Lately, I've often been waking up to Pure Undiluted Dread. The kind that makes you jumpy, weepy and bewildered. That's no way to live, so for now the big goal is trying to keep everything in rational perspective:

It doesn't really matter what horrible things happen today. The sun is going to come up tomorrow anyway. And after a bunch of sunrises and sunsets, the hard part will be over. There'll be no more separations, no more departures!

Right now we're all pilgrims in the valley of tears, being put to the test. But nobody can really do anything to us, because the sun keeps rising and setting, and we keep getting where we're going!

Deep Throat Discovered?

Richard Nixon is one of my favorite presidents. He and I both disdain Georgetown University, and the Eastern Establishment. So this Felt guy isn't one of my favorite people. No, siree.

If You're Good, You'll Die and Go to Tuscany

Ow, ow, ow!

Yesterday I had a job interview. It went okay, until my Boss decided she wanted to talk to my Dad. And my little brother. (They were parked outside, waiting for me to finish.) And take us all out to lunch.

The agony! I never went through that period during which teenagers think everything their parents do is embarassing. But it was very uncomforatble, being asked questions with other people there.

Then i went home, and it was time to work on the landscaping, moving mulch. My sister got a book, Life of Christ by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, in the mail. She bought it off Ebay, I guess. Anyway, it was stamped "Rev. Raymond Chapman" and had his notes all over it. So I decided to offer up my sweat and pain for this Raymond Chapman, be he alive or dead. It was hot, smelly work and today I can't hardly bend over. But I had my sister look up this Rev. Chapman, and it turns out he was a Methodist pastor, dead recently after a long life.

Interesting, no? This is why I am all for people writing names and dates in books: It leads to an appreciation of history, and of the Communion of Saints. Old books are so cool.

Funniest Thing Ever

I nearly chortled milk out my nose

Kudos to The Shrine

Corpus Christi

The Catholic Church sets aside today for the especial remembrance, honour and worship of the True and Substantial Presence of the Lord Christ Jesus in the Eucharist. Even before I was really Catholic, I knew what the Eucharist was. I just didn't grasp the reality of it, you know? One thing it took awhile to learn: The Eucharist is not just a piece of Body or a piece of Blood: its not a "thing," its a Person. In each crumb and drop, the entire Lord is present. This is why its okay to just receive the Consecrated Host, and not the Precious Blood, or vice versa. Either way, each of us receives the entire Lord, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. What an incredible gift!

There was a time when I received the Lord unworthily, and I'm quite surprised I didn't burst into flames. Then there was a period of over-correction, in which I adopted the Jansenist habit of only receiving if I had been to Confession the day before. Now I like to think I've got it right: receive whenever its ever possible! Even if you've got a ton of venial sins: if you can, go!

This truly awful thing has been making the rounds in the Blogger World, and today it finally made its way onto my computer screen. This, friends, is how the Episcopagan Ecclesial Community will choke to death. Now, its important to remember: those orders aren't valid. And even if they were, this service was "mimed" without words of Consecration. So there was no Corpus Christi present to be mocked. Still, its upsetting.

There were reports of Catholic Clown Masses going around awhile ago, complete with validly ordained priests, valid Matter and words of Consecration. Much much much more horrific. Pictures of the mayhem in the diocese of Linz, Austria, recently reached Papa Benedetto. The Bishop in charge of that place was promptly sacked.

If your pastor doesn't get it yet, be sure to (charitably) let him know: Liturgical Abuse ain't funny. It mocks the True Presence of Our Lord.

Even Popes watch movies

Things I don't like:
1. Messing Around With Ecclesia Supplet

What I mean is, changing the words of absolution at Confession. For some reason, Father can't bring himself to say "I absolve you." He has to say "I forgive you." Why, I don't know. I really don't understand the politics behind it. What I do know is that it messes with the Form of the Sacrament. And as Form and Matter are essential for sacramental validity, this is a Big Deal. Everyone gives me a different answer. One priest says he and most of his colleagues would consider it valid but illicit. Another says "nope, invalid."

I should write the Bishop for some clarity. I've never written a Bishop. Some people write the Bishop and they get blasted, I know. They get:

"Dear Parishioner So-and-So, You are an evil rigid conservative bigoted rubricist, quit bothering me with your infantile concerns, Yours In Christ, Bishop So-and-So."

