This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 5 January 2017 to 7 March 2019.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

Angelus

• 24 February 2019

General Audiences

• 27 February 2019

Homilies

• 6 March 2019 – Holy Mass, Blessing and Imposition of the Ashes

Messages

• 2 February 2018 – 22nd World Day for Consecrated Life – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
• 2 February 2019 – 23nd World Day for Consecrated Life – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
• 11 February 2019 – Message for the Fraternity Campaign 2019 promoted by the Brazilian Church

Speeches

• 5 January 2017 – To the people affected by the earthquake
• 17 March 2017 – To participants in the 28th Course on the internal forum sponsored by the Apostolic Penitentiary
• 28 February 2019 – To Members of the “Circolo San Pietro”
• 28 February 2019 – To Participants at the Meeting commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Cardinal Agostino Bea

Papal Tweets

• “Let’s take a little time every day to examine our conscience, to convert to the Lord. Five minutes at the end of each day will help us think about a change of heart and conversion to the Lord, without procrastination. #SantaMarta” @Pontifex 28 February 2019
• “In order to pray well, we need to have the heart of a child.” @Pontifex 1 March 2019
• “Sometimes we may feel we are alone in facing difficulties. But, even if He doesn’t intervene immediately, the Lord walks by our side and, if we keep going forward, He will open up a new path.” @Pontifex 2 March 2019
• “Let us hear the cry of the earth, wounded in a thousand ways by human greed. Let us allow her to remain a welcoming home, in which no one feels excluded. #WorldWildlifeDay” @Pontifex 3 March 2019
• “Prayer gives consistency and vitality to everything we do.” @Pontifex 4 March 2019
• “Video” @Pontifex 5 March 2019
• “The Lenten journey begins today, Ash Wednesday. I invite each of you to live this time in an authentic spirit of penance and conversion, like a return to the Father, who awaits us all with open arms.” @Pontifex 6 March 2019
• “At the beginning of Lent, it would do us good to ask for the grace to preserve the memory of all that the Lord has done in our lives, of how He has loved us. #SantaMarta” @Pontifex 7 March 2019

Papal Instagram

• Franciscus

So realized since I am now 60 I am not obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday.

Can. 1252 The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence, are taught the true meaning of penance.

I would have thought woo-hoo, but then realize that since I do Intermittent Fasting – I only eat one meal a day anyway year round.

The requirement of abstinence is not abrogated by age as far as I can tell from Can. 1252.

It is probably a good thing I am not exempt from abstinence, or else I would have tried to figure out ways to torture Catholics 59 years and younger. Perhaps showing up at the Fish Fry bringing my own steak.

Plus since I voluntarily abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year, these Lenten practices are no departure from year-round habit. I don’t see that as a plus. Lent should feel more Lent-like. So this Lent I think I will fast from any food on Wednesday. At one time I might have considered this a somewhat crazy pious practice that I would be unlikely to maintain.

The one thing that Intermittent Fasting (IF) has taught me was that most of my food cravings were psychological. Included in this was that I had trained my body to expect food throughout the day. I have also learned that it now doesn’t take much to fill me. I picked Wednesday since it is a traditional fast day to add. Although to be honest, since after work after on Wednesday I cycle, go to bible study, and then Eucharistic Adoration. So getting home after 10 PM means that the day is almost over anyway, so skipping my one meal is not as big of a deal. I find a day when I am home all day; I am much more tempted to want to raid the refrigerator.

photo credit: wuestenigel dvia photopin (license)

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 4 October 2018 to 27 February 2019.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

Angelus

• 17 February 2019

General Audiences

• 20 February 2019

Messages

• 4 October 2018 – Lent 2019: “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God” (Rm 8:19)

Speeches

• 21 February 2019 – Meeting “The Protection of Minors in the Church”: Introduction of the Holy Father
• 22 February 2019 – Meeting “The Protection of Minors in the Church”: Intervention by the Holy Father Francis after hearing the report by Dr. Ghisoni, under-secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life
• 24 February 2019 – Meeting “The Protection of Minors in the Church”: Address of His Holiness at the end of the Eucharistic Concelebration
• 25 February 2019 – To Participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life
• 25 February 2019 – To a Delegation of the “Apostolikì Diakonìa” of the Church of Greece

