There are unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop. - Barack Obama

The President closed LGBT Pride celebrations and offered the gay community a bone...

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Gay activists have been pretty upset with the Obama Administration for not moving fast enough with their agenda. Last night Obama may have calmed a few of their fears.

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"President Barack Obama implicitly endorsed the entire homosexual agenda in the remarks he made yesterday commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots by homosexual activists in New York.

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Here is Obama’s blanket endorsement of homosexual rights, delivered near the conclusion of his comments:

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'We must continue to do our part to make progress — step by step, law by law, mind by changing mind. And I want you to know that in this task I will not only be your friend; I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you.'

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Earlier in his talk, delivered at the first-ever “LGBT Pride Month reception” at the White House, Obama provided a detailed shopping list of the specific actions he has made or intends to make in order to accommodate the demands of the homosexual lobby. And the president made some dismissive references to the majority of Americans who continue to oppose the bid by homosexual activists to portray homosexuality as normal sexual behavior and their efforts to redefine marriage to make homosexual unions equal in law to authentic marriages between men and women.

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Said Obama, “There are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors or even family members and loved ones, who still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes; who fail to see your families like their families; and who would deny you the rights that most Americans take for granted.” - Source

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(When asked how citizens might be convinced to accept gay lifestyles as equal to heteronormal ones, a source close to the White House stated emphatically, "Zhay vill be reprogrammed immejiately!")

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And they all lived happily ever after.
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THE END
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Links:
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REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENTAT LGBT PRIDE MONTH RECEPTION

Minnesota's newest Senator!

Al Franken

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"I'm good enough, smart enough, and dog-gone-it - 300+ people liked me more than Norm Coleman."

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I never liked either one of you.

Gays Stonewalled in Texas?

Texas Rangers don't tell.

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I came across the story on Ad Dominum. Not one major news agency seems to have picked up the story - which is why I doubted it - but here it is:
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"Seven customers were arrested for public intoxication at a Fort Worth, Texas, gay bar shortly after midnight Sunday.
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Angry gay activists said the incident mimicked the famous police raid on the Stonewall Inn gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village exactly 40 years earlier.
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Fort Worth police released a statement saying they conducted a routine “alcohol beverage code inspection,” not a raid, at the Rainbow Lounge, a gay club that opened for business less than a month ago." - Source
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Gay news sites are reporting the incident and subsequent protests, but not one major news outlet outside local affiliates has covered it. That is weird on so many levels. The mainstream media is usually very vocal in supporting gay rights, so why the hush?
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I'm not sure what the standards of morality in Fort Worth Texas are, I do seem to recall certain areas in Texas were 'dry' - that is public consumption of alcohol was banned, so the excuse police used "jus checkin' licker inspekshuns" might fly with some - but it shor duz soun luk hairassin' ta me.
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“I’ve worked in gay bars in four different counties in Texas,” Rainbow Lounge bouncer Justin McCarty said in the CBS 11 News story. “I’ve never seen anything this aggressive.” - Source
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If it sounds like harassment, is it?
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"Chad Cox, a bartender for another Fort Worth gay bar called Best Friends, said he was not aware of any complaints of police mistreatment of gay bar patrons in his club or in other gay establishments in Fort Worth.
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He said he has worked as a bartender in mostly straight bars in Fort Worth over the past 20 years and has routinely observed public intoxication arrests.
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“In Texas you can get a PI in a bar,” he said. “You can get a PI walking from a bar to your car. If the cops believe that you’re drunk, they can give it to you any time. That’s Texas.” - Source
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One man is reportedly in serious condition after being roughed up by police and thrown to the ground, causing a head injury. In all a total of 7 people were arrested at the gay bar, although there was no 'round-up' or closing of the facility as in the case of the historic Stonewall incident. Included in the arrests were intoxicated persons from at least two other straight bars.
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I had friends from Texas who told me (several years ago) this type of thing did take place in various counties, although I never realized it continued to exist. Apparently bar owners used to pay off the cops, and as one commenter on a gay site noted, the raid could have been because the pay-offs weren't made - all speculation and hearsay of course.
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It will be interesting to see what comes of this. My friend at Ad Dominum suggests this is proof the hate crime legislation is needed. Maybe. It could also be that certain power structures such as some local police departments are corrupt and in need of reform. Reportedly Fort Worth's city council seats a gay council member, therefore one would assume if gays have representation in local government, discrimination is not an issue.
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All in all - the story seems surreal in this day and age - it's just a bar. Southerners are weird though - remember a few years back - maybe still - Boss Hog-type State Patrol guys would just stop you for nothing in redneck country?

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Just trying to be fair here.

Pink Pickle

Ella started a fun little quilting pickle and our first meeting was on Saturday. We had such a great time...the food was yummy (I made chocolate covered strawberries!!) and Ella made a delicious layered jello salad. It was such a hit, we decided we have to have jello every time we meet! The weather also co-operated after a cold, wet June the day was beautiful!

I am excited we are going to make a quilt for Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer foundation, once a year they have a huge quilt auction. When I make my blocks I will post them...the colors are white, pink and green.

Watch your purse girls!

See, I'm looking out for you.
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I picked up the following story about a woman stealing from the purses women leave behind in the pew as they approach Holy Communion:
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"Long Island cops say they've caught a woman robbing congregants during church. Patricia Adams saw an opportunity during services at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church – and it wasn't for worship. While a devout parishioner knelt down in prayer, the 46-year-old leaned over a church pew and stole cash from her purse, police said. An usher saw her do it and called the cops." - Story
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I see this all the time ladies - not the stealing, but women leaving their purses in pews, in grocery carts as they pick out produce, on counters in stores, on the seat of their car, hanging over the back of their chair in a restaurant, on their desk in the office, and so on. You can't do that stuff anymore ladies - especially now that the economy is in the toilet - but even when the economy was good you should have been more cautious.
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I think women would do well to take the Queen for their model. Betty never goes anywhere without her purse, she carries it around the house wherever she goes, no matter if she is dusting or vacuuming or doing her workout routine. She takes it to the bathroom, washing dishes, she even takes it to bed. She dances with it, walks around the palace grounds inspecting the guards with it, greets visitors with it - she's never without it.
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Watch your purse girls.

Isolated case...

