Parent’s Wedding Anniversary

My parent’s were married on April 15th. The year 1937 to be exact. They were married 58 years when my father passed away in 1995.

I do believe that they are in heaven and have interceded for me on a number of occasions. No proof, just a feeling.

I also believe that relationships do not die with death. This is also Catholic teaching, rooted in Sacred Scripture. We are members of the “Communion of Saints”, that “great cloud of witnesses” that St. Paul wrote about.

Relationships are transformed by death into something else. Perhaps a different type of love that we can only dimly feel, but nurtures us anyway in some fashion that we don’t entirely understand. Jesus taught us this when He died on the Cross. He died, yet remains with us.

NOTE: This is a “retropost,” a post from an old blog I wrote on “The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven (& Purgatory) and Hell” that I shuttered a few years ago. Individual posts are being transferred to either In Exile or Sober Catholic, whichever seemed appropriate. Some are backdated, others postdated, in case you’re confused as to why you never saw a particular post if you’re a diligent reader. The process should be completed during the Summer of 2020, and all posts finally “will to have been published” (tense of future past 😉 ) by the Easter 2021.

 

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

One More Day

Today is February 29th. A Leap Day. An extra day added to the calendar to make up for a lack some sort of astronomical timekeeping synchronization.

It’s nice to have an extra day. An extra day to make up for a lack of… not having done something you should have or would have done when you had the time?

Think about those people in your life that once they’re gone, all opportunities to love or make amends for wrongs would disappear. Death takes away opportunities.

Don’t wait for death to take away someone that you might wish for “one more day” to do something you could have when they were alive.

NOTE: This is a “retropost,” a post from an old blog I wrote on “The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven (& Purgatory) and Hell” that I shuttered a few years ago. Individual posts are being transferred to either In Exile or Sober Catholic, whichever seemed appropriate. Some are backdated, others postdated, in case you’re confused as to why you never saw a particular post if you’re a diligent reader. The process should be completed during the Summer of 2020, and all posts finally “will to have been published” (tense of future past 😉 ) by the Easter 2021.

 

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

Testing WordPress

Some time ago I downloaded the WordPress app for my smartphone in hopes of using it as an aid to blogging. I already used it for a post on Sober Catholic and it worked just fine.

Now I’m using it here for a test post to see if I can blog while offline and save as draft. It worked, the post was saved locally. I can edit it later and post it online.

I have no Internet at work unless I use mobile data, which I do as little as possible due to cost. But I do have plenty of downtime in between my duties; normally I read but with the addition of this app, I can now blog. Even if I keep them as drafts until I get home, this can be an improvement in my blogging efforts. Many times I get inspired at work to blog about this or that, on here or on Sober Catholic but by the time I get home, meh. The stuff remains as semi-legible scibbles on note paper (there’s a nice stack on the coffee table of things to eventually put to digital ink.) For those who may want to point out that over a year ago I consecrated my blogs to the Blessed Virgin Mary and thus I should be posting madly away, just a couple of things: “Nature vs Grace,” and maybe the consecration is working out just fine, measuring it by productivity is incorrect as “productivity” is a Protestant virtue. 😉 But now I can happily blog away. Just whip out my phone, write a draft, edit as the day goes on, and post it upon connectivity. (Oh, great. Another blowhard online using up electrons.)

One thing I enjoy about the WordPress app is that, along with the ability to totally manage and administer multiple blogs (or just one), you can comment on other people’s blogs as long as they are also using WordPress. Either a self-hosted blog using WordPress software or hosted on wordpress.com. This adds a social function to blogs that may serve as a limited means around proprietary social media like Facebook, et al. For those who enjoy using Facebook, etc., to vent, rant, philosophize and pontificate post observations on things, this can be a way to liberate yourself from the possibility of censorship with its accompanying restrictions and problems. Just start a blog. Get your friends and cohorts to do the same. Post your rants observations. Follow each other’s blogs. Comment on each others’ posts using the “Conversations” feature. Let the fun begin.

The mobile app is available in the usual app stores; the desktop version from here.

(Note: this was written on the smartphone app and slightly edited later at home. Possibilities…)

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

November!

November is just a few hours away in my time zone on Earth and it’s my favorite month. Sometimes referred to as the “Month of the Dead” because the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1st) and the Commemoration of the Souls of the Faithful Departed (known also by the shorter name of “All Souls Day” and falling on November 2nd) occur with it; not to mention cultural practices involving dead people by others sharing this globe. It is also a month of devotions for Purgatory.

I just love it. It’s a reminder of our mortality and that we are only here temporarily. Eventually we’ll die and wind up somewhere for Eternity. We are all living “In Exile” here (nice name for a blog. Hmmm.. 🙂 )

It’s also the month my Mom died in 2005. An event that was a tragic part of a series of events alienating me from my blood family. It brought the month into a clear focus for me and spurred me to explore its wonders. It opened up for me the vistas of death and beyond. On death as a passage and the gate through which we pass to our destiny.

