Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

Father, we honor the heart of Your Son broken by man's cruelty, yet symbol of love's triumph, pledge of all that man is called to be. Teach us to see Christ in the lives we touch, to offer him living worship by love-filled service to our brothers and sisters. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Liturgy of the Hours).

The Violent Bear It Away

As I mentioned, the Bad Catholic has been catching up on reading Catholic authors. I have previously read Wise Blood, the short story collection A Good Man is Hard To Find and dipped into the letter collection The Habit of Being. I have also read most of the lectures and non-fiction contained in the Library of America's Flannery O'Connor: Collected Works.

After visiting Graham Greene's West Africa, I decided to pay a visit to Miss Mary Flannery's South. I am aiming to stay for a while.

O'Connor's best writing is in her short stories and in her letters. She wrote two novels Wise Blood and the one under consideration, The Violent Bear It Away. Of the two, I think that the latter is by far the better book. Toward the end, Wise Blood became confusing and hard to follow, whereas, The Violent Bear It Away moves inexorably towards its inevitable, horrifying ending.

Following Jesus is never easy and you are liable to get maimed in the process. Jesus went to suffering and death, and if we are going to follow him then we must be prepared to go to Crucifixion and death along with Him.

The Violent Bear It Away refers to a quote from the Douay-Rheims version of the Bible: "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away." Matthew 11:12.

The novel is the story of a young teenager, Francis Marion Tarwater. Tarwater has been raised by his great uncle, Mason Tarwater, who kidnapped the orphan child away from Rayber, Mason's nephew and Tarwater's uncle, in order to raise Tarwater to do the Lord's work.

Mason considers himself to be an Old Testament prophet. Rayber, referred to throughout the novel as "the schoolteacher," marries a social worker known as "the welfare woman." Mason tells young Tarwater that the welfare woman was older than Rayber and only able to give him one child, and the Lord spared the child from their evil ways the only way He could by making him dim-witted. Mason believes that he has been chosen by the Lord to baptize Rayber's retarded child, Bishop.

Anyone wanting the rest of the plot summary can read the entire thing here. Otherwise, I'm going to assume that everybody knows the basic story outline.

The Bad Catholic is also probably a bad literature critic, because, if I'm honest, just like I didn't know what I thought of Greene's The Heart of the Matter, I don't really know what I think of The Violent Bear It Away either. However, I'm a real fan of the Southern Gothic style. Greene is good but he ain't no William Faulkner, or Flannery O'Connor for that matter.

It's pretty obvious that Mason Tarwarter represents the religious outlook on life and that Raber, "the schoolteacher", represents the modern secular world view. Tarwater must either choose the Lord or choose modern agnosticism. In O'Connor's hands there is a certain fanaticism on both sides. Old Mason had been committed to the mental hospital, but in their way, both Rayber and his absent wife are just as crazy. There is a lot to think about here. Why would a good God let there be retarded children like Bishop? If there is no God, is everyone better off if Bishop was dead?

This being an O'Connor novel, even without knowing the ending, when I read that Rayber had once tried to drown his son in the ocean but couldn't go through with it, I knew that Tarwater would drown Bishop while baptizing him. Thus the paradox. If Rayber had drowned Bishop, in Rayber's secular world view, Bishop would just be dead. When Tarwater drowns Bishop and baptizes him at the same time, Bishop becomes the Lord's and is born to new life.

O'Connor's sacramental theology runs throughout the book. As in the teachings of the Catholic Church, baptism operates as a channel of grace which affects the individual whether the person wants it to or not. You can reject the grace, like Rayber has, but you can't ignore it. It exists whether you like it or not.

I also don't know what I think about Tarwater's voice that he hears througout the novel challenging him to go against his destiny. Is it the devil? The evil side of himself? The rational side? Because we know that following the Lord isn't rational. You got to be a fool for God like all them prophets in the Old Testament was, and like Saint Francis was. After all, Jesus himself went and got his self kilt when all he would have had to done to avoid it was to keep his mouth shut and not be a raisin' the dead and healing the lame and a makin' the blind see.

I have to say that the homosexual child molester that gets Tarwater near the end of the book surprised me as much as the murder of the family by the Misfit in A Good Man is Hard to Find surprised me when I first read it.

Tarwater is destined to be a prophet of the Lord. No matter what he does he can't shake off the destiny that the Lord has for him. He can try to reject it, but he can't get away from it.

