Baron von Korf's Court

St Ignatius Loyola

2012-02-01T11:50:00.000-06:00

I love this saint. He was hard core as a soldier, and then hard core as a priest. The reputation of the Jesuits before their suppression was nothing short of legendary. I recently finished a book about the Jesuit efforts in New France, which I hope to post a review about sometime before the Eschaton, no promises.

If you don't get the joke, then you don't know your memes, which is probably a good thing. The joke came to me at mass last Sunday, it took all I had to not giggle.

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

The Holy Father at Serra San Bruno

2011-10-11T08:25:00.000-05:00

"...[T]he climate breathed in our societies is not healthy, it is contaminated by a mentality that is not Christian, not even human, because it is dominated by economic interests concerned only about earthly things and lacking a spiritual dimension."

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

Poetry to live by

2011-09-23T13:59:00.000-05:00

In recent days I am reminded of this poem. I think it is a brilliant rendering of 'our daily bread'.

The Pillar of the Cloud

Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home --
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene, -- one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that Thou
Should'st lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on,
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone;
And with the morn those angel faces smile
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

Bl. John Henry Newman

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

Drinking Songs: Preab San Ol

2011-08-25T10:49:00.000-05:00

When this song pops up on my iPod, I always smile.

Preab San Ol - The Dubliners

Why spend your leisure bereft of pleasure,
Amassing treasure why scrape and save?
Why look so canny at ev'ry penny?
You'll take no money within the grave.
Landlords and gentry with all their plenty
Must still go empty where e'er they're bound.
So to my thinking we'd best be drinking
Our glasses clinking and round and round.

King Solomon's glory, so famed in story
Was far outshone by the lillies guise.
But hard winds harden both field and garden,
Pleading for pardon, the lily dies.
Life's but a bauble of toil and trouble,
The feathered arrow, once shot ne'er found.
So, lads and lasses, because life passes
Come fill your glasses for another round.

The huckster greedy, he blinds the needy.
Their straights unheeding, shouts "Money down!"
His special vices, his fancy prices
For a florin value he'll charge a crown.
With hump for tramel, the scripture's camel
Missed the needle's eye and so came to ground.
Why pine for riches, while still you've stitches
To hold your britches up? Another round!

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

2011-06-23T14:55:00.000-05:00

I love the classic A Man For All Seasons. The wit of St (Sir) Thomas More is well portrayed by Paul Scofield. For example:

Sir Thomas: No, my lord, you don't. You may suppose I have objections, all you know is that I will not swear to it, for which you cannot, lawfully, harm me further. But if you were right in supposing me to have objections, and right again in supposing my objections to be treasonable, the law would let you to cut my head off.

Duke of Norfolk: Oh... yes...

Cromwell: Oh well done, Sir Thomas. I've been trying to make that clear to his grace for some time.

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

Character Development

2011-06-17T08:51:00.001-05:00

Archbishop Fulton Sheen is quoted as having said that "There is nothing that develops character in a young boy as much as pat on the back, provided it is given often enough, hard enough, and low enough!"

This may explain why everyone says I'm "such a character"

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

What's Wrong With the World

2011-02-24T14:15:00.000-06:00

One thing that is wrong with the world is the appalling neglect of the word "bumbershoot"

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

Remodeling

2011-02-05T13:59:00.000-06:00

Pardon the chaos while I reorganize the layout.

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T03:31:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know it has been since August that I've posted anything of substance. Let's see if I can do better at updating in 2011 than I did in 2010.

A few bits of interest that might evolve into posts.

Tangled was visually impressive, but seemed to be written by someone with mommy issues.
Why do so many 'action girl' shows and movies portray the equivalent of lingere models thrashing linebackers?
The Baroness has her own blog now called Love, Life, and Etouffee. Check it out.

Since it is 3:30 here and I'm still not tired, I'm going to inagurate Baron's Insomniac Theater.

Enjoy

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

Wright has a way with words

2010-10-22T11:04:00.001-05:00

This is J. C. Wright’s reply to a comment on his blog:

All of the commandments of the religion of the antichrist are the opposite of the commandments of God. Where God’s commandment is that thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, the commandment of antichrist is that thou must commit false witness against thy neighbor, and lie with gusto, zeal, and enthusiasm. Where God commands that thou shalt not do murder, antichrist command thou shall commit abortion, and fund abortion, and encourage abortion. Where God command that thou shalt not commit adultery, antichrist commands that thou shalt desecrate and desanctify marriage so that there is no sexual act remaining which is either chaste, or natural, or within the bounds of matrimony.

The slaves of the Dark Lord have their fasts and vigils and riots, and they shed innocent blood of unborn babies as a ritual or rite which has, for them, a magical meaning, in the same way that those faithful to God have our vigils and fasts and feasts and Eucharists: so why should their zeal be any less? Why should the self-righteousness of the unjust be less than the righteousness of the just?

Here is the post.

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

No Accounting for Taste

2010-08-18T16:27:00.001-05:00

I have been in search of a writing desk as of late. Nothing extravagant, just a small desk where I can write, pay bills, etc away from my computer desk. As hard as I my try, I just can't focus at my computer desk unless I'm doing something on the computer. Even then, doing something productive on the computer usually degenerates into Google Reader or a game of some sort. So I want a desk in the master suite of my house, possibly in the library. My bedroom is the one room that the television and my computer are not allowed. I promulgated that edict with the intent that the master suite would be a refuge from the world. One of my analog past-times is writing, and as such I have been trying to find a desk that will fit both function and fashion.

With that as my starting point, you will understand why I say "Why does contemporary equal either plain or ugly?" I'll give two examples.

First, a few "Contemporary" writing desks from WritingDesks.com

Now compare with their "Traditional Selection"

Contemporary literally means "with the times". So the time we live in is one where plain, simple, and sometimes ugly, is the order of the day. This is the fashion we have chosen to identify ourselves with as a era. Things that are ornate or beautiful or elegant are considered to be an older fashion and a step backwards.

We see this in our architecture as well. Plain faced buildings that can either be a factory or a school or a prison or a church, with only contextual cues to tell us which is which. If they are not plain, they are bizarre. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are two fine examples of bizarre architecture with money. Sometimes it can be amazing, but it still is just strange.

Me? I'm of an older fashion. I still hold doors open for women and take my hat off indoors. I see nothing wrong with settling an affair of honor outside. I watch my language around children and mixed company. Generally, I am an anachronism. Might be why I want a desk like this:

photo credit AFP

I just don't have the $890,000 to pay for it.

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

65 Years Later

2010-08-06T10:46:00.001-05:00

65 years ago today, the world changed. Or perhaps not, perhaps the world had already changed and on the 6^th of August in the Year of our Lord 1,945 we simply stopped pretending. At this point we had already fire bombed Tokyo, decimated Dresden, and unleashed Operation Gomorrah on Hamburg, so the mass taking of civilian life was already considered a valid tactic by Allied standards.

70,000 lives ended at 8:15 in the morning.

Hiroshima before Little Boy

Little Boy Mushroom Cloud

Little Boy Mushroom Cloud from Enola Gay

Hiroshima after Little Boy

This kind of destruction has no place in the Christian world. Archbishop Sheen, Cardinal Ottaviani, all of the Pope since the war, and countless other shepherds have called for the abandonment of these weapons. I can’t say I disagree with them. The only argument for keeping them is as a scare tactic, a bluff to convince our enemies that we would have the whole world die if we must die. I don’t think that sends the right message either. Then again I have been known to have a somewhat idealistic code and would rather die a hero than live as a coward or villain.

Do not misunderstand me, I have great love for those who fight to defend our lives. However, that does not give them a tactical carte blanche. This age we live in grants our military great and terrible power, and it is easier now than ever before to kill someone and never see the person. We need to pray for our soldiers and those who command them so that the devil never uses their virtues of courage and fortitude to their ruin and the ruin of others. Hopefully we will have a new saint for the US Military in Servant of God Fr Vincent Capodanno in the near future to pray to, and intercede for them.

Today’s rosary will be dedicated to the poor souls of Hiroshima.

Mary, Mother of Japan, pray for the Japanese that those who sleep and await purification may soon behold the blessed fruit of thy womb, those who live and believe may ever be strengthened against a hostile world, and those who do not believe may come to believe in the one Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

O FOR a voice like thunder, and a tongue
To drown the throat of war! When the senses
Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed
Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
Throne of God, when the frowns of His countenance
Drive the nations together, who can stand?
When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
And sails rejoicing in the flood of death;
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
And fiends of hell rejoice upon the slain,
O who can stand? O who hath caused this?
O who can answer at the throne of God?
The Kings and Nobles of the land have done it!
Hear it not, Heaven, thy ministers have done it!

--William Blake

Prologue to King Edward the Fourth

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

Tiber River Review: Please Don't Drink the Holy Water

2010-08-05T15:45:00.000-05:00

If you have ever thought of homeschooling your kids but were afraid to, you should read this book. It will dispel all the mythical fears you have and replace them with real fears. I say that with all optimism. Susie Lloyd lays out the challenges of a Catholic homeschooling family of 5 daughters with satirical wit and motherly earnest.

Gone is the notion of an isolated, backwards, Amish-like microcosm. So too is the hope of a blissful garden full of Little Flowers. In their place is the flesh and blood story of two serious Catholics trying to get to Heaven and bring their brood with them. Ever-present are the warnings of ‘They’ and the ‘Real World’ about how not conforming to the flow of modern society is going to irreparably damage their children. Challenges arise as the Lloyds decide how to deal with Halloween, television, music, buying from immoral corporations, and a whole host of problems that any astute Catholic parents has had to deal with at some point.