Sometimes I yearn for death; not as an escape from Earthly problems but just as a desire to go Home. November helps me to ponder that and be reminded it isn’t time yet (I think) and I have things remaining to do down here.

I just have to do them.

 

 

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

Apollo 11 and St. Apollinaris

Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. That’s all I’m going to write about the second most historic event in human history (given that there have been umptillion blog posts and news items covering that.)  The most historic event in human history was the Incarnation of Christ with His continued Real Presence in the Eucharist.

What struck me is what happened when I glanced at a calendar.  Today, July 20th, is the feast day on the New Roman Calendar of St. Apollinaris of Ravenna. Odd coincidence?  Apollinaris—> Apollo 11? Under the old pre-Vatican II calendar, his feast day was July 23 (day before Apollo 11 returned to Earth.)

The Catholic Encyclopedia hosted by New Advent has this to say about him:

One of the first great martyrs of the church. He was made Bishop of Ravenna by St. Peter himself. The miracles he wrought there soon attracted official attention, for they and his preaching won many converts to the Faith, while at the same time bringing upon him the fury of the idolaters, who beat him cruelly and drove him from the city. He was found half dead on the seashore, and kept in concealment by the Christians, but was captured again and compelled to walk on burning coals and a second time expelled. But he remained in the vicinity, and continued his work of evangelization. We find him then journeying in the province of Aemilia. A third time he returned to Ravenna. Again he was captured, hacked with knives, had scalding water poured over his wounds, was beaten in the mouth with stones because he persisted in preaching, and then, loaded with chains, was flung into a horrible dungeon to starve to death; but after four days he was put on board ship and sent to Greece. There the same course of preachings, and miracles, and sufferings continued; and when his very presence caused the oracles to be silent, he was, after a cruel beating, sent back to Italy. All this continued for three years, and a fourth time he returned to Ravenna. By this time Vespasian was Emperor, and he, in answer to the complaints of the pagans, issued a decree of banishment against the Christians. Apollinaris was kept concealed for some time, but as he was passing out of the gates of the city, was set upon and savagely beaten, probably at Classis, a suburb, but he lived for seven days, foretelling meantime that the persecutions would increase, but that the Church would ultimately triumph. It is not certain what was his native place, though it was probably Antioch. Nor is it sure that he was one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ, as has been suggested. The precise date of his consecration cannot be ascertained, but he was Bishopof Ravenna for twenty-six years.

I don’t see any connection to the space program. Obviously, there’s 1900+ years difference; but perhaps I was hoping for epic sea voyages, at least; or converting countelss pagans from the cults of Diana or Artemis.

Or boldly going where no one had gone before.

But I thought it was interesting.

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

Alive for another year!

This blog remains alive for another year. (Seriously? You call this, “Alive?” ONE POST in the past year?!?!?!)

I almost terminated it last year due to inactivity along with no clear idea as to what to do with it. Well, I had some ideas, I just never followed through with them. (Turning it into a newsy, opinion blog was never one of the ideas. Too much noise out there as it is, no one needs to hear more of it from me.) But my hosting provider offered a coupon equal to the domain registration fee, and I took it and as a result whoever reads this got treated to one post about dead squirrels.

This year they did the same, but I waited a few days until I paid for the whole hosting account as well as the domain fees for Sober Catholic and my wife’s site Artist4God. And the coupon disappeared. So. That takes care of that. But then I heard a little voice saying ‘Try Customer Srervice Chat. Ask what happened, and maybe they’ll give it to you.” I did and they did and here this thing is for another year, and perhaps beyond.

Why? Good question.

This has got to be the oldest continuing blog with no sustained, continual purpose. It’s even had several name changes.  Dribs and drabs of direction and points, but….

I was going to download the posts and transfer some to Sober Catholic, perhaps edited, and in looking over a bunch I thought, “Darn, I’m good sometimes!” (Tongue, inserted in cheek. Wink.)  So, I’ll ponder and plan. (Again.)  (Oh, I think I had the idea at one point to turn this into my primary “social media” outlet, rather than use Facebook, et al. Use this and reshare where needed. That’s worth revisiting.

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

Squirrel Death Scene

My wife and I recently went on a 1,250 mile (roundtrip) vacation. It was in multiple stages; first up was Schroon Lake in the eastern Adirondack Mountains followed the next day by a road trip across Vermont and New Hampshire which ended at the Atlantic seacoast in York, Maine. And then the return trip with a stopover at one of the world’s best used bookstores, Berry Hill Bookshop in Deansboro, NY.