Well, the Bad Catholic has a got get up from this here computer and quit bloggin' and git on with his bidnis of lawyerin' and makin' a livin' and fallin down and worshipin' the Great God Mammon and all like that.

The Violent Bear It Away is grotesque, silly, and profound all at the same time. I think that that's a good definition of a masterpiece. Don't you?



Miss Flannery rocking on the porch.

Saint Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor of the Church

Saint Ephrem was born of a Christian family at Nisibis around the year 306. Ordained deacon, he exercised this office throughout the country and in Edessa, where he founded a theological school. Despite his ascetic life he did not relax his ministries of preaching and writing books to confute the errors of the time. He died in 373.

Lord, in Your love fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit, who inspired the deacon Ephrem to sing the praise of Your mysteries and gave him strength to serve You alone. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Liturgy of the Hours)

The American Soldier

The Fruit of Socialized Medicine in the Post-Christian State

Here's a post from the British political blog Cranmer about the National Health Service paying for abortions for women who have had IVF treatment. Read the whole thing here.

Solemnity of Corpus Christi

O precious and wonderful banquet, that brings us salvation and contains all sweetness! Could anything be of more intrinsic value? Under the old law it was the flesh of calves and goats that was offered, but here Christ himself, the true God, is set before us as food. What could be more wonderful than this? No other sacrament has greater healing power; through it sins are purged away, virtues are increased, and the soul is enriched with an abundance of every spiritual gift. It is offered in the Church for the living and the dead, so that what was instituted for the salvation of all may be for the benefit of all. Yet, in the end, no one can fully express the sweetness of this sacrament, in which spiritual delight is tasted at its very source, and in which we renew the memory of that surpassing love for us which Christ revealed in his passion.

It was to impress the vastness of this love more firmly upon the hearts of the faithful that our Lord instituted this sacrament at the Last Supper. As he was on the point of leaving the world to go to the Father, after celebrating the Passover with his disciples, he left it as a perpetual memorial of his passion. It was the fulfillment of ancient figures adn the greatest of all his miracles, while for those who were to experience the sorrow of his departure, it was destined to be a unique and abiding consolation.

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Lord Jesus Christ, You gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of Your suffering and death. May our worship of this sacrament of Your body and blood help us to experience the salvation You won for us and the peace of the kingdom where You live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Convent in New York to Become a Mosque

Here's what happens in Post-Christian, Post-Catholic America. A former convent on Staten Island has been sold to a Muslim group to become a mosque. According to the blog Atlas Shrugged this group may have radical ties. Read the full story here.

Methodist Mega-Church Pastor Is Now a Catholic

Here's an inspiring story about a Methodist minister who led a 7,000 member mega-church who is now a Catholic layperson. Full story here.

The Heart of the Matter

I've been catching up on my reading of "Catholic novels" lately. This afternoon I finished Graham Greene's famous 1948 novel The Heart of the Matter. Honestly, I don't know what I think of it. Like everything I have ever read by Greene so far, the book is well written and engaging. The characters are well drawn and the reader comes to care about what happens to them.

However, The Heart of the Matter is a strange novel. I can't do any better than George Orwell's review for the July 17, 1948 edition of The New Yorker magazine. Orwell's review is literature in its own right:

Here is the outline of the story: A certain Major Scobie, Deputy Commissioner of Police and a Catholic convert, finds a letter bearing a German address hidden in the cabin of the captain of a Portuguese ship. The letter turns out to be a private one and completely harmless, but it is, of course, Scobie's duty to hand it over to higher authority. However, the pity he feels for the Portuguese captain is too much for him, and he destroys the letter and says nothing about it. Scobie, it is explained to us, is a man of almost excessive conscientiousness. He does not drink, take bribes, keep Negro mistresses, or indulge in bureaucratic intrigue, and he is, in fact, disliked on all sides because of his uprightness, like Aristides the Just. His leniency toward the Portuguese captain is his first lapse. After it, his life becomes a sort of fable on the theme of 'Oh, what a tangled web we weave', and in every single instance it is the goodness of his heart that leads him astray. Actuated at the start by pity, he has a love affair with a girl who has been rescued from a torpedoed ship. He continues with the affair largely out of a sense of duty, since the girl will go to pieces morally if abandoned; he also lies about her to his wife, so as to spare her the pangs of jealousy. Since he intends to persist in adultery, he does not go to confession, and in order to lull his wife's suspicions he tells her that he has gone. This involves him in the truly fearful act of taking the Sacrament while in a state of mortal sin. By this time, there are other complications, all caused in the same manner, and Scobie finally decides that the only way out is through the unforgivable sin of suicide. Nobody else must be allowed to suffer through his death; it will be arranged as to look like an accident. As it happens, he bungles one detail, and the fact he has committed suicide becomes known. The book ends with a Catholic priest hinting, with doubtful orthodoxy, that Scobie is perhaps not damned. Scobie, however, had not entertained any such hope. White all through, with a stiff upper lip, he had gone to what he believed to be certain damnation out of pure gentlemanliness.

