I Hate It When This Happens! (Friday Funnies)

Cut it OUT! Sheeeeeeeeeeesh! Now I have to install a cloaking device. Do you have any idea how much that will cost?! I'm going to take that out of your allowance Boy Wonder.

Pray For Anu Garg? You Betcha!

Remember me and my pal Anu Garg? We went around the block a few times. Well unlike all the other times I've posted about him and his A.Word.A.Day website, this time my hat is off to him. Maybe caught wind of today's readings.

Book Review: The Church And New Media by Brandon Vogt

About ten years ago, (Hmm...let me check my archives), no scratch that, about a year and a half ago (sheesh, it seems like ten years!) I was hosting the YIMCatholic Bookclub selection The Great Heresies by Hilaire Belloc. Looking for ways to get readers involved (a "new media" hallmark, no?) I asked for volunteers to cover several of "Old Thunders" chapters for me.

A Poem and a Prayer for Michaelmas

Today is the Feast of St. Michael and the Archangels, also known as Michaelmas. I like the sound of that calendar name for today's feast and the knowledge that this day used to be a huge festival marking the beginning of Autumn (which is my favorite season). I actually hope that this day is still celebrated extravagantly somewhere on the planet. Next year, send me an invitation, or some Michaelmas recipes (and history!) or something.

Why do I believe in angels? Because they are real. See, Our Lord said so, and he never told a fib. What follows is a brief poem penned by a favorite of mine to help me get into the spirit of this day.

St. Michael in Time of Peace, by G.K. Chesterton

Michael, Michael: Michael of the Morning,
Michael of the Army of the Lord,
Stiffen thou the hand upon the still sword, Michael,
Folded and shut upon the sheathed sword, Michael,
Under the fullness of the white robes falling,
Gird us with the secret of the sword.

When the world cracked because of a sneer in heaven,
Leaving out for all time a scar upon the sky,
Thou didst rise up against the Horror in the highest,
Dragging down the highest that looked down on the Most High:
Rending from the seventh heaven the hell of exaltation
Down the seven heavens till the dark seas burn:
Thou that in thunder threwest down the Dragon
Knowest in what silence the Serpent can return.

Down through the universe the vast night falling
(Michael, Michael: Michael of the Morning!)
Far down the universe the deep calms calling
(Michael, Michael: Michael of the Sword!)
Bid us not forget in the baths of all forgetfulness,
In the sigh long drawn from the frenzy and the fretfulness
In the huge holy sempiternal silence
In the beginning was the Word.

When from the deeps of dying God astounded
Angels and devils who do all but die
Seeing Him fallen where thou couldst not follow,
Seeing Him mounted where thou couldst not fly,
Hand on the hilt, thou hast halted all thy legions
Waiting the Tetelestai and the acclaim,
Swords that salute Him dead and everlasting
God beyond God and greater than His Name.

Round us and over us the cold thoughts creeping
(Michael, Michael: Michael of the battle-cry!)
Round us and under us the thronged world sleeping
(Michael, Michael: Michael of the Charge!)
Guard us the Word; the trysting and the trusting
Edge upon the honour and the blade unrusting
Fine as the hair and tauter than the harpstring
Ready as when it rang upon the targe.

He that giveth peace unto us; not as the world giveth:
He that giveth law unto us; not as the scribes:
Shall he be softened for the softening of the cities
Patient in usury; delicate in bribes?
They that come to quiet us, saying the sword is broken,
Break man with famine, fetter them with gold,
Sell them as sheep; and He shall know the selling
For He was more than murdered. He was sold.

Michael, Michael: Michael of the Mustering,
Michael of the marching on the mountains of the Lord,
Marshal the world and purge of rot and riot
Rule through the world till all the world be quiet:
Only establish when the world is broken
What is unbroken is the word.

Likes Michaelmas
Roast Goose!

That ol' Chesterton sure could wield a mighty pen. 

Now, this feast day would not be complete without a prayer asking St. Michael the Archangel to pray for us and for the Church. Happily, I also found this excellent video presentation of Pope Leo XIII's original prayer to St. Michael. Composed sometime between 1884 -1898 (I couldn't find the definitive date), the original prayer is both longer and more soul satisfying than the short version that I am used to seeing.

