made to arrive to Rome theirs lamentele in order to protest just against the "Motu" that he would have to liberalize the putting to preconciliate, but to how much he seems, Benedict XVI is decided to also go ahead, with the due cautions, in order to heal the miniscisma of monsignor Lefebvre and to guarantee, with an action of liberalità , to the tradizionalisti faithfuls the use of the old putting them.

Not a very good translation, but you can get the meaning. Of course it is always nice to have a direct translation to English, such as is provided by La Chiesa Online, one of the news sites recommended on my sidebar.

Carcass of the Church in France

Kenjiro Shoda posted one of the 30 comments in The New Liturgical Movement that responded to possible liberalization of the traditional Latin Mass. His information is too important to remain hidden in the comments area, and comes from surfing the web of Catholic sites daily, and compiling stats from websites all over the world. He explains he is writing a book that will graphically show the collapse of the Catholic Church since Vatican II.

It is very true that of the 5% of French Catholics who actually attend Mass, most go to traditionalist groups such as the SSPX and participate in the Tridentine Latin Mass. Given that, the number that actually participate in the Novus Ordo Masses in France is probably about 3%. That makes 3% of French Catholics who actually attend Mass according to the standard Novus Ordo. The Pope had better allow the Tridentine Latin Mass back with full freedom universally soon...or there will be no more "Novus Ordo" Catholics left in France.

Of the less than 1,000 French seminarians left, a good percentage (30%) are seminarians in traditional monastic foundations, the SSPX, FSSP, of a handful of other new traditionalist or at least very orthodox Novus Ordo communities. There are 4 new traditionalist Benedictine foundations in France which have more vocations than they can handle, The Abbaye Ste. Marie Madeleine de Barroux, Fontgombault, Abbaye St. Joseph (Flavigny-sur-Ozerain), and Bellaigue(affiliated to the SSPX). There is a tiny monastery (less than 20 monks) affiliated to the SSPX which is a new Carthusian foundation which uses only the Tridentine Latin Mass. They already have more novices (6), than any other Carthusian house in France. The Institute of the Good Shepherd is only in existance for a month, and already has 1 major Church, 1 priory, and 1 seminary. From what I read, they are having problems dealing with the surge of vocations inquiries.

Most diosecean seminaries in France are dead, and have been for 30 years. Yet the FSSP which of course says only the Tridentine Latin Mass is flourishing. Religious Orders (except for traditionalist ones) are dead in France. The Blessed Sacrament Fathers, Picpus Fathers, Capuchins, Redemptorists and White Fathers ("Peres Blanc") are all at the point of extinction in France, and it is conceivable that the Jesuits at only 500, and the Dominicans at half of that could be extinct in France by 2020. When I read that before Vatican II there were nearly 3,000 Jesuits in France, and now only 500 with a median age of 76, I was really appalled at what the Church has become since Vatican II.

Among nuns, the situation is worse (if that could be possible). There are hundreds of Orders that all went secular like their American counterparts and are now facing extinction. Even some cloistered convents adopted the radical reforms. Layclothes and highly dissident and secular cloistered Benedictines, Poor Clares, and Discalced Carmelite nuns have helped their Order die out in much of France.

Seeing all this, the French Bishops are still against the Tridentine Latin Mass and Catholic traditions, the only thing that can save the Church.

That is truely sick.

Kenjiro Shoda | 10.27.06 |

His Excellency, the Illustrious Rogue Bishop of Motherwell

Bishop Devine is a Catholic Bishop of Scotland who is not afraid to "go where angels fear to tread." In April 2006, he challenged Scotland's First Minister to a public debate on homosexual adoptions. The bishop did not mince words:

Surely given his 'paramount concern' for the welfare and interests of children it was not too much to ask the First Minister to discuss in an open forum with interested parties the concerns they harbour about children being adopted by homosexual and lesbian partners.

Bishop Devine also challenged the First Minister to bring the adoption issue to the Scottish people in a referendum.

What affairs of state could be more important than the interests of children? Or does Mr. McConnell intend simply to debate the issue within the comfort and security of the Scottish Parliament where his political majority is assured?

Last year he declared that being openly gay would not be "compatible" with being a teacher in a Catholic school.

