Federalist Tallies Lies Told by Biden As Of 2/28

They list what they call lies by Biden, - and say they plan to update the list regularly.

https://thefederalist.com/2021/01/22/heres-the-full-list-of-every-lie-joe-biden-has-told-as-president/        

                         

Pax et bonum

Politicians Forsaking Conscience

“When statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.”

― Robert Bolt, quote from A Man for All Seasons

Pax et bonum

These Three Republicans Voted for the Pro-Abortion Equality Act, Betraying Pro-Life Values

One of the three is a local Representative who is said to be considering a run for Governor of NY - so is he setting himself up for appealing to NY's ultra-liberal voters? 

These Three Republicans Voted for the Pro-Abortion Equality Act, Betraying Pro-Life Values: The Equality Act, which critics argue is the “greatest threat to religious liberty,” passed the House of Representatives Thursday, 224-206. Every Democrat s

Roots 4 - Cotton Mather!!!

My friend, Chris, who is a genealogist, just of of curiosity after I asked him a  question, has on his own done some digging - Covid has prevented him from working at his part-time job - and though he said he wa going to stop, just did a bit more.

He e-mailed me this morning:

You are related not only to the Mayflower pilgrims,

but also to the famous Mather family of New England.

Your 10th-great grandfather was Richard Mather (1596-1669),

the father of Increase Mather and grandfather of Cotton Mather

(of Salem witch trial fame).

The connection: Your 7th-great grandfather, Jedidiah Strong (1667-1709),

had a mother named Freedom Woodward (1642-1681). Freedom's mother

was named Elizabeth Mather (1618-1690), who was a daughter of Richard

Mather.

Info on Richard here:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34224342/richard-mather

and here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Mather

You have the deepest presence in the US of anyone I've ever seen.

Chris

Wow. Thanks Chris. I owe you a dinner and a beer - or maybe a six pack! 

Pax et bonum

Dr. Seuss Hears a Racist

Dr. Seuss

has from some reading lists been cut loose,

for grinches at the Louden County Schools and SPLC insist

his works have secret messages (no one else can see) they deem racist.

Pax et bonum

Trans-Species 1

protest demanding

trans-species rights soon devolves

into impotence

a variation - 

protest demanding 

trans-species right soon leads 

to devolution  

Pax et bonum

Shrine Flowers (cinquain)

As I

walk I see so

many abandoned shrines, 

but then spot one with fresh flowers -

faith lives.

Pax et bonum

Bishops speak out against the Equality Act

The bishops have released a Letter to Congress about the Equality Act.

February 23, 2021 

United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Representative/Senator: 

As chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Religious Liberty, ProLife, Marriage, Catholic Education, and Domestic Justice committees, we write to share our support for laws that protect the dignity and ensure the respect that is due all people, as well as our grave concerns with the Equality Act of 2021 (H.R. 5). 

Human dignity is central to what Catholics believe because every person is made in the image of God and should be treated accordingly, with respect and compassion. This commitment is reflected in the Church’s charitable service to all people, without regard to race, religion, or any other characteristic. It means we need to honor every person’s right to gainful employment free of unjust discrimination or harassment, and to the basic goods that they need to live and thrive. It also means that people of differing beliefs should be respected. In this, we whole-heartedly support nondiscrimination principles to ensure that everyone’s rights are protected. 

The Equality Act purports to protect people experiencing same-sex attraction or gender discordance from discrimination. But instead, the bill represents the imposition by Congress of novel and divisive viewpoints regarding “gender” on individuals and organizations. This includes dismissing sexual difference and falsely presenting “gender” as only a social construct. As Pope Francis has reflected, however, “‘biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished but not separated.’ … It is one thing to be understanding of human weakness and the complexities of life, and another to accept ideologies that attempt to sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality.”1 Tragically, this Act can also be construed to include an abortion mandate, a violation of precious rights to life and conscience.2 