I have not parodied the plot of the book. Even when dressed up in realistic details, it is just as ridiculous as I have indicated. . . .

The Bad Catholic has to agree with Orwell. The book is well written, engaging, interesting, but . . . Orwell is right, the plot is ridiculous. Orwell is absolutely spot on, in my opinion, when he says that "If he (Scobie) were capable of getting into the kind of mess that is described, he would have got into it years earlier. If he really felt that adultery is mortal sin, he would stop committing it; if he persisted in it, his sense of sin would weaken. If he believed in Hell, he would not risk going there merely to spare the feelings of a couple of neurotic women."

At one point in the novel, when Scobie is taking communion in a state of mortal sin, and has decided to kill himself to spare the feelings of his wife and his mistress, he prays that God accept his damnation on their behalf. Greene is here almost parodying the Catholic theology of offering up one's suffering on behalf of others as a form of prayer. We can offer up suffering because Christ suffered. How can one offer up a sin as prayer? It is certainly interesting fiction but it's very, very bad theology.

Orwell's classic review of The Heart of the Matter has some other great quotes:

"In addition, it is impossible not to feel a sort of snobbishness in Mr. Greene's attitude, both here and in his other books written from an explicitly Catholic standpoint. He appears to share the idea, which has been floating around ever since Baudelaire, that there is something rather distingue in being damned; Hell is a sort of high-class night club, entry to which is reserved for Catholics only, since the others, the non-Catholics, are too ignorant to be held guilty, like the beasts that perish."

Or this quote, which I absolutely love:

"Every novelist has his own conventions, and, just as in an E.M. Forster novel there is a strong tendency for the characters to die suddenly without sufficient cause, so in a Graham Greene novel there is a tendency for people to go to bed together almost at sight and with no apparent pleasure to either party."

The Heart of the Matter is acknowledged to be one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. It's fun to think about the issues raised in the book and it's fun to sit around and feel sorry for poor Scobie, but it's terrible theology. And in fact, the ending of the novel shows that Scobie accomplished nothing by his suicide. His wife Louise knew he was having an affair all along and figures out that her husband committed suicide. Scobie's girlfriend, Helen, can't live with Scobie's death and sinks into moral depravity by being willing to sleep with any man who wants her. When asked what he thought happened to Scobie, Evelyn Waugh famously said "Scobie is in Hell." The Bad Catholic has to agree.


Graham Greene

Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

Saint Boniface was born in England about the year 673. He was first professed in the monastic life at Exeter but in 719 went to Germany to preach the Gospel. He made many converts there and was consecrated bishop, ruling over the church at Mainz. He attracted many companions by whose help he founded or restored dioceses in Bavaria, Thuringia and Franconia. He also convened councils and promulgated laws. While preaching the Gospel to the Frisians, Saint Boniface was killed by pagans in 754. His body is buried in the monastery of Fulda.

As the cool illustration shows, one of the things that Saint Boniface was known for was destroying pagan shrines and building Christian Churches on top of them to show the power of the true God. Here he is depicted chopping down a holy tree dedicated to the pagan God Thor. In other words, Saint Boniface was definitely not politically correct in respecting the beliefs of the pagans! In our politically correct, morally relativistic culture, where we are required to believe that the beliefs of all people are equally valid, no doubt Saint Boniface would get martyred again.

Lord, your martyr Boniface spread the faith by his teaching and witnessed to it with his blood. By the help of his prayers keep us loyal to our faith and give us the courage to profess it in our lives. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Source: Liturgy of the Hours).

Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs of Uganda

Owing to religious hatred, many faithful Christians were killed in Uganda by King Mwanga during the years 1885-87. some of them had enjoyed the good graces of the king at his court, and some were even related to him. Among them, Charles Lwanga and his twenty one companions, adhering steadfastly to the Catholic faith, were put to death, some by sword, others by burning, because they would not accede to the king's unreasonable demands.

