ATTACK RAVEN UPDATE!

From the Telegraph:

"Animal rights groups have appealed to Pope Francis to end the practice of releasing doves from a Vatican window overlooking St. Peter's Square, a day after a pair of the peace symbols were attacked by a seagull and crow while a crowd including thousands of children watched below.

The National Animal Protection Agency published an open letter reminding the pope that domesticated doves are easy prey for predators like gulls" 

I have a helpful suggestion. The Pope should release either

1) something that wouldn't CARE if it was attacked by a bird, or
2) something that we would LIKE to see attacked by a bird.

For instance:

Alligator of Peace

Dick Durbin of Peace

Rhinoceros of Peace

Justin Bieber of Peace

Godzilla of Peace

ATTACK RAVEN UPDATE

This just in from the Eye of the Tiber:

Pope’s Peace Doves Attacked By Metaphors

Pope Francis...TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!

"After a visit to the Holy Land, a group of Catholic bishops from the West has issued a call for international pressure to stop the construction of an Israeli “security wall” through Palestinian land near Bethlehem". 

Yes, good idea. I can't think of any other city/state that uses such walls to protect themselves. 

Oh...wait.....

Vatican City is surrounded by a fortress which, over the years, protected the pope from his enemies. A tunnel connects Vatican City to Castel Saint'Angelo and was used as an escape route during turbulent times.

And by the way...there is no such thing as "Palestinian land."

The Little Sisters of the Poor Are Too Tough...Let's Get Hobby Lobby!

From Gateway Pundit:

"Nineteen Democratic senators sent the US Supreme Court a brief today demanding Hobby Lobby pay for contraceptives. Hobby Lobby is a  Christian-owned business.

The following Democrats signed the statement:

United States Senators: Patty Murray, Max Baucus, Barbara Boxer, Sherrod Brown, Maria Cantwell, Benjamin J. Cardin, Richard J. Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, Tom Harkin, Tim Johnson, Patrick J. Leahy, Carl Levin, Edward J. Markey, Robert Menendez, Barbara A. Mikulski, Harry Reid, Bernard Sanders, Charles E. Schumer, and Ron Wyden"

A big Non Tasarmi, Fratello shout out to my Catholic brethren who signed on (I highlighted them for you!).

ATTACK RAVEN UPDATE!

ATTACK RAVEN UPDATE

After attacking the "peace doves" the raven went to the desert, where he found Elijah (1 Kings 17):

Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab: “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.” The word of the LORD came to Elijah: Leave here, go east and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. You shall drink of the wadi, and I have commanded ravens to feed you there. 5So he left and did as the LORD had commanded. He left and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the wadi.

Elijah Fed By Ravens, by Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652)

Islamic Outreach, Part XXX... A Parable

From an earlier post on this blog:

Pope Francis spoke to the diplomatic corps and amongst other things, said, "Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam.

 
VATICAN CITY - Two white doves that were released by children standing alongside Pope Francis as a peace gesture have been attacked by other birds.
As tens of thousands of people watched in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, a seagull and a large black crow swept down on the doves right after they were set free from an open window of the Apostolic Palace.
One dove lost some feathers as it broke free from the gull. But the crow pecked repeatedly at the other dove.
It was not clear what happened to the doves as they flew off.

VIDEO Spectacular view of the Basilica of Monreale … by drone

VIDEO Spectacular view of the Basilica of Monreale … by drone


The Novus Ordo altar looks out of place, doesn't it?

Islamic Outreach, Part XXIX

From an earlier post on this blog:

Pope Francis spoke to the diplomatic corps and amongst other things, said, "Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam.

Meanwhile:

For the first time we have witnessed protests against New Year celebrations in the streets. Before, some Islamist media would denounce the celebrations as non-Turkish and un-Islamic, but I do not remember people protesting in the streets.
Everything began when posters depicting a devout-looking Muslim man punching Santa Claus were hung up in different parts of İstanbul. “No to New Year's and Christmas celebrations” was written on the posters. The campaign was conducted by the Anatolian Youth Association, a youth branch of the Islamist Felicity Party (SP).

