Online Audio Books

I may be a little bit behind. I just discovered through one of my many geek resources an online provider for public domain audio books -- LibriVox. With mature search capabilities and a growing selection of books, they cover a wide range of topics. Each book contains a link to the e-text as provided by Gutenberg. The even provide an RSS feed of New Releases.

I am currently downloading The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis. Other interesting finds include P.G. Wodehouse, Geoffrey Chaucer, and William Shakespeare.

This site is a very nice distraction from the rest of the stuff that I normally look at online.

Huckabee for President

Just got an email from the Home School Legal Defense Association's Political Action Committee regarding their endorsement of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Interesting statistics/views:

• As governor, he was the first to appoint a homeschooler to the Arkansas State Board of Education.


• He is adamantly opposed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child


• He supports traditional marriage.


• He believes that the Internal Revenue Service should be abolished and replaced with the Fair Tax.


• He believes and is willing to say that Islamic extremism needs to be understood as a theologically driven threat.

Mike on faith and politics:

My faith is my life – it defines me. My faith doesn’t influence my decisions, it drives them. For example, when it comes to the environment, I believe in being a good steward of the earth. I don’t separate my faith from my personal and professional lives.

Mike on the 2nd Amendment:

I was the first Governor in the country to have a concealed handgun license, and of course I’m a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

Mike Huckabee sounds like a pretty good guy, with real-life governing experience -- not some wannabe that popped his head out of the Senate.

And best of all, Mike is not a prig:

Huckabee, 51, enjoys playing bass guitar in his rock-n-roll band.

I will definitely be keeping track of Mr. Huckabee throughout the U.S. Presidential Campaign.

Car on Fire

I own a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle. Vehicle Identification Number 371. Great summertime car. Not so great in the winter.

I really, really want to love this car. It is fun to drive, looks great, and sounds like a classic VW. I get honks and waves on the highway, and complete strangers start up conversations at the gas station.

Cecilia

However, I think that I am in an abusive relationship. For everything that I have given her, she continues to spurn my affections to the tune of a $200 fuel line replacement, $1200 engine rebuild, and $100 on tires. She now needs some transmission and/or clutch work done, and so she was parked in the side yard awaiting the proper funding.

And then her engine caught on fire.

Seriously.

While mowing the lawn yesterday, I was going to move the car out onto the street to get the final edging complete. After backing the car out onto the street, I saw flames coming from the engine compartment via the rear-view mirror. I quickly pulled the car into the parking spot, killed the engine, and doused the flames.

So if you are looking for me, I am the one curled up in a little ball on the front lawn, sobbing like a little girl.

CMRI Meltdown?

One of the leading sedevacantist groups in the U.S. is starting to come apart at the seams. Some of the CMRI sisters who do not hold to the sede position are "forcibly resigning" (my term) from the Congregation.

A representative of the Spokane Diocese recently forwarded to them the attached letter. In it, Fr. Barnett addresses the issue of sede vacantism and the impossibility of its resolution:

First, there is no mechanism for the valid election of a successor to Peter. I [Fr. Barnett] was told by Fr. Casimir that, as the Church has always advanced throughout the world by means of miracles (cf. St. Augustine), we must pray for a miracle by which a Pope would be made known to us. In other words, we are to pray that the visible structure of the Church be restored by means of a miracle which requires circumventing those very structures. Thus, an invisible, extra-sacramental miracle is required to restore the visible, sacramental structure of the Church! It is a supreme irony that the possibility and desirability of such an invisible Church is the very position of the Protestants against which St. Charles Borromeo argued so strongly in the Catholic Reformation. Yet that is the basis of the theological position to which you [the Sisters of the CMRI] are asked to subscribe
...
But there is a deeper and more dangerous reason the the Apostolic See will remain vacant if you profess the sede vacantist position: no Pope is possible because no Pope will be accepted. In reality, the Apostolic See will and must remain vacant until Bishop Pivarunas decides that it is occupied. Without a Pope, he is autocephalous, and remains the highest authority in the Church.
...
Third, no Pope is possible for the CMRI because sede vacantism is based upon a fundamentally Protestant premise. It is based upon the false notion that an individual person has the power of the Magisterium to decide how to interpret Scripture and Tradition. This is the exact position taken by most Protestants, who retain the "right" to interpret Scripture according to their own standards. Such a premise is also an inherent component of the secular and modernist thinking so rampant today.

