Fr. Z’s 2013 New Year’s Resolutions

Fr Z’s 2013 New Year’s Resolutions

  1. To continue to provide readers of my blog with the best, up-to-date reflections on authentic Catholic worship and faith
  2. To do even more to support beleaguered orthodox Catholic bishops throughout the world
  3. To get my “Concealed Carry” license
  4. To convert more priests/parishes to the Usus Antiquior form of the Roman Mass
  5. To get my Ham radio license
  6. To increase sales (= income) of Mystic Monk Coffee, CafePress.com and Amazon.com products
  7. To complete my doctoral dissertation!
  8. To get to the gym!!
  9. To make more PODCAzTs than during 2012
  10. To try even harder (don’t worry, not too hard) to make Monsignor

Please help with #6 as often as possible… and #10.

UPDATE:

11. Write something by hand every day.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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61 Comments

  1. UncleBlobb says:

    @fatherz Happy New Year.

  2. pimentinha says:

    Happy New Year, Fr. Z!

  3. discipulus says:

    Happy New Year, Father Z. Over here in CA, it’s still 2012 for 45 more minutes.

  4. blessed new year Father

  5. goodone121 says:

    Just one minor clarification request: in 10, did you mean it’s “not too hard” to make monsignor, or “not [to try] too hard”? In any case, I suggest you reword slightly.

  6. Happy New Year!

    4. To convert more priests/parishes to the Usus Antiquior form of the Roman Mass

    You can start in my diocese!

  7. off2 says:

    How would one help, Father, with #10?

  8. Cool Catholic says:

    3. To get my “Concealed Carry” permit

    Irony – yes?

  9. Maltese says:

    Father, as to #3:

    Ruger LCP .9

    I’m doing the same. You can get a nice wallet holster at “Uncle Georges”. Happy New Year!

  10. Maltese says:

    Follow-up, here’s the link for Uncle George’s pocket holsters:
    http://www.unclegeorgeswalletholsters.com/Pages/default.aspx

  11. Maltese says:

    If you’re right handed, and have this in your left back pocket, you can draw it within three seconds; just don’t shoot yourself!

  12. Maltese says:

    Actually, the LCP .380 will hold 7 rounds with one in the chamber, even though it is tiny in size. I used to have a Glock 27, which is a nice gun, but you can’t carry it in your shorts at the beach.

    Yes, I’m ex law-enforcement, and no, I don’t particularly like guns. But there is a use for guns in the good-guy’s hands!

    I have a Rock River Arms AR-15 pistol, which I think Obama is going to take from me! That’s fine, I only target shoot it with my defense-attorney friend, who is as much a gun aficionado as I am!

  13. jbas says:

    Msgr. Z, PhD., 1st Baron of Catholic Blogs in the Internet

  14. pberginjr says:

    Will your diss. be published on ProQuest? Maybe as a book? I presume a patristics (Augustine?) topic, as I saw your director is (or at least used to be) Fr. Dodaro.

  15. persyn says:

    Achieving No. 7 might help with No. 10. And I join you in number 3 goal, which, I think, should be every Catholic man in America’s goal. Happy New Year, Father.

  16. Scott W. says:

    To complete my doctoral dissertation!

    As the husband who witnessed his wife earn a masters and a doctorate (and in the process saw many other candidates drop like flies), let me say get this done! Treat it like an implacable foe that will do anything to prevent its being completed. Let me recommend Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles His language can get a little salty at times, but it’s a good guide to fighting stuff like procrastination and distraction.

  17. pray4truth says:

    Happy New Year, Fr. Z! Thank you for all you do and who you are … Mostly, for being such a good and holy priest and teaching the truth with your wisdom, wit, hope, enthusiasm, joy, love, inspiration, and so much more! We enjoy you and love you and keep you in prayer every day :D

  18. StJude says:

    Happy new Year, Father Z!

  19. VexillaRegis says:

    Happy new Year, Fr. Z. and all fellow WDTPRS’ers!

  20. Theodore says:

    Dear Fr Z. Happy New Year to you and to all readers of your blog. You have helped me more than you can ever know, or I could ever express.

    I agree with the Scott W recommendation about Pressfield’s book.

    As for getting to the gym I’m recommending Tabata workouts for my patients who cannot find the time. They can be done at home with no or minimal equipment. I recommend some kettle bells.

    http://tabatatraining.org/

    Have a wonderful year.