Gay adoption.
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One of my friends emailed me a news item a week or so ago concerning a gay couple in the UK who sexually abused one or more of their adopted kids. Such isolated cases have popped up in the news over the past couple of years, but they tend to be pretty much ignored - unless it involves a priest or religious of course.
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Sadly another case has emerged: "Sitting in a Durham County jail cell, Frank M. Lombard, the Duke University researcher accused of offering his adopted 5-year-old son for sex, awaits a trip to Washington, D.C., this week to face federal criminal charges. Federal authorities say Lombard, 42, of 24 Indigo Creek Trail, performed sexual acts on his son and invited an undercover investigator online to fly to North Carolina and do the same." - Story
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A 5 year old.

Just when you think you know someone...

Christ's kinsfolk and neighbors thought they knew him; "Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters our neighbors? [Mk 6:3] They found him to be too much and accused him of being "a glutton and a drunkard, a lover of tax collectors and those outside the law." [Matt 11:19]

The chiden.

Joe and Katherine have filed to get Michael's chiden today. Those poor kids.

A Cherry for Me and You!

We had dinner last night at my sister-in-law and brother-in-law's house and they have a very beautiful, large garden. I was asking them about their fruit trees and she said because of all the rain and mild temperatures the Cherries are a month behind. I have never been so happy in my whole life for a cold, wet June.

Her trees were bursting with fruit, the evening was picturesque and I was in heaven. I loaded my bucket with wonderful cherries, the kids played soccer, the dads chatted and all while the sun ~ set. Who could ask for more?

I probably came home with five pounds of Cherries: I picked to my hearts content and my sister-in-law was so sweet to share.

World-wide pants...

Over thinking blue jeans.

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A couple of blogs have posts concerning blue jeans and I suppose you could say, their role in the revolution. Don't ask. I have to object when people get historical things wrong and think they know anything about fashion. Oh - lighten up - I'm playing with you. Anyway - in order to set the record straight, I'm posting the following data concerning jeans - the label blue jeans was a later appellation invented in the 1950's and '60's. People of a certain age and education seem to think pop culture was born in the '70's - it wasn't. But I digress.

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Denim jeans were invented by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss in 1873 as a more durable type of waist overalls for working men. They eventually evolved to become the American working man's overall - cheap, affordable, practical. They were born to the working class.

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As cinema became more accessible, and the Westerns became a popular genre, the jean caught on with Americans - in the 1930’s especially. Movie fans admired the manly cowboys and ranch hands who graced the screen in their rough and tumble dust-washed denims - the jean soon became identifiable with manliness.

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Going forward, but before the Last Picture show ended and the Happy Days began, just about every small town kid had a pair of jeans to play in - they just couldn't wear them to school. In the 1950's they were no longer just for work, guys wore them cruising around town, hanging out at the drive-in, and just about every place else they didn't have to dress up for. James Dean perfected them as a sign of teenage rebellion - and so for a time, only hoods wore them... Until the 1960's. (Although there is evidence they had already been picked up by the avante-garde, even in Europe.)

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In the '60's preppy guys like Dobie Gillis did the white jean thing for a time, while beat guys like Maynard G. Krebs hung out in sloppy blues - but by the time the Beatles landed, the blue jean went mainstream. In the late '60's they became uniform, thanks to the hip generation. I suppose it can be argued jeans were identified as a symbol of revolution, like the Mao look - maybe. Yet for the most part they were simply practical, unisex, very available and very inexpensive pants. That is until they became big business and got to be a fashion wholly identified with the United States.

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In the 1970's the fashion industry began its exploitation of the trend, continuing into the '80's as designer labels were sewed on everything; the price surged and the jean suddenly became fashion - American casual became casual chic. Hence, jeans made it to evening wear, both for guys - tux top, jeans and cowboy boot bottom, and for women - anyway they wanted. So in this respect, yes, jeans symbolized freedom from convention, as well as a sort of libertarian spirit. Nevertheless, when blue jeans became a status symbol for the wealthy elite, it seems reasonable to assert that any so-called revolutionary symbolism finally lost its significance as well as any notion of rebellion. That is what fashion is and does.

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Today the jean has evolved and become so popular even the Pope noted its unifying dimension across nationalities. It is no different today than the Roman toga was to its time - I'm playing loose with Roman history here - but the jean has become a style that is as commonplace as a pair of flip-flops. I doubt anyone wears blue jeans with any consciousness or intention of rebellion, revolution, or egalitarianism. We just wear them - just like the t-shirt. And although the fashion industry still likes to capitalize on the status appeal - the proletariat has smartened up and returned to the commie-loving-Jew-manufactured basic jean, in regular or loose fit, depending on your taste and size.

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No offense, but this is not an important issue whatsoever - so don't take it too seriously. Change the world - ban jeans. LOL! Oh, and BTW, pierced ears for men did not start with gay men cruising bars - the modern trend developed in hippie culture, probably somewhat rooted in an appreciation for Elizabethan fashion, as well as a slight nod to neo-paganism. Gays didn't invent everything, they just know how to market it.

It's over.

What's over?

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It's over. We are definitely in the post-Christian era. Even Fr. Blake seems to have noted it (Although not quite in the same sense I have.):

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"I had to concede the battle is lost in the UK, and for that matter most of Europe, over abortion, over the family, over adoption. Catholics are increasingly finding it difficult to work in the health service, in certain areas of social services, soon maybe in education. Many of our flagship charities seem to be less than faithful to the magisterium. We are fighting a rear-guard action to save our schools, if militant secularists remain in government that battle could soon be lost too." - Source

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They have legislated morality while they were telling Christians morality can't be legislated. They say there is a generation gap now. A recent poll suggests most young people (18-29) have no use for religion, It appears they have been educated to reject the old morality and social conventions regarding lifestyle, definition of family, and so on - in other words, the revolution of my generation worked. Same-sex marriage will be universally legalized, abortion will remain an option in birth-control and gender selection, and for those to whom religion is a "nice thing" - barring any intervention by Islam - it will be remain the relativistic version of neo-Pantheism modern culture and religion has evolved towards. In the U.S. it is reported the 18-29 year old demographic is largely responsible for putting Barack Obama in office, which may indicate they must agree with his policies. (So they must be the new they now.)