Papal Tweets

• “Let us ask the Holy Spirit to sustain us during these days and to help us transform this evil into an opportunity for awareness and purification. #PBC2019” @Pontifex 21 February 2019
• “Lord, you know how we resist placing the sufferings of others in our heart. Open our hearts and shape them in your image. #PBC2019” @Pontifex 21 February 2019
• “Lord, deliver us from the temptation to want to save ourselves, and our reputations; help us to acknowledge our guilt and to seek humble and concrete answers together, and in communion with all the People of God. #PBC2019” @Pontifex 22 February 2019
• “Lord, focus our gaze on what is essential, make us strip ourselves of everything that does not help to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ transparent. #PBC2019” @Pontifex 23 February 2019
• “Every abuse is an atrocity. In people’s justified anger, the Church sees the reflection of the wrath of God. It is our duty to listen attentively to this silent cry. #PBC2019 http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2019/february/documents/papa-francesco_20190224_incontro-protezioneminori-chiusura.html …” @Pontifex 24 February 2019
• “God’s love is the only power capable of making all things new.” @Pontifex 25 February 2019
• “Religious life consists in loving God with all your heart, and your neighbour as yourself.” @Pontifex 26 February 2019
• “If you believe in God you must try to live justly with everyone, according to the golden rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Mt 7,12).” @Pontifex 27 February 2019

Papal Instagram

• Franciscus

Back in 2003 I reviewed a book called Save Send Delete by Danusha Goska. A book I really liked and one that I remember very well.

Some months ago the author sent me a PDF of her new book God Through Binoculars: A Hitchhiker at a Monastery, her spiritual memoir.

A spiritual memoir and travelogue, God through Binoculars: A Hitchhiker at a Monastery is about where you go when you have nowhere left to go. After a difficult childhood and a series of tragedies and misfortunes, author Danusha Goska finds herself without hope for the future. She decides on a retreat at a remote Cistercian monastery. What results is a story about family, friends, nature, and God; the Ivory Tower and the Catholic Church.

What I remember about her novel was just the brilliance of the writing that was just so quotable. This brilliance shines through especially in her memoir. As a reviewer, I wish I had the writing skill to review properly. It is both eclectic and at the same time on-point.

The summary indicates a story of a woman with a rough childhood, and a difficult life goes on a retreat at a monastery. Where you expect a typical pious outcome of problems solved. I might have suspected this was in that genre if I hadn’t read Save Send Delete.

Her childhood is almost like a Dickens story as written by Stephen King. This includes Dickens’ propensity for coincidences. While I am not that fond of the term God-incidences, it is rather accurate here in how they show up in her life. A very rough life from childhood on to pursuing an academic career. She weaves this story partly on her hobby as a birdwatcher along with a wealth of facts from the natural world to the Holocaust. One thing I know is that I will never think of Hyena’s the same way again.

I enjoyed how she could be blunt, while not just trying to be shocking. An apparent love of truth, and even the facts she saw in herself. Her retelling of how she has been so severely treated is not to invoke pity or play the victim but put her story in context. That she never lost her faith along the way is somewhat surprising.

A lot of this is a ramp-up to her visit to the monastery and how she talks about the people she met there. What I especially laughed about is what she writes about Thomas Merton and her reaction to him. Her critique of him and his writings enter her memoir from time-to-time. I indeed found part of her analysis to be merited.

One minute you are laughing about what she has to say, then aghast as to how she was treated and then reaching for the highlighter to mark a spiritual insight that stops you in your tracks. Her life experiences are so varied as she has done a lot of traveling. The sense of her that I got from this book is that I would love to be able to sit and listen to her talk.

Julie Davis at Happy Catholic has also reviewed this book.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 10 February 2019 to 20 February 2019.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

Angelus

• 10 February 2019

General Audiences

• 13 February 2019

Speeches

• 14 February 2019 – To Participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
• 14 February 2019 – Meeting of the Holy Father Francis with the Participants in the 42nd Session of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Agency of the United Nations in Rome
• 20 February 2019 – To the Archdiocese of Benevento

