Step in mud, you get mud on your shoes

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 2272 reads:

Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae," "by the very commission of the offense," and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

I’m not a canon lawyer, but I read this to mean that due to the seriousness of the offense, a number of people involved with an abortion face automatic excommunication (subject, of course to mitigating circumstances, such as knowledge of the seriousness of the offense and it’s canonical consequences, as outlined in canon law).

The woman who obtained the abortion.

The doctor who performed it

Any nurse or other medical personnel who assisted with the abortion.

Any person who knowingly drove the woman to the office to obtain the abortion.

Any person who knowingly provided money for the abortion

Any person who promotes the abortion services at the clinic/office.

All automatically excommunicated. The church doesn't have to do a thing. The excommunicated do it themsleves by their actions.

Beyond what this section says, I also suspect that any person who actively promotes abortion – activists and politicians – may also be subject to the same penalty.

So I think that anyone who works for Planned Parenthood is also automatically excommunicated.

And any politician who proposes any bill legalizing/expanding/funding abortions is also excommunicated. 

Basically, if you deliberately step in mud, you are going to get mud on your shoes – and it’s no use trying to put the blame on anyone else.

Pax et bonum

Three, three, three Gods in One!

One concept that often causes confusion among non-Christians – and among many Christians, for that matter – is the Trinity, which, of course, we mark in Catholic circles on Trinity Sunday.

Some folks say Trinitarians worship three gods, and that makes us non-Christians. But even fellow Trinitarians get confused about what it means when we talk about the Three Persons in One God.

I’ve heard three explanations of the Trinity that put the concept in more concrete terms.

The most famous is that of St. Patrick, who used the shamrock to help explain how something could have three aspects, yet still be one.

St. Ignatius Loyola used music. He likened the Trinity to a chord – three notes combining together to produce one harmonious tone.

Another explanation is that the Trinity is like H2O. You can have ice, water and steam, all with different attributes, yet all the same.

All explanations work fine for me. To be honest, this is not one of the theological debates I find particularly gripping. Give me the ordination of women or the people who sit in the pew behind me and talk throughout Mass to chew on!

Then again, I also refer to the three Persons in the Trinity as the Boss, the Kid, and the Bird.

Somehow I don't think my description will make it into too many theology textbooks. It might make for a nice allegorical piece some day, though.

Fortunately, God does have a sense of humor.

At least, I think the Kid does. How else do you explain the Apostles?

Pax et bonum

Is that a Fly in my Soup?

Every night before dinner, my family and I hold hands and pray.

We thank God for the good things that have happened, we pray for other people who might need strength and help, and we pray for our own needs. Sometimes we also make comments or even jokes.

Because we’ve had some tough times lately, the other night I prayed, “Lord, they say you never give us more than we can handle. I think you’re overestimating me.”

It got the desired effect of getting everyone around the table smiling and laughing.

But in thinking about it later I realized that I don’t agree with the saying as it is often understood.

First, I don’t believe God “gives” us everything that comes our way.

Oh, I believe that life and all that is in it is a gift from God. But I think some of the specific bad things in it come from other sources. We are all affected by the consequences of our own decisions and deeds, the choices and actions of other people, and sometimes just the arbitrary forces of nature.

The decision to eat that burrito with the nuclear hot sauce, the boss who treated me unfairly, the fly that landed in my soup can’t necessarily be blamed on God’s direct action. (Well, maybe the fly: God does have a sense of humor).

Remember that in the story of Job, while God gave Satan permission to afflict Job, God himself did not inflict the misfortunes.

This doesn’t mean that God might not for his own purposes send bad things my way (such as that fly in my soup), but I don’t believe he is directly involved in causing them all.

Second, I believe that we do sometimes face problems that we really can’t handle. There are times when people suffer nervous breakdowns or mental problems. There are people who are addicted in ways they can’t control.

It’s at that point that we have to turn to a “higher power,” as the 12-step programs describe it. We have to rely on God.

Of course, turning to God for help and strength is a choice, and in this sense we do “handle” the problem. But that’s the same thing as a person hanging from a cliff reaching out to take an outstretched hand from someone trying to save him. He could choose not to reach out, just as we can choose to ignore God’s help.