If you gave this book to the average American wife with no context, it would probably be called a warning against having a large family, or at least against being a serious Catholic. It would make a case against being a homemaker and definitely against homeschooling. That is because in today’s society of 2.1 children per woman (at best), smart phones, 3D plasma screens, and every sort of personal luxury imaginable, the concept of self sacrifice as a good, let alone a higher good than all of these other passing things.

This book shows how the sacrificial life of marriage can be a real pain, and that the fruits of those pains are the true joy of family and the love of God. The wonderful wit and insight of Susie Lloyd makes it a fun read that any foot soldier in the culture war will quickly identify with and will find a comfort in the solidarity with their sister in Christ.

It’s a quick and easy read with the side benefit of being a handheld support group for being a Catholic Parent in the modern age.

You can purchase this book here.

I wrote this review of Please Don't Drink The Holy Water! for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for First Communion Gifts. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

Tiber River Review: Grand Inquisitor

2010-08-05T15:35:00.001-05:00

The Grand Inquisitor begins with the death of Pope Paul VIII sometime in the not too distant future. His 20 year pontificate is typical of most popes throughout history, i.e. it was full of discord amongst different movements in the Church; however, we are given the impression that he wasn’t very good at reigning in the more unruly members of the flock. The simplest classification of this particular fight would be some of what we see today with the modernists vs the traditionalist, though I hate using those loaded terms. The modernists in this case are those that want the culture to evangelize the Church, pushing for such things as women's ordination, a democratic hierarchy, contraception, etc. The traditionalists hold onto a hermeneutic of continuity in both theology and external traditions.

The battle for the authentic faith is ongoing, whether it is against Arians, Manchiaeans, Lutherans, Calvinists, or Modernists. While the main characters are purely fictional, but they can easily be recognized in different members of the Church. This story adds a new twist to the old dance, but you'll have to read it to see what that is. This much I will say, the protagonist and antagonist have a lot more in common than is comfortable.

One of the things I love about it is the little hidden bits in the art and the dialogue that, if you are familiar with Catholic culture, leaders, liturgy and tradition, just jump out at you. Phrases like "behold the man" or a list of Cardinals that had the name Burke under a column that marks him as impossible to sway. There was an image of Cdl. Mahoney playing golf (not a positive scene) an image of hell reminiscent of the Renaissance Masters, and an interesting Infant of Prague.

The dialogue is not an easy read. It is referred to as Miltonian Blank Verse, and it cannot be skimmed over. This combined with it written in 'graphic novel'/'comic book' format which I have never quite mastered makes for a challenging event. The art and the story are a bit dark, but that's the intent. It's supposed to be unsettling until the end.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough.

You can purchase this book here.

I wrote this review of The Grand Inquisitor for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for First Communion Gifts. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

NOTE BENE: This is a rewrite of my original Grand Inquisitor review from before I knew of TRR.

Tiber River Review Legal Update

2010-08-05T11:38:00.001-05:00

Ian Rutherford at Aquinas and More, and therefore of Tiber River Reviews and Musings From a Catholic Bookstore, sent an electronic communiqué to warn me of the legal danger I faced.

…you may want to add our boilerplate information at the bottom of your review posts to stay “legal". The government passed a law earlier this year requiring bloggers to note when they get review copies or other compensation for reviews.

I wrote this review of (book title and link here) for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, the largest online Catholic store.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

This is because of a lovely little thing called the “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” from the FTC. Now I know that the Feds obviously only have my best interest at heart and don’t mean to imply that my reviews are somehow tainted by the free swag I get in return. Wait, no I think I have that backwards. So in the name of fair play, and fear of unjustified intrusion into my life by the Feds, I submit the following:

“Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Let it be known throughout the Web-Lands that Baron Korf receives a book* once a quarter from Tiber River Reviews for the purpose of reviewing said text. Since the FTC considers this an endorsement rather than a review, be ye not deceived!”

There, don’t you feel safer now?

--The Baron

CETERVM AVTEM CENSEO, TABVLAM ESSE DELENDAM!

*NOTE BENE: The only books I have received are Please Don’t Drink the Holy Water and Templars, neither review has been posted yet.

PSA: Wardrobe Malfunction

2010-08-03T10:47:00.002-05:00

As a public service, I am informing the fairer sex of Houston of the wardrobe malfunctions plaguing them this summer.

The first one is quite embarrassing. Often they forget to put on pants. They walk around in denim underwear, especially in the summer time. I assume that is the case, because if they are supposed to be denim shorts, then they are deceived. Any clothes that are shorter than my underwear cannot be considered shorts.

Then there are those who someone has played a cruel prank on them. Someone writes something on the back of their pants and then these girls go walking around town with writing across their backsides. Poor things. I would tell them, but I fear that it would just embarrass them further. Again I assume that this is the case because I can't think of why anyone would walk around using their derrière as a billboard intentionally.

Back to the first point, some of them forget their shirts! They walk around with what amount to a camisole (so I'm told) which is an undergarment. You can even see the straps. I know it’s hot in Houston and we live in a busy society, but I still find it odd that girls would forget to finish getting dressed. This assumes that women would not willing walk around town in their underwear.

This PSA by no means covers all of the problems, but it should address the more egregious ones.

--The Baron

Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Tiber River Reviews: The Death of a Pope

2010-07-07T12:53:00.002-05:00

It Could've Been So Much More

A rebel ex-priest, a beautiful reporter, a counter-terrorist agent, members of the Roman Curia, a retired traditional priest, and a plot that would rock the world at its foundations; it sounds like the makings of a real page turner, and yet Piers Read failed to deliver.

The book read more like Cliff Notes than a best seller. Plot points were simply told rather than developed. The text is in a jarring present tense, which according to an interview on The World Over was not Read's first choice, which never quite fits. The plot was an interesting one, but was never fleshed out. It felt like he was trying to keep the reader in the dark for some big twist near the end that didn't ever come and just left us feeling like we had missed the best parts of the story.

To his credit, Piers did make very interesting characters. My favorite was actually one of the main character's grandfather who only appeared in one chapter as a background to the man himself. However, he fails to really do much with his broad cast of characters. He fell into the trap of telling us rather than showing us his characters. Because of this when they do act, it is fairly predictable because we already know what kind of people they are. And the 'theological' tensions are merely opposing viewpoints enumerated rather than fleshed out. I understand that desire to avoid preachy characters, but there are ways to back up the Church's social doctrines without sounding like a sermon, though the priest could've gotten away with some. By just presenting the talking points but never really defending them, they sound like they are more caricatures than characters which is an injustice to this cast.

The reading level was pretty easy, but due to content I would only recommend this for mature teens and up.

You can purchase this book here.

I wrote this review of The Death of a Pope for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

--The Baron

Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

The Rumors...

2010-06-23T17:24:00.001-05:00

... of my demise are greatly exaggerated. I merely took an impromptu sabbatical, otherwise known as being lazy. Here is what is in store for the near future

The continuation and conclusion of "Questions from a Baptist"
Clearing the back-log of Tiber River Reviews
A new look for the site, maybe
An update of Friends of the Court
My take on the Deepwater Horizon blow-out
Musings on the end of Western Civilization and the Second Coming
The inauguration of T.D.T! Tune in to learn what the initials stand for! (speculation welcome)
Whatever else I feel like

So there you have it. My three Google Reader subscribers, do not fear! I have not forgotten you... entirely.

--The Baron

Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Lord of Lent

2010-03-24T22:49:00.007-05:00

One of my passions is the Lord of the Rings. Really the whole world and mythology created by J. R. R. Tolkien. As time has gone on and I've matured in my faith, I have learned to see Tolkien's Catholicism trumpeted throughout the epic.

In my mind, I see myself as Aragorn II, King Elessar. I think everyone does really. Not necessarily Aragorn, but at least some great and noble figure. John-Rhys Davies, the actor who played Gimli in the New Line Cinema adaption of the Lord of the Rings, said in an interview about Aragorn "In our dreams we are heroes. In our dreams we would wish to be courageous, and noble, and dignified, and passionate, and strong. In our dreams we aspire to be an Aragorn." Its a nice sentiment, but that is only in our dreams.

In reality, I am more like Smeagol/Gollum, and my Ring is Sin. It's mine, my own, it came to me. It is precious to me and I will risk no harm to it. I don't consciously think of it like that, but my behavior seems to tell a different story. I don't think that is a coincidence. Tolkien, the devout Catholic and true blue genius, said that the Lord of the Rings started off as an implicitly Catholic work and ended up as an explicitly Catholic work. So Gollum's slavery to the Ring is a perfect example of our Slavery to sin. The longer we are exposed to this evil, the deeper it ingrains itself into us. There is no way to rid ourselves this evil.

That is why God became Man, to save us from our Precious. To break the iron bonds of sin, so that we may have life and have it to the fullest. The threefold ministry of Christ as Priest, Prophet and King can be extrapolated to Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn. Each helped to rid Bilbo of the Ring. (I jumped from Smeagol to Bilbo because, by the grace of God, I am not too far gone.) Gandalf advises Bilbo to leave the Ring behind. Frodo takes the burden of the Ring onto himself. Aragorn then leads the people freed of the Ring, Bilbo included, into a great age.