Papal Tweets

• “Those who love use their imagination to discover solutions where others see only problems. Those who love help others according to their needs and with creativity, not according to preconceived ideas or common conceptions. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2019/february/documents/papa-francesco_20190214_fao.html …” @Pontifex 14 February 2019
• “Truth is the wonderful revelation of God, of His Fatherly face. It is His boundless love.” @Pontifex 15 February 2019
• “Jesus asks us to produce just one work of art, which is possible for everyone: that of our own life.” @Pontifex 16 February 2019
• “Christians promote peace, starting with the community in which they live.” @Pontifex 17 February 2019
• “I invite you to pray during these days for the Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church, an event that I want to be a powerful gesture of pastoral responsibility in the face of an urgent challenge of our time.” @Pontifex 18 February 2019
• “In the darkest moments of our history, the Lord draws near, opens paths, lifts up discouraged faith, anoints wounded hope, and awakens sleeping charity.” @Pontifex 19 February 2019
• “As of tomorrow, we will live several days of dialogue and communion, of listening and discernment. May it be a time of conversion. We don’t proclaim ourselves, but He who died for us. #PBC2019” @Pontifex 20 February 2019

Papal Instagram

• Franciscus

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 8 January 2019 to 10 February 2019.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

Angelus

• 3 February 2019

Daily Homilies (fervorinos)

• 8 January 2019 – No to the culture of indifference

General Audiences

• 6 February 2019

Messages

• 10 February 2019 – Video message of the Holy Father to the participants in the World Government Summit [Dubai, 10–12 february 2019] (10 february 2019)

Speeches

• 1 February 2019 – To Participants at the General Chapter of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God (Fatebenefratelli) (1th February 2019)
• 1 February 2019 – To the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches (1th February 2019)
• 3 February 2019 – Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates: Greeting to journalists on the flight to Abu Dhabi (Papal flight, 3 February 2019)
• 4 February 2019 – Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates: Interreligious meeting at the Founder’s Memorial (Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019)
• 5 February 2019 – Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates: Press Conference on the return flight from Abu Dhabi to Rome (Papal flight, 5 February 2019)
• 7 February 2019 – To Personnel of the “Regina Coeli” District House of Rome
• 8 February 2019 – To Members of the Galileo Foundation
• 9 February 2019 – To teachers and students of the Alphonsian Academy Higher Institute of Theology
• 9 February 2019 – To the National Association of Magistrates

Papal Instagram

• Franciscus

Towards the end of last year, I returned to go to meetings for lay Carmelites (OCDS). I started doing this on my way into the Church almost twenty years ago, but life got in the form of being able to attend meetings.

So with this new group, I am going to be starting from scratch and going through the process again. That was the decision made by the priest in charge of our group. I have no problem with this as I see it as returning to the basics. All the more so, since this group has a religious as a spiritual assistant. The first group I was part of did not have specific training for aspirants. It was less organized and any instruction given, was given to all. So it is great being part of a group of people going through this together. It is always amazing to think you know something and find out all the things you did not know.

Recently I have gotten a greater appreciation for getting back to basics. I had dabbled off and on playing the guitar over the years, but never really advancing much. So I started a course initially via YouTube that is detailed, went through the basics and built on this little by little. Again I was amazed at how much I was learning regarding skills I thought I had already learned.

One thing this guitar course has focused on for me is demolishing the idea of talent as only something that is inate. That if you are not a natural, or born with this skill – then you just aren’t going to get far with it. This view was something I already partly knew. I remember Fr. Dubay some years ago focusing on this where he interviewed a bunch of people in different fields who were at the top of their trades. Again and again, the stories were of people that had to work hard at developing their skills, and that usually it did not come naturally to them. So I am relearning this, even as I already knew that in my career I had achieved some mastery of things, by working on them.

The idea of 30 minutes of mental prayer a day was pretty scary for me. I envisioned 29 to 30 minutes of distractions. Chesterton’s “If it’s worth doing, it is worth doing badly” is handy because the truth to this is not to worry about doing it poorly. The context of what Chesterton said was in the context of hobbies, but I think it is applicable generally. That doing it badly over and over again will lead to doing it less “badly.” Practice doesn’t make perfect; it makes it less “bad.” Although the lesson he gives is to do things worth doing, spending that time in prayer is worth doing.

