Dialogue With A Friend

In a pure-hearted effort to be encouraging, a friend shared with me some thoughts as follows:

Someone Greater

There’s a battle happening all around us—a battle for your heart, your mind, and your soul. A battle that’s not only physical, but also spiritual. A battle with literal enemies who impact the seen and unseen world.

John wrote:

“But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”
1 John 4:4 NLT

Yes, we are in a real battle.
Yes, we have a real enemy.
Yes, the kingdom of darkness is constantly fighting against the kingdom of light.

But for those who are trusting in the finished work of Christ, greater is the One living inside of us than the one who is living in this world.

We have a real Savior.
This story isn’t close to over.
The kingdom of darkness will never prevail against the kingdom of light.

Our enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. To pervert, manipulate, and confuse, distract, divide, and disable.

But God is greater than the doubts that clutter your mind, the enemies that frustrate your plans, the heart-wrenching and even soul-crushing situation that’s currently consuming your thoughts.

You can fight from a place of victory because the battle has already been won.

Jesus has already conquered death. And now, while we wait for others to come to salvation and for God to bring all things to completion under Christ’s authority, we can fight with a confident hope.

There’s a battle happening all around us—a battle for your heart, for your mind, for your soul. But greater is the One living inside of you than the one who is living in this world.

The gesture was appreciated, and accepted in the milieu in which it was given. After all, that’s what friends do: They love one another, encourage, and help one another as an expression of that love.

None of that message was alien to me, and there have been seemingly countless times in which I have heard, or read such a message, using those exact terms, phrases, and expressions.

And, as friends do, a response was crafted as follows:

Have you ever heard of the now-defunct comic strip by Walt Kelly called Pogo? It was syndicated from 1948-75, set in Georgia’s portion of the Okefenokee Swamp, and was primarily political satire, but included comedic social commentary, as well.

If not, don’t worry; I’m about to succinctly describe one frame.

The protagonist, a possum, for whom the strip was named, makes a remark saying.

Jesus Christ Is A Bastard

Bastardy is defined as being the offspring (most often as male) of a woman who became pregnant by a man to whom she was not married. It refers to any child born to women not married to the child’s father.

More commonly, it is referred to as a child born out of wedlock. That is, a bastard is any child born to an unmarried woman.

Marriage confers legitimacy. Legitimacy, as the law is concerned, refers to right of inheritance.

In other words, bastardy is characterized by being born to parents whom are not married to each other. It also refers to any child born to a married woman whom is pregnant with, bearing, or having borne or birthed a child fathered by a man who was not her spouse. Those children are also considered bastard.

Simply put, any woman, married or not, who is pregnant by a man whom is not her husband is carrying a bastard child.

Accordingly, the Apostle’s Creed states in part, “Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary…”

The Roman Catholic Church says “I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.”

The account as rendered in the Scripture (Matthew 1:18, 19, 20, 21 – NIV) states that “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Clearly, the account states that Mary, while engaged to be married to Joseph (but not yet married), was pregnant, but NOT by him.

So, there you have it.

Jesus is a bastard.

It’s fairly cut-and-dried.

As far as becoming pregnant or born without sexual union, the term to describe that natural phenomenon is

Merry F’n Christmas… there’s not enough love on the borderline, or anywhere else.

Musicians and artists are the voices of the prophets.

They ARE our prophets.

Their consciences are often our nation’s collective voice of conscience. For many radio stations, the only profit they care about is traded on Wall Street, and their consciences are not tethered to trouble, or pricked by care for others’ problems. Their profit is all that matters, for their god is green and cold, and easily fits into any wallet. It has crowded out natural love in the calculi of their now-inhuman hearts.

And, for one reason, or another, it seems that these days, there are very few voices “crying in the wilderness,” or elsewhere, about social injustice.

But three years ago – in 2015 – musician/artist Chip Taylor wrote a song entitled “Refugee Children.” It should be heard by everyone, though it certainly hasn’t.