Rather than affirm human dignity in ways that meaningfully exceed existing practical protections, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith. It would also inflict numerous legal and social harms on Americans of any faith or none. If passed, this legislation would: 

• punish faith-based charities such as shelters and foster care agencies, and in turn their thousands of beneficiaries, simply because of their beliefs on marriage and sexuality (§§ 3, 6);

• force both people and organizations in many everyday life and work settings to speak or act in support of “gender transitions,” including health care workers and licensed counselors, even when it’s against their professional judgment (§§ 3, 6, 7); 

• risk mandating taxpayers to pay for abortions, and health care workers with conscience objections to perform them, ultimately ending more human lives (§§ 3, 6, 9); 1 Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, no. 56 (2016). 2 See USCCB Fact Sheet, “The Equality Act: Its Impact on Government Funding of Abortion.” 

• force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in school sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who claim to identify as women (§§ 6, 9); 

• expand the government’s definition of public places into numerous settings, even forcing religiously operated spaces, such as some church halls and equivalent facilities owned by synagogues or mosques, to either host functions that violate their beliefs or close their doors to their broader communities (§ 3); 

• exclude people from the careers and livelihoods that they love, just for maintaining the truth of their beliefs on marriage and sexuality (§ 3); and 

• discriminate against individuals and religious organizations based on their different beliefs by partially repealing the bipartisan Religious Freedom Restoration Act, an unprecedented departure from that law and one of America’s founding principles (§ 9). 

Each year the Catholic Church, as the largest non-governmental provider of human services in the United States, helps millions of people in need through its parishes, schools, hospitals, shelters, legal clinics, food banks, and other charities. The same core beliefs about the human person--made with inherent dignity and in the image of God--motivate both our positions on life, marriage, and sexuality, and also our call to serve the most vulnerable and the common good. We oppose this legislation. 

Sincerely, 

Most Rev. Michael C. Barber, S.J. 

Bishop of Oakland

Chairman, Committee on Catholic Education

Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley 

Archbishop of Oklahoma City

Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development

His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan 

Archbishop of New York

Chairman, Committee for Religious Liberty

Most. Rev. David A. Konderla 

Bishop of Tulsa

Chairman, Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage

Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann 

Archbishop of Kansas City, KS 

Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities

1 Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, no. 56 (2016). 

2 See USCCB Fact Sheet, “The Equality Act: Its Impact on Government Funding of Abortion.” 

Pax et bonum

Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare)

After the historical - or is it tragic? - toil of getting through Antony and Cleopatra, I read Much Ado About Nothing with delight.

The battle of wits and the romance of Beatrice and Benedict was enjoyable. There's was a love i could believe. And verbal miscues of Constable Dogberry were a hood, um, hoot.

The play was a quick and easy read. 

Now up to 5 Shakespeare plays this year en route to my goal of 12, and now 19 plays into my goal of reading all 38 of Shakespeare's plays. And I've now read 20 book this year, well on the way to my overall goal of 80.

As for my Shakespeare goal, there are a few book on my pile to get to before I return to Shakespeare. But when I do return to the Bard, I think Henry IV Part 2 should come next, having now read Richard II, and, in the past, Henry IV Part 1 and Henry V. 

Pax et bonum

Roots 3

There are some images of headstones for some of my forebears. And one of them revealed a fact I hadn't known about how one of them died.

First, the American father of the Strong line - 

Elder John reportedly helped to defend his town against Native Americans. Then there's his grandson, Jedediah, killed fighting Native Americans during Queen Anne's War! 

And Eben Strong was a veteran of the French and Indian War in 1758. It's not clear at this point if he played any role in the Revolutionary War.

And Alfred Strong was apparently a veteran of the War of 1812. 

My father, Everett Strong, fought in the Korean War. 

There are relatives who fought in other wars - my Uncle Bob, for example, fought in World War II -  but so far I haven't found any others in the direct line who fought in wars. 

The searching continues.