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So anyway. The old saying appears to apply here; the genie is out of the bottle - it has been for quite sometime - society and culture is on its own trajectory. The dividing lines have fallen, the sheep and the goats are taking their places. This isn't meant to be defeatist however, I think it is great that Catholics work to try to take back culture and tradition, but I can't help think back to the early Christians in pagan Rome, conversion happened one person at a time, one family at a time, one community at a time. It was the fire of divine love, burning in the hearts of the laity, that contributed to the spread of Christianity - accompanied by martyrdom - that was how they evangelized culture. As a commenter stated on Fr. Blake's post:

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"I think if we could be transported back to the 1st or 2nd century Roman Empire, we would find our fellow Christians not even attempting to convert the whole empire by changing its laws and culture. I think their emphasis may have been more individual-to-individual contact, converting individual Romans, until the Christian "salt" had seasoned so many people that the empire, as a whole, could change. In other words, conversion of a culture is from the bottom upward." - Source

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So. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Santo subito...

Oh shut up - I'm kidding.

What?

Three Little Pigs 1961 - Fractured Fairy Tales

Did you see what I saw?

Virtues and the contrary vices.

Peabody here.

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It seems to me that many people appear to go along in life somewhat unconscious or oblivious to the moral virtues. The acquired moral virtues are obtained by the practice of moral acts directed by natural reason and human goodness, while infused moral virtues are supernaturally placed in the soul at baptism. We can lose these infused moral virtues through sin - vices contrary to the virtue, yet they are restored to the soul through the sacrament of penance. I think confessors and spiritual directors might agree that even with penitents striving to amend their lives, many often do not focus a great deal of attention upon the acquisition or development of the virtues. Understanding their importance can often be far from one's thoughts in the everyday occupations and diversions which comprise our lives. Even with prayerful persons eager for contemplative graces proper attention can be lacking.

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Spiritual writers point out that the importance of virtue is made manifest by the vice or sin that is it's opposite. Although many people tend to focus on eliminating a particular vice, they may not understand the need to understand and practice the mortification necessary to acquire the virtue opposed to it. I may not be explaining this well, but take for instance a guy who has a problem with chastity. He may not understand that chastity is connected to the moral virtue of temperance, which corresponds to the Holy Spirit's gift of fear - fear of the Lord. Connected, or allied to the cardinal virtue of temperance and the virtue of chastity are the virtues of humility and meekness - which when accompanied by mortification, act as the guardian of chastity. Of course, all of the virtues are necessary for perfection, and these "human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man's faculties for participation in the divine nature." - CCC 1812

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I don't want to make this too long however. So, for what it is worth, this is the point I was going for: Temperance, and it's allied virtues of sobriety and chastity, meekness and humility is opposed by the contrary vices of intemperance, lust, anger, pride, and curiosity. Taking all of these things into consideration, wouldn't you say that the LGBT Pride movement is inherently sinful and in total opposition to Christian perfection? I'm even thinking that intemperance may be the predominant fault, or underlying vice of homosexualism, since it is dominated by pride, lust, anger, and curiosity.

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Just a thought - take it with a grain of salt.

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I bet you didn't even know I was going there, did ya. LOL!

Sermonizing Michael.

Sunday morning.

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Friday night I got really pissed over some of the goody-two-shoes remarks about Michael Jackson that were popping up immediately after his death had been announced - well, in the first 24 hours after his death. I only came across one religious person's critique that I found acceptable, and it was by a rabbi. I also noted on another blog (whose owner recently posted on the niceties of a gay pride celebration) a link the author posted to some sort of preacher-man referring to the media event, and possibly the star's life, as a product of freak show culture - I didn't really read it close - but I shot back in exasperation (just like people so often do with me BTW). I left this comment:

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"Speaking of freak show culture - the Minneapolis Gay Pride celebration takes place this weekend..' Adapting a line from the post I added, 'There are plenty of folks who think America is a Christian nation. I’d like to ask them: What does The Gay Pride Parade of drag queens and leather queens and male strippers say about our country, our culture, and our celebrity-crazed nation’s spiritual health?'. See how this bible-banger shit works?"

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I wasn't interested in a response, but between that and a comment left here by someone else, "I laughed when I heard he died." I decided to turn off comments on the blog for awhile.

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After I cooled down a bit, I realized once again I'm no better than anyone else, and once again I found out the hard way that I always, always forget that. ALWAYS! I can be just as holier than thou as the next blogger; sermonizing on this or that, laughing at this person and that eccentricity, criticizing this or that behavior - because I've been there done that, getting all scandalized after someone gets caught not living up to their profession of faith - forgetting my own hypocrisy, and so on. This is one reason why non-religious folks hate religious people - it isn't always because we are such saintly disciples of Christ. So anyway...

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I'm bad.

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Enough said. I get pissed - I get over it. Hey, but now it's really going to hit the fan - the soap opera has taken off! Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton have honed in on the Jackson clan for their close-up. Janet and the rest of the family are already at the house clearing stuff out before the creditors get their hands on Michael's personal possessions - and Michael isn't even buried yet. It's gonna be like a huge chase scene in a movie, a huge brouhaha unlike any ever witnessed - maybe like the ending of "It's A mad, Mad Mad World".

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How queer.

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And yep - today really is gay pride in Minneapolis. Today is the anniversary of Stonewall, the name given the 'riots' which took place outside the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in NYC in 1969. (It is still a dive BTW.) I remember the event well - it was all over the news and the talk of morning coffee at Dayton's. Young people and foreigners may not know this, but in those days gay bars were often owned or protected by the mob or some crooked underground organization - just like strip joints and bathhouses were. The cops - here in Minneapolis and Manhattan - were paid-off, bribed to turn a blind eye. At the time NYC was undergoing one of it's moral face lifts when Stonewall erupted - the cops had been harassing the seedier gay bars at the time. Stonewall was a dive, a sleaze joint; drags, hookers, druggies, and neighborhood gays frequented the place. It was a shade shady, the cops raided, the queens protested and threw rocks and got arrested.

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Gay people around the country took notice, not a few denounced it privately - believe it or not, privacy still existed back then - but the event did indeed spark a movement. The rest is history of course, oftentimes mythologized beyond recognition, which is why today has become the gay Cinco de Mayo. Only these days critics are no longer free to call it - for fear of hate mongering - a great big freak show.

