While I do not agree with everything that the late Archbp. Marcel Lefevbre (founder of the SSPX) did, people who know something about the whole arc of his life recognize that he was in his day a great churchman and missionary. Based on his life’s experience, the late Archbishop knew more than his prayers.
One of you readers sent me the link to a video which, given the events in Paris (which I am sure will be replicated elsewhere) and about members of the “Religion of Peace” is interesting.
There was a big earthquake.
From Japan Times:
Magnitude-7 quake sends tsunami toward Kyushu; Sendai atomic plant checking for damage
A powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake off Kyushu early Saturday produced small tsunami but no major damage, authorities said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the shallow quake, which struck at 5:51 a.m., was about 160 km (100 miles) from the town of Makurazaki. Its focus was about 10 km under the ocean floor, according to both the USGS and the Meteorological Agency.
The Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory but cancelled it about 90 minutes later.
A tsunami about 30 cm high was observed on Nakanoshima, but no major damage from either the quake or tsunami was reported, and a pair of reactors at the nuclear power plant in nearby Sendai were unaffected, Kyushu Electric Power Co. said.
[…]
We don’t know when bad things will happen.
This time, nothing really horrible happened.
Next time?
Near you?
Think and be ready.
And…
… you know.
Prayers for the dead and wounded and God help them – hostages in Paris and friends and families of the same.
Ce soir nous sommes tous Français.
Coordinated attacks by terrorists at multiple locations in Paris may be something along the lines of France’s 9/11.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
I wonder if this is an anniversary of some significant event.
The borders of France have been closed.
My dear readers… always be alert about what is going on around you. Be situation-aware. Have a plan for how you will make contact with loved ones and, if necessary, get away from where you are and get home.
We can’t plan for every contingency, but we can practice being aware of the here and now. Know where your exits and protected places are, your defensive positions. Be thoughtful about the unforeseen.
The unimaginable is now quite imaginable.
Do you need to think about Get Home Bags and Bug Out Bags you can just pick up and move? As you may remember, since the flipside of self-defense is medical treatment, I’ve been collecting things through my lists to make also med kits for carry, for car, etc. I have some more items slated to arrive tomorrow (e.g., burn gel).
You don’t know when something might happen. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that it can’t or won’t happen to your or to your own.
It always happens to someone else, until it happens to you!
Above all, examine your conscience and…
GO TO CONFESSION!
UPDATE
Now reports are coming in from reputable sources that tie these attacks to Islamic terror and ISIS. Je suis choqué!
We will soon know for sure, but I am betting that the attacks were not carried out by Canadian enthusiasts of Esperanto.
We all need to wake up.
Retired Belgian Godfried Cardinal Danneels – who protected a child abuser priest – was invited to the last Synod on the Family despite the fact that he was over 80. HERE That was a surprise, both because of the scandal Danneels was involved in and because of his age. Because of his age because the Cardinal Bishop of Hong Kong (who is standing up to homosexualists), younger than Danneels, was told that he was too old to participate. Double standard? You decide.
Danneels was also apparently involved in a group that – contrary to the rules that John Paul II established for conclaves and which Danneels and the others swore oaths to obey – conspired with a group to influence the election. HERE
Now Danneels is in the spotlight again, for these comments. From Catholic World News:
‘Steer clear’ of triumphalism, [condescending] Belgian cardinal tells African bishops
In an interview with La Stampa’s Vatican Insider, Cardinal Godfried Danneels directed pointed words to bishops in Africa.
Advising “everyone to steer clear of all forms of triumphalism and claims to self-sufficiency,” the retired archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels said:
Some African bishops tell us: you are pagans. You wiped everything out. [And they are right and right to say so!] But I remember Belgium being full of vocations, there were huge seminaries and novitiates being built up until the 60s. Christian families did everything they could to give their children a sense of belonging in the Church. [That was then. How are things in Belgium now?]
But we started seeing the faith dwindling in boys and girls aged 17-20. This wounded them it caused great suffering. Is it right to say it was their fault and that the parents were not good Christians? No, that’s not the case. [I blame YOU and your predecessor and men like you. That’s who’s to blame. You didn’t, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, hand on what was given to you. The failed pastors of Belgium are to blame.] The act of becoming Christians and persevering in the faith remains a mystery and is not the result of some educational or sociological mechanism. [Oooo! It’s a mystery! It’s sooo haaard! You didn’t preach the faith as Paul wrote to Timothy: “Praedica verbum insta oportune inportune argue obsecra increpa in omni patientia et doctrina!” What else does Paul say? “Erit enim tempus cum sanam doctrinam non sustinebunt sed ad sua desideria coacervabunt sibi magistros prurientes auribus et a veritate quidem auditum avertent ad fabulas autem convertentur. Tu vero vigila in omnibus labora opus fac evangelistae ministerium tuum imple.”] It seems to me that all the talk about “robust” Churches that should save the rest of Catholicism, is for the purpose of ecclesiastical politics. The abstractness of it is striking. [There’s nothing abstract about it, unless you haven’t a clue about your role in the disaster that is the Church in Europe. That’s the sort of obtuse view that got Europe into this mess in the first place. Everything is “abstract” instead of concrete. It isn’t rocket science!]