Pax et bonum

NY Priest Stands Outside Grocery Store With Sign Encouraging Catholic Mass Attendance|

NY Priest Stands Outside Grocery Store With Sign Encouraging Catholic Mass Attendance |: "If you can come grocery shopping shopping, then you can come to Mass."

Roots 2

I looked at the 11 generations of Strong men in the line of descent, and saw that they lived approximately to the ages of 78, 94, 26, 76, 86, 92, 53, 83, 42, 96, and 94. 

The average life span of these gentlemen was about 75 - that gives me 10 years to go! But of the 11, 6 lived beyond 80, and four of them beyond 90, so there's hope of a few years yet. I've always said my goal is at least 80, and anything after that is gravy.

Two other details came out of a more unsavory nature. 

One of my forebears was born to his parents three years before they were married. 

And in one case, a forebear was married, had fathered a child by that woman, then fathered other children after with another woman who was identified as his "wife" - but there is no marriage record, and, when the first woman died, she was said to have been married to my forebear for 75 years. That would indicate there was never a divorce, and that he and the second "wife" were never actually legally married. I'm descended through the second wife. But I would need to dig further to say for certain what the situation was - and I don't know if I really want to dig up skeletons in the family.

I found a few more details along the way. This picture, for example.  

Alanson Strong (1811-97, Great-great-great grandfather)

There are other grave markers. I'll post copies of those later.

Some other family details gleaned from sources along the way -

From: The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Mass, by Benjamin Woodbridge Dwight, 1871 (on Google Books):

Jedediah Strong (son of Elder John Strong of Northampton and Abigail Ford) b. May 7, 1637, (and bapt. April 14, 1639), m. Nov. 18, 1662, Freedom Woodward, bapt. at Dorchester, Mass., in 1642 (dau. of Henry Woodward, afterwards of Northampton, and " one of the pillars of the church," there, and Elizabeth hU wife). He was a farmer at Northampton until 1709, when at the age of 70 years and upwards he removed with his family to Coventry, Ct., where 24 years afterwards he d. May 22, 1733, aged 96 ; during the years 1677-8 & 9, he was paid 18 shillings a year for blowing the trumpet on Sunday to summon the people to church. His wife Freedom d. May 17, 1681, and he m. Deo. 19, 1681, for 2d wife Abigail Stebbins b. Sept. 6, 1660 (dau. of John Steb- bins, of Northampton, and Abigail Bartlett — dau. of Robert and Anne Bartlett, of Hartford, and afterwards of Northampton). She d. July 15, 1689, and he m. Jan. 5, 1691-2, for 3d wife Mrs. Mary (Hart) Lee widow of John Lee, of Farmington, Ct., and dau. of Stephen Hart, of Farmington. He lived with his first wife 19 years, with his second 7, and with his third wife 9, and notwithstanding his three marriages spent 33 years as a widower, and 61 unmarried. His wife Mary d. Oct. 10,1710, from the injury which she received the day previous, by the fall of the horse on which she was riding (on a pillion behind her husband), when just started well upon their way to Coventry, together, to visit their children. The record reads thus at Northampton : " Oct. 9, 1710, Jedediah Strong, and wife set out early in the morning to visit their children, at Coventry ; but when they came against the Falls (at S. Hadley) among the broad smooth stones, the horse's feet slipped up and he fell flat on the off side and by the fall killed the woman : though she was not quite dead then, but had life in her until the next day—yet never spoke a word." He was constable in 1683.

 --- I love the report that Jedediah blew the trumpet to summon people to church. Another church musician in the family! 

In his book The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, Benjamin Dwight, the primary genealogist of the Strong family in America, makes the case that Elder John Strong sailed to Mass. in 1630, on the Mary and John, with his wife and 2 children, with the spouse and youngest child dying either en route or shortly after arrival. He then states that Strong married Abigail Ford, another Mary and John passenger, in December, 1630. The problem with this is that she was only 11 at the time. The most recent thought is that Strong and family came in 1635 on the Hopewell. Complicating matters is that he does appear as a probable passenger in synthesized lists for both ships.