So if I wanted to be accurate, I could have prayed for God’s help and for the openness, courage and strength to accept that help.

Of course, that wouldn’t have gotten my family smiling.

Maybe I could have added St. Teresa of Avila’s quip: ““If this is the way you treat your friends, it's no wonder you have so few!"

But then, I might have ended up with a fly in my soup.

Pax et bonum

Easy Essay - Christianity Untried

1. Chesterton says, 

         “Christianity has not failed

         because it has not been tried.”


2. Christianity has not been tried 

         because people thought 

         it was impractical.

3. And men have tried everything 

         except Christianity.

4. And everything 

         that men have tried 

         has failed.

5. And to fail 

        in everything 

        that one tries 

        is not to be practical.

6. Men will be practical 

       when they try to practice 

       the Christianity 

       they profess 

       to believe in.

- Peter Maurin

Pax et bonum

Blessed Solanus Miracle?

Teen’s tumors vanish after prayers to Bl. Solanus Casey: A possible final miracle for canonization


CV NEWS FEED // A Michigan teenager’s unexplained healing after prayers to Blessed Solanus Casey could become the miracle the Church needs to declare the beloved Capuchin friar a saint.

Sixteen-year-old Mary Bartold from DeWitt was facing surgery after doctors discovered tumors on both her ovaries in May 2024, the Detroit Free Press reported. As she prepared for what could have been a life-changing operation, her parents, Susan and Rick Bartold, turned to prayer — making a pilgrimage to the Solanus Casey Center in Detroit and initiating a novena for his intercession.

Mary, a sophomore at Lansing Catholic High School, had first experienced sharp abdominal pain during school in late April.

“I was toppled over,” she recalled. “I couldn’t move at all… because it hurt so bad.”

When the pain persisted, concern deepened. A CT scan and ultrasound revealed alarming results: there was a 7.3 cm mass on Mary’s left ovary and a 1.5 cm mass on the right. Doctors feared ovarian torsion — an emergency that could result in the loss of her reproductive organs. The possibility devastated Mary.

“[A]ll she could say to us was, ‘I want to be a mom,’” Susan remembered. “And even though we understand that there are other ways to be a beautiful mother, for a 16-year-old … it was really, really hard.”

Physicians at the University of Michigan determined the masses were teratomas — tumors typically benign but still requiring surgical removal. The procedure was scheduled for Aug. 2, 2024.

Trusting in the power of prayer, the Bartolds visited the Solanus Casey Center July 6, asking not only for Mary’s healing, but also that she be granted the grace “to travel this road that the Lord had put before her,” Susan said.

Mary’s family also rallied others in the community to join them in a novena to Bl. Solanus.

Then came July 30 — Bl. Solanus’ feast day. Mary underwent an MRI early that morning. As Susan drove her to the appointment, she prayed aloud: “Solanus, this is your feast day … I know you have big news.”

That evening, Susan saw the results in Mary’s patient portal. It appeared the tumors were gone. The next day, Mary’s doctor called and confirmed it.

“She was just like, ‘There’s nothing there. It’s all gone,’” Susan recalled. The doctor apologized for the delay in calling, explaining she had consulted with multiple radiologists to be absolutely certain before sharing the news.

“I really wanted to make sure that I was telling you the correct news,” Mary’s doctor had said. “We are good to cancel the surgery.’”

“I thought it was a mistake,” Mary said. But when the reality sank in, her response was simple: “I was just grateful. I didn’t have to get surgery.”

On the day Mary was originally scheduled for surgery, the family returned to Casey’s tomb in thanksgiving and submitted documentation of her healing to the Solanus Casey Center for possible consideration by the Vatican.

Solanus was known for his deep faith, simplicity, and miraculous healings. Born in Wisconsin in 1870 and ordained a “simplex priest” due to academic struggles, the humble friar spent much of his ministry in Detroit as a porter — a doorkeeper — where he offered prayerful counsel to the suffering. He gained a reputation for holiness and became a beloved spiritual guide.