Even Bishop Terence Fulham agrees.

A defining quote from Bishop Mark Pivarunas:

Our Congregation's very existence is based on the vacancy of the Apostolic See.

The Domestic Monastery

Later this month, my wife will be attending the 8th Annual Rocky Mountain Catholic Home Educators Conference in Denver, Colorado. While making plans for her attendance, I noticed that Kelly Roper will be presenting the concept of the Domestic Monastery.

Since becoming interested in Benedictinism over 10 years ago and reading the Rule of St. Benedict, I have often thought of adapting the Rule to a "Rule for Families". Obviously, I am not the first to have considered this. Without getting into too many specifics, many other writers have drawn comparisons between the Benedictine Order and the Restoration of Christendom. The concept of the Domestic Monastery works at restoring the very building blocks of civilization -- the family.

My wife will be returning with a recording of Mrs. Roper's talk. I will post copious thoughts and impressions at that time.

The Catholic Approach to Work: Definition

As a follow up to my inaugural post at the Catholic Restorationists entitled The Theology of Work, I would like to explore the Catholic approach to work.

By gaining a Catholic understanding of work and its role in our personal and social lives, we begin to develop a type of theology of work, and in turn apply it back to the work to which we are called in our state of life.

Today, especially within the current post-modern scope, work is no longer a personal venture, but very much contributes to the social and cultural sphere. One does not perform his employment or vocational duties within a bubble or vacuum. Our work is becoming more and more a social force.

As such, we should approach our work as a means to an end, both within the temporal and eternal spheres. Our work is what we do, not who we are. However, as with all actions, whether virtue, vice, or somewhere in the middle, our work can shape who we will become.

Therefore, we should look to the Author of All Work, for whatever "moves, lives, grows, develops, and acts" does so "by means of power drawn from God." [1] Only God creates, in the true sense of the term, but God has allowed Man to be His co-worker and His helpmate in the economy of salvation. God provides the "gifts from which we draw the material for new work", whether they be physical or intellectual gifts.

In times past, the Christian world emphasized the importance of uniting spiritual work and physical work, as seen in the Rule of St. Benedict and the Benedictine motto "Ora et Labora" or "Prayer and Work". Contrast that with today, when work is seen as a necessary evil, to be tolerated for the sake of making a living. As Pope Pius XI stated in Quadragesimo Anno:

While dead matter emerges from the economic workshop ennobled, man, on the other hand, is made worse, and becomes more vulgar.

In reality, work is a call by God to cooperate in the Divine Plan, whether making fruitful the gifts of the Earth or the gifts of the Intellect, Will and Memory. Work is not a punishment, but a great trust that God has shown in Man. In His Wisdom, God has also provided that work help us to develop our spiritual powers to the point of perfection. Patience, Prudence, Steadfastness, Charity, Fortitude -- all of these are exercised on a daily basis and are strengthened by the work we perform. The True value of work is lost when approached only for the sake of material gains.

As a human person, one's mind and will should gain something from the work. Man should take something valuable from his work, because it is his work that is shaping the mind, will, feelings and other characteristics, including the Virtues. His physical and spiritual skills should not be overlooked.

As mentioned earlier, work is a means to both the temporal and eternal ends. Therefore, through his work, every man should aim to achieve (1) the perfecting of things, and (2) the perfecting of the working man.

This is the meaning of work.

This definition of work is the starting point for a restoration of true socio-economic progress. This definition is a starting point for the restoration of human civilization, for moral-religious progress, and for the the culture of the world.

"Work is not only for satisfying the needs of our existence. It is a means by which man knows himself and learns to express himself." [1]

Work is the means by which man is perfected for the eventual enjoyment of Eternal Beatitude.


[1] All You Who Labor: Work and the Sanctification of Daily Life, Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski, Sophia Institute Press, 1995.