The Santa-punching posters were followed by a Dec. 26 demonstration at İstanbul's Beyazıt Square, which raised further alarm. Members of the same association performed a “circumcision” on an inflatable Santa Claus and then stabbed the doll, while shouting chants against New Year and Christmas celebrations.

Look Ma! No Hands!

In interesting piece in Father Z's blog today. Here (in part)  it is (emphasis not mine)...


"I’m in a Novus Ordo Parish . Our assistant pastor recently announced that he would only give communion on the tongue and his extraordinary minister was instructed to do the same.
A woman insisted on the hand and she went back to her pew without receiving because the priest (or extraordinary minister, don’t know which) the priest had announced (or EM, told) that ONLY on the tongue at his masses. Somebody complained (perhaps, herself) to the Pastor and he did not back up the assistant pastor."

 What led to this (I just found out from the man that assists with the paten at his masses) was that the priest saw a woman place the Blessed Sacrament in her purse and the priest had the man assisting him to follow her and make her receive or bring back the purse. She told the man that she was sending the Host to her son in Pakistan. Also Hosts have been found on the floor and stepped on and Hosts have been found between the pages of the missals."

Father Z responds:

"First, this pertains to the Novus Ordo, the Ordinary Form.  Communion in the hand is not allowed at the Extraordinary Form.  (Yet another reason for more Masses in the Extraordinary Form…. but I digress).

(I)n the authoritative document Redemptionis Sacramentum 92 we read:

Although each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, at his choice, if any communicant should wish to receive the Sacrament in the hand, in areas where the Bishops’ Conference with the recognitio of the Apostolic See has given permission, the sacred host is to be administered to him or her. However, special care should be taken to ensure that the host is consumed by the communicant in the presence of the minister, so that no one goes away carrying the Eucharistic species in his hand. If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to the faithful. "

"Redemptionis Sacramentum is a juridic document, it lays down the law, it is in AAS 96/9, pp. 549ff, and it was approved by the Supreme Pontiff who ordered that it be obeyed.  It has not been superseded.
In individual circumstances, if the priest (or Extraordinary minister, I suppose) believes there is a real danger of profanation, it the Holy See would surely back him up in prohibiting someone from receiving in the hand.
I can see refusing to give Holy Communion in the hand to a woman whom Father has seen put a Sacred Host in her purse.  He would be within his rights (and it is, in fact, his responsibility) to make sure any and all who receive Holy Communion in the hand consume the host in his presence.  The law backs him up.  But he needs prudence and knowledge to deal with the situation.
That said, an associate should have spoken with the pastor before announcing a “policy” that he doesn’t have the authority to implement."

Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, NY Drops a Dime on the Governor

March For Life TWEETS!

FIND THEM HERE!

Are you really going to tell her that her life wasn't worth it?

Day of Prayer For the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, January 22

Stand up for life!

55 MILLION abortions in the United States since Roe vs. Wade passed. Women's Rights? More than half of them WERE baby girls.

The J. G. Wentworth Feast of St. Lawdog, January 21

This is all we have on St. Lawdog:

Died: 6th century

Saint of Wales who has four churches commemorating his memory in the diocese of St. David’s, Wales. 

He is not to be confused with Crimedog.

Governor Cuomo was SERIOUS!

Pants on FIRE!

Andrew Cuomo (far left) has denied saying what he obviously said. Here's the press release statement:"The New York Post distorted Governor Cuomo’s words yesterday, saying that the Governor said "conservatives should leave New York." The Governor did not say that, nor does he believe that." Further along in thee release is his what he said: " Are they these extreme conservatives, who are right to life, pro assault weapon, anti-gay, is that who they are? Because if that is who they are, and if they are the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York. Because that is not who New Yorkers are."

The "catholic" Cuomo also says, " And literally look at the issues that they pick, are we right to life or are we pro-choice? Well if you are right to life, that is your opinion and that’s your religious belief, that is fine but that is not the opinion of this state..."

In other words, your personal beliefs ... heck, your RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE... means nothing if the State disagrees.