This Lent, I've had to be honest with myself and see myself as Bilbo at Eleventy-one years of age, needing to leave the Ring behind and move on to Imladris to await the restoration of Minas Tirith.

The epithet I've thought of putting on my tomb is "The Crownless Shall Again Be King". In the end, I know that the King will return to claim what is his.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

California Needs a Lesson in History

2009-12-01T21:51:00.005-06:00

It is quite simple really. Never but never pick a fight with the Catholic Church. You. Will. Lose. We have seen the rise and fall of nations, kingdoms and empires. We have crowned some of the greatest rulers that have ever walked the Earth. We have faced many of history's greatest terrors, Attila, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin and countless others. They have all failed to destroy us.

The Tax Assessor of San Francisco has decided to levy a $14.4M tax on the Archdiocese of San Francisco. A bit of background: For the purposes of accounting and administration it is not uncommon for dioceses to have several corporate entities on paper for managing schools, soup kitchens, parishes. Ultimately everything 'belongs' to the Diocese, and that means the Bishop [N.B. the etymology of the name Bishop basically means Overseer, so this makes sense.] Another thing anyone who knows how the Catholic Church is run knows, efficient we are not. In December of 2007, Archbishop Niederauer ordered a restructuring of the diocese. Half a year later, it was completed. A year and a half after that, San Francisco Tax Collector, and Proposition 8 opponent, Phil Ting levies a $14.4M bill on them.

It seems pretty obvious to me what this is. The State of California and most of her major cities are broke. So using the wave of anti-Catholic sentiment in CA, especially San Francisco, Ting is going after a pot'o'gold. But he'll be running after nothing. For one, I don't see this holding up in court. Two, he will cost the state of CA a small fortune just going after this money. Three if he gets it, it will come at the cost of soup kitchens and charities that keep the poor of the San Francisco [N.B. That means St. Francis] afloat. What he will win is popular support from a bunch of ungrateful children of Western Civilization. Really the whole thing is pretty lame.

The power to tax is the power to destroy, or so they say. Ting might learn something from Pius VII when Napoleon captured Rome and threatened to destroy the Catholic Church. The Successor of Peter told him flatly, 'If in all this time we priests haven't destroyed her, you don't stand a chance.'

Incidently my favorit quote from the article is "This includes properties such as Mission Dolores, which have been owned by the Church since before there was a State of California or a taxing authority in San Francisco."

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Momento mori ab vir in atratus

2009-11-30T18:16:00.005-06:00

First allow me to apologize for my provincial Latin, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. With it being the end of November and the beginning of Advent, I have been reflecting on death. For some people that is a weird and depressing thing to say, but it has been a part of Catholic spirituality for a long time. It helps keep eternity in perspective. So here are two fruits of my contemplation.

Er, em... more like videos I like because it reminds me to contemplate that I am dust and to dust I shall return.

Not buying it? Just watch the Man in Black.

QUOD TU ES, EGO FUI, QUOD EGO SUM, TU ERIS.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Quick Victory Lap

2009-11-13T14:46:00.006-06:00

I intend to go into greater detail about this later. For now I want to give a congratulatory shout out to the Bishops here in the USA.

Granted things still need some work, but I love seeing the Princes of the Church stepping up to Caesar and not backing down. Episcopal Hat Trick FTW!

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Plenary Indulgence for the Poor Souls of Priests

2009-10-27T11:19:00.006-05:00

At the behest of the Ineffiable Father Z:

I, Baron von Korf, hereby call on all my readers (yes, both of you) to help the Poor Souls of Priests in Purgatory. During the Octave of All Saints it is possible to receive a plenary indulgence, only for a Poor Soul in Purgatory, by visiting a graveyard and praying for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. This is with the usual conditions of course. Also on All Soul's (this Monday) by going to a church or public oratory and praying the Credo and a Pater Noster, you can likewise receive a plenary indulgence, again only for a poor soul.

This is the Year of the Priest and so it would only be fitting to offer these indulgences for the Poor Souls of Priests who have no one to pray for them. Priests are easily forgotten, and since they have no worldly children of their own they need us, their spiritual children, to honor their memory and pray for them. The old saying is 'No man is deader than a Priest', precisely for this reason.

The Devil hates Priests more than the rest of us because of the great graces they bring to the world. They are beset by all sorts of temptations as they live and then he strives to make them forgotten, or worse, when they die. So go forth into this spiritual battle!

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Once More Into the Breach

2009-10-06T22:43:00.003-05:00

One of these days I'll get better a blogging than just once a month. I'm sure there is a joke there, but I'm not going to touch it. That seems to be my problem though, I'm always planning and rarely doing. Well I'm finally beginning to act on one of my plans. I'm going to get back into Fencing.

I took fencing my last semester in college and absolutely loved it. I always said that when stuff settled down a bit for me, I'd look up a new place. Well I think I found one, and I dropped my old coach a line to see where he would recommend. So hopefully within the next few weeks I'll have a new activity to eat up more of my spare time. In the meanwhile enjoy this bit of fencing goodness. The bit at 1:12 is my favorite but 1:52 is a close follow up.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Tiber River Reviews: The Priests CD

2009-09-03T00:26:00.007-05:00

A Beautiful and Timeless Performance

I must admit, when I first heard about three Irish priests putting out a CD of Catholic Classics, I was less than impressed. Don't get me wrong, I love beautiful choral pieces as much as the next guy but I didn't think it would be anything special. I was in for a large, and largely unintended, shock. I was laid up on my couch sick and had EWTN on, and there I see Raymond Arroyo standing at the front of St Malachy's Catholic Church in New York City. He was introducing the Priest's St Patrick's Day concert. In short order, Father Delargy and the Fathers O'Hagen (both of them) took their places in the sanctuary (the Blessed Sacrament being properly reserved elsewhere for the evening). "Alright," I thought "let's see what all the fuss is about." I saw. I saw immediately.

It would probably be more accurate to say "I heard". I later went and bought the CD and it was a true joy. From sublime pieces like Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus, and (my favorite) Pie Iesu, to stately pieces like Die Schopfung and Gloria/Domine Fili Unigente, I was hooked. I would be remiss in my duty if I neglected to mention the beautiful and bittersweet rendition of the Irish Blessing.

Quality Choral music is hard to find, especially in today's modern market; however, this CD would be a gem in any collection. The fervent love and conviction for the Faith can be heard reverberating in their tenor and baritone voices. It is this same fervor that drives this Sacerdotal Trio of Gaels outside of their music. Before they signed their contract with Sony Music, the Priests made sure that it was clearly stated that their primary obligation was to their home parishes. In this, the Year of the Priest, their self sacrificing love stands as a reminder to us of why we call priests Father. It is a credit to the priesthood that these men, when offered a chance at fame and fortune, would not only remember their obligation to their parish family but put it before their own worldly gain. Father David Delargy, Father Marten O'Hagen, and Father Eugene O'Hagen are the pastors of Hannahstown, Chushendun, and Ballyclare & Ballygowan respectively.

Its choral merits aside, I would recommend this CD for its variety. 5 languages (English, Spanish, Latin, German, and Irish Gaelic by my count) spanning 14 songs. I knew most of them, but there were a few I had to look up to find out what they were about and I'm grateful for the learning experience. So buy it for the beauty, for the traditions, and for the enrichment of your faith.

"This music is for all people, regardless of their background of faith, or no faith, or maybe a little faith that needs rekindling... we hope that is will bring a lot of joy, lift hearts and give praise to God." --Fr Marten O'Hagen

This review of The Priests is part of the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Tiber River Reviews

2009-09-03T00:02:00.006-05:00

I have found another place to voice my unsolicited opinions on the web for all to see! Tiber River Reviews is a media reviewing website maintained by the good people at Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, and the have a little program for bloggers to give books, CDs and DVDs a once over in terms of Orthodoxy, Readability, and Overall Quality. In fact, Friend of the Court The Crescat... Carolina Cannonball is a fellow Tiber River Reviewer. So pop on over and check out what other people have to say, and maybe buy a book or two. You could do far worse than Aquinas and More, they run a top notch shop.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Questions from a Baptist, pt 3

2009-09-02T23:35:00.003-05:00

3.) The Baptist Church has many different conventions or groups and each has its own president, but I do not see clearly a great leader of the Baptist Church. Like the President of the United States is an office, so is the Pope of the Catholic Church. What is the Pope's position in governing or guiding the Catholic Church and what is the criterion for becoming Pope?

I'll answer the last part first since it is the easiest. The only requirement to becoming Pope is to be a fully initiated Catholic man. However, in practice it is almost always a Bishop. If he is not a bishop at the time of his election, he would be duly ordained since the Pope is the Successor of St. Peter as the Bishop of Rome. The actual method of selection is a matter of discipline and as such has varied in different eras. Currently the Pope is selected by the college of Cardinals (a cardinal is a bishop who has been given the title Cardinal in honor of his service to the Church. They wear red to denote their willingness to be martyred for Christ and his Church) upon the death of the previous Pope. They are cloistered in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City, and they vote to select a new pope. It usually is someone who has worked with previous Pope, however the bishops pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and there have been a few surprises over the centuries.

