What is your good news? (Fr. Z also explains something, whines a little.)

Do you have some good news to report?

I have good news and bad news.

First the good news: I solved the comment/whitelist problem.

Bad news: I had to remove the plugin that stopped a lot of spammers from attacking the registration form, thus creating a great deal of unpleasant work for me in the shadows, behind the curtain… you know.

Console me by refreshing your coffee supply! Use the donation button!  Hey, I even have wishlists!

Seriously, I’ll have to look for some solutions.  I may need a truly expert WordPress person to give me a hand.  Dabblers… don’t bother.  I need a pro.

Okay… I posted some bad news, but I am the benevolent dictator here.  So, do as I say and not as I do.

What is your good news?  We could all use a boost.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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

  1. Mike says:

    My spiritual life has been blessed with a vast improvement in recent days that has aided me in dealing with a sore trial. And none too soon, for I travel this weekend, which is itself a sore trial.

    Holy Mother Church manages to survive in our twisted nation, which allowed me the infinite blessing of receiving Holy Communion at Mass (Traditional) this morning.

  2. Sonshine135 says:

    -I’m able to look at flowers instead of roots.
    -I can cover the bills this month.
    -My wife, my children, and I are all healthy.
    -The Extraordinary Form Mass is available in my Diocese with a Bishop and Priests that are willing to say it
    -Instead of underpaying my taxes this past year, I overpaid, so I am getting a little back.
    but most importantly!

    – God continues to bless my house and my family with unimaginable blessings!

    The little things mean a lot.

  3. zag4christ says:

    The good news…. Fr. Z fixed the comment problems! Like any “good” Catholic, my first thought when my log-in attempt was thwarted was “what did I do wrong?”. Oh me of little faith!
    More good news is that one of our priests is managing to hit the nail on the head this week in every homily he is doing at the daily Mass. Thank you God!
    Peace and God bless

  4. JoyfulMom7 says:

    My third son is 23 years old today! This son was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Marines last May, the day after he graduated from college. He is still living at home, while waiting for his assignment which will probably some in May or June. Our family is thankful that we can celebrate with him on this birthday as next year he will be . . . .who knows where? God has provided a wonderful job for him at a local college while he waits. He has also become a volunteer firefighter in our community. He is involved in our parish and very committed to his faith. Though his entry to the Church almost five years ago was fraught with immediate persecution from those who should have supported and loved him, his faith sustained him. He is a wonderful young man and his father and I couldn’t be prouder of him! Please pray for our military!

  5. Uxixu says:

    I am a sys admin (more responsible for the server itself than the content on it), though I tend to cringe when a client says they’re using WordPress because of all the vulnerabilities that come with it and I tend to be the one fixing the box when it gets compromised and helping recover. It definitely beats doing things manually, though,that’s for sure, though a top flight coder could get you that convenience without the vulnerabilities. Not so much against WordPress itself as that the predators go where the prey is. Hope you’re backing up your db regularly, though.

    That said, I hear very good things about the Cookies for Comments plugin and you may want to consider the Remove links from comments

  6. Today our son turns 3 and I turn 29. Nice to share a birthday…I only have to make one cake. ;-)

  7. mamajen says:

    My two cents on WordPress issues:

    – Have you tried the Bad Behavior plugin? It can be overzealous about blocking IPs, but may be worth a try.

    – There’s this plugin that changes the registration URL so bots can’t find it easily: http://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-registration-link/

    – You should probably update WordPress

    – Would it be less effort overall to simply disable registration, and instead hold first-time commenters for moderation? I’ve found Akismet together with the Growmap Anti-Spam Plugin (GASP) to be highly effective at blocking the majority of comment spam. You can block IPs and/or e-mail addresses of problematic real people through the Discussion settings in WordPress.

  8. Uxixu says:

    Oh forgot to add my good news: have my health, as well as that of wife and children and relative prosperity. Got our tax return done this weekend and with some of the proceeds (I keep it pretty close to even since I’m not inclined to give interest free loans to the IRS but like to err on the side of caution rather than having to cut them a check), I am increasing my personal devotions and hope to get the Baronius Breviary to add the old Divine Office (probably starting with just Lauds/Prime, Vespers, and Compline and slowly add in the rest). I hope to have my General Ham license by this time next month, as well.