Father, You have made the blood of the martyrs the seed of Christians. May the witness pf Saint Charles and his companions and their loyalty to the Christ in the face of torture inspire countless men and women to live the Christian faith. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Source: Liturgy of the Hours)

The Greatness of Your Mercy

But as for me, through the greatness of Your mercy I will go into Your house; I will bow down toward Your holy temple in awe of You.

Psalm: 5:7 (1979 BCP).

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

As tensions in the Middle East rise, let us pray for peace.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.

Peace be within your walls and quietness within your towers.

For my brethren and companions' sake, I pray for your prosperity.

Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good.

Psalm 122: 6-9, (1979 BCP)

Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs

Pope Damasus is our authority for the martyrdoms of Saints Marcellinus and Peter during the Diocletian persecution. He received this information from the executioner himself. They were beheaded in a grove, but their bodies were moved and buried in the cemetary Ad duas Lauros on the Via Labicana. Once peace had been restored, the Church built a basilica over their tombs.

Father, may we benefit from the example of Your martyrs Marcellinus and Peter, and be supported by their prayers. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Source: Liturgy of the Hours).

Justin Martyr

Saint Justin, philosopher and martyr, was born of pagan parents at Flavia Neapolis in Samaria at the beginning of the second century. Following his conversion to the faith he wrote many works in defense of religion, of which we have only two; the Apology and the Dialogue with Trypho. He also opened a school at Rome in which public debates were held. Justin was martyred along with several companions during the reign of Marcus Aurelius around the year 165.

Father, through the folly of the cross You taught Saint Justin the sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ. May we too reject falsehood and remain loyal to the faith. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Source: Liturgy of the Hours)

The Gospel Reading for the Visitation in Syriac

The Church breathes with two lungs East and West. This is the Gospel reading for the Feast of the Visitation from the Syriac Orthodox Church.

The Eclectic Reader

The new Bad Catholic book review is ready at my other blog, The Eclectic Reader.

Memorial Day

Almighty God, we commend to Your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with Your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of Your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Source 1979 BCP p. 823)

O Lord God of Hosts, stretch forth, we pray thee, thine almighty arm to strengthen and protect the soldiers of this country. Support them in the day of battle, and in time of peace keep them safe from all evil; endue them with courage and loyalty; and grant that in all things they may serve without reproach; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Source 1928 BCP p. 41)

O Almighty God, the supreme Governor of all things, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to those who truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from the hands of our enemies; that we, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee, who art the only giver of all victory; through the merits of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Source 1928 BCP p. 41)

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad Your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.
(Source 1979 BCP p. 815)

The Mystery of the Church

"I shall pray," the man said without hope.

"Why not?" Scobie said.

"You are an Englishman. You wouldn't believe in prayer."

"I'm a Catholic, too," Scobie said.

The fat face looked quickly up at him. "A Catholic?" he exclaimed with hope. For the first time he began to plead. He was like a man who meets a fellow countryman in a strange continent. He began to talk rapidly of his daughter in Leipzig; he produced a battered pocketbook and a yellowing snap-shot of a stout young Portuguese woman as graceless as himself. The little bathroom was stiflingly hot and the captain repeated again and again. "You will understand." He had discovered suddenly how much they had in common: the plaster statues with the swords in the bleeding heart; the whisper behind the confessional curtains; the holy coats and the liquefaction of blood; the dark side chapels and the intricate movements, and somewhere behind it all the love of God. . . . They had in common all the wide region of repentance and longing.

From THE HEART OF THE MATTER by Graham Greene.

The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth

And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda.

And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth.

And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost;

And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.

And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my savior.

Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Because he that is mighty, hath done great things for me; and holy is his name.

And mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.

He hath showed might in his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:

As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

And Mary abode with her about three months; and she returned to her own house.

EVANGELIUM SECUNDUM LUCAM (The Gospel According to Luke Chapter 1:39-56)

Douay-Rheims Version

Arlington Ladies Make Sure That No Soldier Is Buried Alone

MSNBC reports on a group of volunteers called "The Arlington Ladies" who attend the funerals of every service man and woman buried at Arlington National Cemetery to help the families and show the respect of a grateful nation. Read the full story here.