The official title for the Pope is the Bishop of Rome. The first bishop of Rome was Simon called Peter. After his martyrdom at the hands of Caesar, a new bishop was chosen to take his place. Because Peter was called by Jesus to lead His Church, all of his successors have been given the same charge to this day (see answer 11 for more detail). The city of Rome is not what makes the Pope, but it is the office that Peter held and has been held by all of his successors. Josef Ratzinger is the 266th Bishop of Rome (also called the 265th successor of St. Peter) and changed his name to Benedict XVI. (The name changing is an old tradition that started when the man chosen to be Pope had the name of a pagan god, so he changed his name.) There are several titles for Pope, but the most accurate is the Servant of the Servants of God. He is the spokesman for the Church, he is the chief administrator, the leader of all the bishops, and a doctrinal/dogmatic referee.

As an administrator the Pope has direct authority over every diocese and parish in the world. A priest has no authority over another's parish, nor any bishop over another's diocese, but the Pope can claim immediate jurisdiction if the need arises. As such he is also the highest authority on earth to whom we can appeal. Since he has this responsibility and relationship with all Catholics, we call him, in Italian, Papa. The Holy Father. He is the head of the world wide spiritual family of Catholics. Similar to how Paul told Timothy that he was as a father to him.

The Pope is the final word on dogma and doctrine. However neither he nor anyone else in the Church can come up with a new revelation or belief. All public revelation was given to the apostles and was preserved “by word of mouth or by letter.” (2 Thess 2:15) What happens is questions arise about what is precisely correct. The Catholic faith is very precise in its wording of doctrines and dogmas. This is because truth is singular and non-contradictory. So whether people are discussing things like the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth, the Dual-Nature of Christ, Transubstantiation, the Resurrection, the Assumption, there is always 1 right answer and innumerable wrong answers, and all the right answers fit together. A Pope may call a council to discuss and/or define a certine matter that he may accept and then promulgate; or he may make a declaration on his own. Because Christ promised that the gates of Hell will never prevail against the Church (Matt 16), the Church is protected from teaching error by the Holy Spirit. Because of this there has been no doctrine or dogma overridden in nearly 2,000 years.

Also, the Church is the Body of Christ as called by St Paul. Well a visible body needs a visible head. While Christ is the head of the mystical body, the Pope holds his temporal office as Christ's Vicar. This harkens back to the Davidic Kingdom where the Prime Minister would be vested with the authority to handle the daily affairs of the kingdom. This was symbolized by the keys to the kingdom which is reflected in Christ's own words in Matthew 16.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

When the Papist Asks, the Baron is Happy to Oblige

2009-08-07T16:49:00.003-05:00

Blogger extraordinare, Friend of the Court, and all around good guy Thomas Peters, better known as the American Papist, brought to light the peril of the Swiss villages of Fieshertal and Fiesch. Appearntly the Aletsch glacier is shrinking. Well they are asking for the Pope's aid in this matter. (See AmP for details) The Papist closed with "A prayer to stop glaciers melting, eh? Ha! Find me that in the book of blessings." This sparked a memory from when I was reading over a translation of the Rituale Romanum, the predecessor of the Book of Blessings. Blessing #28 under Blessings of Places Not Designated for Sacred Purposes is "Blessing to War Off Floods":

28. BLESSING TO WARD OFF FLOODS
(Approved by the Congregation of Sacred Rites, Dec. 1, 1886)
The priest, vested in surplice and stole, accompanied by the people, carries a relic of the True Cross to the river or stream, and there devoutly reads at each of four different spots one of the introductions to the four Gospels. After each Gospel he adds the following verses and prayers:

P: Help us, O God, our Savior.
All: And deliver us for your name's sake.
P: Save your servants.
All: Who trust in you, my God.
P: Deal not with us, Lord, as our sins deserve.
All: Nor take vengeance on us for our transgressions.
P: Lord, send us aid from your holy place.
All: And watch over us from Sion.
P: Lord, heed my prayer.
All: And let my cry be heard by you.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you.
Let us pray.
God, who give saving grace even to the wicked land who do not will the death of the sinner, we humbly appeal to you in glory, asking that you protect with your heavenly aid your trusting servants from all perils of flood. Let them find in you a constant safeguard, so that they may always serve you and never be separated from you through any temptation; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
And may the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
come upon these waters and keep them always under control.
All: Amen.

I sent the link to AmP and he updated his post adding "I should have learned to not issue challenges to my savvy AmP readers long ago...."

On the contrary Thomas, keep them coming!

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

I Didn't Expect This

2009-08-07T13:40:00.004-05:00

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquistion! ThinkGeek.com has all sorts of odd-ball stuff, but this really made me smile. I should get one for Father, I'm sure he'd appreciate it. Doubt he'd wear it though. Maybe I'll get me one and wear it to the Confirmation classes. I'd probably just get a bunch of blank looks from the kids and start to feel old again. And no, I don't get a comission for this. Buncha pagans.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

In Memoriam: Hiroshima

2009-08-06T22:53:00.005-05:00

It's the end of the day, and I would like to take a moment to pause and remember those who died 64 years ago in Japan. August 6th, 1945 the United States of America dropped the first ever Nuclear Bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. I have little interest in placing blame or calling war crimes. What I am concerned with is the lives lost. Tonight I'll add their souls to my intentions, especially for those in Purgatory that have no one to pray for them.

I agree with the concept of Just War theory, but the terrible truth about it is that in order to wage a Just War your enemy is waging an Unjust War. (Of course I'm leaving the Old Testament out of this since that is singularly different.) Thereby War is always unjust and a tragedy. I love our Armed Forces and their willingness to sacrifice for our home is something to be lauded. It was best put that 'War is Hell', and no matter how just and well fought, they always cause innumerable injustices down the line. Sadly, it will be this way until the Prince of Peace returns and reigns over us all. In the meanwhile, we can only do the best with situations we find ourselves in.

I can only imagine how grieved our Immaculate Mother is over our wars. The Japanese are her children too.

Our Lady of Japan, Pray for Us.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Tomorrow: Part 3 of Questions from a Baptist

A Vistor is all I ask...

2009-08-05T21:51:00.006-05:00

Well the new house is coming along nicely. Sadly, most of my friends are still on the other side of town, which in Houston means a 45 minute drive. And until the future Baroness finishes her schooling and we get married, she'll still be over in Louisiana. I'll admit that it gets kinda lonely, especially when you cook for one and do dishes for one. I'm starting to feel a bit like a hermit.

Bonus points if you can name the song on the record player!
--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

The Most Important Person on Earth

2009-07-22T16:45:00.003-05:00

I was listening to a talk by Fr. Wade Menezes, C.P.M on the family and he opened up his talk on Mothers with this meditation. He doesn't cite who wrote it, but I absolutely love it. Here it is without any gilding of the lily.

"The most important person on Earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of building Notre Dame Cathedral, she need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral: a dwelling for an immortal soul. The tiny perfection of her baby's body within her own body, her womb. Even the Angels have not been blessed with such a grace; they cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can do this. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature, for God joins forces with Mothers in performing this act of creation. What on God's good Earth is more glorious than this, to be a Mother?"

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Propaganda to You

2009-07-22T14:51:00.007-05:00

Mark Twain once wrote that 'if you don't read the newspapers you will be uninformed. If you do read them you will be misinformed.' It's a good thing he wrote that when he did, because if he had tried to do it now he would've had to include Facebook, Twitter, Digg, TV (Fox, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, etc), Radio, and E-Mail. Ah! The glories of the information age!

Some how I got on the Whitehouse.gov mailing list. No doubt something that seemed like a good idea at the time. Today I got the following from our commander in chief, let's look at it.

Dear Friend [I use the term loosely],

As you read this, we are closer than ever to passing comprehensive health insurance reform that benefits American families and small businesses [notice the bold assertion that it will benefit them]. Despite all the back and forth in the news right now, it is important to understand just how far we've come in this challenging process [Who you going to believe me, or your own lying ears?].

That's why I'm holding a press conference tonight at 8pm ET, and writing to let everyone know where we are, what's ahead, and why health insurance reform is so important. Let me be clear [many already see through you, but OK]: although Congress is still debating parts of the legislation we have achieved critical consensus [Def: Consensus. I call B.S.!] on several key areas:

If you already have health insurance: reform will provide you with more security and stability [such pretty, vague, and meaningless terms]. It will limit your own out of pocket costs [mine already does, it has a yearly out of pocket maximum] and prevent your insurance company from dropping your coverage if you get too sick [super government to the rescue!]. You'll also have affordable insurance options if you lose or change your job. And it will cover preventive care like check-ups and mammograms that save lives and money.

If you don't have health insurance: you will finally have guaranteed access to quality, affordable health care, and you can choose the plan that best suits your family's needs. And no insurance company will be allowed to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition [Go ahead and smoke 5 packs a day, we'll cover ya!].

Now, I realize that the last few miles of any race are the hardest to run, but we can't stop now [False sense of accomplishment and teamwork, nice fake.]. There's no dispute about it [again with these imperative statements]: we cannot control our long-term fiscal health as a nation without health insurance reform. American families and small businesses understand that the health insurance status quo is taking away those things that they value most about health care. The stability and security that comes with knowing that you can get the treatment you need, when you need it [Blaming the symptom instead of the disease. It's the insurance, not the medical costs that they cover or the overhead that doctors and hospitals face that jack up the prices]. Without reform, we are consigning our children to a future of skyrocketing premiums and crushing deficits [WHAT!!!! This coming from a man who DOUBLED the deficit with the stroke of a pen! It's like he thinks the government is made of money or something.].

We have to seize this opportunity and pass health insurance reform this year [Can't let a crisis go to waste]. You can help [oh can I?!?] by forwarding this email to your family and friends and letting them know what's at stake in this debate [Debate? I thought we had a consensus?].