    I am in the middle of a 54 day Novena praying for a higher paying job I think I’m amply qualified for, as well, so that’s where many of my prayers are, though also to a friend & coworker whose mother is in hospice.

  9. Bob B. says:

    My nearly six months old granddaughter was baptized this past weekend. I have been very blessed!

  10. Mandy P. says:

    Yay! I can post again. :D

    Hmmm…my good news…. Well, nothing out of the ordinary has been happening, so nothing to report really. I would say my good news is that I have a husband and children that love me (and that I adore). Oh, and I am designing my own Classical style curriculum for use with my children next year (we home school) and it’s going well so far. All the materials are arriving on time and look wonderful.

  11. wmeyer says:

    My good news is that through meeting a Dominican priest on FB, I have been introduced to the writings of Blessed Henry Suso, which I am beginning to read.

  12. celpar says:

    2 bits of good news from Sheffield (England). First: 40 Days For Life is coming to the city for the first time. Second: the cathedral is putting on a series of talks on the Theology of the Body (Christopher West DVD). I went to the first this week; not only was it informative and thought-provoking (TOTB is something I only ‘sort of’ get), but it was wonderful to be in a group of predominantly young people interested in good Catholic teaching, willing to learn and not dissenting and griping about the Church’s like the 70s survivors/folk Mass enthusiasts who populate my home parish. Cheered me up considerably.

  13. lsclerkin says:

    I got a raise at work. So I increased my weekly tithe to my parish (EF Mass, not Latin Mass, Father) and will be going on the pilgrimage in September with the Monks of Norcia. :)

  14. iPadre says:

    We completed Unit 5 in A Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin. Making progress in what was lacking in formation! :-)

  15. An American Mother says:

    Good news: My mom’s cancer surgery at M.D. Anderson last Thursday went well – and after 17 weeks of chemo and major surgery, she is holding up well for an 88 year old lady.
    Our flight back from Houston was cancelled, but a compassionate gate agent did some serious meddling and found us two seats on the next flight.
    My husband’s foot is healing well.
    wmeyer, Heinrich Seuse/Suso is responsible for “In dulce jubilo” – a group of angels taught it to him.
    In dulce jubilo

  16. bgfarmgirl says:

    Thanks be to God for our grand baby girl born today at 3:45am! Our son and daughter-in-law haven’t named her yet; we are praying for a good Christian name.

  17. Lex Orandi says:

    Our daughter was born safely a few days ago and mama and baby are both healthy and happy. Rebekah will be baptized this weekend!

  18. Kathleen10 says:

    Fr. Z., I didn’t see your post about the spamming debacle before I asked about it.
    I’m happy for everyone’s good news!

  19. classycatholic says:

    Happy News for our family would include the Lord providing. Our business, though teeny tiny, is starting to grow. Most importantly, our children are healthy and well and we are able to continue to homeschool them and train them up in the way God calls us each and every day.

  20. Since I promised to post some good news if the Benevolent Dictator corrected the problem that temporarily numbered me among the vile spammers, I now must make good. I visited a parish in Toms River, New Jersey on Sunday, and the first thing I noticed as I entered was the absence of kneelers. Even though my knee is shot right now and I didn’t intend to use the kneelers much anyway, I was still annoyed, and all through the Mass my brainwaves must have been shooting around that parish as I plotted to search for a suggestion box on my way out. But as the pastor introduced the diocesan appeal video from the bishop (patience, the good news is coming), he started talking about two projects that the rebate from the appeal might help fund. First, he plans to move the figure of the Risen Christ to the area over the rear doors and place a proper crucifix over the sanctuary. Second, he plans to install kneelers! This will “bring the parish into conformance with liturgical guidelines.” Brick by brick, kneeler by kneeler, the old guard is on the way out. We need to be patient; the fight isn’t over yet, but things are actually looking better than they have since 1970. (Now if only he hadn’t skipped the Gloria and the Creed– but, hey, the good news is still good.)

  21. Nan says:

    I found a ball! I know it’s not on the level of other news but I’ve been looking for an ordinary child’s ball, you probably had one when you were a kid. The soft vinyl or whatever in solid colors or swirls of two colors? My mom wanted one for one of her rehab exercises; the PT assures me that she can use a pillow to create resistance but she wants a ball so for the last couple of weeks I’ve been looking for a ball. She’s infantized enough so I didn’t want to get her one with a cartoon character on it.