If the Vatican recognizes Mary’s healing as a miracle, it could fulfill the final requirement for canonization. Solanus, who died in 1957, was beatified in 2017 after the Church affirmed a Panamanian woman had been cured of a genetic skin condition following prayers at his tomb.Pax et bonum

April morning Haiku

Picture from Mike's Birds

April morning –

cardinals in conclave
at the bird feeder

Published in bottle rockets, Volume 7 Number 2, 2006

      last ginkgo leaf (anthology) 2015

Pax et bonum

Some Truth About the Abortion Pill

Abortion pill facts. 

https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2025/03/27/facts-about-the-danger-of-abortion-pill-regimen/ 

Pax et bonum

100 Novels to Read? Well, some of them maybe

Someone posted this list of 100 classics to read before you die - and 25 you don't have to bother reading. I'll indent thee ones I have read. I'll bold the ones I might just read at some point. 

100 Books to Read Before You Die

1. The Master and Margarita

2.     Crime and Punishment

3.     The Brothers Karamazov

4.     The Idiot

5. Notes from the Underground

6.    Anna Karenina

7.    War and Peace

8. Middlemarch

9. Daniel Deronda

10.    Jane Eyre

11. Vanity Fair

12. The Way We Live Now

13.    Bleak House

14.    David Copperfield

15.    Great Expectations

16. Madame Bovary

17. The Red and the Black

18. Far from the Madding Crowd

19. Tess of the d’Urbervilles

20. Portrait of a Lady

21.    The Stranger

22.    Wuthering Heights

23. The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling

24. The Sound and Fury

25. Absalom, Absalom!

26. As I Lay Dying

27.    Heart of Darkness

28. Lolita

29. Pale Fire

30. The Sun Also Rises

31. For Whom the Bell Tolls

32. The Sorrows of Young Werther

33. Beware of Pity

34. Chess Story

35. Doctor Faustus (Mann)

36. The Magic Mountain

37. Death in Venice

38. Swann’s Way

39. White Noise

40. The Unbearable Lightness of Being

41.    The Catcher in the Rye

42. Franny and Zooey

43.    The Great Gatsby

44. Tender is the Night

45.    East of Eden

46.    Grapes of Wrath

47. American Pastoral

48. Portnoy’s Complaint

49.    Darkness at Noon

50.    Brideshead Revisited

51. The Picture of Dorian Gray

52. The Age of Innocence

53. The House of Mirth

54.    Ethan Frome

55.    Brave New World

56.    1984

57.    Animal Farm

58. The Bell Jar

59. Dead Souls

60. The Count of Monte Cristo

61. Gone With the Wind

62. A Clockwork Orange

63. Of Human Bondage

64.    Slaughterhouse-Five

65. The Forsyte Saga

66. Their Eyes Were Watching God

67.    Pride and Prejudice

68.    Emma

69.    The Metamorphosis

70.    Moby Dick

71.    A Separate Peace

72.    Fahrenheit 451

73. Woman in White

74. The New York Trilogy

75. Catch-22

76.    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

77.    To Kill a Mockingbird

78.    The Little Prince

79. The Adventures of Augie March

80. Ulysses

81. Don Quixote

82. The Decameron

83.    The Screwtape Letters

84. All Quiet on the Western Front

85. Dracula

86.    Les Misérables

87. Doctor Zhivago

88.    One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

89. Siddhartha

90. A Room with a View

91.    Night

92.    Frankenstein

93. In Cold Blood

94. One Hundred Years of Solitude

95. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

96. The Immoralist

97. The Golovlyov Family

98. Stoner

99. Life and Fate

100. Ficciones

25 Classic Novels You Can Skip

1. Giovanni’s Room1

2.    The Handmaid’s Tale

3. Mansfield Park

4. Père Goriot

5. North and South

6. Three Lives

7. Mrs. Dalloway

8.    To the Lighthouse2

9. Beloved

10. Song of Solomon

11. Sula3

12. The Crying of Lot 49

13. The Awakening

14. Walden

15. Candide

16. The Alchemist

17. Finnegans Wake

18. The Yellow Wallpaper

19. Play It As It Lays

20. The Turn of the Screw

21. Never Let Me Go

22. The Rainbow

23.    Babbitt

24. Blood Meridian

25. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

Okay, I've read 37 from the "good" list. Some of the other books - the bolded ones -  are ones I might read. But there are some I have no desire to read. I don't like Hemingway or Faulkner, for example.  

Pax et bonum