Thank you,
Barack Obama [Nice and informal, truly showing dignity to the office]

We could fertilize the ruins of Carthage with this grade AAA manure. He's giving the SHAM-WOW guy a bad name. How dumb does he think we are? Government paid health care is government controlled health care, as Gov. Jindal pointed out yesterday morning. As the old saying goes: If you drink the King's wine, you sing the King's songs! On top of that, all of the tax payers are going to be stuck with the bill on this. We don't need the government to get involved in health insurance. What we need is the government to help the medical profession with its overhead costs. Malpractice insurance eats up the majority of the money a doctor makes, couple that with the taxes they pay and suddenly that 6 figure gross salary doesn't seem as appealing.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm all for helping people, but this is going about it the wrong way. He's basically wrapping duct tape around the little dutch boy's finger so it can stop up a bigger hole in the dike. We need to address the reason's why health care is so expensive, not just pay for it. There is a lot of needless waste that can and should be taken care of first.

--The Baron

Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Upgrade Fail

2009-07-15T10:44:00.004-05:00

Two questions:

1) Who at Microsoft thought that it was a good idea for Excel 2007 to choke on large charts?

2) Who at my company thought it was a good idea for us to 'upgrade' to Excel 2007 in light of the fact that an average chart for me is over 7,000 data points?

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Annexation and Declaration

2009-07-07T22:36:00.003-05:00

For those who wonder where I have been, I have been busy with an annexation treaty. That is to say, I recently bought a house for myself and the future baroness.

A man's home is his castle, so that makes him a king. However I abdicate my kingship to the King of Kings and rule as a Baron Regent.

But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have your choice: choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve, whether the gods which your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house we will serve thee Lord ( Josue 24:15 )

St Joseph, Ora Pro Nobis.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

President of Notre Dame, Me, and the Woodshed

2009-05-13T12:35:00.009-05:00

Alright, I was reading a post at the American Papist and now I'm in the mood to take the President of Notre Dame to the woodshed today. I'll be... reviewing his letter to the graduating class in the style of that Illustrious Master of Slavishly Literal Translations, Fr Z. (i.e. My Emphasis, [My Comments])

Letter from Fr. Jenkins to Graduating Class of 2009

University of Notre Dame
Office of the President

5/11/2009

Dear Members of the Notre Dame Graduating Class of 2009:

This Sunday, as you receive your degrees at Commencement, your joy - and that of your families - will be shared by the faculty staff and administration of the University. We have had the privilege of laboring with each of you to inquire & discover, to teach and to learn, and we will send you off with affectionate and fond hopes for the future.

For those of you who are undergraduates, I feel a special kinship. You arrived in your dorm rooms as I arrived in the President’s Office. You have learned much; I may have learned more. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to learn with you, come to know you, and to serve you during our time together at Notre Dame.

During your years here we have endeavored to train you in the various disciplines and urged you to ask the larger questions - discussing not only the technical and practical but also the ethical and spiritual dimensions of pressing issues. I have been proud of you as you have grappled with intellectual, political, and spiritual questions [All with sound Catholic guidance I'm sure...]. But I have never been more proud than I have been watching the way you’ve conducted yourselves over the past several weeks.

The decision [made without the knowledge of Bishop D'Arcy and in flagrant violation of Ex Corde Ecclessia and the USCCB's directive] to invite President Obama to Notre Dame to receive an honorary degree and deliver the Commencement address has triggered debate [Understatement]. In many cases, the debate has grown heated, even between people who agree completely on Church teaching regarding the sanctity of human life [oh really?], who agree completely that we should work for change - and differ only on how we should work for change [I'm sorry, but I don't see how you can completely agree that we are killing 4,000 babies A DAY in the U.S. and not work to ban this scourge from the face of the Creation!].

Yet there has been an extra dimension to your debate. You have discussed this issue with each other while being observed, interviewed, and evaluated by people who are interested in this story. You engaged each other with passion, intelligence and respect. And I saw no sign that your differences led to division [see no evil...]. You inspire me [blech]. We need the wider society to be more like you; [What? More supporters of abortion and those too polite to fight back?] it is good that we are sending you into that world on Sunday.

I am saddened that many friends of Notre Dame have suggested that our invitation to President Obama indicates ambiguity in our position on matters of Catholic teaching [Honorary Doctorate in Law to someone with no real achievements in the field, but whose legal philosophy hinges around Roe v Wade. Ya, real clear teaching there bub.]. The University and I are unequivocally committed to the sanctity of human life and to its protection from conception to natural death [But if a Black President is elected, I'll throw that under the bus for publicity and my own ego.].

Notre Dame has a long custom of conferring honorary degrees on the President of the United States. It has never been a political statement or an endorsement of policy [Honorary Degrees: yur dooing it wrongz]. It is the University’s expression of respect for the leader of the nation and the Office of the President [There is a degree for being President? Does it require a Birth Certificate?]. In the Catholic tradition [hate that phrase, hijacked so often, just like Social Justice], our first allegiance is to God and Christ, yet [WRONG! Not "yet" its "and" there is no contradiction between faith and patriotism!] we are called to respect, participate in, and contribute to the wider society. As St. Peter wrote (I Pt. 2:17), we should honor the leader who upholds the secular order [pushing policies that promote the killing of babies is upholding secular order?!?].

At the same time, and born of the same duty, a Catholic university has a special obligation not just to honor the leader, but to engage the culture [N.B. when engaging the enemy, you fire a few warning shots; you do not give them free ammo!]. Carrying out this roll of the Catholic university has never been easy or without controversy [true, but the controversy should be the culture unhappy with our message, not us compromising the message]. When I was an undergraduate at Notre Dame, Fr. Hesburgh spoke of the Catholic university as being both a lighthouse and a crossroads. As a lighthouse, we strive to stand apart and be different, illuminating issues with the moral and spiritual wisdom of the Catholic tradition [So how are we illuminating the culture by honoring a President who has yet to do a single pro-life action?]. Yet, we must also be a crossroads through which pass people of many different perspectives, backgrounds, faiths, and cultures. At this crossroads, we must be a place where people of good will are received with charity, are able to speak, be heard, and engage in responsible and reasoned dialogue [A commencement speech is a monologue. Must've slept in the day they covered that].

The President’s visit to Notre Dame can help lead to broader engagement on issues of importance to the country and of deep significance to Catholics [How?]. Ultimately, I hope that the conversations and the good will that will come from this day will contribute to closer relations between Catholics and public officials who make decision on matters of human life and human dignity ['Gosh I hope he likes us and listens to us after this!' Bad strategy.].

There is much to admire and celebrate in the life and work of President Obama [Name one]. His views and policies on immigration [open borders is contra to Catholic Teaching and tradition], expanding health care [including massive funding to the abortion and contraception industry, on top of that contra to Subsidiarity], alleviating poverty [there are those for increasing it?], and building peace through diplomacy ['and World Peace' what is this? a beauty pageant?] have a deep residence with Catholic social teaching [actions, not words are what are important]. As the first African-American holder of this office [Dude! He's black, we gotta make exceptions and excuses to honor him!], he has accelerated our country’s progress in overcoming the painful legacy of slavery and segregation [He's done nothing. His election is more evidence than catalyst. Blacks have been in places of honor before him Colin Powell, Condi Rice, Justice Clarence Thomas, etc]. He’s a [un]remarkable figure in American history and I look forward to welcoming [is that the same as engaging? I forget.] him to Notre Dame.

As President Obama is our principal speaker [so much for dialogue], there will be no doubt be much attention on your commencement. Remember, though, that this day is your day. My fervent prayer is that May 17 will be a joyous day for you and your family. You are the ones we celebrate and applaud. Congratulations, and may God bless you.

In Notre Dame [Ora Pro Nobis!],

Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

President

Look, I'm sure Fr. Jenkins is a real nice guy, but this is too much. He intentionally dodged the bishop to invite him. He invited a pro-abortion president in against the expressed will of the Church and Her directives. Now he continues to excuse it. I don't know if he's stupid, arrogant, racist, a dissenter or what.

Some might object "but.. but... but they honored President Bush and he was pro-war/death penalty/torture/etc" None of those are explicitly taught as intrinsicly evil. This is a key distinction. Even if you concede that torture is intrinsicly evil and what was done on Bush's watch was torture, that came to light after he was there. Even then, there are orders of magnitude of differnce in the evil done.

The lack of Catholic Identity in Catholic Schools needs to stop. This is a line in the sand. I have never seen 70 bishops spontaneously come out against anything before in my life time. It's like what Gandalf said in the Two Towers movie "A great power has been resting here for some time. Soon [they] will awake and find that they are strong."

Or Braveheart "Men don't follow titles, they follow Courage... If you would just lead them, they would follow you. And so would I."