Trinity Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God, You have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of Your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see You in Your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(Source: 1979 BCP p. 228).

Saint Philip Neri

Saint Philip Neri was born at Florence in 1515. He went to Rome and began work with young men among whom he fostered Christian life and formed an association for the poor and the sick. Ordained to the priesthood in 1551, he founded the Oratory where spiritual reading, singing and works of charity were practiced. He excelled in his love of neighbor and in evangelical simplicity along with a joyous service to God. Saint Philip died in 1595.

Father, You continually raise up Your faithful to the glory of holiness. In Your love kindle in us the fire of the Holy Spirit who so filled the heart of Philip Neri. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Venerable Bede, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Saint Bede was born in the neighborhood of the Wearmouth monastery in 673. He was trained by Saint Benedict Biscop and later entered the monastery. Ordained to the priesthood, he spent his ministry in teaching and writing. Saint Bede wrote theological and historical works in the patristic tradition and explained Sacred Scripture. He died in 735.

Lord, You have enlightened Your Church with the learning of Saint Bede, In Your love may Your people learn from His wisdom and benefit from His prayers. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

SOLEMNITY OF PENTECOST

From The Acts of the Apostles:


"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly, a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."


Acts of the Apostles 2:1-4 (RSV)


From a sermon by a 6th century author:



"The disciples spoke in the language of every nation. At Pentecost God chose this means to indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit: whoever had received the Spirit spoke in every kind of tongue. We must realize, dear brothers, that this is the same Holy Spirit by whom love is poured out in our hearts. It was love that was to bring the Church of God together all over the world. And as individual men who received the Holy Spirit in those days could speak in all kinds of tongues, so today the Church, united by the Holy Spirit, speaks in the language of every people.


Therefore if somebody should say to one of us, "You have received the Holy Spirit, why do you not speak in tongues?" his reply should be, "I do indeed speak in the tongues of all men, because I belong to the body of Christ, that is, the Church, and she speaks all languages. What else did the presence of the Holy Spirit indicate at Pentecost, except that God's Church was to speak in the language of every people?"



Prayer: Come Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy his consolations, through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Bishops are not Employees of the Vatican

Lawyers for the Holy See are arguing in a lawsuit filed in Federal Court that American Bishops are not its employees and that the Vatican should not be legally liable for thier actions. Read the full story here.

Former Baptist Minister, Married and Father of Six Children, to be Ordained a Catholic Priest

A married former Baptist minister has been granted a dispensation to be ordained a Catholic Priest in the Latin Rite. Full story here.

Is Henry VIII in Hell?

The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams gave a sermon the other day about the martyrdom of Carthusian monks who refused to recognize Henry VIII as the head of the church.

Archbishop Williams raised the question as to whether King Henry is in Heaven or Hell. If he is in Heaven, Dr. Williams says, it is due to the prayers of his victims.

Very interesting. Read the whole thing here.

Henry Morton Robinson's THE CARDINAL

I just finished reading the sixty year old pot boiler The Cardinal.

In its day this book was extremely popular. According to the blog Abandoned Books, The Cardinal was the number one bestseller of 1950 and the number four bestseller of 1951. Director Otto Preminger made a movie of the same name based upon the novel starring actor Tom Tryon. Having now read the book and seen the movie, the novel is far superior to the film which changes and condenses plots and in some cases drops plots and characters altogether.

About the only facts which I could dig up about the author, Henry Morton Robinson, came from the "About the Author" blurb in back of the book and the short article on Wikepedia. Robinson was born in Boston, Mass. in 1898 and served in the navy during World War I. He taught English at Columbia University and was the author of a number of popular books. Robinson died in 1961 after taking a sedative and going to sleep in a bathtub.

The Cardinal is the story of the life and career of the title character, Stephen Fermoyle, who rises from being the son of poor Irish immigrants in Boston to be a Prince of the Church. It is reportedly very loosely based on Cardinal Spellman. Being the story of one man's life, the novel has no one single plot and can instead be considered a series of linked stories and plots which involve Fermoyle at various stages of his career.

The characters in The Cardinal are mostly caricatures and stereotypes. The book describes a Catholic Triumphalism which would not be possible in a contemporary novel. The novel also takes a very romanticised view of the Church and clerical life in general. It is full of cliches and characters whose only purpose is to evoke a romanticized piety in the reader.