Am I going to blog about that? Will I be spending copious amounts of digital ink writing about the Adirondacks and how much I have loved them since childhood? Or about the quaint rural scenery crossing Vermont? Or how New Hampshire seemed to be not much different from central or western New York? How about the majesty of the Atlantic storm swells crashing against the rocks by the Nubble Lighthouse in Maine? Or my wife’s ecstatic happiness over finally seeing an ocean for the first time in her life? Nope! None of that! What am I, a travel writer? (Actually, maybe later I will. 😉 )

No. What I am going to blog about is a mysterious and gruesome death scene we saw while driving up the on-ramp of Exit 12 for the I-89 Southbound interstate in New Hampshire.

Squirrels. Dozens of them; nay, make that hundreds of dead squirrels littering the on-ramp and its shoulders. If that wasn’t enough, the carnage extended for quite a distance along the right two lanes of I-89 Southbound.

Neither of us could figure out what had happened. What could have caused such a monstrous scene? I wish I had photos. Despite have two pretty good cameras, both were not considered we never thought of them. Besides, at highway speeds we couldn’t have gotten decent pictures anyway.

For all intents and purposes it looked like the aftermath of a Great Squirrel War and these were the unfortunates who lost their lives in whatever cause they believed in. Or some public mass execution of squirrel criminals by the local squirrel authorities.

Who can say, but we had never seen such a thing ever before.

NOTE: despite the somewhat humorous tone of this piece, it did happen. We really did see hundreds of dead squirrels lining the roadway.

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

Thoughts on social media

I have been doing a lot of thinking recently about my use of social media (Facebook, etc.). It has come to my sad attention that it distracts me to the point of not getting enough done with regard to my blogging and fiction writing.

I have insufficient discipline. (No freakin’ kiddin’. Ya think?)

Or, even if I have the discipline, (name one day, dude) I do not use it effectively.

For example, I have something interesting to say. (Hey, it happens.) I post it on Facebook or wherever rather than on here or perhaps Sober Catholic. What’s up with that? These blogs cost money, I should use them rather than free platforms. Especially if and when the platforms collapse and become defunct (Remember Friendster or MySpace? At least, their initial versions?) all your stuff disappears into the digital void. And now something called MeWe is making the techie news.

The potential for collapse is an issue on another front. I follow, to the best of my ability, the ideals of Distributism. One of the fundamental principles of that very Catholic economic and social philosophy is that you own the means of production. “Own it or be owned.” The platform on which you share your “content” is a means of production.

I do not own my accounts on the various social media platforms. Someone else does and they use the “content” to make money. Fair enough, that’s the cost of a “free” platform. I do own this blog and Sober Catholic. (Well, actually I rent the domain names and the servers the blogs are hosted on. But essentially it’s the closest thing to ownership, short of building your own web servers and hosting your “content” on your own machines.)

Recently I ran across several chapters in the Imitation of Christ that seemed to be speaking of social media. I know the concept didn’t exist 500 years ago when Thomas a Kempis wrote his masterwork, but as is typical with Catholic inspirational works, it is timeless and applicable everywhere, everytime.

So:

Book 1 Chapter 8 “Do not open your heart to every man, but discuss your affairs with one who is wise and who fears God. Do not keep company with young people and strangers. Do not fawn upon the rich, and do not be fond of mingling with the great. Associate with the humble and the simple, with the devout and virtuous, and with them speak of edifying things.”

Book 1 Chapter 10: “Shun the gossip of men as much as possible, for discussion of worldly affairs, beven though sincere, is a great distraction inasmuch as we are quickly ensnared and captivated by vanity.

Many a time I wish that I had held my peace and had not associated with men. Why, indeed, do we converse and gossip among ourselves when we so seldom part without a troubled conscience? We do so because we seek comfort from one another’s conversation and wish to ease the mind wearied by diverse thoughts. Hence, we talk and think quite fondly of things we like very much or of things we dislike intensely. But, sad to say, we often talk vainly and to no purpose; for this external pleasure effectively bars inward and divine consolation.
Therefore we must watch and pray lest time pass idly.

When the right and opportune moment comes for speaking, say something that will edify.”

Courtesy: Catholic Treasury

There are a few other nice snippets in a few later chapters, as well as Scripture quotes that can be interpreted as cautioning us on the use of social media. Truth be told, any spiritual wisdom or advice on interactions with other people can me attributed to social media usage. (Wow, insightful.) But the simple fact that social media empowers people to share their viewpoints with audiences in the thousands (millions, even if you discover that lucky ‘viral’ quality!) causes me to consider its use.

This post is odd considering that just a little while ago I invited people to Connect with me on MeWe! So I have to include that in my cogitations. Incidentally, the mere fact that I feel the need to share with you my thoughts on this is perhaps part of the poison of social media. Like this is interesting to you. At least I don’t post photos of my breakfast nor share “check-ins” of where I am. 😉

So. What to do what to do how to discipline. Cogitations for my pondermatic. Sundays and Mondays are my days off; I can blog when I am not attending Latin Masses and gardening or going on daytrips with the missus. Posts can be scheduled for later in the week if needed. I can spent worknights writing and maybe dabble in more blogging.

