Church of England May Abolish Vestments

The Church of England is considering abolishing vestments for the Clergy during worship.  This picture is an example of what may replace it.  This is not a joke.  Full story from the UK Daily Mail.

Tips for a Holy Advent

Excellent advice for celebrating a Holy Advent from Catholic Fire.

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, now and for ever. Amen.

(Source 1980 BCP p. 211).

Honor and Betrayal

U.S. Navy SEALs are some of the most highly trained, most elite warriors in the American armed forces.  In September, 2009, a team of Navy SEALs in Iraq captured Ahmad Hashim
Abd al-Isawi, the so-called “Butcher of Fallujah,” who was responsible for thousands of deaths including those of four American Blackwater contractors whose bodies were mutilated, burned and hung from a bridge.

What was the reward for these brave fighting men who brought a heinous terrorist to justice?  Court-martial and disgrace.  Three SEALs were charged with prisoner abuse for allegedly hitting al-Isawi while he was in custody.  The only witnesses for the government were the terrorist and an emotionally unstable naval policeman who had earlier repeatedly abandoned his post and changed his story about what happened.  The only visible injuries to the prisoner were a split lip which a doctor testified were probably self-inflicted.

Despite pleas from Congress and public outrage, the military high command stubbornly proceeded with the prosecutions.  Even after two of the SEALs were acquitted after trials in Iraq, the commanding officer, Major General Charles T. Cleveland, insisted that the prosecution of the remaining SEAL go forward.

Journalist Patrick Robinson has written an expose of the politically correct hypocrisy of the Obama military.  It is a military which is more concerned with how our military appears to the United Nations than in achieving victory.  Robinson’s book, Honor and Betrayal, should be required reading for every American.  And every Patriot should be deeply ashamed at how our current government treats our bravest and most decorated warriors.  

Thought for the Day

Thank God for retroactive prayer! Saint Paul said that he did not judge himself, nor must we judge ourselves.  We can turn to Our Lord Jesus, who has already repaired the greater evil that ever happened or could ever happen, and trust that he will make up for our faults, for our neglects, for our failures in love.

Dorothy Day, from Loaves and Fishes

Wal-Mart Employees Organize Food Drive for Other Employees

Wal-Mart employees organize a food drive for underpaid Wal-Mart Employees.  Read the full story here.

Book Review

The Bad Catholic reviews The Confederate General Rides North by Amanda C. Gable at The Eclectic Reader.

Bankruptcy Trustee Claims Catholic School is an Unnecessary Expense and Constituted a Fraud on Creditors

Full story from the New York Post.

The Pope, Our Lady and the End of the World

Great post from Father Dwight Longenecker about Pope Francis' consecration of the world to Our Lady of Fatima.

More Priests Caught With Their Pants Down

Great Post from Father Dwight Longenecker.

Am I a Christian Full Time

From Pope Francis' homily today.  Read about it here.

Gestapo Tactics Used By National Park Service Against Senior Citizens on Vacation

Welcome to the Union of Soviet Socialist States of America (U.S.S.A.) and greetings from our leader Comrade Barack Obama!  Full story here.

Archbishop of Canterbury Recommends Confession

The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury has recommended confession.  Full story from the UK Telegraph.

The Spirit of Vatican II

Professor Colleen McDannell, who teaches History and Religious Studies at the University of Utah,  thinks that all of the changes in the Church since the Second Vatican Council have been good.  She implies that she liked guitar masses, liked the Novus Ordo Mass, and she definitely likes an increased role for women in the leadership of the Church.  She implies that she is in favor of women’s ordination and even more liberalization.  People like this seem to not have a real appreciation of what we have in the Catholic Church and want to make it a carbon copy of the Episcopal Church.  Seeing as how there are even more empty pews in Episcopal Churches than we have now in the Catholic Church, I don’t really understand why.

Having said that, Professor McDannell's book, The Spirit of Vatican II: A History of Catholic Reform in America (Basic Books, 2011), is excellent.  In many ways, this book is the exact opposite of Russell Shaw’s American Church which pretty much viewed the changes in the Church as a disaster.   McDannell loves “Good Pope John,” dislikes Paul VI and really dislikes Humanae Vitae.  She also dislikes the efforts of John Paul II and Benedict XVI to “reform the reform.”

However, the book is well written and enjoyable. McDannell uses her own family as a case study of what life was like for the people in the pews before and after the changes in the Church which came about as a result of the Council.  The only place the book dragged and became boring wasi in the middle chapter describing the Council documents.  But mostly it weaves what was going on in the Church at large with what was going on in the parishes attended by her family.

Although the Bad Catholic doesn’t like the “Spirit of Vatican II” as much as Dr..McDannell does, The Spirit of Vatican II is recommended reading.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Today, July 16, the Church celebrates the Memorial Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

From Blessings of the Daily: A Monastic Book of Days by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette:

"Though only a memorial on the calendar, it is Our Lady's only feast in July.  In addition, it is a solemn feast for the Carmelite family, who honors Mary today as their special patroness.  The origins of the order goes back to the twelfth century, to Mount Carmel in Palestine, where Our Lady and the prophet Elias inspired the lifestyle of their first hermits.  These hermits, following Mary's example, applied themselves to the cultivation of inner prayer and contemplation.  She was their model, their protector, and their mother.  Later on, when she appeared to Saint Simon Stock, she promised her special blessing to all those who would wear the habit of the order.  It is not surprising, therefore, that an order singularly blessed by Our Lady has rendered great fruits of holiness throughout the centuries.  One has only to think of the great Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Therese of Lisieux, or Edith Stein.

Saint Stephen Stock receiving the Brown Scapular

Today, we rejoice greatly, Gaudens gaudebo, in honoring the memory of the Mother of God.  Her white mantle covers all of her children, in every generation, and this includes both saints and sinners.  As we move forward with life's destination, we entrust ourselves to her intercession.  No matter how many times we may have sinned or fallen along the way, she, who is Refuge of Sinners, is there to assist and sustain us.  We pray: 'Holy Mother of God, Queen and Beauty of Carmel, we rejoice today in your presence.  Shelter us always under your mantle and save us from the power of evil.  Amen.'"

An Essay on Thomas Merton

A very good essay on Thomas Merton from The Internet Monk.

Thomas Merton's Hermitage / A Short Video

Follow up on Arrested Street Preacher

Here is the full transcript of the British police interrogation of the arrested street preacher in Wimbledon England.

British Police Arrest Street Preacher for Hate Speech for Calling Homosexuality a Sin

Additional information from the British Blog Cranmer.

California University Official Demands That Christian Student Remove Cross

A California University official demanded that a student worker remove a cross necklace because the Christian symbol is "offensive."  Full story from Fox News.