Names Make a Difference

Steve (et al.) have spoken extensively on the roles of women and how dress makes the lady. Well, apparently names also make the lady.

Despite the overt spin of the story, there are some good nuggets. Girls who are given less feminine names are more likely to pursue math and science after adolescence. However the girls with more feminine names

were [not] any less capable. When the Isabellas, Annas and Elizabeths took on their tougher-named peers in science, they performed just as well.

Also of note was that children with more traditional names (with traditional spellings) scored higher than others.

... the exam marks of those with 'lower-status' names - often spelled in an unusual way or including punctuation - were on average 3 to 5 percentage points lower than siblings with more traditional names.

The name of the child, and its spelling, has an impact on the child's self-image AND upon the expectations of those around the child.

'Parents who make up bizarre names for their children are ignorant, arrogant or just foolish.'

Moral of the story: Give your girl a girl's name, and she will be treated as such. Dress your girl like a girl, and she will be treated as such.

The Falsity of Right vs. Left

Steve recently posted a summary of an on-going feud to which he has been party. The other person, Kevin, seems to like the right-middle-left dichotomy that has permeated the global culture and the Church.

The Right vs. Left is a flexible tool, completely based on one's own perspective. One person may be a social conservative and a religious liberal in the same breath. However, that classification may change when someone with stronger or weaker views enters the exchange.

Here is Steve quoting Kevin:

... he’s thinking well to the "right" (my term) of the Church on questions like NFP use and the role of women in family/society.

From Kevin's perspective, Steve's thinking is to the "right". Notice the subjectivity. The Right vs. Left is a perspective based upon where I stand at this moment. I am the center. I am the synthesis of the thesis and the antithesis.

I, James, have little room to pontificate, because I find myself using these false dichotomies at a moment's notice. They are so very convenient, but undoubtedly false. As a culture, we are so conditioned to think with a right-center-left mentality, that escaping it's grasp takes a constant act of the will. As humans, we sometimes (read often) fail.

In terms of religious observance and classification, (and really throughout all of culture) the subject should be judged on its relation to Truth and Falsehood.

The question is not whether anyone is to the right or left of anything. The question is:

Is it Truth?

Two Conflicting Visions

The always-excellent Mr. Gillibrand has posted the Text of Letter from the International Council of Christians and Jews to Cardinal Kasper. It basically deals with the upcoming Motu Proprio (subito!) and it's impact on Jewish (and now Muslim) relations.

One particular section caught my eye:

The expanded validation of such prayers [in the 1962 Missal -Ed.] will rightly challenge Catholic integrity in terms of the proclamations of the past four decades. Non- Catholics can rightly ask which is the normative view when two conflicting visions are supposedly legitimized. Saying that the missal of Pope Paul VI remains the normative text, while true, does not solve the problem in our judgment.

Does that say what I think it says? Non-Catholics would rightly question which is the true view of the Church. When two viewpoints/cultures/Missals, emanating from the same juridical body, directly oppose each other, human nature dictates that a comparison is made. One is objectively better than the other.

The Non-Catholics will question.

Will Catholics question?

Manhood and Fatherhood

Two books had a decisive impact on my view of my role as father and husband.

The first is Fatherhood & Family, published by Angelus Press. It got my head on straight regarding my view of my wife, my children, and the world. Most of it was very difficult to digest the first time through. Coming from a very N.O. background and the "mutual submission" lobotomy that goes with it, this book challenged me, and gets a re-read every 18 months or so.

The second book was Created to Be His Helpmeet, by Debi Pearl. This one is for the ladies (in my best Barry White voice). Once again, it is a very tough read. My wife started reading it and dismissed it as Fundamentalist garbage. But when our N.O. friends reacted so violently against some of the more sane concepts, She took another look. What is boils down to is this: Women -- act like a woman and treat your husband like a man (with all of the manly-man things that it implies).

When I started thinking of myself as a Man, Husband, and Father, I became better at it. When my wife acted like a Lady, Wife, and Mother, and started treating me like a Man, Husband, and Father, I bore the yoke much more comfortably, and started treating my wife like a Lady. I know that she will support me in whatever I do. I trust her opinions even more because she knows that I have her and the children's best interests at heart.