Cardian Danneels added:
European Churches have been overrun by the effects of secularization that have also led to rising individualism. [And where were the pastors that were supposed to defend the flocks?] But this very individualism could reach Africa sooner or later: that phenomenon that sees people thinking of themselves as individuals rather than as members of a group, a community, or a mass. [Yes, with greater prosperity some of this will come to Africa. In the meantime, they are acting like men instead of squeaky little gerbils.] It is possible that the crisis we have had will spread there too, with all that this entails. Africans may also experience a situation similar to ours. Then they might call us up to see how we dealt with it. To get some useful tips. [USEFUL TIPS? About what? How to lie down and die as the enemy runs you over? How to cave in to the world?]
BAH!
It seems to me that the only advice Card. Danneels should give is “Don’t do what we did.” No… wait… no advice at all. Just… be retired, please.
Thank God for men and priests of God like Cardinal Sarah.
Click!
He’s the real deal.
Comment moderation is definitely ON for this.
BAH!
Sometimes I get tired of sandwiches and cans of soup and I have to make something adult for supper.
Last night I decided I wanted Julia Child’s Suprêmes de Volaille aux Champignons as in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. But… since I already had a roasted chicken from the grocer, I did a variation.
Earlier in the day I had assembled a salad at the salad bar. I picked out the mushrooms from the salad and started in.
Once they were sauteed, I started on the sauce. Some green onion with chicken stock and port… to reduce.
Once reduced I added the cream … to reduce.
My photos were intermittent since I was watching the final version of Bladerunner, which I hadn’t see yet. Not much difference that I could see, frankly.
And reduce it did!
I put the mushrooms in and let it simmer for a couple minutes.
And… instead of the sûpremes, I used the dark meat.
This was really good. I felt like an adult again.
It is possible to do quite a bit with a hot plate and a few simple ingredients.
Afterward, since I had some port open, I cranked open the windows and enjoyed a cigar.
Cooking doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. You just have to have some creativity and a sound grounding in the classics… like the rest of life.
This is very cool. Fr. Z kudos to the one who came up with this.
From KATC TV in the Diocese of Lafayette. Someone converted an ambulance into a mobile confessional. Be sure to watch the video.
TEXT:
LAFAYETTE –
The Lafayette Diocese has created a new and easier way for outreach with the Catholic Church.
They’ve converted an old ambulance into a mobile confessional called a spiritual care unit. With a picture of Jesus and Bible verses on the side, the new unit is for spiritual emergencies, specifically remodeled for prayer and confessions.“It’s a way that we can give some pride and public expression of our Catholic faith that is not just meant for the walls of the church, but on the streets,” Father Michael Champagne, a priest at Lafayette Diocese, said.
The unit is part of Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy that begins on December 8. Thanks to an anonymous donation, it took two weeks to complete the unit that Champagne calls a church on wheels.
“We need to go to where people are. People come to the church as a center of worship and pray, but we also have to do outreach,” Champagne said.
Not only is the vehicle a way to bring more people to the Catholic church, but it makes going to confession easier for people with busy schedules.
“Pope Francis is asking us to go out of to the peripheries of the church and now we have the means to do that,” Bishop Michael Jarrell said.
Inside the unit there are Bibles, rosaries and even holy water. It’s fully equipped to spiritually care for others.
“There’s no sin in the world that’s too big for God’s mercy,” Champagne said. “We want to extend and preach the gospel of mercy to our people.”
The spiritual care unit will make stops around Acadiana beginning on December 8, for the beginning for the holy year of mercy.
I can see racing about… lights flashing… dashing to hear confessions as the rest of the team piles out to stop liturgical abuses!
From FLFY:
And now…. GO TO CONFESSION!
During my last trip to Rome (thanks, donors), I had business at the famous clerical shop Gammarelli.
I ask one of the helpful men at the shop to demonstrate how properly to fold a cassock. This is a useful skill. If you must pack or transport your a cassock, folding it properly can help to keep it from emerging wrinkled and creased.
I recorded this on an iPhone and the video wound up side-wise! Thanks to Fr. CD for converting it and making it useful. The business part of the video is a little narrow, but it is adequate.