Burton Spear in his work, Mary and John 1630 .pdf, clarifies the situation by submitting that Strong did arrive on the Mary and John, as a single man, then returned to England where he married and fathered the two children, returning to America with his family on the Hopewell. After the death of his wife he married Abigail Ford, now 16, probably in December 1635. The birthdates of subsequent Strong children tends to bear this out, as does the fact that Strong took the Freeman's Oath, in Boston, in 1636. Burton Spear also dismisses the idea forwarded by Dwight that Strong was born in Taunton, England, to a Richard Strong, as no records can be found to justify this. Records are available to show that he was probably born to John Strong, son of George Strong, of Chard, Somerset, England, between 1607 and 1610. (Steven Ferry, December 15, 2018.)

All current theories give the father of Elder John Strong as John Strong, son of George Strong. The ascription of Richard Strong as the father seems to come from the work of Dwight on Elder John Strong, based on recollections from Governor Strong. That tome has proved deficient in other areas as well, although it is a valuable source post colonialism. I would recommend that you open the father's page to change the name to John Strong, or at least as John Richard Strong, which does seem to find some favor. (Steven Ferry, December 30, 2019)

Pax et bonum

Roots

A few weeks back Ancestry contacted me to let me know they could link me to a cousin who had apparently done the DNA test. 

I went to the cousin's results, and tried to see if he had created a tree - but I was not allowed to search too deeply as I'm not a paid member of Ancestry - I had just taken a DNA test.

The test results have been updated a couple of times since i first took it back in 2014. The most recent results were that my roots were:

Scotland - 54%

Ireland (with strong links to Donegal) - 29%

England and Northwestern Europe - 13%

Wales - 3% 

Norway - 1%

I had few links to actual names, mostly from contact or family stories. One of those stories was that at some point back in the 1800's a "McCarthy" child was adopted by a Strong, hence the name, and some of the Irish roots (though my Scottish-immigrant mother also had Irish roots).

Now curious, I called a friend who was a genealogist to get some tips on places to search, such as county offices, and if it could be done online or I had to go there. He gave me some tips.

Later, he emailed me even more tips, with some explanations.

And then he emailed a family line! I hadn't asked him to do so, or expected it, but he did.

He traced my direct line back to one "Elder" John Strong, a Puritan who arrived in the colones back around 1630.

1630.

A Puritan born in Somerset, England.

Who helped to found towns in the colonies. 

And not an Irish child whose name got changed. So much for that family legend.

My friend sent me to a link that allowed me to trace the family line back: 

Everett Leroy Strong - my father May 26, 1932 – March 7, 2010
Roy Everett Strong July 21, 1901 – Walton, Delaware NY – August 15, 1995

Robert J. Strong April 1875 – New York – September 13, 1901

John A. Strong October 2, 1855 – Franklin, Delaware NY - 1931

Alanson Strong April 15, 1811 – Franklin, Delaware, NY – February 11, 1897

Alfred Strong November 16, 1777 – Marlborough, Hartford, Conn. – September 7, 1869

Ebenezer Strong March 30, 1738 – Lebanon, New London, Conn. – April 21, 1791

Ezra Strong March 2, 1702 – Lebanon, New London, Conn – March 7, 1785

Jedediah Strong August 7, 1677 – Northampton, Hampshire, Mass. – October 12, 1709

Jedidiah Strong May 7, 1637 – Mass. – May 22, 1733

“Elder” John Strong, About 1605 – Taunton, Somerset, England – April 14, 1699   

I was able to trace a little further back - but I'm not sure how right I am - 

John Strong 1585 – Somerset, England - ?
George Strong 1556 – 1636
John Strang 1515 - ? 

