Bravest Thing (He Ever Did)

I suppose we all cope in different ways. The stress of COVID-19 surely brings out the best, and worst, of us. Here are a few observations: To those saying that the pandemic is nothing to worry about because it only kills the elderly – I rather like elderly people, and would be quite sad if the older crowd at my parish suddenly died off. Having said that, to the old people of whom we truly want to protect from this virus, at the point of shutting down our work and schools and crushing our economy– if you could stop being out and about on the town en masse , that’d be great. Seriously, there are old people everywhere. To the students at my school who cried at suddenly being torn away from their school, teachers, and in many cases, only safe haven – we don’t understand this either. I wish I was allowed to teach you about Jesus. Keep your chins up. To the parents thrown into the world of homeschooling – good luck! No, I mean that. Just be careful when posting your organized and...

There are timely books, and then there are books planted at the most precise and necessary moment in history that, undoubtedly, they are Divinely inspired. From a personal perspective, seeing the world falling apart, I had an inner desire to get to know St. Joseph more closely. From a world's perspective, as it self-implodes in godlessness, it also is a time to "Go to Joseph." With that I introduce a review of Fr. Don Calloway's Consecration to St. Joseph. This book is best suited as a 33 day preparation for a consecration to St. Joseph. Now the consecration is not like one to Our Lady, but it still is a special entrustment to a more than special saint. Each day there are readings and prayers to be followed. It is structured, yet not overbearing. A word on the readings. Fr. Calloway has combined the best-of-the-best writings on St. Joseph. You will be amazed by some of the things St. Bernard, St. Eymard, Venerable Sheen, Mother Angelica ("old...

Mark Twain once mused that “all you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.” These seem like fitting words to begin as I, quivering with emotion, scribe a few words on the death of the fictional (and yet real) Susan from the Parish Council . Her ignorance was inestimable, her confidence impenetrable, and her success undeniable. Not that I can confirm Susan has indeed passed from this life to her eternal… reward. To further cite Twain, perhaps reports of her death have been greatly exaggerated. I suppose Susan can rise from any alleged demise. Truth be told, if Susan is not cremated first, I imagine her funeral as such, with the priest requesting additional “ministers” of Holy Communion, and Susan rising from the casket to pump the Purell and serve Jesus to all her sisters and brothers. But for now, I will dare to speak of Susan as having died. Her online “group newsletter” via Facebook/Twitter has gone silent. She warned recently she was sick...

The following is a talk I recently gave at a Catholic men's group: Let’s begin by examining the secular “wokeness” on fasting. Gone are the days of weight loss programs like Weight Watchers… where you simply eat less each meal! Sounds simple, right? Fewer calories means you lose weight. The problem is that it never worked that well. The reduced number of calories per meal also reduced one’s energy as well, dipped into muscle storage, and offered frugal results. Science now shows that full out fasting is the perfect method for proper health. The secular world’s latest trend is intermittent fasting . One builds up how long a person can go in between meals. The ideal is to eat one meal a day. The meal could consist of almost your regular day’s intake (say 75%). What happens is that your body, when full out fasting, actually dips into fat storage for energy. You maintain your energy, lose weight, and it’s perfectly healthy, if not natural. Science shows that intermittent...

In 1958 there was a belief, among a very small minority of Catholics, that John XXIII was not validly elected, ergo, there was no pope – sedevacantism. Last week I weighed in briefly into the modern soon-to-be-sedevacantist idea. That is, a small minority of Catholics believe that Benedict is still the pope, and that Francis is an anti-pope. I wrote here demonstrating the logical conclusion of such a belief. Long story short, when Benedict dies it becomes 1958 all over again. This time around, however, there is a further consideration: the internet. The internet can spread ideas rapidly, and can make adherers to such ideas rabid. For instance, I was labelled, among other things, a “prophet of despair”, a “snoot”, and a “freemason” for stating that Francis is the pope. I can only imagine what I would be called if I said that water is wet, snow is white, and puppies are fluffy. There are two things I would like to share from this, to be honest, amusing experience. 1 - Th...