Here you can see how to fold both a regular house cassock and a cassock with the shoulder cape or pellegrina (the example used belonged to a cardinal).
The video is in Italian, but the gestures and video are enough to let you know what to do. After this… practice makes perfect.
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
I was wondering if priests are permitted to wear a black zucchetto nowadays and which types of priests can wear them or used to wear them prior to Vatican II? And if so, when does a priest wear a zucchetto on his head?
“On his head….” Where else would he wear it?
Yes, a priest may wear a black zucchetto. However, this is not, for a priest, a liturgical item. He would not wear it when saying Mass or when in choro. We use the biretta.
A zucchetto is useful for keeping one’s bald spot warm. That’s about it.
BTW… sometimes this gizmo is called a “solideo”. That’s Latin… soli Deo, since they are removed at the Holy Name and for the Blessed Sacrament. And sometimes, in some places, they had a pom on them.
Daniel Mitusi occasionally sends me new pieces of art which he has created. This time he sent me a large text of the Pater Noster and a smaller image of a Holy Requiem Mass.
For his site click HERE
Please excuse that I left this in the plastic. Daniel wraps the prints carefully. He encloses them in plastic and then in layers of cardboard so that they are not damaged in the sending. You can see a more accurate version at his website with the link, above.
Here my intention is to give you some perspective through the imposition of a Sharpie.
A detail from the text. Each letter is detailed.
And the Requiem… appropriate for November… again, still in the plastic.
There are two versions, this B&W and one I haven’t seen, in color.
Detail… note the words from the Roman Canon.
That bishop seems to be most eager for prayers.
There is usually a lot going on in his prints.
We should support our Catholic artists.
You may recall that his little daughter has spent quite a bit of time in the hospital. You know what that means. So… visit his site! His prints make great gifts. You can find one for just about any occasion.
Also, I am going to badger him about QSL cards. You ham radio operators out there should bug him about that. I think it would be spiffy to have a custom QSL card for W9FRZ.
A reader shared with me some Rules to live by. It reminded me of a moment in the newest James Bond movie (lots of action in Rome this time). This film’s “Bond Girl” asks 007 why he chose to be an assassin. He replies, “Well, it was either that or the priesthood.”
Yes, it’s a dilemma, this life.
And, no, I can’t talk about the SVVAS. And, no, I don’t have a Walther PPK… yet.
Many of you vets, on this Veteran’s Day, might recognize some of the principles involved.
So, perhaps, will seminarians. Rules for Seminary Survival.
Rule 0: Always double-tap
Rule 1: Always have an escape plan. (see the 3 Plans at the end)
Rule 2: Be aware of your surroundings.
Rule 3: Assumption is the mother of all eff-ups.
Rule 4: Always have a backup plan.
Rule 5: Never get caught.
Rule 6: Keep your mouth shut.
Rule 7: KISS: Keep it simple, stupid.
Rule 8: 7 Ps: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance
Rule 9: A simple plan with a flexible blueprint will survive real world contact far better than a complex and rule-bound plan.
Rule 10: Plan, execute and vanish.
Rule 11: You don’t have to like it-you just have to do it.
Rule 12: Always invest in good quality stuff.
Rule 13: Trust your gut.
Rule 14: Always carry a knife.
Rule 15: Do one thing at a time.
Rule 16: Pick your battles…
Rule 17: Simple and light equals freedom, agility and mobility.
Rule 18: Target dictates the weapon and the weapon dictates the movement. (“Mack” Machowicz)
Rule 19: Use ACTE: assess the situation; create a simple plan; take action and evaluate your progress. (“Mack” Machowicz)
Rule 20: Understand. Anticipate. Adapt. (Red Team Journal)
Rule 21: Don’t believe what you’re told. Double check.
Rule 22: Hide in plain sight. Blend in.
Rule 23: Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.
Rule 24: Find a way to succeed.
Rule 25: Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash. (Patton)
Rule 26: A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week. (Patton)
Rule 27: Swift, Silent, Deadly. The only way to go about doing your business.
Rule 28: The more sophisticated the technology the more vulnerable it is to primitive attacks. People often overlook the obvious.
Rule 29: If you’re happy with your security, so are the bad guys.
Rule 30: If you have a secret, the best thing is to keep it to yourself. The second-best is to tell one other person if you must. There is no third best.
Rule 31: “Bad guys attack, and good guys react” is not a viable security strategy.
Rule 32: An adversary is most vulnerable to detection and disruption just prior to an attack.
Rule 33: Low-tech attacks work (even against high-tech devices and systems).
Rule 34: Never mess with a man’s coffee if you want to live.