For instance, Father Fermoyle's sister Ellen is a pious Carmelite nun who contracts tuberculosis. Obviously she is intended to evoke the memory of Saint Therese. When Fermoyle is feeling that his vocation is challenged by his love for a woman, he goes off to a Benedictine monastery and is assigned to work in the kitchen beside a simple lay brother who stays mystically close to God through his work. Obviously, this is supposed to evoke shades of Brother Lawrence of The Practice of the Presence of God fame.

The reader has to be taught a moral lesson, so when Father Fermoyle's little sister refuses to marry a nice Catholic boy like she ought to and runs off with a Hispanic dancer (who also turns out to be a notorious back alley abortionist), we know that things are not going to turn out well. After all, the wages of sin is death. Mona, who is pregnant in a flop house, goes to a church and prays before a statute of Saint Anthony to be found by her family. Mona's prayers are answered and she is rescued by her brothers. However, there is a complication in her pregnancy which requires Monsignor Fermoyle to decide to let the doctors abort the child or let Mona face certain death. Of course, Mona dies in child birth and Monsignor Fermoyle names his newborn niece Regina in honor of the Blessed Mother. (I was told by an older lady of my acquantance that Protestant girls of her generation hesitated before dating Catholic boys because of this very scene in this novel.)

I have to say that the book is very well written for the type of thing that it is which is what we today would probably call beach reading. (In fact, I read a whole bunch of The Cardinal at the beach week before last.)

The Cardinal is a cliched Catholic soap opera. In short, The Cardinal is wonderful and I had great fun reading it. It would be well worth the time and money for anyone who loves the Church to dig up a copy of this old pot boiler.

Saint Matthias, Apostle

From the Acts of the Apostles (1:15-26):

In those days Peter rising up in the midst of the brethren, said: (now the number of persons together was about an hundred and twenty):

Men, brethren, the scripture must needs be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was the leader of them that apprehended Jesus.

Who was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

And he indeed hath possessed a field of the reward of iniquity, and being hanged, burst asunder in the midst: and all his bowels gushed out.

And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: so that the same field was called in their tongue, Haceldama, that is to say, the field of blood.

For it is written in the book of Psalms: Let their habitation become desolate, and let there be none to dwell therein. And his bishopric let another take.

Wherefore of these men who have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us,

Beginning from the baptism of John, until the day wherein he was taken up from us, one of these must be made a witness with us of his resurrection.

And they appointed two, Joseph, called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

And praying, they said: Thou Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen,

To take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas hath by transgression fallen, that he might go to his own place.

And they gave them lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

(Douay-Rheims Version)

Father, You called Saint Matthias to share in the mission of the apostles. By the help of his prayers may we receive with joy the love You share with us and be counted among those You have chosen. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Ascension of the Lord

From the Acts of the Apostles (Chapter 1 verses 6-11):

They therefore who were come together, asked him, saying: Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

But he said to them: It is not for you to know the time or moments, which the Father hath put in his own power:

But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth.

And when he has said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments.

Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, as you have seen him going into heaven.

(Douay-Rheims Version)

Father in heaven, our minds were prepared for the coming of your kingdom when You took Christ beyond our sight so that we might seek Him in His glory. May we follow where He has led and find our hope in His glory for He is Lord for ever. Amen.

The Crime of Being Catholic

The 40 Catholic Martyr Saints of the English Reformation

Catholic Christians in the U.S. and Western Europe may not be suffering "red martyrdom" by being tortured or put to death, but many are most certainly facing "white martyrdom" by being persecuted for their beliefs.

Apparently, if you are a doctor in Ireland, (Holy Ireland, who would have thought such a thing possible fifty years ago!) it is illegal to practice medicine according to the laws of the Church. An Irish physician has been hauled before a medical ethics tribunal for refusing to give fertility treatments to an unmarried couple.

Full story from the Irish Medical Times.

Saint Nereus, Saint Achilleus, and Saint Pancras

Today, May 12, the Church remembers 1st century martyrs Saints Nereus and Achilleus and 4th century martyr Saint Pancras.

From Lives of the Saints:

"According to Pope Saint Damasus, Nereus and Achilleus were Roman soldiers of the 1st century who became Christians and refused to remain in the service. They were martyred for the Faith and buried in the cemetary of Domitilla on the Via Ardeatina. The bas-relief of Achilleus being stricken is the oldest known representation of martyrdom.