Note: The guitar course I was referring to is from is from Erich Andreas at YourGuitarSage. The video’s on YouTube along with the free 30 lesson beginner course are an intro to sell the paid training course and system I have found his teaching style to be encouraging without falling into motivational speaker lingo. There are plenty of such offerings now on the internet. I just saw his teaching style and methodological approach to be very helpful for me.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 25 August 2018 to 7 February 2019.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

Daily Homilies (fervorinos)

• 7 January 2019 – The concreteness of Christian love
• 10 January 2019 – Honey drops
• 17 January 2019 – Defeating the hardness of hearts
• 21 January 2019 – The style of the Beatitudes

General Audiences

• 30 January 2019

Homilies

• 2 February 2019 – Holy Mass on the 23rd World Day For Consecrated Life
• 5 February 2019 – Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates: Holy Mass in the Zayed Sports City (Abu Dhabi, 5 February 2018)

Messages

• 31 January 2019 – Video message of the Holy Father on the occasion of his upcoming Apostolic Journey to the United Arab Emirates

Speeches

• 25 August 2018 – Apostolic Visit to Ireland: Greeting to journalists on the flight to Ireland (Papal flight, 25 August 2018)
• 22 September 2018 – Apostolic Journey to Lithuania, Lettonia and Estonia: Greeting to journalists on the flight to Vilnius (Papal flight, 22 September 2018)
• 28 September 2018 – To Participants at the Plenary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
• 29 September 2018 – To Members of the National State Police Association
• 22 December 2018 – To Members of the National Civil Protection Service
• 12 January 2019 – To Participants at the Meeting of the Association of Professors of Church History
• 17 January 2019 – To the Management and Staff of the Office Responsible for Public Security at the Vatican
• 27 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Press Conference on the return flight from Panama to Rome (Papal flight, 27 January 2019)

Papal Tweets

• “Don Bosco had the courage to look at reality with human eyes and with the eyes of God. May every priest imitate him by seeing reality with human eyes and with the eyes of God. #SantaMarta” @Pontifex 31 January 2019
• “May the Lord give us the grace of memory and of hope, in order to go forward with perseverance on the journey of our life. #SantaMarta” @Pontifex 1 February 2019
• “I am about to leave for the United Arab Emirates. I am visiting that Country as a brother, in order to write a page of dialogue together, and to travel paths of peace together. Pray for me!” @Pontifex 3 February 2019
• “God is with those who seek peace. From heaven He blesses every step which, on this path, is accomplished on earth. #UAE #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex 4 February 2019
• “The Document on Human Fraternity, which I signed today in Abu Dhabi with my brother the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, invites all persons who have faith in God and faith in human fraternity to unite and work together. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2019/outside/documents/papa-francesco_20190204_documento-fratellanza-umana.html …” @Pontifex 4 February 2019
• “Prayer purifies the heart from turning in on itself. Prayer of the heart restores fraternity. #UAE #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex 4 February 2019
• “Saint Francis reminds us that Christians set out armed only with their humble faith and concrete love. If we live in the world according to the ways of God, we will become channels of His presence. #UAE #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex 5 February 2019
• “The Beatitudes are a roadmap for our life: they invite us to keep our hearts pure, to practice meekness and justice, to be merciful to all, to live affliction in union with God. #UAE #ApostolicJourney” @Pontifex 5 February 2019
• “We all need to be healed, and we can all heal others if we are humble and meek: with a good word, with patience, with a glance. #SantaMarta” @Pontifex 7 February 2019
• “Video” @Pontifex 7 February 2019

Papal Instagram

• Franciscus

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 17 January 2019 to 29 January 2019.

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

Angelus

• 20 January 2019
• 27 January 2019

Homilies

• 25 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Penitential liturgy with young detainees in the Centro de Cumplimiento de Menores Las Garzas de Pacora (25 gennaio 2019)
• 26 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Holy Mass with the dedication of the altar of the Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria la Antigua with priests, consecrated persons and lay movements
• 27 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Holy Mass for World Youth Day (Campo San Juan Pablo II – Metro Park, 27 January 2019)

Messages

• 17 January 2019 – Message of the Holy Father to the participants in the Fourth International Conference for World Balance [Havana, 28–31 January]
• 24 January 2019 – LIII World Communications Day, 2019 – « “We are members one of another” (Eph 4,25). From social network communities to the human community »

Motu Proprio

• 17 January 2019 – Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio” regarding the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”

