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“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
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on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (N.O. 13th Sunday): “The highlight of the sermon was the explanation of the meanings with the Dominus Vobiscum and how each one is…”
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (N.O. 13th Sunday): “Cornelius: I get the idea that a post hoc ergo propter hoc argument isn’t very strong. It is also possible…”
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (N.O. 13th Sunday): “Fr, how about a point the priest thought was good (but I not so much)? [These posts really do look…”
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (N.O. 13th Sunday): “We celebrated the External Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. Canon’s sermon was on the importance of the virtue of humility.…”
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (N.O. 13th Sunday): “Pastor talked about the Supreme Court ruling on abortion. Read through St. Mother Teresa’s amicus brief to the supreme court’s…”
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (N.O. 13th Sunday): “since the abomination of desolation (a/k/a “pride” parade) was going past the Cathedral this morning, i attended elsewhere. a reasonably…”
on Your Sunday Sermon Notes: 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (N.O. 13th Sunday): “We attended a diocesan TLM but not at our usual parish. Father spoke about the Dobbs decision and how it…”
on ROME 22/06 – Day 23: Resistance is futile: “With apologies for the badly proofread cutting and pasting above, I was struck by today’s collect: “Protector in te sperantium,…”
on ROME 22/06 – Day 24: “talkin’ ’bout my g-g-generation”: “As much as we have enjoyed your Italian adventure, Looking forward to your return.”
on ROME 22/06 – Day 24: “talkin’ ’bout my g-g-generation”: “Fishwrap calling out others for “unholy” alliances? Can they say “pot/kettle”? sigh”
on ROME 22/06 – Day 24: “talkin’ ’bout my g-g-generation”: “The origin for “My Generation” was Pete Townshend’s annoyance that the Queen Mother had his car towed from a neighborhood…”
on ROME 22/06 – Day 24: “talkin’ ’bout my g-g-generation”: “Ten years ago, those opposed to Obama’s policies were clearly racist. By the same token, those opposed to the court’s…”
on ROME 22/06 – Day 24: “talkin’ ’bout my g-g-generation”: ““Why do you think that I think that it’s weird?” The glass coffin (there’s probably a word for that) looks…”
on ROME 22/06 – Day 24: “talkin’ ’bout my g-g-generation”: “Is the image weird because it is a tangle of legs? I can’t really make out what is in the…”
on It’s as if the stars aligned on 24 June: “The bulk of those justices who signed on to the opinion are Catholic. I think they knew exactly what they…”
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I have discovered a simple solution to the platitude cookie: eat pizza.
My brother once got a fortune that said, “One of your friends is a secret enemy.” Sometimes platitudes are preferable!
And don’t forget what happened when Inspector Clouseau got the fortune, “Beware of waitress bringing fortune cookie in a Japanese restaurant.”
This one seems a bit sinister. Like, “Your decisions today are surrounded by doubt.” Chose another cookie.
PS I hope the cookie is not referring to the call of the vocation to the priesthood….
I’ve given up on fortune cookies. I always seem to get the ones that say, “You’re going to meet the woman of your dreams!”
– Rev. Scott Settimo
Backwards. The only important call is the one that doesn’t miss! The rest are nothing.
Hello Fr Z. Please forward said cookie to:
Referee Training Department
National Football League Head Offices
New York City
They would seem to be more in need of this particular revelation than most of us…
Brings to mind this from the Hagakure:
“Among the maxims on Lord Naoshige’s wall, there was this one: ‘Matters of great concern should be treated lightly.’ Master Ittei commented, ‘Matters of small concern should be treated seriously.'”
Fr. Settimo,
The cookie is accurate. The woman of your/our dreams is Our Lady.
Father, you seem to eat more Chinese takeout than I did when I was in college…that’s kind of terrifying, actually.
Father Z.,
I applaud your appellation of Platitude cookie, in lieu of Fortune cookie. I do wish I was the one who had thought of it, but you obviously have the better of me, which may why you were called to the priesthood, for the answering of which call I give thanks, and I was called to the vocation of husband.
Pax et bonum,
Keith Töpfer
In sync with me;
Some calls (decisions, actions) are far more important than others in reference to the mundane.
My childhood friend’s father (very close to me) passed away the other day (88 yrs.).
I made an important and very close phone call to my friend and his siblings last night.
I once got a fortune cookie that said, “No decision you make this week is a bad decision.” A very bold statement. I guess that meant I didn’t need to go to confession that week. I kid. I had actually just came from confession when I read that.
I think that this platitude is incorrect.
I’ve learned to be happy when it’s just a platitude, though. The worst fortune cookies are the ones that tell you what to do. I once got one that basically told me to get a real job.
After enjoying some Chinese takeout tonight I opened a platitude cookie that said, “Hold fast to your dreams.” I guess I will have to carry on for two or three weeks in a state of perpetual sleep, although any longer than that I will have to change my blog name to Rip Van Winkle.
Every important call is a close one.
Every close call is an important one.
What – over the phone, avoided encounter, an almost accident, or a summons from someone nearby, or from within? No right answer from a random broken cookie … is there? Double check with the daily Gospel msg.
Fr. Z, what would you put in a fortune cookie if you could?
“Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, in in pulverem reverteris”, perhaps?
RomeontheRange: What would I put in?
How about “I’d stay indoors tomorrow, if I were you.”
I need my own line of fortune cookies.
I quite agree!
cavete famulos Sericos (pincernas Sericas?) et crustulos ferentes.