  21. plaf26 says:

    Re: #10–I thought papal honors may be neither sought nor refused. Happy New Year, Fr. Z.!

  22. RichR says:

    To get my “Concealed Carry” permit

    I’ve been looking at handguns for a long time and got my first one this Christmas break: a Glock 17. Definitely not a concealed carry gun, but a good start. If I was going to get a concealed carry gun (and I plan to), I’d definitely get the Sig Sauer P238.

    What model are you using/looking at purchasing, FrZ?

  23. Happy New Year Father Z!
    Now, about those resolutions… Unless you’re superhuman (which you may be), may I suggest respectfully that you put them in priority order and pick the top 3 to focus on? My own experience has show me that the probability of success in NYRs decreases exponentially as the number of them increases. Keep us all posted on your progress and have a resolute New Year!

  24. yatzer says:

    Happy New Year, Fr. Z! Thanks for helping me keep some perspective on the sometimes bizarre things that happen in the Church.

  25. JKnott says:

    “To continue to provide readers of my blog with the best, up-to-date reflections on authentic Catholic worship and faith”
    Thank you Father and happy new year.

    @Scott W, Thank you as well.! I just purchased “The War on Art” on my kindle. Your recommendation is providential since this was one of my resolutions for my painting. And I really need it. God bless

  26. tealady24 says:

    A Blessed New Year to you, Fr. Z!
    Looks like you’ll be busy.

  27. Catholictothecore says:

    Best wishes for 2013, Fr. Z. Will pray for you as always. For #10 – tweet to the Holy Father coming up shortly.

  28. Pingback: The hope of this afternoon’s Mass « Over the Rhine and Into the Tiber

  29. dwfinke says:

    Father Z,
    #3 Just remember that Venerable Vincent Capodanno (LT, USN, Medal of Honor) spent two years having bullets wiz by his head and he never carried a gun. As a priest, the rifle was useless to his job. I’m simply recommending that as a holy man you leave the war fighting to the warriors.

    #10 As a Navy Chief I will recommend that you work diligently as a Priest, continue to improve yourself, and never concern yourself about the actual “promotion”.

    Happy New Year Father. I am grateful for this blog and truly feel that you are my Shepherd. Keep uploading the Truth.

  30. Subimonk says:

    Marian and New Year blessings, Father Z! I’ve had my concealed carry for over a year now. Given the situation of our times and the deteriorating state of the republic, there is a need for this, I believe, even among priests. If called to be a martyr, we should accept that grace and embrace the vocation. I’m sure you joing with me in that sentiment. However, it is not a martyrdom to be snuffed out by some drug-crazed lunatic who is not killing Catholcs for being Catholics, but just for the perverse joy of killing (if such exist).
    In war, chaplains are by law forbidden to be armed. That stands to reason in their role. It is not the same in ordinary civil life. Neither you nor I are fighting a war, but we do have the right to defend our lives when threatened in lethal situations. Do not allow yourself to be disuaded from this resolve.
    Dom Gregory

  31. A blessed new year, Fr. Z.
    (I wish someone as influential as yourself would take up the cause of restoring the OF Mass to dignity…)

  32. jacobi says:

    Father,
    Resolutions.

    I like 1, 4,and 8.

    Don’t expect too much of 10. I think you are already classified as a “turbulent priest”. But don’t let that worry you. Fortunately, Henry II is no longer around.

  33. demigh says:

    Happy New Year , Father Z! I hope you achieve all of your resolutions, but I”m particularly interested in #5 (getting your HAM license). My husband (KE7FZH) and I live aboard our sailboat Harmony while we cruise in Mexico. We participate in several SSB marine nets which allow the exchange of vital weather and safety information, and is a great way to stay in touch with other far-flung cruisers. Just to briefly change the subject, do you know of any English-speaking priests in coastal areas of western Mexico and the eastern side of the Baja peninsula? I have been able to attend Mass regularly, but confession is more difficult. One Mexican priest who heard my confession told me he didn’t understand English, but God does, so “no problema”. Anyway, be sure and post when you get your HAM license!

  34. Elizabeth D says:

    yay dissertation! I am so happy to see that on the list. Happy New Year!

  35. ZadoktheRoman says:

    Serious question – under what circumstances should a priest carry a firearm?
    Canon 138 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law suggests that generally carrying arms is unbecoming to the clerical state, but that a priest may do so in certain circumstances.
    Clerici ab iis omnibus quae statum suum dedecent, prorsus abstineant: […] arma ne gestent, nisi quando iusta timendi causa subsit; […]
    The specific reference to arms isn’t repeated in the 1983 Code, but one assumes that what was in the 1917 Code & earlier law would determine the interpretation of Canon 285 concerning things unbecoming or foreign to the clerical state.