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The Whore of Babylon. (One last bible-bang for your buck.)
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Pop culture is a funny thing - we are all part of it - or at least touched and influenced by it, like it or not. Catherine of Genoa referred to it as "The contagion of the world's slow stain". John of the Cross was more explicit: "Where does this poisonous harm fail to reach? And who fails to drink little or much from the golden chalice of the Babylonian woman of the Apocalypse? ...There is hardly anyone of high rank or low, saint or sinner, who does not drink of her wine, subjecting his heart somewhat. For as pointed out in Revelation 17:2-4, all the kings of the earth were inebriated with the wine of her prostitution. She reaches out to all states, even the supreme and illustrious state of the priesthood, by setting her abominable cup in the holy place, as Daniel asserts [Dn. 9:27], and she hardly leaves a strong man who has not drunk a small or large quantity of wine from her chalice..." - Ascent III, 22:4

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(Comments off for another day or so.)

The year of the priest and stuff.

I discovered this graphic on Jackie's blog - I like it very much, don't you?

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I went to a different church for the vigil mass last evening. I decided beforehand I'd go and put on a front like the scary old guy who lived next door to the kid in Home Alone. I figured if I'm unfriendly looking enough and sit way in the back, people will will not want to come over to me and tell me about their visions.

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At the sign of peace some Miss-Glad-Hands old lady walks about 15 pews back to shake my hand. Then at the end of Mass she special delivers a bulletin back to me. And what did I do? I acted all nice and polite and smiley and grateful.

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I don't know what I'm going to do now.

Mr. Ed

Nada, nada, nada...

Pestiferous evil.

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I love reading St. John of the Cross, and although his works are geared toward genuinely spiritual persons striving for perfection in the contemplative life, as well as those who direct them, the Saint's writing is so clear and his doctrine so fundamental, it can be adaptable for the average person, especially his cautions and discussions regarding the moral life and the demands of the Gospel. At least in my experience I find his ascetical writings helpful in grounding my spirit whenever it falls into distraction, confusion, presumption and/or dissension. How easily I forget that the judgements I level against others fall back on me, while I ignore the log in my own eye.

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For instance, in the section I will here cite from The Ascent, St. John is addressing the harm caused by the supernatural apprehensions of the memory - in other words the Saint is speaking to souls who experience and become attached to visions or supernatural imaginative knowledge contained in such revelations. Undoubtedly (and most gratefully) I do not experience such things, nor do I desire them, but the section remains meaningful for me as it concerns attachment to self-opinion and pride stemming from natural knowledge and intelligence.

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"These supernatural apprehensions of the memory, if esteemed, are also for spiritual persons a decided occasion for slipping into some presumption or vanity. Since anyone not receiving these is liberated from falling into this vice, because nothing within warrants this presumption, so, on the other hand, anyone receiving them will be exposed to the idea that he is now worth something on account of these supernatural communications. (Or, for my purposes, natural knowledge and education.) "Though indeed a person in considering himself unworthy, and attributes them to God and is thankful for them, yet there usually remains in the spirit a certain satisfaction and esteem for the communication and for oneself. Consequently, without one's realizing it, an abundant spiritual pride will be bred."

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This is quite evident from the displeasure and aversion these individuals feel toward anyone who does not laud their spirit nor value their communications (knowledge and opinion), and from the affliction they experience upon thinking or being told that others receive the same favors or even better ones (or are smarter and more knowledgeable). All of this is born of a hidden self-esteem and pride. And these persons are not aware that they are steeped in pride.

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I love this...

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"To avoid this pestiferous evil, abhorrent in the eyes of God, they should consider that virtue does not consist in apprehensions and feelings of God, however sublime they may be, nor in any similar experiences (natural knowledge and intelligence). But on the contrary, it comprises what they do not experience, that is deep humility, contempt for themselves and all things - very explicit and conscious to the soul - delight that others feel contempt for them also, and the desire to be worth nothing in the hearts of others." - Ascent III, 9

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My interpretation is all highly personal of course, and as I said the intent of St. John's teaching is entirely spiritual, directed towards real contemplatives, nevertheless, it seems to me this lesson can shed light upon my defects associated with pride and self-opinion as regards natural knowledge acquired through education and experience. At any rate, it demonstrates for me that humility is the firm foundation for every aspect of the spiritual life in general, no matter what one's state in life.

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I'm keeping comments closed for awhile since I am much too attached to 'checking my mail' and taking the time to respond. Not to mention that comments can induce flattery and vain praise which can be deceptive and contribute to - you got it - self-opinion and pride.

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That's all.

When I become too high minded...

And all holier than thou...
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"I find there are seven kinds of harm that can be incurred through vain joy in one's good works and customs, and because this harm is spiritual it is particularly ruinous.
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The first is vanity, pride, vainglory, and presumption. For one is unable to rejoice over his works without esteeming them. This gives rise to boasting, the critical spirit, etc., as is said of the pharisee in the Gospel: he prayed and sought friendship with God by boasting of his fasting and performance of other good works. [Lk. 18: 11-12]
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The second is usually linked with the first. It is that a person judges others - comparatively speaking - to be evil and imperfect, supposing that their deeds and works are not as good as his own." - Ascent Bk III Ch 28

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Art: Coptic icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, whose feast it is today.

Spiritual mourning.

Or compunction.

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"The spiritual way of repentance and mourning has such power that it is immune to demonic deception, or so-called diabolic delusion. The fallen spirit, in order to dupe the ascetic, first tries to convince him of his worth or merits... Yet how can he deceive a man who seeks with all of his power to discover his sinfulness, who bewails what has been revealed to him and is roused by the site of his misery to seek further insights, whose sole endeavor is to see in himself the one and only plea of a sinner, so that both by his outer and inner activity he may offer to God the realization and confession of his sinfulness. Though the devil does also tempt those who mourn, yet he is shortly recognized by them and repulsed. A self-opinionated person, who thinks he has some worth or merit, cannot repulse the devil's seduction from without, because he is chained by him within.

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False ascetics think they have reached their goal when they see themselves saints, when the world believes and proclaims them such. They rejoice at self-deception and self-opinion that has overcome them, not understanding how fatal self-opinion is, not realizing that human praise is the sign of a false prophet.

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The true ascetic rejoices when he begins to see his sin, when in his own estimation he becomes lower and more sinful than his neighbors..." and I would add, even when his neighbor considers him thus. - Instructions to Hesychasts - Archbishop Brianchaninov, The Arena

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Art: St. Claude de la Colombiere, SJ

I am the recipient of the Honest Scrap Award.