In 2004, Bishop Devine sent a letter to all Scottish priests strongly promoting Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. He was criticized for that, too.

In 2002, Bishop Devine also made the news by saying

Denominational education is an enabler of sectarianism....Roman Catholic schooling is divisive - sometimes it's a price worth paying....The Catholic community believes that with denominational schooling comes the creation of a common set of values - a coherent system that has the academic curriculum and moral and spiritual life in tandem.

Bishop Devine was correct in saying that Catholic schools have their own identity and it is NOT a secular identity of indifferentism or pluralistic beliefs!

Recently, Bishop Devine described certain Scottish political leaders as "moral vandals" and "politically correct zealots." But then he committed the unspeakable crime, Bishop Devine condemned the actions of a senior Church aide who had failed to oppose legislation that allows homosexual couples to adopt children.

NOW, the two most senior bishops in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien and Archbishop Mario Conti, have publicly rebuffed Bishop Devine for saying the Church is following "a policy of appeasement" with regard to homosexual adoptions. A senior Church source added: "This is probably the first time the Scottish hierarchy has contradicted a bishop. His fellow bishops are concerned about the spate of press releases coming from the Diocese. We are dealing with a rogue bishop..."

Rogue bishop? Bishop Devine, A ROGUE?!? No, NO, NOOOO! Frankly, if ROGUE applies to Bishop Devine, the term has suddenly acquired a very positive definition.

Current Editorials by Local Bishops

Bishop Finn--

I welcome more public statements or initiatives from our other local Catholic institutions that would show support for the church's teaching and oppose the serious dangers that are inherent in the proposals [Missouri Amendment 2] being put before voters. It is not too late to stand up.

Regardless of what happens in November, Jesus Christ has already won the victory of life. It is our role to make this clear choice for life known in the world and to extend Christ's kingdom by making it a reality in our culture. Voters will make their decision very soon. When you stand before Him on the last day, whose side will you be on?

Archbishop Naumann--

In recent years, some funeral Mass homilies seem almost exclusively devoted to extolling the good qualities of the deceased. Often such homilies appear to be no different than a secular eulogy. In an understandable desire to comfort and reassure families, the preacher, at times, seems almost to canonize the recently departed.

Purgatory is our belief that, after deeath, the Lord in his mercy purifies the soul of the believer in order that our hearts are capable of experiencing the fullness of life for which we are destined.

If I died today, I pray that I would die in a state of grace. At the same time, if I died today, I would still be a long way from having been freed from all the limitations in my heart caused by selfishness and pride. I hope that when I die, people will not just extol what, in their kindness, they perceived as my virtues. I hope that people will pray for me, assisting me with their prayers as, God willing, I complete my journey to heaven.

The two Kansas City Bishops, one from Missouri and one from Kansas, have been producing exemplary editorials in their respective diocesan newspapers--The Catholic Key and The Leaven. Much, much better direction and leadership than I've seen in the last 40 years!

Milanese Sacrileges--a New Catholic Italy?

Chiesa Online reports that Benedict XVI gave an important speech in Milan, the home base of the ultraliberal Archbishop Tettamanzi. How liberal is Tettamanzi? Sandro Magister says the Milan Cathedral, the Duomo, is now famous for:

1. Elton John playing and singing “Candle in the Wind” at a 1997 funeral Mass.

2. Lenten meditations on writings by Oscar Wilde, Marguerite Yourcenar, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Jack Kerouac, that replaced the readings from the four Gospels. Then the audience turned and watched videos projected toward the rear of the church.

3. A new video box installed in the Duomo crypt, where the visitor sits and watches a religious film which is covered the entire time with a black rectangle and where there is no sound. The explanation is that “the blocking of 90 percent of the view brings the visitor into a cloud of unknowing, in which he finally faces the free decision: to believe or not believe.”

4. Presentations of (a) selections from the writings of Jewish philosopher and mathematician of the XVII century, Baruch Spinoza; (b) a Japanese video that notes "each human being has his own rhythm, and rhythm is the force that unifies the universe,” and that showed a dual image of a young woman with her face first immersed in and then raised out of a basin full of gelatinous liquid, (c) musical concerts of a contemporary secular nature.

