Thanks to Nicholas Kristof For These Courageous Thoughts

Floored. And pleasantly surprised. That what I was when I read the latest editorial by Nicolas Kristof in the New York Times. His Tweet was as follows,

Many evangelicals do great work, and it's reverse intolerance to mock their faith.

Have a look at the article:

Because Family Has No Perfect Picture

There are neat people everywhere. Yes, you have them in your parish too. And they are outside your parish as well, waiting for you to invite them to join the family. Or to expand your own family, like one of my fellow parishioners has done.

Because Irony Is God's Way of Lightening Our Load (Friday Funnies)

Photo credit: Sameli 

Go ahead...I dare you not to crack a smile at these. Push all liquids away from your keyboard, swallow any food you have in your mouth, and don't forget to breathe. I'm probably the last person to have seen them.

To Visit Provence Again, As A Catholic

It's the Feast of St. Martha, you know, "the Dragonslayer" today. Yes, you read that right. Father Steve of Word on Fire has a few words about that and they prompted me to dust this off and bring it to the top today. Enjoy!

I ate at a McDonald's in Avignon once. I like to see how Mickey D's adapts to local tastes abroad. My wife and I also walked around the streets briefly too, before we had to get back on the tour bus that was taking us from Nice to the Burgundy country. See, we rewarded ourselves with a European trip after we graduated from college. It was the Summer of 1993.

For the Coolest Blog That Added YIMCatholic to Their Blog Roll

I mean seriously, my hearts goes all soft and warm when I see stuff like this. This is the New Evangelization in action. Would you believe coming out of Emmaus? John C.H.Wu and Dom Lou Tseng-Tsiang are smiling. Me too.

What does the post say? Dunno. But I can make out 2 Corinthians 4: 7-15.

Thank you TingTing Tse...you just made my day!

For Thoughts Like These On Confession

What follows are thoughts on the Sacrament of Reconciliation written by Kenhelm Henry Digby in his classic, Mores Catholici.

For Thoughts Amid the Storm (A Few Words for Wednesday)

Vision of St. Don Bosco 

Generally posts shared with the addendum in the title above have been reserved for lines of verse. Not so today. Instead, I'll share a few epigrams from the disparate bookends of the Desert Fathers and Mothers to the United States Marine Corps, with a few wise words of friends and saints in between.

Would You Believe for the Fallible Facepalm?

So we were driving to Mass this past Sunday, like we've done every Sunday since forever. Listening to the radio, with the kids riding in the back, something prompted my wife and I to start naming off the Seven Sacraments.

Because We're a Pilgrim People

My father was a wandering Aramean.

Today is the Feast of St. James the Greater, brother of St. John the Evangelist. He is one of the sons of Zebedee, the “sons of thunder,” as Our Lord called them. James was the first of the Apostles to be martyred, which is interesting when you consider that Mary Salome, the mother of these two, and with them in tow, had the temerity to ask Jesus the following request,

The 27 Club (Music for Mondays)

Photo credit: Syzmanski 

This past weekend, the news out of the UK was that singer, songwriter Amy Winehouse died. I'm not sure what the autopsy will show, but the press says her death was possibly from a drug overdose.

For Thoughts On the Misery of Man

Here are a few words in prose from my gifted friend Blaise Pascal. They should need no explanation, but only the observation that this particular mathematical genius understands human nature (at least mine, if no one else's) and he can write as clear as the peal of a bell.

For Anti-Democratic, Dictatorship Loving, Theocratic Fascist Thoughts...Not!

Check out my cool sword! Can't wait to use it... 

There I was, writing about pluralism. So my friend Mark Shea has been catching some heat lately for commenting on a video where self-proclaimed Catholic role-model, and all around knowledgeable guy, Michael Voris, blasts the hymn Amazing Grace for leading all Catholics into perdition's flames. There's a host of similar conspiracies that have been hatched on us too, and MV dutifully warns us of them all.

For the Paradox of the Wide Road on the Narrow Path

Joe Six-Pack, USMC here with a few brief words on Why I Am Catholic. Actually, there is one word that sums up what I am getting at with this post: pluralism.

Quote of the Week

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There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind. -Hannah Senesh, poet, playwright, and paratrooper (1921-1944)

Spring and Fall: To a young child (A Few Words for Wednesday)

A poem by Gerard Manly Hopkins, SJ on understanding death and loss, as explained to a child in a wood. 

Would You Believe Because Rock Music and Theology are Compatible?

As regular readers know, I've shared music on the blog practically since Webster invited me aboard. I don't recall how it happened, but I remember when he posted a YouTube video in a post and I thought, "wow, that is cool. I wonder if Webster would let me post some music videos too?" We did a post together in January of last year, and by then the fledgling project got off the ground in earnest.

Three from S.D. (Music for Mondays)

I had a super busy weekend, thus not much on the posting front. My family and I played on the water all day Saturday, and spent Sunday criss-crossing the Carolinas taking my daughter to a camp. Now it's Monday morning and my "work for food" beckons.

To Renew My Inmost Being and Put on the New Man

Have you noticed how tough life is? It's hard enough to make it on your own, but try living the Christian life fully and the delusion that doing so is easy should have already crashed down upon you like a Summer thunder storm. That is, if you are giving it your all.