I can try restricting social media for once-in-a while checkins. “No Facebooking or MeWeing until I blog or write!”

😐

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

Second experience with the Latin Mass

I went to my second Mass in the Extrordinary Form yesterday. My first one was last week.

We had a different priest from last Sunday; an African priest who seems to be popular with the local TLM community. I spoke with another person and he knows Fr. Justus (I think that is his name) and according to him Father would say 20 Latin Masses a day if he could.

He said the Missa Cantata diffferently; while last week the priest had said most of his prayers inaudibly, Fr. Justus said them with microphone and as a result I was better able to follow along in the missal. I know, I reported last week that I was advised against using one, to “take it all in” and such, but I just couldn’t. I managed quite nicely. Perhaps I have the knack!

I have a lot more to say about the Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, but I will refrain for now in light if the fact that I am very knew to it and would risk sounding ignorant. Suffice it to say, I loved attending and plan to go weekly, circumstances permitting. Sunday afternoons may have other obligations, but there is another EF Mass up in the city on Sunday mornings that I can attend; despite my dislike of driving in the city, and cities in general, (“flee to the fields” 😉 ) the Mass is worth it.

At least I am beginning to understand better the context of many saints’ pronouncements on the Mass. I shall leave you with that mysterious statement for now.

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)

Mass of the Ages

Today I went to a Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (also known as the “Traditional Latin Mass.”) It was a Missa Cantata, or “Sung Mass.”

I had some idea of what to expect; I had gone to one (also a “Missa Cantata”) before, perhaps 15 years ago. I had no clue then as to what was going on. This time I was better informed from prior study.

I loved it, although I still didn’t quite understand everything. My knowledge of Latin is about what you’d expect: my only sources of it are EWTN Masses and Looney Tunes cartoons. 😉

Adding to my lack of adequate comprehension was that much of the Mass is silent; the priest says most of what he says quietly, unlike the Ordinary Form of the Mass (the one you’re used to.) I tried to follow along in a missal the parish had but was largely unsuccessful. I had been advised by numerous people that I should dispense with using a missal for the first few times I attend an EF Mass; I should just “experience it,” to “take it all in” and basically treat it (at first) like a devotional, such as a Holy Hour. Then, once more familiar with the whole event from just observing, find a missal and follow along. So, for the next few times I go I will ignore the missal.

The priest is offering the sacrifice on behalf of the people; we observe and unite our prayers to his. The offering of the Mass is between him and God, we are present but in a less participatory role than in the OF. I may have said this with less than precise terminology. If in error, I will accept charitable correction. But this is what I believe I’ve gleaned from my study and observation. The Mass is a sacrifice, the priest offers it, we observe. The OF Mass has altered this understanding, and I think the manner in which it was done has been detrimental to contemporary Catholicism. The emphasis seems to have shifted from worshiping God to the Mass being some sort of communal celebration about us.

Anyway, it was a transcendental experience; despite my newness to it I sensed that something was different, something otherwordly was taking place. A kind of awesome mystery. I felt completely detached from the outside world, something that rarely ever happens to me at an Ordinary Form Mass. I can just imagine the experience after I am more familiar with it.

This is the “Mass of the Ages,” the Mass the Catholic Church celebrated for centuries prior to Vatican II. I felt somehow connected to those who had celebrated it before… not just ordinary priests and laity, but saints. This is the Mass that St. Maximilian Kolbe offered.

They say that Vatican II created a rupture in the continuity of tradition between the contemporary Church and the one of ages past. I will not comment on that but it is apparent that we lost a lot. Although I will not become bitter, angry and resentful over “what we lost,” for I well know what those emotions can lead to, I will develop a much greater interest in the liturgy and its importance in life. I already have to some great degree taken the liturgy to be something more than something done on Sundays or how you pray. I do live a fairly liturgical life: from taking a keen interest in the liturgical seasons and deriving a personal connection or life application from them to praying the Divine Office. The liturgical year contributes to the ebb and flow of my life, almost like the temporal seasons and their connection to growing things.

I will be attending the Mass in both forms. My wife shows little interest in the EF. That’s all right. I like a good OF Mass said with due and proper attention to the rubrics. (The OF lends itself to abuse.)

I will blog about this more over the coming weeks.

Are you a creative Catholic? ""Building a Civilization of Love: A Call to Creative Catholics," is my new book exhorting Catholics to apply their faith to change the culture for the better!

Know someone who is an alcoholic or addict? "The Sober Catholic Way" helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety, and is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. . (Thank you!!)