Nevertheless, the Pope in Milan insists that Italy is "rather favorable terrain" for rebirth as a Catholic nation--producing a new Catholic Italy to lead the way for all of Europe and the world. Frankly, I am reminded of the old films on the History Channel where people strapped on wings and attempted to fly off buildings and bridges.

First of all, Italy has lost the will to survive because its families have fewer children than any other European country except for Spain (1.22 children per family in 1997). Second, the number of Italian priestly vocations continues to spiral downward, as explained in a previous post that notes Italy now imports 1,700 foreign priests. Add a third element--Archbishop Tettamanzi and what he does or permits in his cathedral. A rejuvenated Catholic Italy cannot arise out of this environment.

Worm Hunting

We just returned from a walk in the misty fall air. Naturally the little one was attracted to those 2-inch long skinny things that wiggled across the concrete. Worms! It rained a lot last night and this morning, so worms appeared everywhere. In the spring, it's a great time for catching fishing bait, especially where someone, years ago, buried very large Canadian nightcrawlers.

My kids were introduced to the sport of nightcrawler hunting by their uncle over 30 years ago. It's in a rural area and rain was falling, so he told my husband to bring the kids late that evening to a nearby small town with lots of sidewalks, and where someone had planted night crawlers many years before. The kids returned very excited and laughing a lot, as they told everyone who would listen how much fun they had.

They described how their flashlights were used to find these giant worms that can be as big as small snakes. The kids said they had to be very fast to grab worms found in the grass. A nightcrawler places only part of its body outside its mounded hole, and very quickly withdraws if you shine a flashlight beam on it.

My husband said he also fully enjoyed the hunting of these very large, fast, and wriggly creatures, especially hearing the triumphal shouts of a child catching one, or the groans of defeat in losing one. (The rule was that you weren't supposed to catch only pieces of worms!)

My folks had a big yard and they had planted nightcrawlers a few years before. I participated in the next outing, just before the time when the yard was invaded by moles and other worm-eating critters who began to live sumptuously. That night the kids competed to catch the most worms. In about an hour, the kids had caught almost a gallon of solid worms!

We put some of them back in the grass, but my mother took a lot and refrigerated them in coffee cans filled with dirt until she and my dad went on their weekly fishing outing. [BTW, you need to poke small holes in the lids for air to penetrate inside; the fairly wet dirt also needs to be changed every three weeks or so.]

Muddy Shoes

One of my favorite memories of a long-ago childhood is playing in the mud. On an early warm spring day, it rained long and hard on our small farm. At the bottom of one field, the eroded soil had created a thick mud about a foot deep. Mother was very sad, but my siblings and I were quite happy. We took our shoes off, rolled up our pants, and walked in. Mud always feels so good as it squeezes between the toes!

It's been raining in KC and the backyard of one of my children's houses contains a glorious future playground area--(now known as a mud pit!). The 2-year old likes to walk the small wood wall and can keep her balance most of the time. I held her hand yesterday to make sure she didn't fall into the watery areas.

Nevertheless, she let go of my hand and stepped into what looked like a fairly dry area. Wrong! Within several steps the thick brownish glue had attached itself firmly to two new white shoes. I lifted her out (after she had walked through more mud) and we went back to the porch to clean the shoes.

A second pair of muddy shoes was by the stairs--this pair with dried mud. I cleaned both pair with a paring knife, a copper grill brush, and an old toothbrush. The grill brush works great on dry mud, after you scrape off the big pieces. But now, another 10 min was needed to handwash the white socks of the traveling two-year old while I was cleaning the shoes. I should have remembered to give her the barefoot experience of mud between the toes!

Muslim Support in the Election

American Muslims will overwhelmingly back Democrats on the first Tuesday of November, according to a recent survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Frankly, this is not surprising because I think the Democrats will find it relatively easy to embrace Muslims. Here are my observations:

1. Democrats have shown their principles are adaptable to the situation and time.
2. They will believe Islam is amenable to reason and negotiation.
3. After Israel is encircled and falters, they will want to be on the winning side.
4. In a choice between Christianity and Islam, they will choose Islam.

Yes, I'm waiting (and hoping) that someone will challenge these arguments!

Will it Happen or Not?

