The Monks of Norcia

My dearest and most esteemed readers! Please go to YouTube and watch the documentary on the Benedictine monks at Norcia! God Bless!

P.S. Don't start typing in YouTube, that link ^^^ should take you there :)

The Passion

So the strep throat is going around, and who should get it but...me. I don't mind it, the only thing which bothers me most is that annoying smell you get in your nose...ick. Though it's Friday, let's focus on the Passion of Our Lord.

Even though it's not in line with the Second Vatican Council regarding the Liturgy...

The Pope's Ash Wednesday Sermon

On an open-mind.

Do you know what irritates me? It might irritate you too. I'll give you a hint: they're annoying, they're weird. People who always preach open-mindedness.

You see them on the tele, in our newspapers, in our pulpits. Even some of them are bishops in our Church, leading the flock astray. I am tired of hearing how we should be more open-minded, and more accepting and tolerant.

I have written on it many times before, so have many other great bloggers. These people who profess to be Catholics (in name only, however), they profess to be tolerant and accepting of people of all "faiths, persuasions, and sexualities". But the moment you mention you're Catholic, or the moment you point out that they are dissenting from Church teaching, the moment you even utter the word "latin" or "God" or even "Rosary" they'll pounce on top of you with the force of a pregnant elephant for not being tolerant and inclusive, because you're too focussed on the midaevil concept of the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church, prayer, and tradition.

So much for an open mind.

Might Heaven forbid that you're more concerned with the salvation of other peoples souls than you are about what the welfare of spruce trees. How dare you want to introduce some poor soul to authentic Catholicism, to the true teachings of Holy Mother Church. Why on EARTH would you want to focus on the suffering, pain, and agony that Our Lord and Saviour suffered for the salvation of souls.

He died for us, he was whipped and scourged, he was poked and prodded. Upon the cross was he crucified, bearing the burden of the world's sin upon his glorious and most adorable shoulders. His Immaculate and sinless Mother watching, praying and weeping, as she knew this was God's will.

And then after, many Saints would bear the precious wounds of Our Lord, and help many souls to heaven. But no, we can't focus on that. It's shameful, religion is about acceptance and putting up with others views.

I am not infallible, far from it. I do not have any authority over people, I am not judging men's souls. However it is important that we point out that priests, and dare I even say it Bishops, are leading the faithful souls of the holy Catholic Church, astray.

It is so sad that it is probable you'd find more protestants in the Pews of your average Parish, than you would find protestants at the protest.

However, we can notice a slight change. It is true that these days, we do have more faithful Priests. We do have more faithful Bishops, and though however the unfaithful do currently exist!

But you look at the FSSP, ICRSS, and religious communites. Slowly, nuns are putting their habits back on. Monks are restoring their traditional rule. School sisters' and brothers' are slowly bringing back true education and ways of teaching the doctrines, and precepts of the one, true Church.

This is Lent. Please offer up your sufferings and prayers for the Church, and don't forget that we are ALL sinners, so GO TO CONFESSION!

In your Rosary today, remember all the Pope, the successor of St Peter, and his fight to restore true Catholicity!

Salve Regina!

Ash Wednesday.

Well the penitential season of Lent has finally arrived. We are now in 40 days of preparation for the coming of Our Lord and Saviour, for his Resurrection, and so, we are also doing 20 days of penance.

What have you decided to give up and take up? I myself am going to start to practise non-drastic corporal mortification, along with giving up chocolate, butter, salt, raisins, and nuts (an addiction). I'll let you know of my progress.

I'd like to do a proper fast, give up meat and eggs for ALL Lent rather than Ash Wednesday (today)  and Fridays, however, for health reasons I can't.

Today, I beg you to go to Mass. It's an obligation, and you have to get your Ashes. Even if you have to sit through a Lenten squaredance, or maybe Fr Fluffy from St Muppets Theatre church is here for a visit. Go, receive Our Lord, and ashes.

Celebrate today properly. With a cup of Darvilles of Windsor, and some nice, HOT pancakes!

Fr Leo Clifford, OFM, Rest in Peace!

Two mornings ago this good servant of God died! Please say a prayer for the repose of the soul of Fr Leo Clifford, who often appeared on EWTN giving simple but genuinely Franciscan reflections! Truly he was a faithful servant of the Church, God, the Blessed Mother, and a son of St Francis!

+REQUISCAT IN PACE+

His Eminence Thomas Christopher Collins

The most gracious Holy Father has appointed His Grace Thomas Collins to the College of Cardinals! Along with many others, including the American Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, and the Archbishop of Hong Kong! Please say a prayer for the new Princes of the Church!