Now, Elder John Strong is credited with being the father of almost all the Strongs in the U.S. - not surprising considering he and his two wives (the first got sick on the voyage over, apparently, and died shortly after arriving) had 18 children, 16 of whom reached adulthood and produced more Strongs. Elder John even has his own Wikipedia entry. According to that entry - 

John Strong (1610–1699) was an English-born New England colonist, politician, Puritan church leader, tanner and one of the founders of Windsor, Connecticut and Northampton, Massachusetts as well as the progenitor of nearly all the Strong families in what is now the United States. He was referred to as Elder John Strong because he was an Elder in the church.

Strong was born in about 1610 in Chard, Somerset, England and emigrated to Massachusetts with his pregnant wife and a one-year-old child in 1635 aboard the sailing ship Hopewell. During the 70-day sea voyage, his wife, Marjory Deane (md. 1632) had a baby while they were still at sea. She and their infant child died within two months of their arrival. With one-year-old son John Strong Jr. to take care of, John Sr. married sixteen-year-old Mary & John (1630) passenger Abigail Ford, daughter of Thomas Ford and Elizabeth Charde, in December 1635. They settled originally in Hingham, Massachusetts, a New-Plymouth Colony, in 1635. In 1638 he was made a "Freeman" (eligible to vote in town and colony elections and serve in the church), and went to Taunton, Massachusetts. While in Taunton, Strong represented the town in the General Court of Plymouth Colony for four years, from 1641 to 1644.

He later moved to Windsor, Connecticut, on the Connecticut River where he was a leading figure in the new Connecticut colony. In 1659 he moved 40 miles further up the river to the Connecticut River town of Northampton, Massachusetts—then a frontier town surrounded by Nipmuck and Pocumtuc^] Indian nations about 100 miles (160 km) inland from Boston. One of the early settlers of the town, he operated a tannery for many years, helped defend the town against Indian attacks during King Philip's War (1675-1676) and also played an important role in town and church affairs.

In 1661, John Strong was one of the eight men who founded the First Church of Northampton. Of their number, Eleazer Mather, the older brother of Boston minister Increase Mather, was chosen as the first pastor. Two years later, 1663, Strong was ordained an elder of the church. The Puritan pastor Mather died in 1669, and Strong was tasked with finding a suitable minister to replace him. The following year, he and several other church leaders extended a call to Solomon Stoddard, who formally accepted in 1672, and was ordained by John Strong. Stoddard served as pastor for many years, until his death in 1729, and was succeeded by his grandson, Jonathan Edwards, whose subsequent ministry in Northampton would play a major role in the Great Awakening.

John Strong died on April 14, 1699, at Northampton and is buried at the Bridge Street Cemetery, Northampton Massachusetts. 

Pretty impressive fellow. 

I've discovered that dates vary when you get that far back, and with at least  one person in the line I've discovered some discrepancies when it comes to parentage. More research is needed.

Pax et bonum

Julia Greeley, OFS

Servant of God Julia Greeley, OFS, is a former slave who later earned the title of Denver’s “Angel of Charity,” and whose cause for sainthood opened in 2016, which might make her one of the first American-born slaves to be declared a saint. 

Greeley was born into slavery in Missouri sometime between 1835 and 1855. She suffered an eye injury as a child when she was hit by a master’s whip, and was partly blind and disfigured for the rest of her life as a result.   She was freed at the end of the Civil War, and worked as a cook/nanny/servant for a variety of families over the years. One of those families was that of the newly-appointed provisional governor of Colorado, which led to Greeley moving there. 

In 1880, Greeley became a Catholic, and committed to her new faith she was a daily communicant, was devoted to saying the rosary, and regularly walked about Denver distributing literature from the Sacred Heart League. Greeley also began to carry out charitable works, using her meagre salary and donations to collect food, clothing, coal, toys, and more. She became known for carting her donations on a little red wagon, and often made her visit at night so as not to embarrass people because they were receiving charity from a serving woman who happened to be African American. She even donated her own burial plot for a man who otherwise would have been buried in a pauper’s grave. She continued to carry out such acts of charity throughout the rest of her life, despite painful arthritis.