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Questions from a Baptist pt 2

2009-05-12T14:50:00.003-05:00

2. What can you tell me about the importance of the remembrance of these saints in the Catholic community?

As you might imagine, there are more saints in heaven than there are canonized, or listed, Saints in the Church. A canonized Saint is someone whose life on Earth has been scrutinized by a specific body in the Church, and whose intercessions in heaven have brought about miracles on Earth. The criterion is very strict and few make it to the official list. The first step is to prove that the person lived a life of “heroic virtue”. This is because the canonized saints are meant to be role models for the church. There are people like Fr. Miguel Pro who defied the anti-Catholic Mexican government and continued to minister to the people and was martyred for it, or like Mother Theresa who gave up a comfortable life to take care of the poorest of the poor in India because she saw our Lord in even the most wretched of them. Then there are some like St Thomas Aquinas whose writings became the foundation for philosophical thought in the Christian world for centuries and continuing today. The variety of their lives and witnesses for Christ shows His many gifts and callings to His people and the memory of their Earthly lives is to give us strength to follow our callings and use our gifts on behalf of Jesus.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

I Wonder: Miscarriage and Grief

2009-05-05T10:16:00.007-05:00

I was reading a post from the American Papist and it brought back an old question. I have always wondered: How does someone who is pro-abortion console a mother that lost her child to a miscarriage? I know of, remotely, a situation like this and it just makes me wonder.

I mean what can you say, really? If you acknowledge the humanity of her lost child, then you must either admit that abortion is the murder of an innocent child, or you have to deny the humanity of the child and, in doing so, deny a large portion of the mother's pain.

Going further, how does someone who is pro-abortion grieve for their child if they or their wife miscarry? That is almost easier to understand though. Perhaps it becomes a form of denial, where they don't consider the miscarriage a loss of life.

I don't say any of this to be mean spirited or snarky, but out of real concern. It seems to be just another way that abortion hurts women and families. It denies healthy and healing grieving to those who need it.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Questions from a Baptist

2009-04-25T17:45:00.003-05:00

This is the first of an 11 part series called Questions from a Baptist. This was originally a series of questions posed to me through a friend for his friend's Humanities class. He asked 11 questions about the Catholic Church, and those are going to be the 11 spots here. I gave the answers to the best of my knowledge and with the understanding that they are not totally complete. Truly a whole book could be written on each one, and it wouldn't surprise me if there are.

I understand that the Catholic Church is a church based in Christianity. For some time, the people of the Baptist Church have said that the Chatolics are misleading the people of the congregation by teaching them to pray to saints rather than directly to Christ. Do you believe this is accurate or do you believe their view is in error?

The term ‘catholic’ dates back to apostolic times. St Ignatius of Antioch (A.D. 50-117 circa) wrote in his letter to the Smyraeans “Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” So yes the Catholic Church is Christianity, in its oldest and longest standing form.

The Catholic Church teaches a doctrine of intercessory prayer, which is where someone, in particular the Saints, prays at someone’s request and on their behalf. Often, this is misconstrued as a mandatory intermediate step between man and God. This, however, is simply false. Praying to the Saints, in its simplest explanation, is no different than asking a fellow Christian to pray for you. Saint is the English form of the Latin word Sanctus which means “holy”. It refers to those men and women who died in the friendship of our Lord and now attend Him in heaven. As all Christians believe, those who die as such are not really dead, but are alive in Christ. Not only that, but they are not removed from the community of Christians. As our Lord told us “I am the vine and you are the branches” and St. Paul tells us that we are all part of the Body of Christ. So in a very real way we are still connected to these Holy Souls. This is what the Catholic Church calls “The Communion of Saints.”

The Saints, being in Heaven and in the presence of Almighty God, are now free from all sin and temptation. As such their prayers are much more focused, beautiful and complete than our own, and the prayers of those who follow the Lord are rewarded (Job 42:7-10). There is a two-fold benefit in this: One, we have holy and righteous souls praying on our behalf for our specific intentions. Two, the souls in heaven can continue to do the Lord’s work by praying for us, and such Christian love is pleasing to God.

This in no way takes from the importance of praying to God Himself. Catholics take a both/and approach to this rather than an either/or. Someone may pray to St. Francis of Assisi asking him to pray for a certain intention and then pray to God for the same intention. Then you have 2 people praying for the same thing. This goes to the parable of the unjust judge who keeps turning the woman away, but because she keeps pestering him he finally gives her what she asks for. Now Christ being the Just Judge, how much more will he listen to our petitions?

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

In Defense of Miss California

2009-04-22T11:24:00.008-05:00

An injustice has occured, and once again the MSM has it all backwards. I'll try to do this while holding back my personal opinions and not taking any well-deserved pot shots at Mr Hilton. I leave that to Tim Jones, who basically expresses my personal view on it.

Let's start off with the Question and the Answer. Mr. Hilton asked "Vermont recently legalized same-sex marriages. Do you think other states should follow suit, why or why not?" A loaded question from a known homosexual marriage advocate, which consititues a conflict of interest in my opinion.

However lets looks at Ms. Prejean's answer. “Well I think its great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.”

Off the bat, a very disjointed response. I can forgive that given the nature of this question. Hot button issues are the kiss of death in these sorts of situations. In subsequent interviews she admitted to dreading that sort of question and so while still a mark against her, it is understandable that it was sloppy.

Next there is the issue of choosing. This, whether she realized it or not, is an appeal to federalism. She notes that in different states its allowed and that the states are allowed to govern their own people. This is the very concept of the 10th amendment in the Bill of Rights.

10.) The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

As a representative of the United States, a woman who understands state's rights and the constitution would be most admirable. Then she apologetically asserted her beliefs on the matter. So we see in both Vermont and California the state's ability to regulate their own people in different ways. Mr. Hilton got mad at her for being divisive and alienating, yet he asked a question that her home state of California settled on a 52/48 margin. A large number of people were going to be alienated either way, unless she gave a non-answer. So really this was a half-decent answer to a question that either never should've been asked or judged more impartially.

--The Baron

Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Not Dead Yet

2009-04-21T13:05:00.004-05:00

To relieve all 2 of you who read this, I am still alive and kicking. I was out for a bit with surgery ("Appendicitis waits for no man" as they say. No? Must be a cultural thing.) And then Easter was upon me with the added bonus of a visit from the future Baroness. Now I intend to get back to blogging.

Here's what you can look forward to:
Movie Reviews: Karol The Pope, The Man. The Ninth Day
Book Reviews: Interview with an Exorcist, Triumph, A Canticle for Lebowitz
An 11 part series: Questions from a Baptist, an Exercise in Apologetics.
In the meanwhile, its Easter! He is Risen! Alleluia! Go out and celebrate!

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

If That Whole 'Baron' Thing Doesn't Work Out...

2009-03-12T23:41:00.004-05:00

... I could always take up piracy!

My pirate name is:

Iron John Bonney

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Tricorne tip to Acts of the Apostasy

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Cato the Elder Quotes

2009-03-11T10:33:00.005-05:00

Just for fun, I grabbed a bunch of quotes by Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder. (234 B.C. - 149 B.C.)

"An angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes."
"Anger so clouds the mind, that it cannot perceive the truth."
"The lightest words sometimes the direst quarrel springs."
"I think the first virtue is to restrain the tongue; he approaches nearest to gods who knows how to be silent, even though he is in the right."
"Wise men profit more from fools than fools from wise men; for the wise men shun the mistakes of fools, but fools do not imitate the successes of the wise."
"If you are ruled by mind you are a king; if by body, a slave."
"After I am dead I'd rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one."
"Cartharge must be destroyed."
"It is a difficult matter to argue with the belly since it has no ears."
"We cannot control the evil tongues of others; but a good life enables us to disregard them."
"An orator is a good man who is skilled in speaking."
"Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternatives."

Not bad for a pagan. Perhaps he took well to Christ's teachings on Holy Saturday? Not that it's any of my business.

--The Baron
Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam

2009-03-10T16:07:00.003-05:00

Furthermore, I think that The Tablet must be destroyed!

In solidarity with His Hermeneuticalness, Fr. Finigan, and in solidarity with Fr. Z's solidarity with Fr. Finigan, I hereby call for the destruction of the lefty, dissent-ridden rag known as The Tablet. Now the destruction of the Tablet is symbolic of a whole host of pernicious printings. These include, but not limited to, The National Catholic Reporter, America, Ligourian, and several diocesan newspapers around the country. They undermine the legitimate authority of the Church, confuse the faithful with heterodox positions, and generally give Catholicism a bad name.

Inspired by His Hermeneuticalness, I will keep the immortal words of Cato the Elder as footer on my posts "Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam". For those who do not know, Cato was a General and Statesman in Ancient Rome. He was so set against the city state of Carthage that he would end every oration with the phrase "Ceterum autem censeo, Carthaginem esse delendam" "Furthermore, I think that Carthage must be destroyed." (One of the few phrases I remember from my high school Latin I&II classes. Cheers Mr. Whitmore!)

Ceterum autem censeo, Tabulam esse delendam!

--The Baron

A Bit of Brilliance from NRO

2009-02-18T15:10:00.008-06:00

This just made my day. A bit of creative writing done by the staff of National Review Online. I would add some pithy comments or a dash of my charmingly dry humor, but no need to gild the lily here.

Speaker in Rome [NRO Staff]
This just in: A fictional account of what may have happened this morning from an imaginative journalist who has covered the pope and the Vatican.

On Wednesday February 18, 2009, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and fellow Democrats, Rep. George Miller, Rep. Anna Eshoo, Rep. John Larson, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Rep. Edward Markey, Rep. Michael Capuano, and Rep. William Pascrell Jr. had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican released only this description of the meeting:
His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.
This is what might have transpired:

Speaker Pelosi: (Draped in a floor length mantilla, clutching rosary beads) Your Holiness, it is an honor to be with you again.

Pope Benedict: God bless you.

Pelosi: (Pulling a “Obama/Hope” holy card from her purse): The president sends his greetings. (Near shouting) My colleagues and I wanted you to have this as a memento of the historic election of our new president.