Whether one is a believer in the story of the virgin birth, or any god, the basic fundamental element of that ageless story is that a small family with a young pregnant bride were refugees, homeless, with only the clothes on their backs.

Any well-read person, regardless of any religious belief, or not, should be familiar with the story told in

The Mother Of All Role Models

Saint Cyril of Alexandria (c. 374-444) was a scholar, writer and bishop who promoted the use of the title Theotokos (“God-bearer”) for

Love With No Strings Attached

What would it be like to have an “immaculate heart”? Could it be to have a heart that loved unconditionally? When we are honest about it, much of what we call “love” is actually a sort of quid pro quo, a

Thank You, Mother

Pope Francis recently added a memorial to celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as “Mother of the Church” every year on the Monday after Pentecost as a way to

Let It Be

Mary is the mother of the church and the model of all Christians. At the message of an angel, she believed beyond all reason and offered her life in service of God’s plan. Her response, “let it be,” is the answer of every disciple who trusts in God’s word to make all things new. In the season of

Be Present To The Spirit

How did the Virgin Mary come to be a woman “full of grace”? It was her close association with the holy Temple, as today’s feast (Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) reminds us. Although not recorded in the Bible, an early document attributed to the apostle James

Listen To The Queen Of Peace

The origin of today’s memorial goes back to the celebration of the

The Least Of These

Only the “birthdays” of Jesus at Christmas, John the Baptist in June, and the Blessed Virgin Mary today get a special day in the church year, so when a “nativity” comes up, it’s something to notice. Mary’s birth is the dawn of our salvation. And that salvation comes through humble vessels like Mary, who in her Magnificat praises God saying,

A Prayer For One And All

Saturdays are not only the traditional day to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary but also the day of the week to pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, the preeminent “Marian” prayer. In prayerfully meditating on the events of the Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary, the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, the Birth of Jesus, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple, we “weave our intentions, thoughts, imagination, emotions, and desire for

Mary Is Our Model

The Black Madonna of Czestochowa is a Polish icon at least 600 years old and possibly much older. allegedly created by St. Luke himself while Mary told him the story of Jesus’ life, later to be retold as the Gospel of Luke.

 You may be familiar with the 16th-century Litany of Loreto, which gathers wonderful images of Mary such as

Mystical Rose Madonna, by Salvador Dali

Mystical Rose, Tower of Ivory, Ark of the Covenant, Gate of Heaven, and Morning Star. Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century had a similar litany, his “Salutation of the Virgin,” which hails Mary as

Let Others Lift You Up

Some say it’s good to be queen, and in the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Lucy is dismayed to learn she can’t be queen when she grows up. You have to be born one. “If I can’t be a queen,” she says, then “I’ll work and work until I’m very rich and then I will buy myself a queendom.” Good grief! Wrong on both counts. Queen saints became saints by doing

Reform From Within

Love for people innervated John Eudes’ (1601-80) work, who from the beginning, gave of himself. As a young priest he worked among plague victims, and lived alone so as not to risk infecting other members of his religious order. He became a famous preacher and confessor, and in 1641 founded the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge in Caen, Normandya, a community to help women who had

Lifting Up The Lowly

A recent study showed the power of a simple compliment. Telling a proficient sales clerk, “My, you’re good at your job!” or a co-worker, “I appreciate your thoughtfulness” can greatly alter their mood and improve their performance. One man who had

Discover Truths In Sacred Places

Exploring architecture is a great way to grow in your understanding of Catholicism. Not only are there different styles of Catholic church buildings but there are also different classifications. The type of structure you may know best is the parish church, but there are also oratories, crypts, cathedrals, and basilicas. Each has its own particular characteristics. A basilica, for example, signifies a church that has a place of honor because of its historical and religious importance. Look up a church like the Basilica of Mary Major and

Be A Model

Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Virgin Mary

Remember when you first realized that you were becoming like your mother? Or turning out to be just like your father? Kids do tend to grow up to be like their parents. Just like Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anne, were the good ground from which the seed of goodness grew, we can

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Mary Magdalene is often depicted weeping (the English word maudlin, meaning “excessively weepy and sentimental,” is derived from Magdalene). Although in 1969 the Vatican officially separated Mary Magdalene from the sinner in Luke’s gospel, centuries of sermons and Christian art

Pope Benedict XVI shocks Catholic faithful, announces resignation

Peace be with you, Papa, and bless your for your honesty by acknowledging that “…both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”

May your successor be more than four times as strong as you, ten times as wise, a hundredfold more personable than John Paul II.

