The Beginning of the Post

How does one begin a book? (Or in my case a Blog Post) A letter, a word, soon a sentence, then another, and suddenly a paragraph is begotten—a two-sentence paragraph. Dickens, Melville, Odenkirk—all have faced the same query, and only one has failed. Melville. “Call me Ishmael.” Talk about giving up .-Bob Odenkirk, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama (2022)

2 More Posts to Go to Post 400.

I suppose I need to mention what the latest happenings are.

How will we look back on these events say a year from now?

Here are the latest Tweets, Blogs and Other Writings happening on the web

How to Deal With Scandal

A particular Catholic has recently published a blog post accusing a well known public ministry of wrongdoing. It’s getting a lot of shares and ‘I’m not surprised” comments. I don’t really want to go into the details of it and add fuel to fire. It’s basically a he said/she said type of situation. Their are accusations and denials and no concrete facts to really go on. You either find one side more credible then the other side.

But I do want to highlight a principle of how to deal with this or any other scandal tweeted by a well known Catholic writer and speaker. He says…

I write this specifically for those who’ve been positively impacted by the ministry of ………… and might be feeling betrayed.
1. Wait to pass judgment.
2. Remember that it is Christ you worship, not a charismatic leader. Christ can save even through flawed messengers.

And for (so and so) before you come out and flatly deny everything and hope the story goes away (even if 100% false) it might help to ask why the story is so believable for so many. Is it all the culture being critical or are there real mistakes to be cleaned up?

If you so desire you can always do a google search to find out what it is. This is all I wish to say on the mater.

Seeing Mary in the Saints

The Mary we see in the Pietà is the epitome of a saint. We see Mary in St. Thomas More kneeling before the headsman and in St. Maximilian Kolbe singing in the starvation bunker, in St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross in the cattle car to Auschwitz and in Blessed Miguel Pro before the firing squad. And she learned it from her son. She embraces the cross instead of rationalizing it. She surrenders to God instead of irritably effecting human plans. She loves through hate and hopes through doubt. Does she hurt? Without question. Does she worry? Of course. But she knows—even if it takes every ounce of strength to persist in the knowing—that God knows what he is doing, that God will never abandon us.
DR. TOD WORNER The Strength in Mary’s Silence – (MAY 3, 2022)Word on Fire

Student Debt Canceled?

Rae Stabosz on FB: I keep reading posts by Catholics decrying the push to forgive student loans. Having dealt with my share of student loans as a student, a mom, and a Grandmom, I understand how folks can get mad at the idea of their tax money being used to cancel debts incurred by others.

But it makes me cringe to witness Catholics denounce the very idea of debt forgiveness, just as it makes me cringe to witness Catholics denounce the Church’s sexual teachings. Every time we pray the Our Father, we ask God to forgive our debts as we forgive others’. Jewish law and tradition includes a regular (every six years?) forgiveness of debt that was incorporated into the early Church’s thoughts on debt.

And it’s a core Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ somehow assumes our debts incurred by sin. The mechanism of Christ’s redemptive act is still vigorously debated in Christian circles, but the fact of it is not.

I think it’s scandalous to the Gospel to publicly decry debt forgiveness. It’s a political issue. If your politics appear to contradict your faith, the Great Commission would suggest public silence as a better choice when approaching the topic.

Roe V Wade Overturned?

Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC��: @FrMatthewLC: Abortion isn’t a “reproductive right” – if you are seeking an abortion, you’ve already reproduced & the baby is alive as a separate human being with his or her own rights.

Easter Emily, Alleluia!!! ��@EmilyKath319: Wonder if I can convince my conspiratorial family member that this is happening because the Pope “finally” consecrated Russia

Fr. Paul@BackwardsFeet: daily reminder that even when abortion is made illegal the reasons that women seek abortion still exist and we still have to fight the poverty, lack of support systems, and helplessness that makes women feel they need to make these decisions

(((Simcha Fisher)))@SimchaFisher:
honestly, being a lifelong pro-lifer seeing roe v wade about to be overturned in *this* political climate is kind of like, whoa, my lifelong dream of owning my own home is finally coming true!!!
Oh no, it’s haunted. And it’s okay, we can do something about this! We can still live here! But first, an exorcism!

William C. Michael on FB:
Contraception and abortion are not the moral problems in America.
Reckless fornication and adultery are the moral problems in America.
Contraception and abortion are simply consequences of them–and they will never be eliminated by political action.

Democrats For Life Statement

The time to overturn Roe is long past due, but we should not be celebrating just yet. First, we need to remain calm and wait for the official decision from the Supreme Court.

Second, if the Supreme Court does choose to overturn Roe, it will return the legal questions back into the hands of the people and those they elect. We have an incredible amount of work ahead to ensure that we protect women and children in a post-Roe world.

The Court clearly made a mistake 50 years ago when it took away these decisions from the people, and now we as a nation are so polarized that we forget that there are real people involved. This should not be about the next election. This should be about women, their families, and their children.

Many states have chosen to eliminate health and safety regulations governing abortion in response to the possibility that the Supreme Court might overturn Roe. They have voted to allow non-doctors to perform abortions on women. They have lowered their regulatory oversight of chemical abortions. Mail-order abortion pills have inflicted significant trauma on many women who used them and even sent them to emergency rooms.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have states limiting abortion from 6 weeks to 20 weeks. Still, some of those states lack the infrastructure to connect pregnant women with available resources to help them stay in school, continue their careers or have essential resources to support their growing families. More needs to be done in this regard.