LarryD at A of A awarded me this... meme.
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The rules:
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I) Say "Thanks!" to the presenter of the award and provide a link to their blog. So, to Larry at Acts of the Apostasy: Thanks!!
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II) I am expected to share 10 honest things about myself. I don't know if there are 10 things left, I've spilled my guts about everything I think. But as Larry said, "in the spirit of the award, I will comply."
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Here goes:
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1) I love demerol and other prescription pain relievers - I don't have any and I don't use them, but when I've had surgery and stuff, I finished my prescriptions all up like a good boy! Now that we know Michael probably died from that, I'll be more careful if I ever have to take them again. Beer and Vicodin made a good cocktail, but I never did that again after someone told me cardiac arrest is a dangerous side affect. That was a long, long time ago BTW. Oh! And I only had Demerol once in the erly '80's. Versed is nice - I had that before surgery once. My generation will be easy to euthanize if you just offer us drugs first.
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2) I actually love to sing - I rarely do so in public however, but lately I have joined in when there are Catholic hymns at Mass. (I hate Protestant hymns.) When I was little I was embarrassed about singing and that kind of did me in for the rest of my life. I'm a closet singer now. The cats like it. We do the meow mix song every day at dinner time. I sing many songs in meow talk.
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3) This is a big one. My age. So anyway, I was tellin' the cats, kids are people too.
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4) I always wanted to be an author, but could never think of what to write. (I used part of Larry's answer here.)
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5) On that note - I always wanted to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, but I have never acted - except when I had a job - I used to pretend I actually worked.
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6) I've never been to Paris but I know a lot about it - I've been to the South of France however. If I could go anywhere right now I think I would go back to Italy. (I can't leave the cats however.)
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7) I feel I have failed as a parent. I've never had kids, but I know I would have failed if I had.
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8) My favorite foods are ribeye steak, pasta, eggplant, bread, mussels, organic salads, tempura, chocolate - but not all at once.
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9) When I was little I wanted to be a Franciscan priest, then I discovered the Carmelites and I wanted to be a Carmelite priest. My dad said no and wouldn't let me enter preparatory seminary - so he had me go to public high school, where I lost the faith. (I returned to the Church in 1972 - I knew I wasn't called to be a priest by then.)
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10) I regret everything. You know how people say they regret nothing? "I have no regrets." Whatever - I regret everything.
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So, this is how it ends:
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III) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.
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In no specific order I award the following blogs:
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• A) Tea at Trianon

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• B) Vultus Christi

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• C) Fr. Z

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• D) Western Confucian

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• E) Rorate Caeli

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• F) Fr. Blake at St. Mary Magdalen

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• G) Ken at Hallowed Ground (Despite the fact he retired - it was one of the very best.)

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IV) Inform those 7 that they've been awarded the 'Honest Scrap' Award.
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No, I won't inform them since these blogs are not in the habit of doing memes. I also don't want to show which blogs I awarded because everyone else will feel bad I did not award them.

Michael

I suppose "we're" not supposed to feel bad that a pop star died. But Michael Jackson was huge - he grew up - or never grew up - in the public eye. He wasn't well educated, but he was a musical genius, which indicates a very high intelligence and sensitivity, hidden beneath a glitzy facade.
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I really feel sad and sorry for him. I know there is "yucky" stuff in his adult life we may never know the real details of. He came out of an abusive household, he had a mean dad who exploited his own kids... To be sure he never had a normal childhood - hence he never grew up. He never became comfortable with adults, much less with his peers - he had no peers. So yeah, he was a Peter Pan guy. One of my first thoughts after I heard he had died was: "The pain is over now, the scandals and the world can't hurt you any longer." But that is how the world thinks, that isn't reality either, we tell ourselves that stuff so we can feel better about a tragic end of a tragic life.
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My deepest concern is his salvation. He grew up in a false religion - Jehovah Witnesses, and reportedly, just in the last few years he turned to Islam. Obviously Jermaine did as well, since he invoked Allah to bless his deceased brother.
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Death is huge. It is the culmination of our earthly life, the pinnacle of our career as it were. It is the moment we enter into our true destiny for all eternity. Eternally. Poor Michael... for all of his talents, all his riches, all his fame - his entire life had been lonely and dysfunctional - and he died numbed to his existence on Demerol. Looking back on his life, it should be no wonder he tried to recreate himself cosmetically, constructing a never, never land populated with children. No wonder the pain killers and the mental illness. He wasn't educated, he had no real religion... what happens to a soul like that when it leaves the body and comes before God? We can't know in this life.
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When people I "know" die, celebrities or nobodies - I pause and pray for them. Death is the moment when whatever their lives had been, they are going to meet God, and nothing is more important than that. So I pray, because I never want anyone to be lost.
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Michael Jackson is dead. He will always be honored on earth for his talent - pop culture makes it's own kings and queens and canonizes it's own saints and martyrs. But all of that passes away and perhaps on that account may be justly mourned... yet even that passes away.
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We all should be conscious of our last end. It comes like a thief in the night.

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Photo: Album cover, Off The Wall. This was my favorite studio album of Michael's - Quincy Jones produced it. And if I could post one of his songs to accompany this reflection it would be "Remember The Time".

Princes shall come from Ethiopia.

Arise O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered.

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The Patriarch of Ethiopia has said the Ark of the Covenant shall be unveiled today. I know Ethiopians and I find it credible that the Ark of the Covenant has indeed been preserved in Ethiopia - I'm no expert of course. Perhaps the unveiling can only be accepted on faith, but the significance of the event could have great impact upon the world.

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The event calls to mind Psalm 67 (68), verse 31, which in some translations reads: "Princes shall come from Ethiopia" although the Grail reads, "Princes will make their way from Egypt; Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God." Early interpretations have associated this verse with monks - the desert fathers - who came forth from Egypt and Ethiopia. Although the psalm itself is most mysterious and usually associated with the Ascension of the Lord, the opening verse is considered to be an exorcism prayer from ancient Israel: "Arise O Lord and let your enemies be scattered and let those who hate you flee from before your holy face."

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If only the unveiling of the Ark of the Covenant could be the event John Paul II foretold that will free the world from evil... (Wednesday Audience)

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"As smoke is blown away so will they be blown away;

like wax that melts before the fire,

so the wicked shall perish at the presence of God.

But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God,

they shall exult and dance for joy.

O sing to the Lord, make music to his name;

make a highway for him who rides on thee clouds.

rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence." - Ps. 67: 4-5

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(The verses of Psalm 67 are said to have been taken from a hymn the Israelites used when they broke camp and continued their pilgrimage to the Promised Land: "And when the ark was lifted up, Moses said: Arise, O Lord, and let thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate thee, flee from before thy face." - Numbers 10: 35)

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UPDATE: 6/26/09

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The Ark of the Covenant Story was false. Story here.