Will the traditional Latin Mass soon be 'un-forbidden' in Latin Rite churches around the world under a possible new directive of Benedict XVI? Rorate Coeli has posted new information from a Roman seminarian that offers hope. Here is one excerpt.

But the past couple of weeks have provided for us a glimmer of hope—a silver lining to a cloud darkened by 35 years of suppression and angst. Rumors have begun to surface about the existence of a Papal document which, if released, would “free up” the Tridentine Rite, setting it up as a Rite parallel to that of the Pauline Reform. While excited, I myself have remained rather skeptical, recalling that a similar rumor circulated through the back alleys of Rome last November. But all the signs point to something substantial on the horizon. The heads of dicasteries are flying to Rome, the city is abuzz with Cardinals and bishops (more so than usual), and my own friends who have ties to people working within the walls of the Vatican are conversing more and more with said friends. Something is definitely on the horizon.

Out-of-Date Publicity for Liberal Book

Our youngest daughter just sent me an outrageous article from the Dallas Morning News on "Vatican 'Crushed' Renewal of Nuns." The book claims the Vatican is the real cause of the tremendous decrease in the numbers of Catholic nuns.

The article was dated October 21, 2006, so it seemed like Kenneth Briggs' book, Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church's Betrayal of American Nuns, was newly issued. Not so! The book is at least four months old, not really current news. In fact, WolfTracker dealt with the book in an August post.

Some months ago I met a former college classmate who had written a novel and gotten it published by Publish America, Baltimore, a slight step above self-publishing. She is a former college professor of English, so her book is well written--but clearly appears not to be on its way to being a best seller!

I learned how she had received so many good reviews and accolades for her book. They were all written by friends from her college teaching days! Her friends were kind enough to stack the reviews on Amazon, say nice things on the rear flyleaf of her book, add favorable comments to Publish America's site, etc. It's great to have friends who continue to repeat, "I love this book!" Moreover, she encourages lagging sales of her year-old book by visiting local newspapers and libraries all over the state. Kenneth Briggs appears to be doing the same.

Catholic Megachurches?

The Hartford Institute for Religious Research has published documentation on the characteristics and rapid growth of non-Catholic megachurches with weekend attendances of over 2,000 people and typically seven days a week of activities.

“Based on the results of this survey, we are able to conclude that there are at least 1,210 Protestant churches in the United States today with average weekly attendance of over 2,000. That is nearly double the number of megachurches that existed five years ago.”

The Hartford Institute also examines 11 myths about megachurches. Catholics would do well to read the report.

People Problem Solving

Which is the most difficult problem to solve--(1) a people problem or (2) a technical problem (e.g., computer, auto)? Most of us would say solving people problems is more challenging. But if certain conditions are met, people problem solving is easy, even when a lot of ire has been aroused. Here is an illustration.

Recently some individuals were upset with my friend and asked me to help. The individuals are great Catholics and chose their words carefully to say they respected my friend, thought he was trying to do what was right, but he tiffed them and others off but good!

Somewhat reluctantly, I called my good Catholic friend to delicately explain this predicament, but he seemed to have anticipated that something was amiss. He offered an easy way to bring up the subject by first discussing his actions and then asking how people felt. [Lots of people talk about the first items, but never ask the second part!]

When he was told of some vexation among others, he quickly responded that he always received his best grades in school on the left (deportment) side of his report card, especially in "takes correction easily." He offered to apologize, even humbly saying he would "grovel" if necessary.

Needless to say, almost all people problems can be dissapated by good communications, charity, forgiveness, and especially humility. But if pride is introduced on either side, people problems will fester and grow. Good Catholics know arrogance is not a virtue. We all must be especially humble to help prevent people problems and then to solve them if they do arise.

"The Real Glory" and the Colt 45

Gary Cooper is the featured actor in the 1939 film, The Real Glory. He plays an Army doctor faced with cholera and Muslim fanatics in the Philippines of 1906. The movie has a certain creepy timeliness and can be dramatically compared with the suicidal attacks of Islam today. [The Army doctor in the movie broke the will of the Moro leader (Alipang) in front of the scared Christian Filipinos by threatening to bury Alipang in a pigskin! ]

Not too many people realize that the Muslim fanatics in the Philippines were responsible for the development of the Colt 45 automatic handgun. The new pistol was especially designed for the U.S. Army by John Moses Browning, because our soldiers had been unable to stop an attacking Moro with their smaller .38 cal revolver. More stopping power was needed.