Democrats For Life is calling for calm, reflection, and, yes, vigorous civil debate on how best to help women and the babies they carry.

Kristen Day, Executive Director, Democrats For Life of America

DEMOCRATS FOR LIFE OF AMERICA

End of Catholic News Service

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced to staff May 4 a dramatic reorganization of its communications department, including the closure of the Washington and New York offices of Catholic News Service.Catholic News Service to cease domestic operations at year’s end – Catholic News Service

James Martin, SJ@JamesMartinSJ: Here is the story. Still hard to fathom. CNS was one of the most reliable and impartial news outlets for the church in this country. With their closing, reporting on the church immediately becomes less balanced.

David Gibson@GibsonWrites: Terrible irony: The USCCB has not said anything about shutting down its own news service, whose reporters are currently the only source of information on their own demise. That’s journalism.

Joshua McElwee@joshjmac: The staff at Catholic News Service (@CatholicNewsSvc) are some of the hardest working, most professional and best journalists I’ve ever had the opportunity to know and work with. Full stop.

Pope Francis in Conversations

Christopher Lamb@ctrlamb: Pope Francis says that Patriarch Kirill “cannot become Putin’s altar boy.”

When the pair spoke Kirill tried to justify the invasion but Francis replied: “Brother, we are not state clerics, we cannot use the language of politics, but that of Jesus.”

Pope Francis@Pontifex: I suffer and weep thinking of the sufferings of the Ukrainian people, and, in particular, the weakest, the elderly and the children.

Ines San Martin@inesanma: Pope Francis says that he let Putin know that he is ready to go to Moscow to make his case for peace; warned Russian Patriach Kirill against becoming an “altar boy” for the Kremlin, and compared the ongoing war in #Ukraine to Rwanda’s genocide. Francis compares Ukraine to Rwanda, unsure about arming Kyiv | Crux (cruxnow.com)

D.W. Lafferty@rightscholar: He is trying to understand Putin’s thinking, even if that thinking is deeply flawed. Pope Francis is a warrior of dialogue, because he knows that only dialogue will save the world from destruction. He can’t become a Kirill.

Why the Hell?

Struggles

Christopher Kinyon@TheIambicPen: I have some struggles with my Christian faith, mostly relating to Hell and the apparent difficulty of achieving salvation. However, I still think Christian and specifically Catholic morality really does make the most sense.

If I’m ever tempted to walk away, I just look at what the world looks like off the straight and narrow.

Pursuing Easter Joy

The glory of the Easter Triduum, the high point of the whole liturgical year, shines in a way throughout the whole year, even during the penitential weeks of Lent, but especially for these 50 days, these seven weeks, the joy of our Lord’s victory over death and evil and corruption fills our liturgies, and should fill our hearts and minds.

Yet somehow Easter, even more than Christmas, tends to fade from consciousness after the big day. Many of us are aware throughout the 40 days of Lent of the penitential spirit of the season and the acts of self-denial or sacrifice that we’ve undertaken—but are we equally conscious of the 50 days of Easter and the call to joy? Are we even clear that joy, not unlike self-denial, is something we must pursue? SDG-Pursuing Easter joy – Decent Films

Examination of Conscience

Matt Fradd on FB: The amount of deep introspection and self-examination this has caused me is ludicrous

Virtue Seeking

Brian Holdsworth on FB: A virtuous person does not need to highlight the vices of others to exemplify their own virtue or the merits of virtue any more than the greatest basketball player needs to spend time ridiculing amateurs to prove their own greatness.

And now for something a little less serious.

To me, the best comedy has an anger in it, and I still don’t like comedy that lacks a touch of that anger. It’s like “smooth jazz”—a waste of jazz.

Nowadays there are classes for comedy at many colleges. Some even have degrees in “Absurdist Joshing” and “Character Japery,” and one offers a master’s degree in “Kooky Behavior.” My advice to those colleges: Combine the Setup 101 and Punch Line 101 classes—you’ll save time and it’ll all make more sense.

Bob Odenkirk, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama (2022)

Weird Comedy

If things go well I will see Weird Al in concert for the first time tomorrow night on May 7th.

A Christmas Gift from my wife to me.

I may write about it.

Don’t know what post #499 will be about yet.

Nor the 400th post on our 2nd year anniversary.

But here is the Teaser Trailer for the upcoming Weird Al movie this fall.

Starring Harry Potter.

Sound Comedy

Mommy Musical Comedy

Tattoo Drama

Strange Madness Drama

Opening today is Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

I either saw it last night or will today.

I may wait and see it with my friend Dave or see it before him and then again.

I don’t know.

Figuring it out is well, Madness.

Spider-Man Mario Drama

Star Wars Catechetical Lesson

Pope Michael@PopeMichael_en: Happy #StarWarsDay, a time to remember that sometimes religious leadership doesn’t come from a fancy Grand Temple on Coruscant, but rather a simple, faithful farm boy from the middle of nowhere.

Tired of Cars

Owl! at the Library ��‍♀️@SketchesbyBoze: (Apr 22)
I’m tired of cars, I want trains, monorails, cat buses with gleaming eyes, mysterious trolleys that emerge from the deep woods, beribboned witches who deliver your food on brooms