And finally, sharing one's concerns and fears with one's wife is one of the best things one can do. Does she not share the same with you?

One of the (many) turning points in my relationship with my wife was after we had been married for several years. While courting her, I said all of the lovey-dovey stuff (true nonetheless) about how much I need her and depend upon her presence in my life. After getting married, I immediately assumed the role of what I thought a husband/provider should be. I rarely, if ever, shared my dependency upon her, fearing that she would see me as weak and vulnerable -- a shell of the man that she had married. Years later, due to some family crisis, I broke down and shared my utter dependence upon her in my life, ultimately saying "I need you". She broke down in tears, stating that she feared losing me to my work or the world because I no longer needed her. By the weird ways in which God works through human frailty, my weakness/vulnerability made me stronger through my wife.

BTW, the clamming up myself and shutting off my feelings was something I learned by example. In turn, I hope to pass a better example to my own children. They will never forget the example I set for them.

Fr. Norman Weslin

Last week we received a call from a nice lady in Omaha, Nebraska asking us to pray for Fr. Norman Weslin, as his District Court trial was scheduled for Holy Thursday. He was accused of blocking access to an abortion clinic.

Of course, my family prayed for him. He was found not guilty, Deo Gratias.

My wife has known the good Father for over 15 years. She has worked beside him on many occasions, and was a House Mother for one of the Weslin Homes for Unwed Mothers here in Colorado Springs.

Weslin, who was not available for comment, became teary-eyed after hearing the verdict and began singing "Ave Maria" with his supporters, Cannon said.

Thanks be to God for prayers answered, and thanks to Our Lady.

(More info)

Stations of the Cross (Old and New)

Station	Stations of the Cross: According to the method of St. Alphonsus Liguori	New 'Way of the Cross' at the Colosseum
First	Jesus Is Condemned To Death	Jesus in the Garden of Olives
Second	Jesus Is Made To Bear His Cross	Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested
Third	Jesus Falls The First Time	Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin
Fourth	Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother	Jesus is denied by Peter
Fifth	The Cyrenian Helps Jesus To Carry His Cross	Jesus is judged by Pilate
Sixth	Veronica Wipes The Face Of Jesus	Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns
Seventh	Jesus Falls The Second Time	Jesus takes up his cross
Eighth	The Women Of Jerusalem Weep Over Jesus	Jesus is helped by the Cyrenean to carry his cross
Ninth	Jesus Falls The Third Time	Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
Tenth	Jesus Is Stripped Of His Garments	Jesus is crucified
Eleventh	Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross	Jesus promises his Kingdom to the good thief
Twelfth	Jesus Dies On The Cross	The crucified Jesus, the Mother and the disciple
Thirteenth	Jesus Is Taken Down From The Cross	Jesus dies on the cross
Fourteenth	Jesus Is Laid In The Sepulchre	Jesus is laid in the tomb

St. Patrick's Day

Forget about the drunken sloppiness of the day. The great St. Patrick converted an entire country from paganism. His faith, passed on through the centuries, is why I am a Catholic today.

I love St. Patrick and often pray for his zeal and love of souls.

I will be drinking Guinness tomorrow, thanking God for converting my ancestors and for giving us monks who figured out how to make beer.

It is all the fad ...

Deja Vu

The Motu Proprio is coming!

The Motu Proprio is coming!

The Motu Proprio is coming!

(Yes, I know that I am an obnoxious, cynical b@$t@rd.)

The Emancipation Proclamation

Rumour has it that "the Mass will be officially freed next week...Feb 22." -- which just happens to be the Feast of The Chair of St. Peter.

As the rumours and speculations fly, I have a few of my own.

I think that the "Emancipation Proclamation" will be some statement to the effect that the Mass was never really taken away, so there is nothing to free. That way, Rome looks like the Good Guy to both sides. The Liberals can still tout the N.O. is the choice of the People of God and a Movement of the sPiRiT. The Conservatives can point at one more document (remember Authenticam Liturgicam ?) and say "See! See! The Pope is with us. If only the Bishops would follow him ... " or some other hand-wringing that has been the staple of Catholic Conservatism for the past 25 years.