What a jerk. The acorn didn't fall very far from the tree, did it?

In That Case, I'm Glad I Left

"I love him because of his rugged good looks! No! Really! The power thing  has nothing to do with it! Seriously!" - Sandra Lee




Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo (seen here with his live in girlfriend, Sandra Lee) has declared, "The Republican Party candidates are running against the SAFE Act — it was voted for by moderate Republicans who run the Senate! Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are."

Andrew (who is divorced) claims that he is a "catholic".  But he is pro-gay marriage and anti-life. So we know he is lying...but about which?

Quote of the Day

From McNamara's Blog

“The joyous man is the strong man—ready to sympathize: to appreciate: to help: a comfort and a light to others. Into a world where there is a surplus of sadness, of despondency and of despair, he brings something of the power and presence of God that in turn warm and cheer the hearts of men. Joy is the power and presence of God—the interior sense that we live in Him.”
Monsignor John J. Burke, C.S.P. (1875-1936) 

 NOTE: Born in New York City, John Joseph Burke attended St. Francis Xavier College (now Xavier High School) before joining the Paulist Fathers in 1896. His older brother Thomas would serve as Superior General of the community.) After his ordination in 1899, he served as editor of The Catholic World from 1904 to 1922. In 1917, he played a major part in organizing the National Catholic War Council, the forerunner of today’s Catholic Bishops Conference. He served as the NCWC’s General Secretary until his death in 1936. In 1936, he was named a Monsignor, the only Paulist to be so honored. Monsignor Burke had a great devotion to the Mystical Body of Christ, and he translated some works on this subject from French.

Robbing From Peter to Pay Paul

From the Eye of the Tiber letters to the editor:

• Letters to the Eye

  Dear Eye,
  
  How many payments to your exorcist can you miss before you get repossessed?
  
  Matthew Michels
  Fond du Lac, WI

We Salute You, Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota!

The Diocese of Bismarck was established on New Year's Eve, 1909 by Pope Saint Pius X by taking a hunk form the Diocese of Fargo. It's first Bishop was John Baptist Vincent de Paul Wehrle , a Benedictine from Switzerland who remained bishop until 1939!

He was the one who began the construction of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck, but he had to halt the effort during the Depression. The Cathedral was finally was completed in 1945, much to the admiration of...some.

Word of the day....the Diocese of Bismarck is a SUFRAGEN  of the Diocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis , Minnesota. According to Webster's on-line, a sufragen is, "a diocesan bishop (as in the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England) subordinate to a metropolitan". I'm not sure if "subordinate" is the right word.....

Weirdly, Wikipedia lists the Patron Saint of the Diocese of Bismarck as "Immaculate Conception".

The Dirk Gently Holistic Detective Agency Feast of St. Anthony the Abbot, January 17

We all know St. Anthony because he helps us find things...

"St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around. Something's been lost and cannot be found."

 But did you also know that:

1) St. Anthony is the patrons saint of those with skin conditions? And that shingles (the skin condition kind) was known as "St. Anthony's Fire"?

2) He lived sealed up in a room for 20 years, being fed by villagers through a a slot in the door?

3) That the devil PHYSICALLY beat him up?

4) He lived to be 105 years old?

The Trouble With Jesuits, Part 14

 From Catholic Culture:

The Jesuit-run University of Santa Clara has scheduled a lecture appearance by a former Maryknoll priest who has been expelled from his order, excommunicated, and laicized, the Cardinal Newman Society reports.
Roy Bourgeois was excommunicated when he participated in a 2008 ceremony at which women claimed priestly ordination. His continued advocacy for the ordination of women led eventually to his being expelled from the Maryknoll order and laicized in 2012.
Bourgeois is now scheduled to speak at the University of Santa Clara’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics on the topic of Catholic feminism. Promotional material on the school’s web site refers to him as “a prominent voice of conscience within Catholicism for decades.” 

ACTION PHOTO!