In 1901, she became a Secular Franciscan, remaining active with the order until her death on June 7, 1918. Initially buried in a church cemetery, her remains were interred in 2017 in Denver’s Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, becoming the first person interred there since the Cathedral opened in 1912.

Pax et bonum

Planned Parenthood 2019 Annual Report Shows It Aborted 354,000 Babies

Planned Parenthood continues to kill babies. According to it's more recent report - it aborted 354,000 babies.

Planned Parenthood Annual Report Shows It Killed 354,000 Babies in Abortions, More Than Ever Before: It was another record year for the abortion giant Planned Parenthood. Although Planned Parenthood bills itself as a woman’s health organization, in reality, ... 

Antony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare)

In my quest to read all of Shakespeare's plays, I have reached the half-way point with Antony and Cleopatra. I've now read 19 of the generally acknowledged 38 plays. 

I'm not sure what I make of this play. It's technically a history play, I guess, though it has elements of tragedy. In some ways it's even a love story, so some might argue that it's a comedy of sorts. But I found the love story unsatisfactory.

Maybe a major aspect of my problem with the play is I have a hard time with the title characters - neither of whom I find likable, and nether of whom seems to rise to the level of tragic hero. Yes, tragic heroes have flaws, but they have a nobility that makes them attractive in some way. We care about them despite their flaws. I found neither Antony or Cleopatra attractive. Antony is chronically unfaithful, to his wives, to Cleopatra, to his fellow triumvirs, to Rome. He even makes a mess of his suicide. And Cleopatra is so petulant, so manipulative. She seems to love Antony, but given her past, it's hard to believe it. And her death is motivated more by her pride than love of him.

But it is Shakespeare, it is a play I've been meaning to read, and it even gave me a lovely quotation to share in a note to my wife: "Age cannot wither her nor custom stale her infinite variety."

I'm now at midpoint in my quest to read all the plays. And I've now read 4 plays this year, well on my way to my goal of 12 for the year..

Next up: Much Ado About Nothing.  

Here's the tally so far:

Antony and Cleopatra

The Life and Death of King John

Twelfth Night

The Tragedy of Richard II

As You Like It

Richard III
The Taming of the Shrew
Romeo and Juliet
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Merchant of Venice
Henry IV Part I
Henry V
Julius Caesar
Hamlet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
The Winter’s Tale

The Tempest.  

Pax et bonum

A Pun

A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Amal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Amal. Her husband responds, "But they are twins. If you've seen Juan, you've seen Amal."

Pax et bonum

Tony Hillerman - Yet Another Reading Goal!

I'm currently reading one of Tony Hillerman's "Navajo" mystery novels The First Eagle. 

I've read a few of the 18 books in the series, and enjoyed them. But, to be honest, it's been years and just looking at the titles I don't remember specifically which ones I did read.  I'd have to look at the end of each book to tell which of them I did. Still, I think it would be a worthy goal to read them all!

Here's the list:

 
The Blessing Way (1970)
Dance Hall of the Dead (1973)
Listening Woman (1978)
People of Darkness (1980)
The Dark Wind (1982)
The Ghostway (1984)
Skinwalkers (1986)
A Thief of Time (1988)
Talking God (1989)
Coyote Waits (1990)
Sacred Clowns (1993)
The Fallen Man (1996)
The First Eagle (1998)
Hunting Badger (1999)
The Wailing Wind (2002)
The Sinister Pig (2003)
Skeleton Man (2004)
The Shape Shifter (2006)

Pax et bonum

Biden makes racially insensitive remark

CNN Town Hall, February 16 - 

"Not everybody in the community—in the Hispanic and African American community, particularly in rural areas that are distant and/or inner city districts—know how to get online to determine how to get in line for that Covid vaccination at the Walgreens or at the particular store." - Joe Biden

Pax et bonum

Walking As Praying

Rabbi Abraham Heschel once reportedly said, "When I marched with Martin Luther King in Selma, I felt my legs were praying."

We usually don't think of actions as prayers - but they can be.