Speeches

• 23 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Greeting to journalists on the flight to Panama (Papal flight, 23 January 2019)
• 24 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Welcome ceremony and opening of WYD at Campo Santa Maria la Antigua – Cinta Costera
• 24 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Meeting with central american Bishops (Church of San Francisco de Asis, 24 January 2019)
• 24 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Meeting with the Authorities, with the Diplomatic Corps and with Representatives of Society in Palacio Bolivar – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• 25 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Via Crucis with young people at Campo Santa Maria la Antigua – Cinta Costera
• 26 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Vigil with young people (Campo San Juan Pablo II – Metro Park, 26 January 2019)
• 27 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Meeting with the WYD volunteers (Rommel Fernandez Stadium, 27 January 2019)
• 27 January 2019 – Apostolic Journey to Panama: Visit to the Casa Hogar del Buen Samaritano
• 29 January 2019 – Inauguration of the Judicial Year of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota

Papal Tweets

• “This is the network we want, a network created not to entrap, but to liberate, to protect a communion of people who are free. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/communications/documents/papa-francesco_20190124_messaggio-comunicazioni-sociali.html …” @Pontifex 24 January 2019
• “What prompts us to encounter each other in this WYD? The certainty of knowing that we have been loved with a profound love that we neither can nor want to keep quiet about a love that challenges us to respond in the same way: with love. #Panama2019” @Pontifex 24 January 2019
• “In this WYD #Panama2019 I invite you to pray all together the Holy Rosary for Peace through @clicktoprayapp.” @Pontifex 24 January 2019
• “Friends, Jesus teaches us to believe. Seek out and listen to the voices that encourage you to look ahead, not those that pull you down. #Panama2019” @Pontifex 25 January 2019
• “Let us not quench our thirst with just any water but with the “spring of water welling up to eternal life”. #Panama2019” @Pontifex 26 January 2019
• “With her “yes”, Mary became the most influential woman in history. Without social networks, she became the first “influencer”: the “influencer” of God. #Panama2019” @Pontifex 26 January 2019
• “Only what is loved can be saved. Only what is embraced can be transformed. #Panama2019” @Pontifex 27 January 2019
• “Let us not forget the victims of the Holocaust. Their unspeakable suffering continues to cry out to humanity: We are all brothers and sisters! #RemembranceDay” @Pontifex 27 January 2019
• “To you, dear young people, a big “thank you” for #Panama2019. Keep walking. Keep living the faith and sharing it. See you in Lisbon in 2022!” @Pontifex 27 January 2019
• “Here in Panama, I have thought a lot about the Venezuelan people, to whom I feel particularly united in these days. In the face of the serious ongoing situation, I ask you to pray that a just and peaceful solution may be reached.” @Pontifex 27 January 2019
• “Let us pray for the victims of the terrorist attack on the Cathedral of Jolo, in the Philippines. May the Lord, Prince of Peace, convert the hearts of the violent, and grant the inhabitants of that region a peaceful coexistence.” @Pontifex 27 January 2019
• “Go forth and bear witness to what you have seen and heard, not with lots of words but with simple, daily actions. I don’t know if I’ll be present at the next WYD, but Peter will certainly be there, and he will confirm you in the faith. #Panama2019” @Pontifex 27 January 2019
• “I thank God for having given us the opportunity to share these days together and to experience once more this World Youth Day. My thanks go to all those who have supported us with their prayers, and who have helped by their efforts and hard work! #Panama2019” @Pontifex 27 January 2019
• “Meekness and tenderness: these human virtues seem small, but they can overcome the most difficult conflicts.” @Pontifex 29 January 2019
• “The secret to navigating life well is to invite Jesus on board. The helm of life should be given to Him, so that He can direct the route.” @Pontifex 30 January 2019

Papal Instagram

• Franciscus

Initially, I was going to title this post “Unnecessary thoughts on stuff.” That it is only my opinion, and thus does not matter or could be wrong. Then I remembered what G.K. Chesterton said in his Introduction to the Book of Job:

The modern habit of saying “This is my opinion, but I may be wrong” is entirely irrational. If I say that it may be wrong, I say that is not my opinion.

Still, life has been a process for me of finding out I was wrong and having to correct myself. Thankfully for me, I take some delight in this process. As an atheist I thought I loved truth, now I literally love Truth as in the “Way, the Truth, and the Light”. So enough of a rambling preamble.

Now back to Chesterton:

Sanity consists in seeing the big things big and the small things small.” (From his biography in the chapter titled “The Fantastic Suburb”)

It seems to me that we have entirely reversed this. We have inverted the telescope and see flies as giants walking the earth. It is not that some of the relatively small things are not of importance. All that affects some peoples lives is of significance and should not be casually tossed aside. More obscure stories should not eclipse more momentous happenings. As a Catholic, I am legally obligated to say “Both/And” at least once a day.