Shut Up, I Explained

On January 8th, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter to the United States Congress saying, "The current federal minimum wagefalls short of this standard for its failure to provide sufficient resources for individuals to form and support families.A full-year, full-time worker making the minimum wage does not make enough money to raise a child free from poverty.Because the minimum wage is a static number and does not change, each year it becomes more difficult for workers making the minimum wage to survive.Additionally,while some minimum wage workers are teenagers,research suggests as much as 25 percent of workers who would benefit from a minimum wage increase are parents.Workers deserve a just wage that allows them to live in dignity, form and support families, and contribute to the common good." 

They preface their remarks with "We write not as economists or labor market experts,..."


Let's see what actual experts have to say....

David Neumark, Economics professor at UC-Irvine and Wlilliam Wascher, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Division of Research and Development) have done a little reseearch on the subject. Here's what they say:
"First, we see very few – if any – studies that provide convincing evidence of positive employment effects of minimum wages, especially from those studies that focus on the broader groups (rather than a narrow industry) for which the competitive model generally predicts disemployment effects. Second, the studies that focus on the least-skilled groups that are likely most directly affected by minimum wage increases provide relatively overwhelming evidence of stronger disemployment effects for these groups."

The Gilbert and Sullivan Feast of St. Raymond of Penafort

Today is the Feast of Saint Raymond of Penafort. He's the patron of lawyers. I'm sorry...I can't think of the guy without thinking of this:

The Power of Christ Compels You to Get Out of My SALT!

 Did you know there is salt in Holy Water? There is...and the reason seems to come from 2 Kings, 2:19-22:

19 The inhabitants of the city complained to Elisha, “The site of the city is fine indeed, as my lord can see, but the water is bad and the land sterile.”
20 Elisha said, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt into it.” When they had brought it to him,
 21 he went out to the spring and threw salt into it, saying, “Thus says the LORD: I have purified this water. Never again shall death or sterility come from it.” 
 22 And the water has stayed pure even to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.

But here's the thing - a priest has to bless the salt first. Here's what he says (from the Ritual Romanum):

God's creature, salt, I cast out the demon from you by the living God, by the true God, by the holy God, by God who ordered you to be thrown into the water- spring by Eliseus to heal it of its barrenness. May you be a purified salt, a means of health for those who believe, a medicine for body and soul for all who make use of you. May all evil fancies of the foul fiend, his malice and cunning, be driven afar from the place where you are sprinkled. And let every unclean spirit be repulsed by Him who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire.

Finding a Patron Saint For 2014

Do you get to pick a saint, or does the saint pick you? I don't know, but there are two patron saint generators available on-line. You can find them here and here.

The first one gave me St. Francis of Assisi. The second site gave me Blessed Angela of Foligna, but since she's technically not a saint I hit it again and got...St. Francis of Assisi.

I've Known Nuns. I Don't Think They'll Retreat.

From Fox News:

The Obama administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court not to exempt Catholic groups from an ObamaCare requirement to offer contraceptive coverage, after the high court gave them a temporary reprieve earlier this week. 
The court filing comes in response to a surprise order -- issued shortly before coverage under the law went into effect -- by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. The justice issued a stay late Tuesday preventing the government from enforcing the so-called contraceptive mandate against the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged. 

The group of Catholic nuns argues that the contraceptive coverage requirement violates their religious beliefs. To get around the mandate, they claim they'd have to sign a "permission slip" authorizing others to provide contraceptives and "abortion drugs" -- or pay a fine.

Luckily, the President has decided to count to ten before firing away.

L'Oreal Feast of St. Genevieve, January 3

St.  Genevieve was born somewhere around 420 AD in Nanterre, but moved to Paris after deciding to dedicate her life to a Christianity. She is best known around here for having a town in Missouri named after her, but others know her as the Patroness of Paris. AND...

According to Wikipedia, "Shortly before the attack of the Huns under Attila in 451 on Paris, Genevieve, with the help of Germanus' archdeacon, persuaded the panic-stricken people of Paris not to leave their homes and to pray. The intercession of Genevieve's prayers caused Attila's army to go to Orléans instead."

Whcih would not had sat well with a future inhabitant of Orléans...