Pope: (Faintly smiling): Ah, yes. How thoughtful of you.

Pelosi: (Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Rep. Edward Markey move forward with a huge framed photograph) And this, Holy Father is a little something I thought might look nice here in the library. It’s a picture of me taking the gavel as Speaker of the House of Representatives. (Shouting again) I am the first woman to do so in American history.

Pope: Another historic memento . . .

Pelosi: It really is.

Pope: (Pointing at the portrait) And who are all these children surrounding you?

Pelosi: These are my grandchildren, here. And these are the children of members. Members of Congress. (Loudly) The legislative, elected body that I lead. I’m sort of the pope of Capitol Hill. Uh-ha. Though I wear white only occasionally . . . uh-ha ha ha.

Pope: (Sarcastically) All of these children must be a terrible burden on the states and the federal government?

Pelosi: (Beaming) Why yes, Holy Father, they can be. It is interesting that you should mention that as I was trying to make that . . . the point to George Stephanopoulos — he’s Greek Orthodox I believe — that children can be a real drain on states during this fiscal budget crisis and that contraception . . .

Pope: I am quite familiar with your statements, Madame Speaker. I have attempted to examine them carefully.

Pelosi: Well, I’m glad we are in agreement. I AM an ardent, practicing Catholic and I myself have studied all of these issues very, very carefully.

Pope: Perhaps this will aid your studies. (The papal secretary hands the Pope a book). Some light reading for your flight home. It is the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I edited. Do you have a copy?

Pelosi: No. I mean — not one that I have read. (Nervously looking to Rep. George Miller for help) Yes, I have a copy that is still in its cellophane wrapper.

Pope: I have taken the liberty of marking a few passages for you. I believe this section which reads, “Human life must be respected and protected from the moment of conception,” might interest you.

Pelosi: Excuse me your Holiness, but . . . I, I, I don’t have to read that, I’ve been studying this issue for a long time. The National Catholic Reporter, and the New York Times, also, each had wonderful pieces on this back in the early 80’s, I believe. And over the centuries the Church has not been able to define when life begins. You know — when it actually starts.

Pope: The Church does not need to define such a thing; science has defined it for us. Regardless of one’s belief: Life begins at conception, Madame Speaker. This is a fact.

Pelosi: I knew you were going to say that. And I have to protest — uh . . . We are in a new era in America, your Holiness. It is a time of change. With President Obama’s election we are rediscovering many things . . .

Pope: Has there been some new discovery regarding when life begins?

Pelosi: Well, whatever it is — the Church — Senator, uh, Saint Augustine said it was three months. Life begins at three months. We just don’t know. But whenever it is, it has no bearing on a woman’s right to choose.

Pope: Right to choose what?

Pelosi: Right to choooooose.

Pope: Choooooose what?

Pelosi: Well, to terminate the . . . uh. The abortion. The fetus. The control of our bodies to terminate the choice . . . abortion.

Pope: To abort one that does not yet exist? Didn’t you just say life didn’t begin until three months after birth?

Pelosi: I knew you were going to say that. I said, the Church has not defined when life begins.

Pope: Science has definitively proven that life begins at conception. This is not matter of faith, but of fact.

Pelosi: Well, I have free will, you know.

Pope: I can see that.

Pelosi: In the United States we want abortions to be safe and rare and reduce the number of abortions.

Pope: By permitting more of them?

Pelosi: Yes. Uh. Legal and rare. We want them to be (raising her voice, the mantilla slipping) reduced. We want the numbers of abortions to reduce.

Pope: And to reduce abortions you are dedicating more money to pay for abortions?

Pelosi: Yes. No. We reduce the people by paying for more abortions. But we leave that choice to the woman.

Pope: The choice to murder her child?

Pelosi: I don’t see it that way.

Pope: (Opening the Catechism once more) There is a fascinating section . . . Ah, here it is: “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.” (Eyeing the assembled) Politicians who publicly and manifestly support such a grave moral evil should not present themselves at communion. Have you read that anywhere?

Pelosi: I told you mine is still in the wrapper. And you should know Holy Father, I am an ardent, practicing Catholic in good standing in my diocese. I present myself with a clean conscience every Sunday.

Pope: I am sure you present yourself, my child . . .

Pelosi: It is really my choice.

Pope: Abortion or communion?

Pelosi: Communion! (Dead silence. Uncomfortable silence. Then in a sheepish voice, she reaches down to pick the mantilla off the floor) I really am an ardent, practicing Catholic. (She crosses herself. More silence) Holy Father?

Pope: (The papal secretary hands him a few typed pages) Being an ardent scholar, Mrs. Pelosi, I think you will be very interested in these citations from the Canon Law of the Church. I will put them in the back of your book. They speak of ways and means by which a Catholic, even a public official, can incur certain penalties for causing scandal or for publicly leading others astray. Suppose an elected official said foolish, heretical things on television for millions to hear? Well, that person might be endangering their soul and could be barred from the sacraments.

Pelosi: (Grabbing the book and curtseying as she backs out) It has been wonderful meeting you again your Holiness. I will read your latest catechism book. Do you need a blurb or anything? I'll have my office contact your secretary. This has been a historic moment for my colleagues and myself — uh, me.

Pope: Madame Speaker, it has been truly hysterical. I will keep you all in my prayers.

Pelosi: Thank you, Holiness. (She and the congressional delegation move toward the door) Go! Rosa, stop looking at the ceiling and go.

Pope: (Turning to his secretary) Was she smiling or grimacing as she left? Her expressions are hard to read, no?

hat-tip to His Hermeneuticalness

--The Baron

W.W.J.D?

2009-02-17T08:45:00.007-06:00

I remember when the "What Would Jesus Do?" campaign started to pick up steam in the 90's.

Being the bible geek I always seem to be (i.e. I actually read the Gospels) I offer the following responses:

"Call a hypocrite a whitened sepulcher"

"Curse the barren fig tree"

"Be uncompromising on moral truths"

"Tell people a hard truth which will cause most of them to leave thinking you are crazy"

or the ever popular

"Warn people of their possible eternal damnation"

Christianity has gotten the erroneous image of being a 'nice' religion. I believe it was Fr. Corapi who said that "nice wants people to like it" and "good sees something wrong and does something about it." Christ told us to love our neighbors, but loving does not equate to permissive. This is why one of the works of mercy is to admonish the sinner. How can we claim to love someone and not help them get to heaven?

W.W.J.D? He sacrificed everything from his home to his friendships to his very life to give everyone a chance at eternal bliss; and he expected the same from those who call him Lord.

Remember: Sometimes the correct answer is "fashion a whip of cords and drive out the money changers from the temple!"

--The Baron

And So it Begins...

2009-02-02T11:49:00.011-06:00

President Obama has begun hostilities against the Catholic Church, the pro-life movement, and the poor in the 3rd world. He did so by repealing the Mexico City Policy in a memorandum on January 23rd.

MEMORANDUM FOR
THE SECRETARY OF STATE
THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SUBJECT: Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)), prohibits nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive Federal funds from using those funds "to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning, or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions." The August 1984 announcement by President Reagan of what has become known as the "Mexico City Policy" directed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand this limitation and withhold USAID funds from NGOs that use non-USAID funds to engage in a wide range of activities, including providing advice, counseling, or information regarding abortion, or lobbying a foreign government to legalize or make abortion available. The Mexico City Policy was in effect from 1985 until 1993, when it was rescinded by President Clinton. President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in 2001, implementing it through conditions in USAID grant awards, and subsequently extended the policy to "voluntary population planning" [Read: Social Engineering, Population Control] assistance provided by the Department of State.
These excessively broad conditions on grants and assistance awards are unwarranted. Moreover, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning programs in foreign nations. Accordingly, I hereby revoke the Presidential memorandum of January 22, 2001, for the Administrator of USAID (Restoration of the Mexico City Policy), the Presidential memorandum of March 28, 2001, for the Administrator of USAID (Restoration of the Mexico City Policy), and the Presidential memorandum of August 29, 2003, for the Secretary of State (Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning). In addition, I direct the Secretary of State and the Administrator of USAID to take the following actions with respect to conditions in voluntary population planning assistance and USAID grants that were imposed pursuant to either the 2001 or 2003 memoranda and that are not required by the Foreign Assistance Act or any other law: (1) immediately waive such conditions in any current grants, and (2) notify current grantees, as soon as possible, that these conditions have been waived. I further direct that the Department of State and USAID immediately cease imposing these conditions in any future grants.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE, January 23, 2009.

The intelligentsia of modern governance seems to know less than the farmers of old. By limiting the populations of families, you limit their productivity. I speak as one who's family, a mere 2 generations ago, were subsistence farmers. My great-grandfather had 12 children. My grandfather had 9. With these big families we are able to work more land, and bring in greater wealth to the whole. Many cultures recognized the benefits of having large families, and they became status symbols for a reason. You do not advance the productivity of a family/clan/culture by killing off part of next generation.

This is not a gift or aid to the people of the 3rd world. It is a gift to the welfare states that try to govern them. Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) tipped the hand about this. When she was trying to pitch the contraceptive portion of the stimulus package, she said it would cut costs of the State. This is the singular most dangerous idea in governance. When the people become a 'cost' then something has gone terribly wrong. A cost is something that can be cut, and we are already at the point in the Culture War where unborn children are an acceptable target for 'cost cutting.' How much longer before the elderly, the infirm, the insane, and the poor each get their cuts? Look at what such control and social engineering programs have wrought in China.