Heschel was walking to protest unjust, immoral laws. He was promoting justice. 

But the actions that can be prayers don't have to be as public or dramatic. 

When we collect clothes for a pregnancy center, or buy extra food to donate to a food pantry, we are praying.

When we write or call someone to offer encouragement or support, or even just to let them know someone cares, we are praying.

When we hold a door for someone, or reach for something on a high shelf for someone who can't reach it, or let a driver into our lane on a crowded highway, we are praying.

When we hug someone who is sad, or dry a child's tears, we are praying.

We can pray by smiling, or patiently waiting, or helping a neighbor shovel snow.

Pax et bonum+

Time for Lent (reflection)

I keep coming across reminders of what an arrogant, opinionated, insensitive individual I can be. (No explanation here - just take my word for it!)

No wonder I've become estranged from friends and family over the years. I have alienated co-workers and superiors. Even among my fellow Franciscans I have pushed people away.

Social media helps to encourage me spouting off in unpleasant ways. 

One of the things i need to do this Lent is to cultivate silence and positive thinking.

Lord, teach me humility and patience.

Pax et bonum

Time for Lent

It's time to set my penances and positives for Lent.

I'm giving up social media (except blogging) Monday through Friday. No reading, commenting, or responding. I will pop in on Sundays, but limit my activity on those days.

I will read the Bible daily - in addition to reading the Mass readings.

I will begin saying the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily.

Some challenging goals - but good for me!

Pax et bonum

John Denver & Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Take Me Home, Country Roads (Live...

Half-empty bed

As she looked at her half-empty bed

the newly-divorced woman said, "If I'd chosen him I called boring, someone would be there now snoring."

Pax et bonum

Palin

Pax et bonum

Marty and Franciscans

Sarcasm Aside

Brothers and sisters,
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do everything for the glory of God.
Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or 
the church of God,
just as I try to please everyone in every way,
not seeking my own benefit but that of the many,
that they may be saved.
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. - 1 Cor 10:31—11:1

This morning I read the above Second Reading as I prepared for Mass. And it hit me that I had earlier that morning already posted some sarcastic tweets and messages on Facebook that would likely give offense, and were, indeed, intended to give offense.

Indeed, I did so before I read God's word. I was serving a different master.

I went to Twitter and Facebook and deleted them and one I posted last night.

Humor and satire are fine, but sarcasm, especially mean-spirited sarcasm, and abrasive remarks are not acceptable. I tend to use sarcasm in comments and even clerihews - a poetic form that is by definition not supposed to be mean-spirited.

This is one of my sins, one of my great failings.

How many people have i hurt over the years? How many relationships have I undermined? How many people have I driven away from me or from the otherwise positive message I was supposedly trying to convey, and so made it harder for them to be saved?

One of the things I need to do this Lent as I'm away from social media is to try to develop a gentler, less abrasive way to deal with people. 

I need to "do everything for the glory of God," and not for my own ego..

Pax et bonum

Sniffin' Joe

Joe Biden.

Why does that image seem familiar? Hmmm.

Pax et bonum

Praying outside Planned Parenthood.

Pax et bonum

Peter Maurin on St. Francis

Peter Maurin, co-founder (with Dorothy Day) of the Catholic Worker movement, was often called a modern-day St. Francis. Maurin wrote a number of poetry-like essays called Easy Essays in which he outlined a vision of Catholicism that St. Francis might have celebrated. In several of those essays, Maurin cited St. Francis. Below is an excerpt from one essay:

What St. Francis Desired

According to Johannes Jorgenson,

a Danish convert living in Assisi,

St. Francis desired

that men should give up

superfluous possessions,

St. Francis desired

that men should work with

their hands.

St. Francis desired

that men should
offer  their services
as a gift.
St. Francis desired
that men should ask
other people for help
when work failed them.
St. Francis desired
that men should live
as free as birds.
St. Francis desired
that men should go through life
giving thanks to God for His gifts.