Rule 35: When overwhelmed divide the tasks in smaller subtasks, simplify.
Rule 36: Always be ready to go at any moment’s notice. Learn to be light and move fast.
Rule 37: Don’t spend time trying to move your opponent, just move yourself.
Rule 38: The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead! (Patton)
Rule 39: The quality of your friends always matters more than the quantity.
Rule 40: Always be surrounded by the right people.
Rule 41: Always provide correction in private and praise in public.
Rule 42: He who angers you conquers you.
Rule 43: Do nothing which is of no use. (Miyamoto Musashi)
Rule 44: Be content with what you have.
Rule 45: Opening the door for a lady is not optional.
Rule 46: Sensible defaults can reduce friction and provide simplicity anywhere one can think to apply them. (Patrick Rhone)
Rule 47: There’s nothing wrong with staying small. You can do big things with a small team.
Rule 48: Personal notes should always be handwritten, however be prepare to destroy them at a moment’s notice.
Rule 49: Diplomas and certifications are OK, but trust experience over a diploma any time.
Rule 50: The greater the level of calmness of our mind, the greater our peace of mind, the greater our ability to enjoy life.
Rule 51: Find something you are willing to die for.
Rule 52: Don’t go into debt.
Rule 53: The only kind of marketing you need is an amazing product. (Leo Babauta)
Rule 54: Do not publish your life online, keep your life private. [No, I can’t talk about the SVVAS.]
Rule 55: Disconnect completely once in a while.
Rule 56: Live simply.
Rule 57: The GORUCK Rule – Under promise and over deliver.
Rule 58: When in doubt, C4. (Jamie Hyneman, Mythbusters) [It works. Trust me.]
Rule 59: Progress comes to those who train and train; reliance on secret techniques will get you nowhere. (Morihei Ueshiba)
Rule 60: Courage is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared. (David Ben-Gurion)
Rule 61: Don’t ever write a check with your mouth you can’t cash with your ass. (Wiseman). See Rule 6.
Rule 62: Some people just need a high-five. In the face. With a chair. (Carrie Adams)
Rule 63: You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain. (Miyamoto Musashi)
Rule 64: To know ten thousand things, know one well. (Musashi)
Rule 65: You are what you do when it counts.
Rule 66: If you think it was too easy, it was a trap. Look for jumping guards coming from the sides. [NB!]
Rule 67: The bad guys don’t obey our security policies.
Rule 68: Situational Awareness – Determine actions prior. Act decisions out at first sign of crisis. Decreased Exposure = Increased Survivability. MOVE! (Escape the Wolf)
Rule 69: If there’s a question about if it’s necessary, remove it. Less is more and more is lazy. (Jason McCarthy, GORUCK founder)
Rule 70: Never count on anything except surprise and unpredictability and danger. (Jack Reacher Rules)
Rule 71: Once is an accident. Twice is coincidence. Three times is an enemy action. [“Topicality is always suspect.” – George Smiley. Thanks DW.]
Rule 72: Never do the same thing twice.
Rule 73: Confusion and unpredictability are what you should expect. (Jack Reacher Rules)
Rule 74: First you check, then you double-check. Finally you commit.
Rule 75: Always take care of your and your teams’ food and sleeping arragements. Create a schedule, however eat every time you can and sleep every time you can.
Rule 76: Notice every possible exit. Select one as your main exfil and another one as a backup.
Rule 77: Check the crowd: who is staring at you, who is all the sudden silent when you enter. [More important than you might think.]
Rule 78: Always sit with your back to the wall, even when there are mirrors you can use.
Rule 79: Think about everything you’ve seen, heard or felt. Work the clues, make connections. However, be wary of false positives.
Rule 80: Never take the elevator.
Rule 81: It is more complicated than you think.
Rule 82: The solution is in the problem.
Rule 83: Fail to Red Team and everything will go according to plan—right up to the point it doesn’t. (Red Team Journal)
Rule 84: If it’s stupid but works, it isn’t stupid.
Rule 85: Don’t play by the rules.
Rule 86: Beware the wrath of a patient adversary. (John C. Calhoun) [Something my opponents should consider.]
Rule 87: Don’t become predictable.
Addition:
Rule 88: Say the Black – Do the Red.
These seem to be a massive expansion on The Rules at Red Team.
And don’t forget The Fat Man’s Laws of the House of God.
UPDATE:
Perhaps a bit more practical.
And don’t forget the Evil Overlord List. I want all readers of the Fishwrap to know that I will use these Rules when my Legions of Terror (aka my readership, Zed-Heads, whatever) are finally victorious and shut down the NSR!
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
A Daily Prayer for Priests
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