    Historical precedent obviously shows that clergy sometimes are permitted to bear arms, but that in general it’s unclerical. Where should the line be drawn?

  36. Wayward Lamb says:

    Happy New Year, Father! May the rosary I prayed for you last night strengthen you in achieving your resolutions for the new year of our Lord. [Thanks!]

    I am also pursuing my conceal-carry permit. My mother-in-law and I are taking the class later this month. Please pray for us!

    As to your podcasts, I’d much enjoy anything and everything you care to do in Latin. I am working on my ecclesiastical pronunciation and would appreciate the opportunity to hear clear, world-class examples. Restored classical pronunciation examples are easy to come by, but readily accessible, ecclesiastical examples? Not so much.

  37. Girgadis says:

    Frequent Mass and confession, faithful recitation of Our Lady’s Rosary and the wearing of her Brown Scapular are the only “weapons” this Catholic needs, wants or can support. Thus, #3 cancels out #6, however meager the latter has been.

  38. PostCatholic says:

    My experience was that skill at #6 (more income) was the prerequisite that resulted in #10 (pretty buttons). Line the coffers well and I’m sure we’ll be commenting on the blog of your Right Reverend Self soon. (I realize you’re being funny and not ambitious, but what does one have to accomplish these days for that recognition? Times seem to have changed.)

    And either way, I wish you success generally in your endeavors in 2013., and with special particularity in #7.

  39. SKAY says:

    This blog has been such a blessing since I found it Fr. Z. Thank you. Your intentions are always remembered in my prayers.
    I will put a note up to go through this blog when I order from Amazon–until it becomes a habit. [Thanks!]

  40. Supertradmum says:

    Put finish your dissertation for your doctorate first on the list…..

  41. Deacon Tony says:

    Is number three irony or am I to understand that by acting as if this is normal, complete with links, arming yourself to kill is acceptable? I had heard tell this was a Roman Catholic blog, for Roman Catholics.

    In spite of the fondness of the heretical SSPX

    [Okay… let’s bite the hook for a moment. “Is number three irony?” Liberals can never figure these things out. Normal? For normal people, yes. This includes people with normal reading skills. Read what I actually wrote. Also, your ignorance about concealed carry issues comes through. Perhaps you are from… England? Australia? I’ll assume for a moment that you are from these U.S.A. First, people who legally carry a weapon are not doing so because they intend to “kill”, as you put it. Only half-informed liberals consistently think in such blood-thirsty terms. For normal people, even discharging the weapon, if a handgun, is not to “kill”. Liberals think in terms of killing. Normal people think in terms of avoiding, first, and de-escalating. If in the last resort more is necessary, they think of stopping, again with the least force necessary. Furthermore, I believe in most states concealed carry licenses cover more than handguns (i.e., “tasers”). Unless you have already done so, Rev. Mr. Tony, and if you are not in law enforcement, may I suggest you take a class for the CCW license? Learn something about it before commenting in public. Although I’ve been around law enforcement people most of my life, I found the class I took extremely informative and thought-provoking. And if you are a permanent deacon, take the class with your dear wife, whom you would never want to see victimized in your absence by someone with deadly force and no regard for the law. Unless, of course, you are a Brit. In that case, you will have to worry about the soaring incidence of home invasions in your country. Good luck with that. No doubt the other normal people who read this blog will have more comments for you. I think I’ll look now at some YouTube reviews of holsters. o{];¬) ]

  42. Deacon Tony says:

    I was there with my daughters when this happened.
    No guns required.
    Rant all you like Father, it’s not a justification.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/540387.stm

    [Maybe you were there and maybe you were not. I’ll take your word for it. That was about a sword attack… a sword attack at a church. Your point, however, is not well-reasoned. One could counter that a) a sword attack shows that guns are not the problem – sick people are the problem and b) fewer people might have been injured had he seen someone with a gun present and c) that had some in the congregation been armed, he would not have attacked the people in that church in the first place. Armed nuts go to places where they know there are defenseless people. When they encounter armed resistance, they cave or commit suicide. You are not thinking and I am not ranting. When I rant, you’ll know it. Besides, I have a tag for that. What I found quite interesting about that news report is that the priest decided to continue with Mass. He need not have, since he had not progressed farther than the sermon, but, good for him. And now I have spent a long time with you. The next time I am in London, I’ll buy you a pint.]