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Unreliable internet sources! I fell for it! Thomnus was right once again:

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The original World Net Daily story was the result of bad translation and not even looking at datelines. The story got legs, Bartholomew reported in previous posts, because of Christian Zionists eager to hasten the Second Coming. I would also note that WND was hawking a two DVD set on the ark along with the story. - Source

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I would like to beat someone up when stuff like this happens.

Michael Jackson Dies.

I'm stunned.

Hello Friends!

Hi Everyone, I'm back. I went on a nice week long trip to California (with the boys) to see my sister and her kids. Relaxed by their pool, got burned at the beach and enjoyed yummy Oxnard strawberries. Since getting home I am trying to get back into blogging, catching up with my other sister who moved around the corner from me and house mommy mode.

On our trip home we rented High School Musical 3 (HSM3) for the kiddos to watch in the car. Once home I sat down and watched it ~ (much too dangerous while driving!). It was a very cute and I loved the music. Most importantly it got me thinking about how much I love musicals ~ they are my favorite type of movie! So I thought I need to make a top 10 of my favorite musicals.

10. HSM 3

9. Phantom of the Opera

8. Wicked ~ never seen it but

I read the book and I know it would be on the list!

7. Guys and Dolls

6. Les Miserable

5. Grease

4. The Wizard of Oz

3. Moulin Rouge

2. My Fair Lady

1. Camelot

What is your favorite Musical?

Exorcism - A Connecticut Yankee in the Devil's Court.

Don't try this at home.

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I didn't watch the video but it's been in the news that some type of Christian sect performed/performs exorcism to rid a person of homosexuality. Yeah, whatevah. I got an email from a good friend with the following:

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"There was a book I read a couple of years ago (Dubay or Groeschl) and the author quoted Peter Kreeft regarding sexual sins ... suggesting that some souls because of the depth of their sexual sins, "exorcism" may be the only thing that would help to break the chains.

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What I don't understand or know enough about is who can rightly perform an exorcism? Are "exorcisms" outside the "Catholic" church effective when other Christians perform them? Personally ... I wouldn't want anyone other than an "authorized" exorcist priest praying over me ...."

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First.

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In the Roman Rite solemn exorcism is restricted to priests properly deputed for the process by the local Ordinary of the diocese the ritual is to be performed in. The exorcist must be a priest in the state of grace, knowledgeable and virtuous, sober and tactful. Prayers of deliverance taken from the Ritual can be used privately without the permission of the Ordinary. Although lay persons are permitted to use certain lengthy prayers to St. Michael, contemporary exorcists seem to caution against that. It is always best to consult a priest first. Ordinary prayers to St. Michael (see below) and the angels, the rosary, as well as Holy Water are suitably efficacious means for lay people. If a person really thinks they are under diabolic attack they should consult a priest. The sacraments are the ordinary means given by Christ to his Church to deliver a person from temptation and diabolic delusion.

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Secondly.

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Can non-Catholics perform exorcisms? I don't know - the mercy of God is unlimited - I just wouldn't trust it - rather, it is the Roman Catholic Church which holds and guarantees the promises of Christ, therefore Catholics should only have recourse to the Church and her ordained ministers. (Also, I believe that since Our Lady is Mediatrix of all graces, any such grace comes through the Catholic Church anyway.) Properly speaking, I would say a non-Catholic Christian could theoretically perform a deliverance - but we need to remember there are divisions regarding diabolic phenomena, and the devil's influence isn't always a matter of possession - in fact it is relatively rare. Obsession is another phenomenon which can be mistaken for possession.

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"Obsession consists in a series of unusually violent and persistent temptations. They can be external as when the temptations affect external senses, or internal as when they arouse sensations and emotions." - Tanquerey Bk III, Ch III, 1532

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I think this is where those who believe exorcism may help in delivering a person from homosexual sin take off with their loving-hands-at-home exorcism theory. Once again - I'd recommend consulting a learned priest, well grounded in moral theology, psychology and faithful to the Magisterium. No doubt all type of prayer is efficacious, but great discernment needs to be exercised. Protestant ministers are not really ministers, they are lay folk - their ordinations are not valid in the eyes of the Church.

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That said, if indeed something like an exorcism or deliverance is to be performed, I think it is necessary for the subject to have a strong desire and determination to stop homosexual behavior in the first place - in other words, a firm purpose of amendment. Ridding oneself of the general orientation is up to the subject and highly dependent upon motivation and age - most mature men have no desire to do that and they deal with the temptations as anyone else would act towards unwanted temptations to sex. In most cases, the prospect is unthinkable and unimaginable, and therefore the Catholic Church never requires anything more than abstaining from homosexual behavior, as well as any promotion of the so-called life-style.

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As far as boys and young men are concerned, parents have to do the best they can through great love and affirmation, shielding the child through solid formation in the faith and Catholic education, as well as a familial Catholic piety, encouraging the child towards wholesome same-sex friendships and activities, and so on. A parent's fear, anger, and/or over-reaction can do great harm however - and to throw a kid into therapy or some public deliverance ceremony is extremely dangerous, as is any form of shame or blame in an attempt to elicit a conversion. I'm no expert however, so always, always, consult a good priest first - he doesn't have to be especially pious either - in these circumstances, understanding, learning, compassion and solid virtue are most important. The child has to be comfortable about it too, and above all, the child must know he or she is loved.

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The other point I want to stress is that although addiction to sexual sin can oftentimes feel like something diabolic is going on and therefore beyond one's control, the person needs to realize and comprehend that we are beings graced with free-will, and with the help of divine grace we can overcome any compulsion, we can leap over any wall, as the psalmist says. The ordinary means the Church provides are superbly efficacious and effective. Conversion is a process, the gate is narrow and the path constricted, as Jesus tells us in Matthew 7.

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Pray, pray, pray. The prayers of the Holy Rosary, the Divine Chaplet, daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, frequent - even daily confession if need be, fasting, self-denial, alms giving and works of charity are highly efficacious. The use of sacramentals: the scapular, the rosary, the Miraculous medal, the crucifix, St. Benedict's medal, Holy Water, and so on, used with faith are wonderful protections. Ora et labora - the rule of St. Benedict and the teachings of the desert fathers recommend a healthy balance of prayer and labor, active works coupled with devotion. It can take many years of falling and rising, back sliding and repenting - but in the end the soul is victorious through the Blood of Jesus.