For Stuff My Abba Macarius Says About the Adversary

The following thoughts are from my patron, St. Macarius the Great.

from Homily 26.

Question. Does Satan know all of a man's thoughts and intentions?

An Old Feature Polished Up and Given It's Own Page

-Feast of St. Henry 

I'm talking about the YIMCatholic Pandora Radio stations. Frankly, I had forgotten about the possibilites of Pandora Radio. But then a reader jogged my memory after they stumbled across an old post penned by Webster Bull.

Thoughts on Obedience and Reading Maps without Guidance

Today, while make the rounds around the blogger neighborhood, I saw a great quote on a subject that is not near and dear to the heart of modern mankind: obedience. Deacon Greg Kandra shared the thoughts of a modern saint on the subject,

Because it is Only Rational That One Should Submit to Guidance

I've shared in this space thoughts on private interpretation of the scriptures before. Stuff from the Treasure Chest, like the article written by Father Bampfield for the Catholic Truth Society. I've even shared my own thoughts on this subject by way of my experience with land navigation and map reading skills.

For Books By Dead Jesuits, Like The Catholic's Ready Answer

Yesterday I published the Music for Mondays post early. Therein, I commented that Catholicism is so deep and so wide, that ideas for writing about it will never be exhausted. But the fact of the matter is, folks like the shiny new stuff better than the old, moldy stuff already sitting in the libraries of the world.

Stuff I Heard This Weekend (Music for Mondays)

Yep, you read that title right. There is nothing more to this post, and nothing less. Some of these songs I heard in the house, or on the road. None of them were from an i-Pod or anything like that. Usually, I prefer to have music arrive to my ears by chance. Call me crazy. Oh, and this post is so long, I'm publishing it on Sunday night. Call it the Early Edition.

A Tale of the Laity and Priestly Scandal, Circa 1400 AD

This is Part III of a recently started series about on-going personal conversion. Part I started us off with thoughts from a vision of St. Catherine of Siena. Part II continued with words of a Franciscan friar giving an intelligence brief on our adversary. What follows is either miraculous or not depending on how you view things.

For All the Charities: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Guest post by Warren Jewell. Warren is a long time reader of YIMCatholic and I saw he posted this on his Facebook Page. Thinking that it might be something you would be interested in as well, I asked his permission to share it with you. Though not a Catholic hospital or charity, per se, the work they do, and the amount they charge their patients (see below), are in keeping with the finest traditions of Catholic agape for our neighbor.

Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital sent me another appeal for funds with a short sketch about What Cancer Cannot Do. But, first, a little history to try to appeal to your blessed, giving ways about Saint Jude’s.

The Corapi Kerfuffle and Agape (In Reply to a Reader)

A reader writes,

Wow, hey Frank are you really a Christian? Do you actually receive communion with a clear conscience? Do you enjoy stomping on a priest when he's down? That goes for the the other un-Christian commentors above too.

Jasper

The Messenger, the Muse, and the Redeemer

Why can't I just turn away from the John Corapi story and leave it behind? All I can figure is that it is like the aftermath of a ferry boat accident. There are a lot of passengers that are still in the water and I have the conn of a lifeboat.

Quote of the Week

In recollection, news and vain gossip have no appeal, nor do we like to hear anything that does not advise us to withdraw further into our hearts...for their (the recollected) only wish is to see God with their hearts.

—Fray Francisco de Osuna (1492 - 1540 AD)

For Thoughts on Our Adversary by Fray Francisco de Osuna

No, this isn't about Uncle Sam, patriotism, or anything like that. This is part two of a series on the work of on-going personal conversion that I started yesterday. Milk drinkers beware, because meat and potatoes are coming your way.  Bring your knives and forks and spoons. Napkins are optional.

The YIMC Community Prayer Intentions List

Today we pray for protection from the storms of life, both natural and man-made. It seems to me that the most devastating storms are those of the man-made variety. They rob us spiritually more than materially.

So our prayers are turned especially to storms of this type today. Let us learn to not let the noise of the gale blot out the signal calling us to life. Let us call on God for the fruits of the Holy Spirit instead of the fruits of this world. For,

For the Work of On-Going Personal Conversion (Part I)

I've written in the past about the deleterious side effects of cults of personality. If I wasn't clear before, let me rectify the situation and say that I believe in the only cult of personality that really matters. It is the same one that all of the saints point us towards: the Person of Jesus Christ.

You've Been Corapi Rolled. What Now?

So the Corapi bombshell that went off a few weeks back? It turns out that Corapi fragged himself while committing mutiny. Yes, a self-inflicted grenade explosion. He hoped you wouldn't notice, and that you would assume his wound was honorably received.

For Lines on Liberty Like These

Transfiguration

by Raïssa Maritain

We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident...

Frank likes to Rock! And I'm not alone. I'm on-board with Deacon Scott Dodge, see, and his Friday series of mega rock classics. In fact, he's taking requests. Go let him know what you would like to hear. Here is my suggestion for the day, and for this holiday weekend.

A Thought For This Holiday Weekend

As he was dying, Abba Benjamin said to his sons: If you observe the following, you can be saved, “Be joyful at all times, pray without ceasing, and give thanks for all things.”