  43. benedetta says:

    I’m with you on nos. 4 and 9, Fr. Z in particular. I am finding that increasing numbers of people are quite interested in the ancient rite. And I do appreciate the podcasts though I don’t always comment on it.

    I am not gun savvy so I cannot speak with any degree of familiarity with the issue. However, I will say as to the swipe about this being a “Catholic blog, for Catholics”, [Actually, he said “Roman Catholics”, which has its own subtext. This is one reason why I think he lives in the UK.] that when I was having an issue which required a heightened degree of personal security, among other necessary steps with respect to my self and innocents for whom I am responsible, I have to say the advice of a fellow Catholic mother on this blog and the comments of other readers sustained me through a difficult time spiritually, and, the advice to carry a small knife in my purse was on the whole useful and appreciated and a small but necessary thing I had not anticipated or considered. We are living in strange times. It seems pretty self evident. But, sometimes things get stranger than what you might read or hear about. So I find the sentiments and expressions here on the whole, REALLY Catholic and constructive and sustaining. Even the likes of frjim and PostCatholics and similar provokers, their presence here is interesting and I suspect that they do not fully comprehend what they seem to seek to destroy. It’s a bit of a loss of innocence when one discovers that some people really do design to destroy and actively work to accomplish this. I hope that Deacon Tony never has need for a concealed carry or that his wife never needs to consider carrying a knife in her purse. [I believe that, according to some state laws, some knives could require the license.]

  44. MichaelJ says:

    Father , when seconds count, the Police are just minutes away. [Sapienti pauca! Especially for those with loved ones to defend.]

  45. I’d like to say something about the “arming yourself to kill” comment.

    First, keeping and bearing arms is a constitutionally guaranteed right. The purpose of the Second Amendment is primarily to serve as a bulwark against tyranny. Everyone who has gone out to buy guns and ammo in the wake of Newtown and the subsequent cries for more gun control legislation understands this.

    Second, you have nothing to fear from those of us who go to the trouble of getting a concealed carry permit. By going through this process — paying the fees, taking the classes, submitting to fingerprinting and background checks — we prove that we are law-abiding. It is the people who don’t bother to do this that you need to worry about; and they are the same ones who tend to disregard laws in general, and are certainly not going to change their behavior on account of stricter gun control legislation.

    Third, those of us who have permits and own guns hope and pray never to have to use them, ever, ever, ever, for anything except target practice and hunting.

  46. acardnal says:

    Yes, please, more PODCAzTs.

    Secondly, we all have a right to defend ourselves, our family, our neighbors and our country against the unjust aggressor. Christ was not a pacifist. To be a pacifist is to watch others suffer and die while you stand there and do nothing . . . not Christian behavior at all.

  47. pinoytraddie says:

    Fr Z? Do you want the Novus Or do to Go?

    [I have no idea what that means.]

  48. pray4truth says:

    Deacon Tony, Tony, Tony… SHAME ON YOU. I suggest that you re-read at least #1909 and #2263-2265 in “The Catechism of the Catholic Church”. Perhaps after that you’ll humble yourself and APOLOGIZE to our good, holy and wise Fr. Z for being so snarky, especially when you obviously do NOT know what you are talking about. I wonder if you were one of the brave men who fought the perpetrator with the sword.
    Thank you, Fr. Z for having the WISDOM AND COURAGE TO DEFEND OUR ONE, TRUE FAITH AND TO DEFEND LIFE! I hope you find the perfect holster(s)!

  49. AnAmericanMother says:

    Late to the party but will put my 2 cents in anyway.
    Carried a 1911A1 for years, back when I wore a suit daily, in a Bianchi “Scorpion” shoulder holster. Can highly recommend the Kimber Ultra Carry in .45ACP and the Sig P238 SAS (good choice, RichR!)
    I just don’t like the Uncle Mike holsters. Prefer Bianchi and Null, but I got an excellent pocket holster from pocketholster.com for the P238 and it is almost perfect concealment and very quick access when I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I discovered that the .380 is insufficient to dispatch a rabid raccoon, but switched my load from round ball to Hornady Critical Defence and that should help.
    Have had a CCP for years, just about since GA started issuing them. Have never had to shoot anybody (thank God!) My experience is that carrying will make a pacifist out of you, because you do NOT want to shoot anybody so you are constantly studying situations and seeking to avoid and defuse them.
    On another topic, my General exam handbook is on my bedside table next to the Kimber. Good luck!