I'm upset.

And you should be too.

Did you see today's Google doodle? The animation, the actual video is quite cute. But, did you notice at the end? Two men holding hands.

Wow, I wonder does Google have a secret agenda?

Good St Valentine

People think today is a day that they can get away with being gooey and romanticy in public, showing indecent acts, only meant between married couples. Well, we know truly what St Valentines day is, what it's about, and who it's about! I wish you a jolly and good St Valentines Day, and in celebration, let us pray for and show love toour Holy Father the Pope, his Bishops, Cardinals and Priests, all Religious Sisters and Nuns, Monks and Religious Brothers, and Religious Priests and Deacons.

Santo Subito!

EWTN Sues the US Government

Over the HHS Contraception mandate!

Catholic media network EWTN sued the federal government Feb. 9, challenging the Obama administration's rule requiring many religious ministries to subsidize contraception and sterilization in their health plans.
“We had no other option but to take this to the courts,” EWTN President and CEO Michael Warsaw said in an announcement about the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. “There is no question that this mandate violates our First Amendment rights.”
“Under the HHS mandate, EWTN is being forced by the government to make a choice,” Warsaw explained. “Either we provide employees coverage for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs and violate our conscience or offer our employees and their families no health insurance coverage at all. Neither of those choices is acceptable.”
Senior attorneys at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed the suit on behalf of the media network, against the Department of Health and Human Services, department secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and other government agencies involved with the federal contraception mandate.
Finalized Jan. 20, 2012 as part of federal health care reform, the mandate forces all employers – except those that primarily hire and serve members of one religious faith and exist for the sake of promoting religious values – to buy insurance coverage that will offer sterilization and contraception without a co-pay.
Because EWTN serves not only Catholics but the public at large, the network would not qualify for the religious exemption offered by Secretary Sebelius.

Read to your fancy here. Dear Catholics in America, you NEED to defend the faith in your country. Obama is trying mercilessly to stomp it out, to trash it. It is no secret he does not like the one, true Church of God! I am praying for you, as you should pray for your country.

It seems to me that Obama has become quite the dictator lately. He is trying to censor the internet in the USA via SOPA, he is pushing for equal rights of so-called "gay couples", he is pushing homosexual "marriage", and now is trying to force faithful Catholics to pay for baby killers. Excuse me, but where is religious freedom?

Accession Day!

Twas 60 years ago today that Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, and Australia and New Zealand, an all the other Commonwealth Realms, was crowned! God Bless her on her Diamond Jubilee!

Well, the past week we've had 3 snow storms. Three snow storms, which closed all schools, shops, and places of work. The power never left, no, but the winds nearly took us with them. However, it's all okay now. I kept calm, I put the kettle on, and I sat and watched.

Not important. What is, is the recent persecution which the faith has come under. In the USA, Obama is trying to silence the Church. He's attempting to force Catholic pay for contraception mandates, he's violating their freedom. Dear brethren down the sea, fight. Pray, and take up your spiritual battle arms!

Enda Kenny, Taoiseach of Ireland, is re-thinking the closure of the Irish embassy to the Holy See. It's nice to see there was a slight bit of controversy made over it's closure.

I'm having a hard time finding time to blog, you know, it's been strangely busy! But, please, keep reading! I have a review of the Common English Bible on the way!

Liturgical ad-lib

For 18 years, the Rev. William Rowe has done a little improvising while celebrating Mass on Sunday mornings at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mount Carmel, Ill. Now those deviations have led to his resignation in an incident that may be tied to global changes to the Catholic liturgy. Last Sunday, instead of saying "Lord our God that we may honour you with all our mind and love everyone in truth of heart," during the opening prayer, he altered the phrasing to better reflect the day's Gospel message, in which Jesus heals a man with a troubled spirit. "We thank you, God, for giving us Jesus who helped us to be healed in mind and heart and proclaim his love to others," the 72-year-old priest prayed instead. Three days later, Rowe received a letter from Bishop Edward Braxton accepting his resignation. "The problem is that when I pray at Mass, I tend to change the words that are written in the book to match what I was talking about, or what a song is about," Rowe said in an interview.

You see where toying with the Holy Sacrifice gets you! Certain Priests, and certain laymen need to catch up on their catechesis, maybe read a document on the liturgy or two, and realise that the Mass is not a time for personal opinion, nor is it a time for leisurely conversation.

Read the full thing here.

The good news!

The Susan G. Komen Foundation has decided to de-fund Planned Parenthood. Good on them, and please, say a prayer for the unborn!