The problem is not the correction (which everyone needs from time to time,) but the failure of charity. Even then, the blasting is not so bad, but putting a blasting over the words "Yours In Christ" is horrible. I wonder if the people who do that really understand what they're writing. When a Pope, Bishop, Priest, writes "Yours in Christ" he is saying "I am yours and you are mine, you're my baby girl and I love you, and I want nothing more than to see you in Paradise."

They make themselves liars. When I see them blast somebody, it just breaks my heart in pieces. When Fr. Stretch-Ecclesia-Supplet-To-Its-Veritable-Limits says "forgive" instead of "absolve," its like: "stab, twist, pull, and leave the penitent for dead." I used to sit up and cry over Father and his ilk, but I've realized there's limits to what I can do about it.

The elementary school where I work ...


Taylor, Marcia, Shante

Marcia!

London!

Dontae!

The City Year Uniform!

My Boss + Kids

My Other Boss + Kids

Dontae + conspirators

Ah, the Cinema

Cinema is the hoity-toity way of saying "movies" and movies is the modern way of saying "picture show."

I just got back from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Rather dark, it was. Talking like Yoda, I am. One annoying thing:

Darth Vader: If you are not with me, you are with the enemy

Obi Wan Kenobi: Only the Sith Lords deal in absolutes

This is an obvious jab (as much of the film is, some parts really do lay it on unbearably thick) at El Presidente, who once famously said: "If you're not with us, you're with the terrorists.".

What George Lucas & Co. might not have known is that El Presidente was putting a spin on the Bible, a book with which he has some familiarity. Remember the line: "He who is not with me is against me"? Yup, Matthew and Luke, that.

So lets use logic.
1. Only Sith Lords think in absolutes
2. Christ Jesus dealt in absolutes
3. Therefor, Christ Jesus was a Sith Lord.

Oy vey. Not so hot an idea afterall, Mr. Lucas. Also, whenever one of the Jedi Knights say "May the force be with you," I have the compulsion to reply "And also with you." Ye Catholics out there will know that during Mass, when the priest says "The Lord be with you," we all respond "And also with you." Annoying.

Where I work ...

Daycare!!! The grown up is the lead teacher, Maria. The cutie blond is Ethan, and then there's little Mia!

Dorks? Or Not? You Be the Judge.

... because the real judges are still held up in filibuster! Har-har-har. Seriously, I've had all the chuckles I can take about judicial filibusters. For example, there's the tv ad (are they showing it outside the beltway?) in which the audience is exhorted to save a certain cartoon, Phil A. Buster, from the stompings of a robot with red glowing eyes and a mechanical voice hollering: Majority Rule!!! I was neither informed, nor persuaded. But I was entertained.

All the kids here at school are political. The huge, floating t.v.s at the student union are turned to CNN and FNC: change the channel to MTV and die. Forget fraternities and sororities: The local College Democrats and Republicans are the vast, wealthy, impenetrable organizations on campus. People don't talk movies or music. They debate bicameral or parlimentary.

So with finals wrapping up, do these kids behave normally, and go party somewhere? Nooo. They wake up, put on dress shirts and wingtips, and are ready to go at 9:00 am, in time to see today's Senate nomination debates on C-SPAN. Allright, I admit it, I watched too. It was only in doing so that I realized: I am a dork, and so is everyone else here. I rather like being a dork, though. All you uniformed cool people can just .. go forget to register to vote or something.

Of course, there seem to be quite a number of uninformed cool people out there, and despite their legislative prominence, Senators Frist and Reid are relatively unknown. Relative, to say, Madonna. If one of those uniformed cool people were searching for a Madonna song on the radio and accidentally stumbled upon this morning's debates, they might learn a lot. But they would not learn Senator Frist's name, or Senator Reid's name, or anybody's name.

That's because its always: "The Senior Senator of Nevada" this and "the Senior Senator of Tennesse" that. I wonder how many people know "the Junior Senator of New York" is actually Hillary Clinton. The reason the senators keep all this "my distinguished colleague" and "my honourable friend" stuff up, even as they tear each other to pieces, is because its a way if seperating themselves from that uncooth bunch of nuts, the House.

Because they refuse to use each other's names, they can say that their lofty "deliberations" (not debates, mind you,) are not personal disagreements or attacks. Nifty, right?