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Just leave exorcism to the judgement of the Church and her ministers and DO NOT play around with the devil.

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It is interesting that in Tanquerey's book, he mentions some of the rules of decorum for the priest in the Ritual of Exorcism, he writes: The priest in the interrogation "should be careful to avoid useless words, idle questions, and above all, attempts at humor. Should the evil spirit or spirits give sarcastic or ridiculous answers or speak at random, he must with authority and dignity impose silence." - 1547. 3

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Remember a morbid fascination with the devil is extremely unhealthy, if not dangerous.

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Saint Michael the Archangel,

defend us in battle.

Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;

and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host

-by the Divine Power of God

-cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,

who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

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O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
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O Mary, by thy holy and Immaculate Conception, make my body pure and my spirit holy.
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"Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let them that hate you, flee from before your holy face." - Numbers 10:35

Don't cry for me Argentina.

"Oh! That's right? - I was in Argentina!"

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The Gov's wife thought he was away writing a book - I know! His staff said he was hiking, but the guy was in Argentina with a friend. A really close friend.

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This may surprise you, but I really don't think it's a big deal. Of course marital infidelity is a big deal, but what concern is his infidelity to you or me? Did he use taxpayer money for the trip? Why does he have to go live on TV to further embarrass his wife and children with his lame excuses? Is the public supposed to absolve him of this sin?

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I think it was a huge show of instability and bad judgement to go missing in the first place - but the guy is making an even bigger ass of himself with his public confession. Taxpayers elect screw-tops like this and pay their salaries. When they go AWOL, as in any other job, they should either resign or be fired - no moral if's, and's, or but's about it. Then he can go to confession and work on his marriage.

The Mouse That Roared

I believe the North Koreans may be basing their war strategy on the premise of this film. North Korea is threatening to wipe the U.S. off the face of the earth... map... or something.

New Age Catholicism

It's not just for liberation-progressive-rainbow-coalition-male/female-nuns anymore.

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I was at adoration this afternoon - I try to keep Wednesdays as a day of recollection. I like it when I'm the only one in the church. As it turned out, one of the local mystics was there with me today. (I blame the charismatic community at Regina high school in the early '70's for all this crap, including the protestantization of South Minneapolis parishes - but that is another post.)

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I didn't know my new friend was a mystic - he wouldn't even acknowledge me in the past, but today was the day he decided to talk, and he told me all about it for over an hour. Evidently She (the Holy Spirit) wanted him to reveal these things to me today. I listened patiently, smiling and nodding, and at the first opportunity I said politely, "Well thanks for stopping to talk, but we shouldn't be having a conversation while the Blessed Sacrament is exposed."

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"Oh that's all right," he interrupted, "He told me it was okay. He wants us to talk in front of Him." And he started in again before I could say anything. I smiled and looked in his general direction and prayed my rosary silently while he spoke, offering an occasional nod as if I was listening. Another person came in and I whispered, "Now we really should stop so as not to disturb that poor lady."

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"Naw! She knows me and knows all about this stuff." And without stopping for a breath, he continued on before I could reason with him. I smiled and appeared to listen in peace while I quietly prayed my rosary, although I was greatly agitated. Did you know agitation is often a sign of a bad spirit, and not just a lack of patience?

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Finally he had to leave to eat supper, "or the wife's gonna be pissed", it was about 4PM. I just stared at the monstrance after he left. I was completely stunned. I thought, "Why me Lord, why do I attract these people?"

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It is the story of my life. It is why I never get involved in church crap. All the visionaries and locutionists seem to be attracted to me and tell me all about their wack job revelations. I'm not kidding - if they aren't having private revelations, they've got a conspiracy theory, or they discovered theology of the body and love supercedes morality. But I digress. So today this guy - who looks perfectly normal mind you - told me how the Father revealed to him that the AC/DC are amongst us already. I didn't ask, but he told me what that meant: The anti-Christ and his demonic-companion, but he would not - could not at this time, reveal their identity. Like I said, I didn't ask. He sees demons and angels all the time and has been caught up into heaven too many times to tell - out of body - and the devil is scared of him. In fact he was just in Starbucks the other night with one of his prophet friends when a "really, really handsome guy came in" and it was Satan incognito. The evil one came over and asked he and his friend if they were homosexuals...

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Why O Lord do you permit this crap?

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Then get this. After adoration the woman who had walked in on the session came up to me to find out what he said to me, and without going into detail, I said it was mystical BS. She said, "Well I don't know about that - it might be true - but I told him not to talk about that stuff during adoration." I looked at Our Lady's statue in desperation and silently pleaded, "Mother of God, am I imagining this? Oh never mind, don't answer that!"

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Holy crap! I've gotta get a new parish.

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PEOPLE! Stop all this Medjugorje-private-revelation-Jesus-tells-me-stuff bullshit.

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No wonder nonreligious people don't want anything to do with religion.

Mario's big mouth.

Hate crime alert!

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Mario Lavandeire - aka Perez Hilton, committed a great big hate crime last weekend. He called someone the worst thing he could think of - a faggot. In his own defense he stated, "I did what I thought was best at the moment to stand up for myself in a nonviolent yet still assertive way. Clearly, I am not homophobic." Clearly.

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Yet once again, it begs the question. If being gay is so wonderful, why is it the most insulting thing you can accuse someone of? I think it even ranks below the horrible "closet queen"!

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"And that is when I made the split-second decision - that I was gonna say what I thought was the worst possible thing that thug [will.i.am] would ever want to hear. As I was standing my ground - without being violent or physical which I would never do - I told him - and you know what? I don't need to respect you and you're a f**. You're gay and stop being such a f***ot."

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"These are vulgar anti-gay slurs that feed a climate of hatred and intolerance toward our community," said Rashad Robinson, Senior Director of Media Programs at GLAAD. “For someone in our own community to use it to attack another person by saying that it is, quote, ‘The worst possible thing that thug would ever want to hear,’ is incredibly dangerous. It legitimizes use of a slur that is often linked to violence against our community. And it sends a message that it is OK to attempt to dehumanize people by exploiting anti-gay attitudes.” - Source

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And what about Hilton's violence against the Black Eyed Peas guy? Hilton verbally attacked the guy and provoked the incident with the manager. So, if a gay guy attacks a straight guy and gets a fist in the mouth for it - does that mean the straight guy is guilty of a hate crime simply because he acted out of self-defense?