  50. Dr. Edward Peters says:

    I like 7.

  51. The Masked Chicken says:

    A word about finishing the dissertation: just remember – there is always more to say. In my music dissertation, I did research for six years and I could have done research for another six years, but my university, literally, said that after six years I either had to hand in the dissertation or go through the General Exam, again. It is better to get published and follow up with papers than to try to put everything into one volume. In the sciences, they are even stricter. They tell you when you walk in the door that they will fund you for five years, no ifs, ands, or buts. If you aren’t finished in five years, unless you have won a Nobel Prize while doing your research, they show you the door.

    The Chicken

  52. Rachel K says:

    Re number 11, I recall reading somewhere that Blessed John Paul II wrote all of his works using paper and pencil! I love handwriting and hope it will never go out of fashion.
    And on to number three…”Unless, of course, you are a Brit”… Which I am.
    I think you were a little hard on Deacon Tony. Perceptions and ideas about gun carrying are very different here in the UK and probably vary in other countries too. Over here, most people are still shocked at the idea of the general public being armed; we are still getting used to the idea that policemen can carry guns as well as batons! I have read the discussions about the “right” of US citizens to arm themselves and am not convinced at all. This is not an area of doctrine in Church teaching so it must be possible for people to hold very different opinions and still be faithful Catholics. Personally I do not tin it is ok to generally keep weapons and I cannot at all understand the American point of view in this regard ; it continues to entirely baffle me!
    One question though, is there any rule from the church about whether a priest is permitted to carry a weapon, perhaps there is a mention in Canon law? A friend asked this when we discussed the matter, arising from your blog. Culd you enlighten us please Father?

    A very Happy New Year to you and thankyou for your work for us and the Church.

  53. Rachel K says:

    Sorry about typos, very late here with teething baby.

  54. Rachel K, the right of self-defense is a natural law right. It necessarily includes the right to possess the means of defending oneself, for without that the right of self-defense is vitiated. The right to keep and bear arms also flows from obligations, such as that to defend those in our charge, and to defend our country. We have the right to possess that which we need to fulfill our obligations.

    I cannot agree that Fr. Z. was too hard on Deacon Tony. Deacon Tony proceeds on the assumption that all those who carry weapons are out to kill. That is not only demonstrably false, but insulting.

  55. AnnAsher says:

    Love every resolution!

  56. pray4truth says:

    Rachel K: PLEASE READ below #1909 and #2263-2265 from “The Catechism of the Catholic Church”, WHICH IS CHURCH DOCTRINE.
    #1909- “Finally, the common good requires peace, that is, the stability and security of a just order. It presupposes that authority should ensure by morally aceptable means the security of society and its members. It is the basis of the right to legitimate personal and collective defense.”
    #2263- “The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing, ‘The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one’s own life; and the killing of the aggressor . . . .The one is intended, the other is not.’ ”
    #2264 -“Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow:
    ‘If a man in self-defense uses more than necessary violence, it will
    be unlawful: whereas if he repels force with moderation, his defense
    will be lawful…. Not is it necessary for salvation that a man omit the
    act of moderate self-defense to avoid killing the other man, since one
    is bound to take more care of one’s own life than of another’s.’ ”
    #2265- Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another’s life, the common good of the family or of the state.”

  57. Rachel K says:

    Miss Anita Moore and pray4truth:
    Nowhere in the CCC is there mention directly or implication of a “right to keep and bear arms”.
    This is an extension of what the CCC says. The words above mention legitimate defense being a right in some circumstances, but that does not necessarily justify owning a weapon at all times, although this is clearly a commonly held assumption in some places, including the US.
    In a time of national peace, what is it that individuals are defending themselves from by holding weapons? Is it the State? Neighbours? This is not the “stability and security of a just order” in a nation, of which the CCC speaks, as you quoted above. This is not peace. Do you believe that shooting someone is the “necessary violence” referred to in 2264 above? That would be a very debatable thing.
    It is important to understand that the views you express are not necessarily what the CCC teaches and that these views are baffling and difficult to understand in other parts of the world. We are a worldwide community and we are enriched by sharing each others’ perceptions and views of such topics. I do not agree that what you say is a clear reflection of the Church’s teaching on self defence and am sorry to say that this discussion seems to be along the lines of the “American view on this issue is the only right one.”
    I would appreciate someone answering my question about Canon law and priest bearing arms please.