  22. adeacon says:

    I have good news!

    My granddaughter, Josephine Weronika Murphy, is due May 7th. This past December , I canceled my Trappist retreat at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Mass., due to sciatica. I am now recovered – going on retreat in March with the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. We are revamping our Human Concerns ministries in our parish… and I love my wife Mary, and I know she loves me.. and we both love Holy Mother Church :)

  23. lmo1968 says:

    I got a temporary job after many months of prayers. Thank you for all of your prayers.

  24. RafqasRoad says:

    I can comment again!! Goodie!!!!! Thank you, Fr. Z., for putting in counteless hours of tireless, thankless slog for ‘we the people’.

    My good news??

    *it is a beautiful late summer’s day here in the Shoal Haven of NSW betokening the magnificent Autumn to come (Southern hemisphere Autumn in a warm climate is wonderful!!)

    *at 3:30PM this afternoon, Fr. D. is coming to bless our home and have a talk with me re my postgrad directions, he’ll also be blessing a new rosary chaplet I was given and a Christ the Pantocrator (sp) icon.

    *though my efforts at commencement of Honours are being continually thwarted e.g. around eight thesis knockbacks, inability to enrol in a compulsory unit that has appeared to have reached capacity etc., I am not angry, upset or cursing a blue streak…

    *it may be possible for me to take a ‘gap year’ this year and commence a Masters of Education at a university campus five minutes up the street; they’ve a dedicated disability support officer for students with significant vision impairment/blindness.

    *yesterday at weekday mass (church across the river) anolder gentleman introduced himself. It turns out his grandfather came to Australia ‘back in the day’ and actively assisted in the building of our Maronite Cathedral (St. Marouns, Redfern). Furthermore, he is family of St. Charbel Himself!! WOW!!!!!! If said individual’s great, great uncle happens to be a saint, is the living individual afforded special graces (‘living first class relic’, so to speak??)

    he and his wife are holy, Godly people who are switched on to CAtholic Christian and world reality.

    *it was a pleasure to pray the Rosary with them and one other after mass.

    *I’ve just about learnt the walk to church – 3.5 km one way and an hour long – I’ve one more guide dog training session for this particular route, then we can work on destinations in the town centre across the river.

    Please pray that if it IS God’s will that I study something other than Theology Honours that His will is made manifestly known to me, and that my parents who invisage me as being some revolutionary, trail-blazing super-blindie even at 43 would accept the change from a Ph.D. trajectory to M.Ed (God willing, I can always pick up Ph.D. down the road). My husband is supportive either way.

    Please pray all works out well and that if it isn’t God’s will for me to do B.theol.Hons., that I can make the change quickly and be able to graduate this year, having a chance to thank everyone publically for having supported me these past six years.

    St. Theresa Benedicta (Dr. Edith Stein), pray for me,
    St. Thomas Acquinas, pray for me,
    All SS who were educators, University people and academics, please pray for me.

    Might all the problems I am encountering in B.Theol.Hons. be God’s way of saying ‘Daughter, I don’t want you going down that path even if you desire it with all your heart…I have another path for you to go down…listen, respond, be mindful, allow Me to lead you’…

    What do Fr. Z., and readers think?

  25. Gratias says:

    Wife and I had a simple lunch with a Holy priest after EF mass this Sunday. It is such a great honor to share a table with a man of God. Such a good one too. These interactions elevate the laity to a higher plane. Support your priests, you will need them.

  26. Supertradmum says:

    Had Mystic Monk Coffee for the first time at a friend’s house where I am staying. May not sound like a really good thing, but I have not been able to afford it, but for a month, will have it daily. Nice.

    Yummy. Keep advertising this, Father.

  27. Gregg the Obscure says:

    I now have the opportunity to go to confession just about every day, thanks in large measure to one good priest who at his prior parish implemented confession during morning rush hour four days per week — and his successor has maintained the practice. At his new parish, where he is now pastor with three associates, confession is offered every weekday from 7:20-7:50. Both parishes are only short detours from my normal commute. Thanks be to God for Fr. Felix!

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