O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Saint Andrew's Day

Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of Your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give us, who are called by Your holy Word, grace to follow Him without delay, and to bring those near to us into His gracious presence; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

(Source: 1979 BCP p. 237).

No Freedom of Speech on the subject of Islam!

According the blog Elder of Ziyon, the Prime Minister of Turkey accepted an award for human rights the other day and then proceeded to criticize freedom of speech. Accoring to the post, he said that Turkey would not permit any criticism of Islam or Islamic values under the pretense of "freedom of expression."

Readings for the 1st Week of Advent

Even after converting, I find that I still prefer the Office of Morning Prayer found in the Episcopal Prayer Book to the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. This morning, the Old Testament reading from the 1st chapter of the Book of Isaiah should make all of us in the decadent West fall to our knees:

"Hear the word of the LORD you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; . . . I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. . . . When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. . . . If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

ISAIAH 1: 10-20

I cannot help but read this and shudder. We as a society certainly have "hands full of blood." We allow the murder of our unborn children and we allow those that are already born to live in poverty. We allow the elderly to live alone uncared for and unloved. We are interested only in ourselves and our selfish pleasures. I can't help but think that God is talking directly to us when he says that our assemblies have become a burden to Him and He hides His eyes from our prayers. I think about masses where children play with video games and adults carry on petty conversations and go through the motions of the Mass without thinking. We should all fall on our knees and tremble.

But there is hope. The verse I left out of the above quote gives us great hope in the coming Messiah:

"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD; though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."

ISAIAH 1:18.

This Advent, we should all hurry to Confession and Penance, so that our lamps will be full of oil when the Bridegroom comes lest we be shut out of the banquet and sent away.

God Bless You All.

Bishop Burnham's Farewell Address

Anglican Biship Andrew Burnham gave this farewell sermon before leaving to join the Catholic Church. At the end, he lay his crozier and mitre at the feet of the statue of Our Lady.

First Sunday of Advent

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which Your son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when He shall come again in His glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through Him who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

(Source: 1979 BCP p. 211).

Iraqi Christians Warned to Leave Country

Al-Qaeda continues to threaten Iraqi Christians, warning them that they will be killed if they do not leave the country. The Iraqi President has said that Christians should go to Kurdistan until the government can guarantee their safety. I found this Italian news report via Jihad Watch.

Why is the American media not reporting this? I have to wonder, how long will it be before the secular left is warning Christians to leave the United States?

More Waugh!

There's no such thing as enough Waugh! The Bad Catholic discusses Evelyn Waugh's Labels: A Mediterranean Journey at The Eclectic Reader.

What's Being Taught in College?

What Gavin McInness learned in college.

Hot War with North Korea?

Is the U.S. about to have a "hot war" with North Korea? Read about it here.

Oregon Teen Arrested in Terrorist Bomb Plot

Another home grown jihadist. Read the full story here.

TSA Employee Kidnaps Woman

Let's hear it for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration. Who better to hire to conduct full body scans and "enhanced" pat downs than a convicted stalker? That's right, folks, a TSA employee in Atlanta, Georgia, who had been convicted of stalking and served jail time in Pennsylvania, has kidnapped a woman and sexually assaulted her. Read about it here. With protection like this, what do we have to worry about Islamic Terrorists for?

Opposites Attract

A great post on our Catholic faith, the religion of Kings and Shepherds, by Father Dwight Longenecker.

Desecration Of Koran = Prison/ Desecration of Bible = Art

In follow up to my earlier post regarding the arrest of a 15 year girl in Great Britian for hate speech for burning a copy of the Koran, where I asked would she have been arrested had it been a Bible, here is an article from the UK blog Cranmer discussing an art exhibit in Scotland where museum patrons were invited to desecrate a Bible. So apparently, in the country which used to be the United Kingdom, blaspheming the holy book of Islam gets a child a possible prison sentence, but blaspheming the holy book of Christianity in a country whose state religion is supposed to be Christianity is lauded as "Art." Wonderful.

Down where I live in the heart of the Bible Belt in rural Southwest Georgia, it is hard to believe that this is the kind of thinking that will soon be the rule in most major cities here in the good old U.S. of A. We have already been told that when we buy an airline ticket for a domestic flight that we surrender our rights guaranteed by the 4th and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution against unreasonable searches and seizures. How long will it be before we are also told that we must surrender our 1st Amendment rights to freedom of speech in the name of "tolerance"?