The Trads will cheer at first, and then realize that nothing is going to change. Chris Ferrara will write a 8 page article in The Latin Mass Magazine detailing the loopholes and inconsistencies within said document, and warn readers not to trust anyone (Bishop or Priest) who tries to implement it.

Meanwhile, we will go back to our lives -- replete with combat against the World, the Flesh, and the Devil -- and working our darndest to pass the Faith on to our children.

Quoting Pop Diva Whitney Houston, "I believe the children are our future ..."

Cardinal Hoyos Interview

Once again, Cardinal Hoyos speaks regarding the Ecclesia Dei Commission et alia.

Steve is touching on the Novus Ordo - T.L.M. dichotomy here, but I would like to bring forth a comment by His Eminence:

I am constantly surprised that young people who have not known the Old Rite before discover the peace and mystery of the Old Mass. What is important is that the two Rites do not oppose each other but one should see the beauty and sanctity in both. (emphasis mine).

The N.O. virtually replaced the T.L.M. As such, there is naturally going to be a comparison between the two Rites. One is better than the other.

Yes, I know that the Sacrifice of Christ is infinite and perfect. Only God can judge the supernatural effects. That is not of which I speak. I speak of the natural which touches our humanity.

One is better at communicating the essence of the Catholic Faith.
One is better at catechizing the faithful.
One is better at instilling reverence for the Sacred.
One is better at lifting a fallen human nature.
One is better at maintaining the 'mystery' part of Sacred Mysteries.

When considering the above, there will be opposition between the two Rites. There should be opposition between the two Rites. When one thing replaces another, there cannot be perfect equality, unless it is replaced by the exact same thing.

Posting Documents on Blogger

Apparently, one can post documents to one's blog. The previous post was just such an example (which has been subsequently removed because it was a MONSTER). I do have the "Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Latin and English" document in a 'real' document format.

Let me know if you want a copy.

Is the Epiphany Declaration Worthwhile?

Many have already seen The Epiphany Declaration and its plebe spin-off.

My question: Is this worthwhile?

Are we really so convinced that the Powers-That-Be actually give a fig about 600 signatures on an online petition? Other than the "Agatha Christie Indult", when has something like this even remotely worked?

As for the "Declaration" itself, do we really want the church to be swayed by "influential" or "big name" people putting together a Declaration? Wow! 40 Intellectuals signed a document asking the Holy Father to free the Classical Roman Rite. Ten-times as many "Catholic" Intellectuals would freely sign a document asking the Holy Father to allow for a married Roman Catholic priesthood. And the online plebe petition would easily get 6000 signatures.

I am not convinced that these Declarations are going to have an impact. I am not convinced that I want them to have an impact. It smacks of Congregationalism, not Catholicism.

Frankly, I don't want the Holy Father listening to any 21st-century-Intellectual-signed Declaration. Americanism and its fruits have infected the whole bunch. This whole "People of God" thing has gone to their heads.

Dying Indults

Over the past couple of days, news has reached me of the impending death of two different Indult Mass locations: San Fernando Mission (L.A. Archdiocese) and Prince of Peace (Greenville, SC). Sad news indeed.

These two Mass locations have different reasons for cutting back (or closing). The SC location's priest has lost support of another priest who covered for him during the 5 p.m. Indult slot. He will only be able to offer the Indult once per month. The L.A. location is now closed by its Ordinary. (ahemm ...)

Yes, I know about the rumors of the Motu Proprio, and I will believe it when I see it. There have been too many rumors over the past 6 years.

However, the closings/cut-backs described above lends some credibility to the rumors. The lines are being drawn. The players are picking their team. The fighters are choosing a corner.

The circumstances are being arranged in such a way that those true Indult locations (not FSSP or ICR) will have a very difficult time satisfactorily justifying their existence to their Ordinary. Whether it is fear of the M.P. or vindication, these Ordinaries are cutting any and all ties to Tradition.

If/When the M.P. is issued, it will be the beginning of the war for Catholicism, not the end.