The legendary Acts of these martyrs state on the other hand that they were servants of Flavia Domitilla, a niece of the Emperors Titus and Domitian, who became a Christian. They further relate that she was banished to the island of Pontia and was finally martyred at Terracina together with Nereus and Achilleus.

Saint Pancras was a Phrygian of noble birth who was baptized at the age of 14 and proceeded to give all his possessions to the poor. This drew the attention of the authorities to him and ultimately to the fact that he was a Christian. When he refused to renounce his Christianity, he was decapitated under Diocletian about the year 304.

PRAYER: Almighty God, we have seen Your glorious Martyrs Nereus, Achilleus, and Pancras remain steadfast in their profession of Faith. May we also experience their piety in their intercession for us before You. Amen."

Ready for the United Nations Internet Tax?

The World Health Organization wants all United Nations members to impose a tax on internet use on their citizens. Welcome to the Brave New World. Full story from Fox News.

A Taste of Things to Come: Georgia Senior Citizens Ordered to Stop Praying Before Meals

The elderly patrons of a Senior Citizens Center near Savannah, Georgia have been ordered to stop saying grace before meals because the food has been subsidized by the Federal Government. According to the company managing the program, Federal regulations prohibit any religious activity. Read the full story here.

When the Federal Government is providing us all with health care, will everyone be prohibited from praying since the health of our bodies is now paid for by Federal dollars?

If these senior citizens were predominantly Islamic, I have wonder if it would be the same result?

Raquel Welch Says Enough is Enough

Sex symbol Raquel Welch says that enough is enough on sexual promiscuity. Read the full story from CNN.

Vote Early! Vote Often!

LOVE IN THE RUINS has been nominated in two categories in the Cannonball Catholic Blog awards. (Best New Blog & Best Underappreciated Blog). Voting is open through May 14th. So the Bad Catholic is asking all of his loyal fans to VOTE NOW.



My Great Grand Daddy, Thomas Lowell Watson, was a Precinct Captain for Governor Eugene Talmadge of Georgia in the 30s and 40s. The story is that Daddy Watson and all of the other Talmadge men would gather on election day and vote in Thomaston, Georgia, the county seat of Upson County, Georgia. Then they would all get on the train and ride to Yatesville, Georgia and all vote for Gene Talmadge again.

The year that Eugene Talmadge died before the election results could be counted, the Talmadge supporters all made write in votes for his son Herman Talmadge (pronounced "Hummon"). (Lewis Grizzard once said that God probably sounds more like Herman Talmadge than anybody). Reportedly, in the Talmadge's home town of McRae, Georgia, several hundred deceased persons made write in votes for Herman Talmadge in alphabetical order.

So remember BAD CATHOLIC supporters, Governor Gene says "Vote Early, Vote Often."

Christ is Managing Pizza Parlor in Massachusetts

The blog Acts of Apostasy reports that a pizza parlor manager in Massachusetts has legally changed his name to the "Lord Jesus Christ." He was hit by a car last week while crossing a street. Mr. Lord J.C. is apparently O.K. The driver who hit him has been charged with failing to yield in a cross walk.

The News Is In: Don't Go To Law School

It's official. Don't go to law school! Find a real job. Full story from Yahoo News.

The Torah of Liberalism

Interesting article from the American Thinker about the attitude of theologically liberal Jews to Israel.

Note especially the comment from the Rabbi telling his parishioner that she shouldn't believe that the Holy Land was promised to the Jewish people "Just because the Bible says so." Believing the Bible is, after all, so antiquated.

Looking for a Few Good Swiss Catholic Men

The Pontifical Swiss Guard is about to swear in 30 new recruits. Learn more about the Swiss Guard at the website of the Holy See.

Poland Mourns 3,000 Martyred Priests

The Polish Church honored the approximately 3,000 priests who were killed in World War II. Full story here.

British Street Preacher Charged with Hate Speech for Saying that Homosexuality is a Sin

A steet preacher in England has been arrested and charged with "hate speech" for saying that homosexuality is a sin.

How long will it be before the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church are deemed to be forbidden books because of all the "hate speech" contained therein.

Prominent Englishmen are demanding the arrest and prosecution of the Holy Father, and British diplomats think that the Pope should visit an abortion clinic, endorse the use of condoms and perform a same sex wedding. How long will it be, "in the country that used to be England," as Mark Shea says, before the Catholic Church is declared an illegal religion like it used to be back in the good old days of Queen Elizabeth I?