The Third Order

"We are perfectly certain

that the Third Order of St. Francis
is the most powerful antidote
against the evils that harass
the present age."

Leo XIII.

"Oh, how many benefits

would not the Third Order of St. Francis
have conferred on the Church
if it had been everywhere organized
in accordance with the wishes
of Leo XIII."

Pius X.

"We believe that the spirit of

the Third Order,
thoroughly redolent of Gospel wisdom,
will do very much
to reform public and private morals."
 
Benedict XV.

"The general restoration of peace and morals

was advanced very much by the
Third Order of St. Francis,
which was a religious order indeed,
yet something unexampled up to that time."

Pius XII

(From “The Case for Utopia”)

Pax et bonum

Unnatural Death (Sayers)

My latest mystery read was Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers. The book has actually been malingering on my bookshelf for decades, resting by some books by C.S. Lewis. I'd read one or two of her books years ago, but not this one. With my mystery reading quest this year, it seemed a good time to dust it off.

It was a good read. Interesting plot. Wimsey is an amusing character. There is a definite feminine taste to the book, and you can't help but wonder if Wimsey is an idealized version of the kind of man Sayers wished she had met.

A couple of quibbles. I figured out a couple of the plot twists pretty early, so they were not surprises. There's also a bit of racial stereotyping of Blacks in the book that made me uncomfortable - and the use of the "n" word, while apparently sadly common in England at the time the book was written (even Chesterton fell prey to this), it was still jarring.

I'll happily read more Wimsey tales at some point, if the library has them. I don't feel particularly motivated to buy any, though.

Pax et bonum

"Who am I to judge?" is too often misquoted

I frequently see people citing Pope Francis's "Who am I to judge?" remark - most often in discussions of moral issues (homosexual acts in particular). The problem is that the quotation is only a partial quotation, one that was taken out of context, and due to the incompleteness and the lack of context distorts what the Pope actually said and meant.

Here's one analysis of the problem. 

From Terry Mattingly On Religion: -

A Washington Post guide to the pope's "most liberal statements" noted, about this 2013 remark: "On a flight back from his visit to Brazil, Francis struck a different note on homosexuality than his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who had once described it as an 'intrinsic moral evil.' In contrast, Francis had this to say about homosexuals: 'If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?' "

The problem with the "Who am I to judge?" statement is that most people quoting it pull the phrase out the context in which it was used during a casual meeting (full transcript here) between Pope Francis and reporters, according to Portland Archbishop Alexander Sample.

The pope was "speaking about God's mercy and the call for all of us to allow a person, including ourselves, to convert and put his or her sins in the past," he noted, writing online. "These words of Pope Francis were delivered in response to a very specific question about a particular individual who was accused of inappropriate homosexual behavior in the past."

Thus, Archbishop Sample stressed these words from the pope's remarks.

"I see that many times in the Church people search for 'sins from youth,' for example, and then publish them. They are not crimes, right? No, sins. But if a person, whether it be a lay person, a priest or a religious sister, commits a sin and then converts, the Lord forgives, and when the Lord forgives, the Lord forgets and this is very important for our lives," said Pope Francis.

"When we confess our sins and we truly say, 'I have sinned in this,' the Lord forgets, and so we have no right not to forget, because otherwise we would run the risk of the Lord not forgetting our sins. That is a danger. This is important: a theology of sin. … If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?"

Thus, the pope affirmed church teachings that temptation is not in itself a sin. In fact, people facing temptations are children of God and should be "treated with respect, compassion and sensitivity," noted Sample.

"If someone sins in this regard, coverts, confesses his or her sins, they are forgiven and the Lord forgets their sins," he added. "So should we forgive and forget. Hence, 'Who am I to judge?'

"Understood in its proper context, Pope Francis simply repeats in a very striking way what the church has taught with regard to persons who experience deep-seated same sex attraction. He was really not breaking new ground, and was certainly not advocating support for same sex 'marriage,' as some have tried to assert." 

Pax et bonum