I'd be much obliged if you would pray it along with me now with a special intention for my brother in Christ, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.

When New Media Users Meet the Christ...

They will actually have to do more than just "friend" Him. The poster above says that in a nutshell, doesn't it? An encounter with Christ doesn't demand that you do more...you just want to do more. H/T Brandon Vogt (whose book review will be posted this evening...promise!).

Update: Remember this? Seems like 10 years ago!

Thoughts (A Few Words for Wednesday)

I love this photograph of Fr. Abram J. Ryan. Maybe it's his hair, or perhaps it's his stare. He has that look about him that says "I don't care who you are, here comes the goods." Last summer I shared his Song of the Mystic, and his background information, in this space. There's a connection between him and me because (for a time) he was the pastor of the parish where I attend daily Mass. I bet he was a great preacher too.

Because Vincent de Paul Was Once A Muslim's Slave

Life got you down? Things perhaps haven't turned out as you planned? Do you think everyone else has got it so easy? Your neighbors, for example, or those fortunate people who come into a considerable sum of money?

And how about those saintly types? They are simply walking on air, those guys, living lives of complete and blessed beatitude, right? Hold up!

Hey Gen-X: Be Rebels...Slow Down...Have Kids...Stick it to the Man

It's the Catholic thing to do. Or you can keep doing what you've been doing, as the survey below reports, and continue on the treadmill to oblivion.

Study Finds Gen-X Overlooked in the Workplace

Catholic Blogger Goes Missing In Action...

And there are several reasons why:

Reason #10. It's September 24th, which means it's only 5 weeks until Halloween! Time for my youngest to get outfitted for the event. Let me present Jango Fett, the father of Boba Fett. Bounty hunting: it's the growth family business of the future. Henchmen lackies of the world...UNITE!

A Message on Mortgage Debt from the World

Just a quick note to parish finance committees from Joe Six-Pack, Catholic layman (in the world, but not of the world). The chart above shows the interest rate on the 10-Year U.S. Treasury Note from 1962 until the present. See the dot on the chart in July 2001? That is just for your reference.  The 10 Year Treasury is a bench mark for mortgage rates. If at all possible, it's probably a great time to refinance parish debt. Or your own mortgage if you can (and haven't already).

That is all.

It's Like Elizabeth Says...

I hope it comes on in my neck of the woods. New idea—I'm going to ask my public library to purchase it!

I got an email tonight from a woman who read this post and realized that the reality of the world “as it is” makes her unhappy.

Well, combating the world “as it is” requires us to teach and admonish, not with the tactics of the world, but “in wisdom made holy” through the love of Christ. If we do that correctly we will — like the early Christians — attract others, and thus assist the Holy Spirit in the turning of the world toward the light.

For Evelyn Waugh's Prayer of a Convert

Psst...I finished reading Evelyn Waugh's novel Helena. I think it is fantastic and I enjoyed it immensely. Reading it makes we want to head with my family to the Holy Land on pilgrimage, bankrupting us in the process. St. Helena, as the empress dowager, never faced that particular financial aspect of her own journey to Palestine.

Gone Readin' Helena by Evelyn Waugh

Why haven't I been posting much lately? You can blame Fr. Steve Grunow, who suggested the book you see above to me a few days ago. I've never read anything by Evelyn Waugh, and I'm not ashamed to say that for most of my life I figured Evelyn was a lady, and I wasn't much interested in what she had to say.

For Thoughts On Fame by Hilaire Belloc

On Fame, from This And That and the Other

Fame is that repute among men which gives us pleasure. It needs much repetition, but also that repetition honorable. Of all things desired Fame least fulfills the desire for it; for if Fame is to be very great a man must be dead before it is more than a shoot; he therefore has not the enjoyment of it (as it would seem).

A Modest Proposal: Treat Priests Like Officers, Not Like Corporate CEO's

"Soldier, shut up and soldier!"

That's one of my favorite lines from Robert Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers. You might remember that it was made into a campy, sci-fi cult movie back in the late 1990's.