Anyway. Senators Frist and Reid had a delightful back and forth. This despite the presence of Senator Kennedy, (the Senior Senator of Massachusetts,) who seemed to enjoy "reserving the right to object" a bit too much.

Hopefully the Senate will presently get to the second part of its job. That is, after deliberating, actually voting. Voting. Remember? You go up to the front and say "Yea" or "Nea"? Go to it boys!

Good Idea / Bad Idea

Good Idea:

Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece in Barcelona. Some people are converted on the spot, because of the hope of heaven, the fear of hell, and the awe at the majesty of God which the architecture of this building inspires

Bad Idea:

"You mean its finished?" Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, a.k.a the
Taj Mahoney, in L.A. People are bewildered by the exterior, trip over the baptismal font at the entrance, and spend the rest of the day staring at the infamous Mary Statue:

Interesting ... Very Interesting ...

Religious Leaders Agree on Role of Mary

Okay, its bile from the Guardian, but it passed the smell test at Free Republic, so it must be at least partially good for consumption. The Anglican Communion is a complicated thing, and I know next to nothing. Shannon, the brains of the outfit, knows more.

I've read rumours about a group of "traditionalist Anglicans" (don't ask me what that means,) buttering up Papa. Or rather, he was buttering them. Well, some manner of schmoozing was going on. They've had "sublime" meetings, or something.

Its good news, anyway. Very nice news. But I wouldn't be looking for any fireworks just yet. There's still "Lambeth: 1978" to drive poor Cardinal Kaspar up the wall.

Looking For A Good College?

My younger brother is a junior in high school. Pretty soon, he's going to be applying to colleges. My advice? Send your kids to schools in full compliance with Ex Corde Ecclesiae.

And how are you going to know who's in compliance with that? Really, they all should be. But you've still got to ask, demand, insist the University tell you if the professors that teach in the "Religious Studies" department have received their mandatum.

All of them should have mandatums. It's a requirement of canon law. But you have to be careful. Ask. Don't assume. Think Georgetown University, flagship Catholic college here in DC, has a theology department equipped with mandatums? Think again. If the University refuses to tell you who has the mandatum, move along. They've got something to hide.

Here's a list of some Universities with faculty that have received the mandatum.

Hellooo, People! It's Orange Juice that he likes. He goes into bars and orders Orange Juice. Geesh!

Sigh. I'd prefer it if Papa's penchant for OJ was made common knowledge. We could all use some Vitamin C, along with our B-16.

But I guess if Papa is going to knock back a cold one, it'd be from this Stuttgart (that's a city in Germany) brewery called Stuttgarter Hofbraeu.

Remember the grand to-do over his used Volkswagon, on Ebay? Apparently, anything that Papa drinks or drives is worth its weight in gold. This Stuttgarter Hofbraeu company publicized the Papal approval of its brewskies and has started selling them like hot cakes.

Via A Saintly Salmagundi

I'm Stealing This ...

... from Matthew @ the Shrine of the Holy Whapping. I feel badly about it, but its so ga-faw funny I can't resist.



Mr. Jones, Mr. Smith ...

and Mr. Ratzinger?



Papa in all-black civvies, well golly. Perhaps he spent some time "protecting the Church from the Scum of the Universe" even before he was CDF? Or maybe he was on a Mission from God:

The Church Underground

It's a well-established fact: Communists hate Catholics. We defeated them in Russia, now the smackdown is on for China. You can help.

Cardinal Kung was the Roman Catholic Bishop of Shanghai. He was made a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1979, while serving a life sentence prison term in China. This elevation was made "in pectore," meaning "in secret" [...] He was arrested on September 8, 1955, when the Bishop and more than 200 priests and Church leaders were taken overnight [...]

Months after his arrest, he was taken to the dog racing stadium of Shanghai to publicly confess his "crimes." Thousands were present in the stadium as he was pushed to a microphone, hands bound behind his back, and wearing only Chinese pijamas. Instead of a confession, though, the authorities heard, "Long live Christ the King! Long live the Pope!"
Excerpted


Photo via The Angry Twins, a pair of loyal Catholic Chinese bloggers.

Exhausted? Dehydrated? Stressed? Melting, Perhaps?