On March 29th, 1911, the Browning-designed, Colt-produced .45 automatic pistol, was selected as the official sidearm of the Armed Forces of U.S.A., and named Model 1911.

New Planned Parenthood Campaign

Sometimes I get funny mail, such as "why am I getting this stuff#@?" The letter from Planned Parenthood says that pharmacists are trying to tell people how to live their lives by refusing to fill certain prescriptions. The new PP campaign is called "Fill My Pills Now."

PP is very upset that lawmakers in 22 states have introduced 54 bills that would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill "birth control" prescriptions based on their personal moral or religious objections. PP says their new campaign will pressure pharmacies "to enact policies that ensure no woman will be turned away with an unfilled birth control prescription because of a pharmacist's misguided beliefs." Wonder if they mean drugs that abort a newly formed baby in its first days of life!

The PP letter enclosed three postcards which I was asked to sign and remit to PP, and that say:

Your policy on pharmacist refusals is not acceptable. It must change. I've heard that pharmacists in your stores may refuse to fill a woman's birth control prescription. This is not just bad policy; it's outrageous!

The three postcard-sized messages sponsored by PP ask the CEOs of three large companies to change their policies and deny the right of pharmacists to refuse to fill an immoral prescription. PP is even opposed to referral clauses that permit a refusing pharmacist to refer a customer to another pharmacist. [Of course, referrals to pharmacists who will prescribe an anti-life drug are a bad idea too.]

Here's an alternative letter than can be emailed to the CEOs of the three companies: Robert Ulrich, Target CEO, David Bernauer, Walgreens CEO, and Peter Lynch, Winn-Dixie CEO.

Dear Sir:

I understand your company allows a pharmacist with strong moral and religious convictions to refuse to distribute certain abortion prescriptions. Your policy is wise and should be maintained because it protects the integrity of your pharmacists.

Once you make a man (or woman) violate his conscience, you have caused that person to be deceitful, in that he acts contrary to what he believes is right. This undermines the good standards of any profession, especially pharmacy with a strong ethical tradition.

"To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death. Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion. But I will preserve the purity of my life and my art. ... If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot." Hippocratic Oath

Here are the email addresses for upper management of Target, Walgreens, and Winn-Dixie.

Missouri Farms in the Autumn

This post is just to show pictures of Missouri in the fall. Enjoy!


Missouri Soybeans











Missouri Farm Road











Missouri Cattle













Missouri Stream

Bless and Protect This House

A very good friend and her husband were disturbed with the Catholic parishes and schools in their area. They recently moved to a new location and built a beautiful new house where the older children could attend a good Catholic school and the Novus Ordo Mass was more reverent. The new house is in the country, and all the children now have their own rooms. However, the husband told me of his family's several recent encounters with unknown forces that left me with concern.

The oldest daughter in bed said she was slapped twice on the face with a loud 'bang' or explosion each time. The youngest daughter lying on her stomach felt a large book fall on her back--but nothing was there. The husband/father was trying to get to sleep when he clearly heard children whispering; but when he shone his flashlight around the bedroom the door was closed and no one was there. He said he has felt uneasy for some time about the house he was building. Finally, his wife was reading a book late at night and heard what seemed like mice crawling and gnawing in the ceiling of the bedroom. She also heard a person breathing.

The husband is a convert to Catholicism--a very good man who takes his new faith very seriously. The family prays daily before statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary. The children know all their standard prayers, including the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, but it is the children's heartfelt extemporaneous prayers that make this family seem exceptional. Another person who met and then stayed with them was also very impressed with the strong Catholic faith exhibited by this family.

The husband asked me a number of questions about the devil the last time we met. He believes the odd goings-on may be the result of demons, and he wonders how this could happen in a brand-new house. He has placed crucifixes in his daughters' rooms and no further problems have occurred. Now he is trying to find a priest to bless the home and a priest has agreed to meet with him this coming week. I suggest that the priest also consecrate the family and their new house to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the meantime, they should sprinkle each room in their house with holy water, especially Epiphany water.