  58. The Cobbler says:

    I think Miss Moore has a fair point that the right/duty of moderated, just defense necessitates a right/duty to have whatever is reasonably expectable to be necessary for such defense. With that said, there’s a certain amount of question as to whether guns are actually necessary for common self-defence in _most_ parts of the country under _most_ circumstances (including, among other factors, the general peace we live in and which governments are supposed to secure, the largely American but not exactly crazy notion that they should avoid trampling certain rights to do so notwithstanding). If we dropped guns specifically from the matter and simply spoke in terms of weapons in general I would say the American view seems ironically medieval — folk back in the day followed much the same logic to the conclusion that even in Christendom warriors should train with swords, axes, pikes, you name it to defend their people, and surely the average peasant had a few knives handy. But then, while it’s the man that makes a weapon truly dangerous, guns do give anyone who can pull a trigger remarkable ability to kill, much more than most medieval weapons do (they require at least a modicum of skill, and that could usually be countered by an equal modicum of skill on the part of the defender), and I imagine (I have never fired a gun at any target, so correct me if I’m wrong) that most of the skill involved for one defending oneself or other innocents justly with a gun goes into being able to hit if necessary without necessarily killing; so at a certain point I wonder if it might be more reasonable to say that the duty of being prepared to fulfill the duty of just defense would be better served by ninja skillz or some such. Of course, then I remember that true ninja skills take a lifetime to attain, so I really don’t know that there’s a simple answer to the matter.

  59. The Cobbler says:With that said, there’s a certain amount of question as to whether guns are actually necessary for common self-defence in _most_ parts of the country under _most_ circumstances (including, among other factors, the general peace we live in and which governments are supposed to secure, the largely American but not exactly crazy notion that they should avoid trampling certain rights to do so notwithstanding).

    The “peace” you speak of is illusory. Justice is a requirement for peace, and is increasingly rare in the western world.

    If we dropped guns specifically from the matter and simply spoke in terms of weapons in general I would say the American view seems ironically medieval — folk back in the day followed much the same logic to the conclusion that even in Christendom warriors should train with swords, axes, pikes, you name it to defend their people, and surely the average peasant had a few knives handy. But then, while it’s the man that makes a weapon truly dangerous, guns do give anyone who can pull a trigger remarkable ability to kill, much more than most medieval weapons do (they require at least a modicum of skill, and that could usually be countered by an equal modicum of skill on the part of the defender), and I imagine (I have never fired a gun at any target, so correct me if I’m wrong) that most of the skill involved for one defending oneself or other innocents justly with a gun goes into being able to hit if necessary without necessarily killing; so at a certain point I wonder if it might be more reasonable to say that the duty of being prepared to fulfill the duty of just defense would be better served by ninja skillz or some such. Of course, then I remember that true ninja skills take a lifetime to attain, so I really don’t know that there’s a simple answer to the matter.

    Well, there is a simple answer, and it’s the one most in line with common sense. Being prepared to fulfill the duty of just defense means having the right to possess the necessary means, and the most obvious means is firearms. The fact that it does not require great physical strength and agility to use a firearm is precisely what makes it ideal as a weapon of self-defense or defense of others. However, responsible gun owners are very conscious of a gun’s deadly power and will take the time to educate themselves on its proper care and handling.

    Incidentally, if you are faced with a situation where it becomes necessary to defend yourself with deadly force, you do not shoot to wound. You shoot to kill. You can’t mess around. You aim at your assailant’s trunk, because it’s the biggest target. Unless you’re the Lone Ranger — and most of us aren’t — shooting to wound is a good way to miss, and wind up dead yourself. If you kill an assailant who is attacking you with deadly force, intending to defend yourself, you are not guilty of his death. His death is on his own head, because, without justification, he put himself in mortal peril by triggering your right to respond with deadly force.

  60. pray4truth says:

    Rachel K, I would ask that you find the answer to your “question about Canon law and priest bearing arms please.” by doing the research yourself… then let the rest of us know the answer! I suspect that if I supplied any answers, even with quotes directly from the canon, you would post some kind of argument.

  61. Arkanabar says:

    Folks, the most common experience in defensive gun use goes about like this:

    criminal displays hostile/ criminal/ violent intentions
    Intended victim draws gun and points it in general direction of criminal
    criminal flees without a shot being fired

    Net result? Gun saves life of both victim and intended criminal.

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