Go buy a copy of Allegri's Miserere and listen. I own this particular recording, and I must say, it does makes one unclench.
Tallis Scholars + Palestrina = Good, Clean, Fun.

In other news. Rachel Hodges of City Year Washington DC fame left me a voicemail message while I was at work. "I have good news for you," she says. This, I'm pretty sure, means I got in to the program. Which is remarkable, seeing as how there really is not much movement off their waitlists.

So, whatever happens, at least now I know my parents won't force me into another debt inducing year of University School. Three Cheers, hoorah!

Now time for some Nutella.

Supporting Abortion Makes You Stupid

Apparently, the nuckers are offering a holy card to Our Lady of Guadalupe, including prayers for keeping Abortion legal.

Nevermind that at the apparition of Guadalupe, the Virgin Mary appeared to be pregnant. And that Our Lady of Guadalupe is actually the official patroness of the unborn.

Perhaps I shouldn't point out the Abortionist's stupidity. It's kind of nice having them be counter-productive.

Kudos to the Curt Jester

We Live In A Time of Great Saints

Just think what the two of them must be up to in Heaven ...

Elitist Snob's Feelings Hurt By Super-Elitist Snobs

There's this annoying thing on campus. It's called "the Order of the Hippo." It sounds vaguely Masonic, so of course, I'm against it. It's supposed to be one of those secret societies, a la Skull and Bones. Another attempt to imitate eastern ivy-league culture, I suppose. Anyway, its apparently not so secret. Because unlike Skull and Bones, this Order of the Hippo thing is University-entangled:



Our imitable President S. J. Trachtenburg, (the one in the polka dot-ish bow tie) leaving a "secret" Order of the Hippo meeting.Credit: Ben Solomon Hatchet photographer


Super elitist Order members arriving at their shin-dig. Credit: David Ediger Hatchet photographer


"University Marshal Jill Kasle, who denied the existence of the group, said if it were real, it would be "dedicated to the well-being of GW and the people who live, work, eat and sleep here."

She said the order would undertake a charity project on a yearly basis - if it did exist. The group may have donated artwork to be put in classrooms and a telescope for the 1957 E St. rooftop terrace.

"If it did exist I may act as an advisor to the group," Kasle said. (Excerpted, GW Hatchet)

Now there's nothing that gets a bunch of rich, elitist kids more upset than being excluded from a rich, elitist club. It was only a matter of time, I think, before "The Order of the Hippo" was targeted for a smackdown. And lo and behold, the next issue of the newspaper was full of letters blasting the group. Apparently, because of its University involvment, the Order soaks up some of the money shaken loose from the student population when we pay our dues. I of course, would join in in the beating, if I weren't so disinterested. One up-and-coming freshman came up with a real zinger:


"I'm sure it's pretty nice having a cushy office in Rice Hall or being able to charge opulent dinners to the SA tab,[a reference to a recent scandal in our famously corrupt student government] but lets have a little respect for the "other half" and don't fund your excuses to play dress-up on my back. "

Saint Josephina
She was obedient to the true Master

How'd you like to be the guy who has to somehow fit the Pope's piano through the skinny doors of the Papal palace?

The Pope is "reportedly very attached to his piano." Attached as in, break my baby and die, die, die, perhaps? Nah. Papa is a gentle man, and a true gentleman, and they say he never goes ballistic. Still, prayers for the poor movers are in order.

Remember my earlier post about how Papa made a trip to his little old apartment above the last stop on the Number 64 bus line? And remember how I said it was odd that he went to take care of it himself, when he could have sent somebody else?

Well. Turns out that the plot all along was to go home and noodle around on the piano for several hours. I knew there was a reason. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. Ohhh well. Even Popes need a break every so often, ya.

Apparently, Papa used to bang away so loudly on his piano, he'd tweak the neighbors. Well, I'm sure he didn't mean to. Can you imagine being the guy who complained to the Cardinal about the racket? What did he do, go knocking on his door? I mean, the Pope isn't exactly a loud college kid, right?

Wake up feeling a little heterodox this morning? You need a dose of B-16

Papa Benedetto: Putting the smackdown on heresy since 1981

Finals, Finals, Finals

They come in waves. So there may be intermittent "light blogging" for the next few weeks. Grin and bear it, my dearly loved bloggies!