As a Catholic blogger, I am also legally obligated to write about the March for Life and the Covington students. While I have been tardy in commenting about this, if only the majority of the population had been somewhat slow in discussing this, you will be thankful to hear, that I will not be saying much about this at all.

My opprobrium is mainly directed to rush to judgment and all the virtue signaling that occurred. My initial reaction was I would not have been surprised to find that high school kids had acted like jerks, but that the story seemed to be a perfect storm for the media. I expect the media to blow things out of proportion as they have no filter other than confirmation bias. Catholics really should be quite used to such reporting and taking a “wait and see” attitude to reporting in general. So most of my anger is directed towards those who should know better and should take media coverage with at least one grain of salt, preferably a Salt Lake’s worth.

Instead, we had high profile Catholics condemn these students. This condemnation included bishops and their diocese. That they even doubled-down after finding the initial reporting was wrong in every single aspect. Once again a diocese has failed to protect children. Subsequently, there have been some apologies. Notably, their bishop has piled on instead.

So often it seems to me that bureaucrats and not pastors run most diocese. That they respond to media outcry without apparent care for souls. That now they talk about investigations and looking into the facts when initially they did no such thing. It is as if bishops are playing a game of limbo with Congress. “How low can our approval ratings go.”

So while I a certainly not ready to approve every response of the students involved, it is the supposed adults that failed us. I expect the Green Arrow to be making an appearance to bishops saying “You have failed this Diocese.”

Now on to the big things. In the ramp-up to the Deathaversary of Roe v. Wade, we have seen stories in New York state regarding their proposed abortion law.

On Tuesday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law the most radical state abortion law in the country. By explicitly restricting legal personhood to those who are “born,” the new law would seem to preempt any effort to curb abortion access in any circumstance. It also looks like the law will prevent criminal or civil courts from pursuing homicide charges when an unborn baby—even one that is “wanted” by the mother— is killed through malice or negligence. Source

Bishop Scharfenberger of Albany had pleaded “Mr. Cuomo, do not build this Death Star,”. Apparently few detected the disturbance in the force. Instead, we get a statement from New York bishops about a “sad chapter.” Abortion up through nine months – sad trombone sound. We will see more states go this route with the perceived threat that abortion will be overturned by the Supreme Court (not holding my breath).

While this story has gotten some virtual ink in Catholic media and social media, it was a nowhere the same level as garnered regarding the Covington students. I am guilty of this myself. It is easy to start seeing every story as a David against Media Goliath story. Meanwhile, the Philistines have invaded and set up permanent camp.

There now are increased calls that Gov. Cuomo be excommunicated. I am certainly sympathetic to this. More accurately I am more like a Dalek rolling around repeatedly shouting “Excommunicate” is an annoying nasally voice. Even as an “armchair canon lawyer,” I will defer to Canonist Ed Peters regarding this. He is always worth reading.

The skeptic in my defaults to them sustaining a status quo regarding the Governor. It seems his bishop does not love him enough to intervene. I am though confused as to who would have jurisdiction. Is it Cardinal Dolan or the Bishop of Albany? Or perhaps both? Regardless I love the Governor enough to pray for him, or at least I want to in a more Aquinas technical sense of love. Again the inner-skeptic tells me the priority is media outcry repercussions over the salvation of souls. I down want to dismiss actual prudential questions as negligible.

Say for example they had concluded that excommunication as a medicidal remedy was not likely to be effective. Reportedly the Governor had stopped going forth for Communion after reports of his openly living with a woman to whom he is not married. Even so, this does not mean all avenues are closed. Indeed, another statement about the bishops being “sad” about his conduct won’t do it. I think that excommunication is the route to go to rouse him towards repentance. I am open to other avenues. For example what if the Bishops conference there announced a day of prayer and fasting for Governor Cuomo and the Catholic politicians that signed the bill? The subsequent rejoicing at the signing of the law, was despicable as they washed their hands in the blood of the unborn. What is truth? There would be a media onslaught regarding the Church interfering in politics, but so what? We need to grow a backbone to save souls. Indifference is not loving your neighbor. The question is could they pull this off as a genuine act of a call to conversion over just a stunt? Regardless, these actions should not be ignored. This evil will only avalanche to other states, and when we look up under the rocks, it will not be the time to wonder “what we could have done.”