This is a dangerous path that only ends in blood.

--The Baron

Book Review - Grand Inquisitor

2009-01-21T13:25:00.000-06:00

Imagine my surprise to find a graphic novel that was actually pro-Catholic, by the name of Grand Inquisitor. Written by John Zmirak and Illustrated by Carla Millar, and published by Crossroads.

The story begins with the death of Pope Paul VIII some time in the not to distant future. His 20 year pontificate is typical of most popes throughout history, i.e. it was full of discord amongst different movements in the Church. The simplistic classification of this particular fight would be some of what we see today with the modernists vs the traditionalist, though I hate using those loaded terms. The modernists in this case are those that want the culture to evangelize the Church, pushing for such things as women's ordination, a democratic hierarchy, contraception, etc. The traditionalists hold onto a hermenutic of continuity in both theology and external traditions.

The main characters are purely fictional, but the dilemna has an erie ring of truth to it. The battle for the authentic faith is on going, whether it be against Arians, Manchiaeans, Lutherns, Calvinists, or Modernists. This story adds a new twist to the old dance, but you'll have to read it to see what that is.

One of the things I love about it is the little hidden bits in the art and the dialogue that, if you are familiar with Catholic culture, leaders, liturgy and tradition, just jump out at you. Phrases like "behold the man" or a list of Cardinals that had the name Burke under a column that marked him as impossible to sway. There was an image of Cdl. Mahoney playing golf (not a positive scene) an image of hell reminscent of the Renniscance Masters, and an interesting Infant of Prague.

I highly recommend this to anyone, but especially Catholics or those interested in Catholic Culture. 9.0/10.0

--The Baron

Church Father's Quiz at Way of the Fathers

2009-01-16T09:39:00.005-06:00

You’re St. Jerome!

You’re a passionate Christian, fiercely devoted to Jesus Christ and his Church. You are willing to labor long hours in the Lord’s vineyard, and you have little patience with those who are less willing or able to work as you do. Your passions often carry you into temptation zones of wrath, lust, and pride.

Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

Christmastide Declaration

2008-12-30T13:54:00.006-06:00

This is the Season in which the world celebrates the birth of its King. Not all recognize Him as their King, but He is the only one I recognize.

I will bend my knee only to the King crowned of Thorns and enthroned upon the Cross.

By His command I follow his Apostles, led by Peter, and those invested with their Authority by virtue of their Sucession.

By His teaching I obey and serve my country in as much as Ceasar is due.

I seek His favor through the intercession of his Blessed and Ever Virgin Mother, Mary the Queen of Heaven.

I ask for the protection of His Angels, led by the Glorious Archangel Michael, Prince of the Heavenly Hosts.

I beg pardon for my sins and the Grace to leave their ways behind me.

I look for His Coming in Glory at the End of Time,

And My House shall always serve the Lord.

--The Baron

Indiana Jones and the Lost Theology

2008-11-24T10:20:00.007-06:00

99.99% of the time, Catholic theology, dogma, and canon law is badly represented by Hollywood, especially as of late. As such, correct or near-correct usually stand out in my mind. One of these examples is in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

By and large the movie dealt very, very little with Christianity. But there were two lines in the movie that have stuck with me since I was little. The first was a question from Kazim, a Middle Eastern Christian of the made-up "Brotherhood of the Cruxiform Sword." He turned to Indy as said "Ask yourself: Why do you seek the Cup of Christ? Is it for His glory, or for yours?" Whenever I get very passionate about Church-related things (i.e. Liturgy, Architecure, Education, et cetera) I often will stop and ask myself this question. It has kept me humble to a degree, which is very much needed.

The second line was also from Kazim, but much later in the movie. When he is mortally wounded, he warns the Nazis that "For the Unrighteous, the Cup of Life holds everlasting damnation."

Now the rest of the movie is a bunch of misconception and false legend and so on, but it is fiction and they do it without insulting anyone directly (except the Nazis but they deserve it). That second quote has some real meaning to it. St Paul warns us not to receive the eucharist unworthily, lest we eat and drink condemnation upon ourselves. Whether he intended it or not, George Lucas conveyed a truly Catholic doctrine. Now if we can just start conveying it to our fellow Catholics we might have something going.

--The Baron

Illogical, Captain

2008-10-16T16:20:00.011-05:00

I usually make two bad assumptions when trying to figure out someone's stance on things.

1.) They have thought through the logic of their stance.

2.) They have thought through the morality of their stance.

Because of these assumptions, I usually can't understand many people's stances on things. In this case I'm talking about the two main presidential canidate's view on abortion.

First we'll pick on McCain, age before beauty and all. He is against abortion, but is willing to allow it in cases of rape, incest, and when the mother's health* is endangered. This logically states that you are for protecting a child, except when that child is the result of a crime. This still regulates the infant to a sub-human category, ergo immoral. However, he does recognize the dignity of life as shown by his actions and his talks.

To me this reeks of emotional politics. The race/incest/health proviso is there so we don't 'punish' the victim. This is an emotional response to a victim who deserves our sympathy, and misplaced compassion can be worse than out and out malic.

Hold on. Punish the Victim? Gee, who said that a baby would be a punishment? Oh yea, now I remember: Barack Obama.

Next is Barack. His actions proclaim him to be the most pro-abortion politician of our day. However, in a debate he said the only reason he didn't support the Partial-Birth Abortion is because there was no clause for protecting the mother's health*. He is also against banning third trimester abortions. This logically states that you can kill the baby, but lets not be gruesome about it.

Barack is usually pretty honest about his view though. He strongly supports the Freedom of Choice Act that would do away with practically every legal regulation and restriction on abortion. Intellectually honest. Logically consistant. Morally repugnant. It states that human dignity is not intrinsic but State given. Very dangerous for the ruled, overly powerful for the rulers. However, for a man who believes the State should handle everything, he is being consistant.

For the life of me, I can not understand either of their positions. I can explain them, but I just don't get it. That's probably a good thing.

-The Baron

*Now before I'm called heartless over the woman's health clauses, let us clear a few things up. First, "health" is a broad term, life of the mother is a better term to use. Regardless, the concept of double-effect rules these clauses a moot point. What am I talking about? Consider conjoined twins going in for surgery to seperate them. Usually one will die, sometime you can choose. If nothing is done, both might die, or the weakest will, but they won't live long like that. There is no clause in law that protects this situation to my knowledge, but it is common practice. That is because it is common sense. If you have a situation where one or both parties may die, then the rules change a bit. Would a mom kill her unborn baby to live? That's a horrible question that I hope never to answer, but it is a valid one. What if she is a single mom, a single mom with other children, or any other combination of nasty situations? Either choice would be morally justified and also deserving of our pity.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Ora Pro Nobis

2008-08-31T10:23:00.008-05:00

It would seem that Gustav is going to hammer the Louisiana Coastline. With the wonders of modern technology, we are aware of these storms far in advance and many lives are saved by this; however, the material damage done to communities and families. This would include the family of the future Baroness (my fiancée). Like many of Louisiana’s residents, they have opted to fortify themselves in place and weather out the storm. I have confidence in their years of weathering these storms, but that doesn’t really ease my conscience much. Thankfully, we Catholics have full trust in the power of intercessory prayer and in the ultimate benevolence of the divine will. That helps a great deal more.

As I posted on Fr. Trigilio's blog, I know a man whose ancestor was an Ursuline Sister in New Orleans during the war of 1812. To make a long story short, the sisters made an appeal to Our Lady of Prompt Succor to spare them from the battle and for the Americans to defeat the invading British. As history tells us, Our Lady came through on their appellation; history also tells us that the battle was unneeded since the treaty to end the war was signed before the battle began, but word spread slowly in those days.

In any event, the Sisters have since spread the devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, and the great-great-grandnephew I know hands out these prayer cards during hurricane season.

"Our Father in Heaven,
Through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor,
Spare us from all harm during this hurricane season and protect us
and our homes from all disasters of nature.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor,
hasten to help us.
Amen."

Our Lady of Prompt Succor on Wikipedia

East and West - A Modest Proposal

2008-08-08T15:36:00.004-05:00

I've tried to understand the Orthodox v. Catholic schism for quite some time. My conclusion, which is shared by several people much more learned than myself on the matter, is that it's much ado about nothing. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI both have taken great strides towards reunification. There has been a positive response by several in the Orthodox world; for example, I was pleased to see Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul with Pope Benedict XVI and I hope that it is a sign of great things to come. However, I'm not as patient as the Church is. After all, they say that Holy Mother Church thinks in terms of Centuries.

I met up with an Orthodox Christian today at my favorite Catholic Store and we got to talking about this. He says his church has a large number of mixed marriages (Catholic married to Orthodox, Greek Orthodox in his case) and many of them are also anxious to have the schism healed. To this end, we propose to pull from history when there was an impasse on electing a new pontiff.:

We take all of the Patriarchs, the Pope and whichever of his Cardinals are needed for this, lock them in the Sistine Chapel, and impose a fast on them until the matter is resolved.

--The Baron

I Hear By Claim This Webspace in the Name...

2008-08-02T00:26:00.006-05:00

So I've finally decided to join the millions who publish their thoughts on the internet, somehow thinking that someone, somewhere will care. I originally signed up for the account as a way to post on a few of the other blogs without filling out the information each time. Now I might pick at this from time to time, who knows, maybe I'll enjoy it.

--The Baron