To Help Make A Movie, Part Deux!

Ian Higgins writes,

Hi Frank,

I just wanted to personally thank you and all your readers who have so kindly donated and shown their support for our movie “All That Remains”. It has been overwhelming to witness such support in such a short space of time.

For The Quest for the True Cross? What a Movie This Would Make!

As you may know, today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. I found a pretty good short piece on the finding of the Holy Cross over at Magnificat. But as usual, I went looking for more. Whoa...Mr. Spielberg? I've found material for your next project. This would make an epic screen play! Take a look.

For All the Saints: John Chrysostom

Today is the feast of St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church. Of course, there was a little snippet on him over at Universalis and sundry other places, like here. But my curiosity gets the best of me, see,  and I want to know more. That is one of my many faults.

Because Life Goes On...

Acts of terror, wars, rumors of wars, budget crises, scary headlines, scandal, political vitriol, etc., etc. got you down? It's good to remember that life goes on. It is good to remember that for "the world,"

To Forgive, But Never Forget

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him. And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying:

Because I Asked, I Prayed, And You Helped This Pro-Life Cause

Dr. Nagai and his children praying. 

Thank you YIMCatholic Readers! On the last day of this past August, I shared a post about helping to make the movie All That Remains. When completed, it will be a docu-drama about the life of Dr. Takashi Nagai, survivor of the aftermath of the atomic bombing of the city of Nagasaki. I called it "rattling the tin cup" for a good cause, and I shared the post with you all. I threw a few shekels in myself and prayed that others would respond too.

Because This Makes Me Speechless

And to whom have ye likened me, or made me equal, saith the Holy One? Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these things: who bringeth out their host by number, and calleth them all by their names: by the greatness of his might, and strength, and power, not one of them was missing. (Isaiah 40:24-25)

The awesomeness of the above photograph cannot be denied. That's the latest shot taken by the Cassini probe to Saturn (and her moons). I just saw it on Yahoo! and had to share it with you.

Because Now I Know Today is the Birthday of the New Eve

I came pretty close to spending an entire lifetime on planet Earth without knowing that it's Our Mother's birthday today. The painting above reflects this event from the perspective of a contemporary Russian artist named Vasili Nesterenko, who painted this in the year of Our Lord, 2002. Here's a little something else I found in the old Roman Breviary over on the YIMCatholic Bookshelf. Genealogists might get a kick out of it.

Labor Day 2011 (Music for Mondays)

In the United States, the first Monday of September is a federal holiday celebrating the contributions and dignity of workers. Nothing gets done without them! But on this day we stretch the weekend out a little longer, wrap up our summers, and have one last barbecue. And here, since its a Monday, I get to throw together some songs celebrating us working stiffs too!

Because the Church is Paradoxically Intolerant and Tolerant

This isn't the first post I've written on paradoxes of the Catholic faith, nor will it be the last. Remember the one on the Church being paradoxically consistent (and vice versa)? Or how about the one on the "Master of Paradoxes," St. John of the Cross? Like a bull through a china shop, I've again let the cat out of the bag with a title that says everything that I'm about to share with you on the modern "virtue" of tolerance.

For Your Holiday Friday Night at the Movies: Soul Surfer

Are you ready for Summer to be over and for the kids to head back to school? Well guess what. My kids have been back in school since 3 weeks ago. Ugh! But just like the kids who don't start school until after Labor Day, their consolation is a long weekend now.

Because Takashi Nagai Could Give Such A Speech

The other day, I posted about a movie being made about the life of Dr. Takashi Nagai. Today, I want to share with you a speech he gave. Keep in mind that he had lost his wife, almost all of his students, and many of his colleagues when "the Bomb" was dropped on Nagasaki. And his lesson to us all was to share Our Lord's new commandment: love one another. 

The Fig Harvest Begins!

‎And Amos answered and said to Amasias:"I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet: but I am a herdsman plucking wild figs."

Ok, so they're cultivated in my case. Either way, here at Casa del Weathers, it's harvest time! The storm damaged baby tree (5 years old) came through in a big way. God is good!