Full story here.

Franklin Graham Says That Persecution of Chrisitans is Coming in the U.S.

Full story from NewsMax here.

Pakistan Producing 10,000 Jihadists a Year

The Indian Express is reporting that approximately 10,000 new jihadists a year are being produced from Pakistan's madrassas.

Cinco De Mayo!

Here's my Cinco De Mayo post from last year:

Today is the 5th of May or CINCO DE MAYO. Contrary to popular belief in the United States, Cinco de Mayo IS NOT Mexican independence day.

CINCO DE MAYO celebrates the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. While the United States was busy fighting the Civil War and unable to intervene, France invaded Mexico after the Mexican government defaulted on payments of loans which France had made. French forces landed at Vera Cruz on the Mexican Gulf Coast and attempted to march inland to attack Mexico City. The French Emperor, Napoleon III, sought to install his relative, the Archduke Maximillian of Austria, as Emperor of Mexico, thus effectively making Mexico a colony of France.

Although outnumbered almost two to one, the Mexicans, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, soundly defeated a larger and better equipped French army. The Mexican victory was of limited strategic importance, however, as a year later the French captured Mexico City and installed Maximillian as Emperor. In 1867, Maximillian was overthrown and the French were driven out of Mexico by forces led by President Benito Juarez. Maximillian was later executed.

CINCO DE MAYO is primarily a holiday among Mexican and Chicano communities in the United States. The celebration has taken on a significance far beyond celebrating a military victory in an obscure battle. Like ST. PATRICK'S DAY among those of Irish descent, CINCO DE MAYO is a day for Americans of Mexican ancestory to celebrate their heritage.

Should We Be Concerned?

Uh, should we be just a little wee bit concerned that the alleged Times Square bomber, whose name was on the no-fly list, was still able to go right through airport security and get on an airplane. Should we be concerned that our airport security maybe needs a little tweaking? Full story here.

More News From the Country that Used to be England

Mark Shea at National Catholic Register has more news from the Country that used to be England.

British Judge Rules that Christian Beliefs are not Worthy of Legal Recognition

In a case in which a therapist was fired for refusing to give "marriage counseling" to a same sex couple, a British High Court Judge has ruled that Christian beliefs are "purely subjective" because they cannot be proven by evidence and, therefore, are not entitled to any legal recognition.

In other words, it's OK if you crazy people want to believe all this stuff as long as you don't actually practice it in your life. Very soon, brothers and sisters, orthodox Christians will probably be barred from holding public office, holding professional licenses, serving on juries, and may even be barred from voting. The United Kingdom is not far from this type of persecution. The concerns of the former Archbishop of Canterbury were dismissed by the Judge as unfounded.

The Bad Catholic has to wonder,however, how Great Britian can continue to have an established religion, which is supposed to be Christianity, if that established religion is not entitled to any legal recognition? Since, by all reports, Britain will soon be a Muslim country governed by Sharia law, I wonder how the learned judge would have ruled if this had been a Muslim therapist who was fired?

Full story from the Huffington Post.

Pray for the People of Nashville, TN

11 people are already dead in flooding in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Full story here.

Mark Shea on Pullman's Latest Diatribe

Here's an interesting article by Mark Shea at National Catholic Register about British atheist Phillip Pullman's latest diatribe against Christ and the Church.

Car Bomb in Times Square

Here are several stories about the attempted car bomb attack in Times Square in New York City. Yahoo News and the London Telegraph.

As Jihad Watch points out, the American press is not reporting, as is the British press, that the car bomb was planted near the offices of Viacom which operates Comedy Central.

Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker

I posted this on May 1st of last year:

Today, May 1st, is the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Of course, May 1 is MAY DAY, which was celebrated by Communist countries as a celebration of workers. As a response to this the Church, the Bad Catholic thinks it was Pope Pius XII but is not sure without looking it up, declared this the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in order to sanctify the atheistic communist holiday for Christ.

From the Liturgy of the Hours: "Saint Joseph faithfully practiced the carpenter's trade. He is a shining example for all workers, alleluia."

I was very impressed by this morning's second reading from the liturgy of the hours. This is a quote from the pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world of the Second Vatican Council: "Where men and women, in the course of gaining a livelihood for themselves and their families, offer appropriate service to society, they can be confident that their personal efforts to promote the work of the Creator, confer benefit on their fellowmen, and help to realize God's plan in history." Amen.