—

Pope Benedict XVI left a meeting at the Vatican on Monday, February 11, 2013, when he announced he would resign. –
Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Pope Benedict XVI announced he will resign at end of month:

“I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.”

.

Pope Benedict XVI on Monday said he plans on resigning the papal office on February 28th. Below please find his announcement.
Full text of Pope’s declaration

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that

For just one moment… forget about what Jesus would do.

Today was a good day at work.

I cried.

The last time I recollect crying at work was at least 6 or more years ago when a patient of mine – a young black male, who was his mother’s only son – had been murdered, and as I looked into her bloodshot, tired, hollow, intently peering and watery eyes, volumes were communicated though we neither said a word.

I couldn’t bear her gaze, and after what seemed ages, I averted my eyes, and departed behind a nearby curtain in the Trauma ICU to cry. There, my tears flowed like twin rivers, swollen by a storm, albeit an emotional one, which was joined by the two smaller tributaries of my nostrils. Gazing over the city from atop the 11th story of the teaching hospital through tear-drenched eyes, I wondered… was this what dear Mother Mary felt like when she gazed upon her only son as he hung from that cross?

Today, I wept for

Pussy Riot: Now that Putin’s in charge again, the gulags aren’t all that bad!

People everywhere cry for freedom.

Oppression of political speech?

Or something else?

Putin asked the courts to go easy on them.

And yet, cries of ‘six more years’ was not heard after the verdict was rendered.

Either way, Putin‘s gotta’ go.

Reckon Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is turning over in his grave?

—

Russia: Pussy Riot and the investor

August 17, 2012 5:28 pm by Stefan Wagstyl

Members of the all-girl punk rock band Pussy Riot have been recently convicted in Russian court of “hooliganism,” for performing an impromptu song in a Russian Orthodox Church which was critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On the face of it, there would appear to be little reason why foreign investors should worry much about Russia’s Pussy Riot court case.

So what if three young female punks have been jailed for two years, as they were on Friday, for hooliganism after a noisy performance in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral? After all, there are many western countries where such a provocative public display would also result in prosecution.

But that is to misunderstand Russia. In fact, the case should give even the most hard-headed international business people pause for thought.

First,  it’s a reminder – not that we need one – of the heavy-handed arbitrariness of the Russian courts. The three women could have been

A garland of Roses on Valentine’s Day

Good morning, sports fans!

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor, would you be mine? Won’t you be mine? Won’t you please, won’t you please… please won’t you be — my neighbor?

Hello, neighbor!

Who could forget Fred Rogers, the host of PBS’s “Mister Rogers Neighborhood“? A generation of children grew up watching that dear, late gentleman. Even as an adult,

Theology Throwdown

A regular visitor and commenter upon my blog – one whom I also appreciate – recently posted a remark that, “Catholics pray to Mary, and Jesus said, “no man comes to the Father except through me.”

Never mind the fact that that sentence is like a metaphorical mix – or rather, a mixing of one’s metaphors. It’s like asserting that a ‘stitch in time saves a cat’s nine lives,’ or ‘a penny saved is no use crying over spilled milk.’ It’s totally discombobulated.

That remark was prefaced with the statement that

A Letter to My Friend

K,

I thought I’d share a brief note with you about what’s going on in my life.

It’s almost Easter, and I’m almost complete with the RCIA process – Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the process by and through which one becomes Catholic. Everything culminates on Easter. And though at this point