It's a common misconception that Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, is the occasion of His circumcision. Actually, that's on the 1st of January (Novus Ordo has it as the Feast of Mary the Mother of God), eight days after Christmas, suitably enough. Candlemas, 40 days after Christmas (and the final end … Continue reading Candlemas – Ritual Purity
Faith
Friday Flotsam: The Epiphany and Other Thoughts
1. Happy Feast of the Epiphany! From my reflections this morning: why those three gifts of the magi? The foremost is recognition of Christ’s three roles as King, Priest, and Sacrifice, as elaborated on in the famous song. But there’s something else as well which becomes clear when we consider that these are gifts offered … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: The Epiphany and Other Thoughts
Friday Flotsam: Mostly Battra, Some Christmas
1. It’s almost Christmas already, and with that the end of the year. This year for Advent I did a hard fast: no meat or sweets (except protein shake) and no eating between meals. It was tough at first, but lately I’ve barely noticed it. I am very much looking forward to being able to … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly Battra, Some Christmas
Friday Flotsam: Retreat Reflections and Bad Movies
1. As I say, last weekend was a silent, Ignatian retreat for me; an intense few days of prayer and meditation, with no conversation, no media, nothing to distract me. Long days of talk, prayer, meditation, talk, prayer, sacrament. It was a wonderful experience that I feel brought some much needed clarity and a greater … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Retreat Reflections and Bad Movies
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
"For the honor of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the increase of the Christian religion, We declare, pronounce, and define, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and … Continue reading Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Brief Christ the King Thoughts
Instituted at a time when earthly monarchies were toppling or falling one-by-one, the Feast of Christ the King is meant to remind us that Our Lord does not only rule the 'spiritual' life and the Church, but all Earthly things as well. All nations are rightly subject to Him in all their affairs, not just … Continue reading Brief Christ the King Thoughts
Friday Flotsam: Voting, Veterans, Video, and a Gospel Verse
1. I voted this past Tuesday. Might be the last time I do, since I reject the liberal paradigm that the practice represents and I find the whole thing to be frankly absurd anyway. Though I'll probably still vote in local elections, once I settle down somewhere, since I think those are the only ones … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Voting, Veterans, Video, and a Gospel Verse
All Saints’ Quote of the Day
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant … Continue reading All Saints’ Quote of the Day
Friday Flotsam: Mostly On Halloween
1. "The spirit of wickedness in high places is now so powerful and so many-headed in its incarnations that there seems nothing more to do than personally to refuse to worship any of the hydra's heads."-J.R.R. Tolkien (from a letter written in late 1969) 2. Our problem with Halloween is that we miss half the … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly On Halloween
Feast of St. Boethius
There are a surprising number of people whom even knowledgeable Catholics don't realize are Saints, and Boethius is one of the more prominent. While secular scholars loftily debate whether he was even Christian (which seems to me absurd given even a cursory reading of De Consolatione), the Church has recognized him as a Saint and … Continue reading Feast of St. Boethius
Serpent's Den 