My husband and I welcomed our old pastor to bless our new house over 45 years ago. We placed a picture of the Sacred Heart in our living room and consecrated ourselves and our home to His honor and protection. I'm convinced that this action of our early marriage has paid many dividends in protecting our family and home from assaults of all kinds.

Does God Hate the Devil?

Mrs. M called me the other day and asked the above question? She said God teaches us to love everybody, even our enemy, so He must love the devil. I wasn't quite prepared to answer this question, but I felt sure she was wrong and there was some contradiction involved.

The web provided several items on the subject, mostly from Protestants--even Billy Graham stated that God hated the devil. The Catholic Encyclopedia article on the devil did not answer the question, so it appeared to me that the answer was a matter of theological speculation. [Suarez, De Angelis was referenced as being the prime Catholic resource on the angels and Satan.]

So armed with a few printouts of interest, I took three grandchildren with me to visit Mrs. M in the nursing home. On the way, I explained to the 12-, 10-, and 3-year olds the question that Mrs. M had asked. The 10-year old immediately said, "But how can God hate his own creation?" What a question! The Bible is clear that the devil is our adversary and we must oppose him, but does God hate the devil with some divine perfection? My own answer follows, subject to immediate revision should the Church have already addressed this issue.

God and the devil exist outside of the dimension of time in our universe: God as creator of time and all else that exists, and the devil as a spiritual being created by God. God loves the devil because God loves His own handiwork. However, the devil has an unrestricted free will because he is not tempted by anything external to his own nature. God hates the devil for what the devil has freely chosen to become.

In contrast to our sins which can be forgiven in this world, the devil's sin is unforgivable. Even the sins of our enemies can be forgiven. Moreover, Christians are required to be part of God's plan to give His love to our enemies so they are not eternally damned. Not so for our enemy the devil. Once the devil sinned, he sinned forever.

A basic principle of Christianity is "Mercy in this world; justice in the next." God is unmerciful outside of time, because then His mercy would contradict His justice--and God is NOT contradictory! The devil's sin is unforgivable because he cannot change; change requires intelligent beings to exist within time.

When Satan rebelled, God may have constrained the devil to the straitjacket of time to suffer in hell and to tempt man, yet not to know the future. God foresaw the devil's arrogance, yet the devil's pride and his temptations of man are part of God's plan in time.

Cowboys at Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City is owned by the Herschend Family and has always been a great place to enjoy a family vacation. The private owners are openly Christian and have spearheaded the successful defense of Branson, MO from people who would like to open types of sinful entertainment. The owners sponsor special gatherings of homeschoolers and Christian activists, including the American Family Association (Don Wildmon). Moreover, after the park closes each day, everyone is invited to an evening songfest of Gospel music and Christian friendship in a large open amphitheatre.

Silver Dollar City is a family place with women attendants in long dresses, no Halloween decorations, and children that were well-behaved. [Maybe this last observation was due to the preponderance of homeschooled children, their parents, and a lot of retired people--many thousands!] Anyway, you won't find much cleavage, even though the park hosts tens of thousands of people a day.

This past week, Silver Dollar City welcomed some of my homeschooled grandchildren and their families at a nicely reduced price. In addition to the many rides, this autumn's celebration let us observe and talk with oldtime craftsmen: women who turned wheat straw into beautiful ornaments, rugmakers, carpenters who made furniture, bladesmiths who made knives, candlemakers, soapmakers, basketmakers, etc. Musicians who made and played their own instruments were also there.

The festival this year salutes the Great American Cowboy. We saw Johnny Lonestar with his lasso tricks, the steer trainer, and many western musical groups. Many of them gave a little Christian lesson in their act. For example, Travis Loewen told about training his steers and how he expects more out of his steers--just like God expects us to act above the nature of mere animals. His two Texas longhorns had horns that stretched at least four feet to either side of the heads of the huge animals.

The best musician was Don Edwards. He sings cowboy songs--the kind that were my favorites as a kid. Each song tells a story--a good story. Edwards' guitar work is absolutely excellent, and his voice is very good--especially in the large opera house. Curmudgeon likes country rock; I like the folk music of cowboys, especially when performed by someone like Don Edwards. The weather was great, too.