OPEN CARRY WHILE DRIVING It's not always ideal, but some days you may need to squeeze in your spiritual combat training on the way to work. The #rosary is a powerful weapon that, if prayed well, will help you keep your eyes on the narrow road that leads to eternal life. You can't afford not to pray it every day. Ave Maria!

We are given so much mercy in this life. It's ours for the taking. We're responsible for it, for accepting it. What, then, will we appeal to at our judgment if we're found to have died outside of God's friendship? His mercy? No, too late. If we won't take it now, we won't have it then. Today is the day of mercy. Today!

Yesterday's Mass was refreshing, because I was unable to attend my normal parish the last two times due to my schedule. Instead, I had to go to my pre-COVID Novus Ordo parish, where I was treated with: * distracting piano recital before Mass started * girl altar boys * women flooding the sanctuary * plain, minimalist sanctuary * Tabernacle out of sight and ignored * parishioners seated in front of, at sides of, and behind table-altar (the behind folks seated IN the sanctuary) * hand holding * hippie peace signs waved at everyone, even from the young priest * no babies * boomer men in t-shirts, shorts, and sandals * boomer women with lesbian haircuts * nonstop music from musicians up front * homily composed of humorous anecdotes * before Communion, music team belting out song "Sacred Silence" (of which I desired) * applause at the end of Mass * plenty of post-Mass chatter Mass doesn't have to be cringe. Find a good parish to nourish your heart and soul. To me it's worth the hour drive.

Bird feeders are one small way to bring a little fun into one's life. A nice Sunday morning.

WARNING: Be advised this post contains sexual content. Not meant to trigger anyone. === I heard a lot of misunderstandings of Catholic morality (Natural Law, actually) on Jason Whitlock's podcast recently. I want to help clear things up. HERE'S WHAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHES ABOUT SEX: Sex is meant for men and women in marriage (which is why it's called the "marital act"). Intentionally achieving climax with the hand, the beginning or end of one's digestive tract, or by any other means is wrong. It should happen in the context of "regular sex"; which is to say, the kind of union that is open to reproduction. Other forms of sexual releases are inappropriate substitutes; they are sinful. Why? REMEMBER THAT THE NATURAL EFFECTS OF SEX are twofold: bonding and babies (or love and life). The obvious purpose of sex is reproduction, but not to the exclusion of the pleasurable bonding between man and wife. The problem comes when doing the act while intentionally cutting out one of those two ends. That's why rape is wrong. That's why adultery is wrong. That's why porn is wrong. That's why homosexual acts and bestiality are wrong. And -- it's why contraception is wrong. What about old or otherwise infertile people? It's not wrong for an infertile married couple to engage in sexual relations. Even the youngest, healthiest couples are fertile only for a few days a month, but that fact of nature doesn't make it wrong to act as man and wife throughout the month (it's how God made us). It is only wrong when they engage in sexual acts that by nature render conception impossible (or has that intent). Married couples should have lots of sex and be generous with life. If for some very serious reason they desire to avoid conception, the couple can always agree upon periodic abstinence. It doesn't need to be six months at a time, or in perpetuity. With the help of science, the couple can practice "Natural Family Planning," which, if followed carefully, can be quite precise in letting you know when conception is not on the table. That's most of the month actually, so it's not like you're missing out that much. Close the door and have at it. If it gets to be too difficult to wait during the fertile times, then you can talk and decide how "serious" this reason really is to avoid conception. Maybe you'll both change your mind. But what's unacceptable is to perform sterile acts of selfish gratification on each other in order to avoid pregnancy and to get one's rocks off. That's not love, even if in the heat of the moment you wish it to be. For any Protestants who say all this is not "biblical," they should provide us with "biblical" proof or positive examples of masturbation, oral/anal "sex," or barrier or withdrawal methods. I'll wait. Even married couples are capable of sexual sin. There's no "anything goes" clause in marriage. Before saying all this is too rigid, or unfair, or too hard -- remember that we indeed live in a hypersexualized society. When we think we "deserve" sexual release any time we want, any way we want, we need to rethink our priorities, our lives. It's not the Christian Church, but the world that says "gay marriage" is fine, chopping off our body parts is fine, bondage and whips and other weird, creepy sex stuff is fine. We should live in a holy manner even when it's difficult. Trust God. He knows it's not easy. We have to put on the whole armor of God so we can stand in the evil day. Love your spouse.

We are supposed to be lights in the world, Christian examples to others, to help, to be available, to inspire them to more perfectly follow Christ. Is it so strange, then, that we as Catholics look to the holy Christian saints of old who lived before us? They can help us. They are available to us. They inspire us. They are our examples. It's not idolatry. It's called the Communion of Saints. Death does not separate us.

As Christians, it's true we believe we are not obliged to keep the Law. But don't misunderstand. We don't mean it's okay to sin, or that serious, sufficiently understood, freely committed, and unrepented-of sin won't exclude us from salvation. We just mean we don't observe the "Mosaic" aspect of the Law as practiced by ancient Israel (such as ritual circumcision, clean and unclean laws, or Israel's annual festivals). Clearly that's different from moral laws that predate and surpass the Mosaic covenant, and that apply to all people regardless of nationality or what century we're in. So yes, it's okay to work the Saturday shift and eat shrimp, but it's not okay to murder or commit adultery. It's not hard to understand. If you don't see the distinction, dig deeper. Make sure you aren't just being obstinate. #COG #sabbath #uncleanmeats

Markdown formatting works well when composing at habla.news . Have you tried that site for blogging? It works for me.

"Then [Jesus] said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home" (John 19:27). If you want to be a disciple, you should do the same: Take Mary into your home, your heart. Jesus gave her to us as our Queen Mother.

Everyone, without exception, will go through four of the "Last Five Things": (1) Death (2) Judgment (3) Heaven (4) Hell (5) Loss of any and all crypto Live this life accordingly.

The Word did not stop being God and turn into a man instead. Rather, he remained God and acquired or assumed to himself a human nature, which is to say, a human body and soul. He didn't change into something else, but added to himself. That's an important distinction to make. If we insist that God stopped being God when he became a man, then we reject the truth that he is the great "I AM." Instead we make him out to be the "I USED TO BE." If that were the case, he wouldn't have been truly God from the start -- just like using a pencil eraser to erase permanent ink would mean it wasn't really permanent ink to begin with.