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Oh! Oh! Speaking of gay celebrity inconsistencies... let's go back to Chaz Bono for a second. If a lesbian can change and become a man, (or a gay man become a woman) why can't a homosexual elect to change and become a heterosexual? And if a homosexual really just does not like being a homosexual, why isn't he permitted to leave that lifestyle behind? But it is not permitted in gay culture, the leaders absolutely reject any suggestion that a person can change, despite the fact there is growing evidence to the contrary:

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"A new report in the first edition of the peer-reviewed Journal of Human Sexuality has found that sexual orientation is not immutable and that psychological care for individuals with unwanted homosexual attractions is beneficial and poses no significant risk of harm." - Source

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The dictatorship of institutionalized homosexualism seems to have a lot of rules and prohibitions that adherents may not deviate from. They better get their people to toe the party line - where's the pride after all?

Yesterday

I'm writing this tonight for tomorrow so I can satisfy my OCD need to post every day.

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It was far too hot to work outside much today - err, yesterday - in fact I think I had too much sun, so I had to go in. I moved the birdbath to outside the kitchen window since that is where I pray now days - at the kitchen table - when I glance out the window, I'll see the birds. Isn't that odd? I no longer use the area I set aside for prayer, surrounded by relics and retablos and santos and icons, instead I pray in the kitchen, with one of the cats on a rug at my feet. I don't know what it is, but a little holy card of OL of Mt. Carmel and one of a priest saying Mass are the only images that attract me lately. It is good to become more simple - getting older does that.

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Since I was indoors, I also diddled on the computer, and while online I discovered some new things about a few people I know, quite by accident. On one site I realized a deceased deacon had been the grandfather of a young woman who once worked for me. I came across he and his wife's name on a dissident Catholic website which advocates gay lifestyle and education. I immediately understood the family's estrangement from one another, especially as it concerned her gay uncle. While it is unfortunate that a person's sexuality can cause division within families and social groups - it is particularly understandable in Catholic circumstances. Especially when one side accepts Church teaching on faith and morals, while the other side literally seeks to undermine that teaching. Indeed, it is even a source of scandal when one was an ordained minister in the Church.

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I understand my friend and her family much better now. I think it is a great suffering for families to know their loved ones reject Catholic teaching.

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On the same site I noted that the grandmother shared her husband's title of deacon, it read, "Mr. and Mrs. became deacons at such and such Catholic parish." The husband gets ordained - not the wife, they are not both deacons. That site and its members are actually protestants.

How to get rid of vampires...

I ran across a fun post concerning the history of vampires and early 'kits' to kill them. Vampires are already dead, as everyone knows - which makes them the living dead. I suppose a soul in mortal sin could be sort of a vampire - maybe not - although there really is a whole subculture of people who think they are vampires. There are therians too - people who think they are animals - these are not the same as werewolves however. I worked with a woman who believes she is a dragon - seriously. When I say I have worked with witches, I'm not referring to a personality defect.

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The kits (like the one shown) were contained in fine wooden cases with compartments for all the necessary elements needed to eliminate the vampire, somewhat similar to the sick call set used by a priest. The kit usually consisted of a crucifix which sometimes doubled as a stake to plunge through the heart, otherwise a wooden stake was also provided, a ritual or prayer book/bible, silver bullets and a pistol, containers for holy water, garlic and other repellents, even a rosary. The impalement was most likely performed by a layman. I find it curious that such kits even existed in Catholic lands, since an authorized exorcism would have sent the demon running. If indeed real vampires ever existed - the animator of the dead person would surely have been a demon, or a soul of the damned - hence the efficiency of ritual exorcism. I suspect the makers of such kits were probably the precursors of the snake oil salesmen who traveled the American prairie.

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Anyway - those fun Vampire Killing Kits go for a lot of money at antique auctions, for more on their history and some fun vampire facts, click here.

Lucky Winner!

Thanks to everyone (All Nine of You) for entering my Birthday Giveaway! I had a great 30th Birthday Weekend and all my friends who came along for the fun loved their "sweet gift bags". The lucky winner is:

ELLA! who said: I love you Pammy Happy birthday!!!!

Contact me so I can get your information and I will send you your fun stuff!

Midsummer Eve

St. John's Eve.

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The summer solstice marked the point of midsummer for pagan Europe - the midpoint between May 1 and August 1, hence the night was a celebration of light, specifically fire; bonfires, wheels of fire rolled down hills, ritual fire, the ashes of which were scattered over the fields to protect them and make them fertile. The old customs prevailed into the Christian era, and thus the celebration of St. John's Eve, the day before his nativity. The Church celebrates only three nativities: Christ, his Blessed Mother, and St. John the Baptist. Perhaps the Eastern Church honors his greatness best of all in the hierarchical structure of their iconography, as seen in the Deisis of the Iconostasis: Christ flanked by St. John Baptist and The Blessed Virgin Mary.

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Midsummer madness...

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"As the Church appropriated and consecrated each of the pagan feasts in turn, it was inevitable that this unrestrained celebration of tumescence and fertility should be hastened into the fold: it is one of the oldest feasts introduced into both Greek and Latin liturgies to honour a saint. In keeping with the benevolent spirit of the season, the day settled on is one of the very few saint's days to mark the anniversary of the birth, rather than the death, of its namesake, John the Baptist. While solstice can technically occur anywhere between June 20 - 26th, the Christian holy day is fixed at June 24th (although, in the old way, festivities are celebrated the night before, or St. John's Eve). The precursor to Christ, it was John who baptized Jesus in the River Jordan -- for which service Jesus referred to him as: "A burning and shining light." Accordingly, the Church could in good conscience instruct congregations to light their Midsummer fires as they had always done -- if only they would turn their thoughts to St. John instead of the sun. But churchmen would find this ancient root particularly difficult to eradicate, and so the holiday continues to flourish across Europe, disguised in a threadbare Christian cloak. In the Scandinavian countries solstice is an official public holiday, celebrated for convenience' sake, on the Saturday nearest the 23rd. After the collapse of Soviet occupation, Estonia decriminalized bonfires and restored June 23rd as a national holiday. Midsummer has never really captured New World imaginations, and Hallowe'en very much remains our premier "pagan" feast." - Source

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Coincidence? I just finished this post and thought 'I think I'll check to see if anyone else posted on this... now who would be most likely? Elena!' So I clicked on Tea at Trianon, and sure enough - she posted on Midsummer Eve. Read it here.