Obama's Grandmother Prays He Will Convert to Islam

The UK Telegraph reports that President Obama's Grand Mother in Kenya, while making the Hajj to Mecca, told a Saudi newspaper that she is praying that Obama will convert to Islam.

15 Year Old Arrested in England for Burning Koran

The BBC reports that a 15 year old girl has been arrested and charged with Hate Speech for burning a copy of the Koran. One has to wonder, if she had desecrated a copy of the Bible would she have been charged?

Happy Thanksgiving

Graham Greene's The Man Within

The Bad Catholic reviews Graham Greene's The Man Within at The Eclectic Reader.

Is American Airport Security Really Stupid?

Great Post on American Airport Security from The Rubin Report.

Korean Cold War Turns Hot

North and South Korea exchanged shots with each other leaving 2 dead. Read the full story here.

Father Miguel Pro, S.J.

Don't Blame the Gay Lobby for the Decline of Marriage

A good article on the decline of marriage by Stephen Baskerville.

Saint Cecilia

Enhanced Security?

You have to laugh, because if you don't you'll be outraged or crying. A very good analysis of the situation from the Saint Louis Catholic.

Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies

The Bad Catholic discusses Evelyn Waugh's 1930 novel Vile Bodies at The Eclectic Reader.

Good Reflection!

A good reflection on today's solemnity of Christ the King from the blog "Merrys Cloister."

Solemnity of Christ the King

Today is the last Sunday of Ordinary Time on which the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King.



Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under His most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Weeping Statue?

An interesting essay about a statute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Canada which allegedly weeps and speaks to owner whose front yard it was in.

A "Roe v. Wade" Moment for Marriage?

A Bishop asks "Are we approaching a Roe v. Wade moment when traditional marriage will be legally swept away?

Trashing the Dollar

A good opinion piece on the looming inflation of U.S. currency.

Pakistani Singing Star is Forced By the Taliban to Abandon Performing and Begin Preaching Islam

This young lady, Nazia Iqbal, who was a singing star in Pakistan, has been forced by Taliban threats to give up singing and become a full time preacher of Islam. Read the full story here.

More About the Bishops Leaving the C of E

Computer Gamer Sells Virtual Reality Real Estate for $600,000 +

Wonderful. We live in a world in which people will pay six figures for an imaginary piece of real estate that only exists on-line in a computer game. Can the artificial humans of Blade Runner be far behind? Read the full story here.

Is This the Middle Ages?

Who would have thunk it? The Diocese of Peoria, Illinois and the Archdiocese of New York are fighting over the relics of Fulton J. Sheen. I thought fighting over the relics of saints would have gone out about the same time as burning heretics at the stake. Read the story from Whispers in the Loggia.

Five Anglican Bishops Have "Poped"

Five, count 'em five (5) Anglican Bishops have announced their conversion to the Catholic Church. Praise be to God!

FAULKNER!

The Bad Catholic has been reading Faulkner! Read all about it at The Eclectic Reader.

Which One is the Greatest Threat: Islam or Secularism

Great debate between Robert Spencer and Peter Kreeft.

Pakistani Christian Sentenced to Death for Blaspheming Islam

Coming to a Western Nation near you: Sharia Law: Look at what we Christians have to look forward to: Read the full story here.

The State of the Church

While U.S. Catholics care so much for the holiness of the Mass that they allow their children to play video games in the communion line, Vietnamese Catholics are struggling to be allowed to practice their faith at all. Read the stories here and here.

Victims of the Culture of Death

Feast of the Dedication of Saint John Lateran

From the Liturgy of the Hours:
The anniversary of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, which was erected by the Emperor Constantine, has been observed on this day since the twelfth century. This feast was at first observed only in Rome but later in honor of the basilica, which is called the mother church of Christendom, the celebration was extended to the whole Latin Church. This action was taken as a sign of devotion to and of unity with the Chair of Peter which, as Saint Ignatius of Antioch wrote, "presides over the whole assembly of charity."

The Episcopal Church is Broke!

The Episcopal Church is broke and is taking out a $60 million dollar mortgage on its New York City Headquarters to meet the shortfall. Read the full story here.

Christians Imprisoned for Praying

Read the full story from Jihad Watch.

52 Killed in Attack on Iraqi Catholic Church

I dare say that these people are Martyrs for the Christian Faith. Read more here and here and here.