The Lady in the Pew

Popes Pius XII and John Paul II declared venerable!

2009-12-19T10:22:00.000-08:00

A wonderful Christmas present from The Holy Spirit!

Voters' remorse and other wackiness from Boston Globe letter writers

2009-12-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

From today's Boston Globe Magazine, excerpts from letters on last week's articles on the anguish of in vitro fertilization parents, and on regarding the president's "loss of poetry"...

"A Nonissue"

Let me assure you “The Maybe-Baby Dilemma” (November 22) doesn’t exist. It’s disingenuous for couples taking such extreme measures to procreate to turn around and agonize over the fate of a leftover embryo....We’re talking about a few frozen cells. A potential life, true. But not truly a life until nine months of gestation and several years of nurturing, love, feeding -- the labors of love all parents do for their kids. By themselves, a few cells don’t mean nearly as much.

Charles Reitzel

Mr. Reitzel, in his own words, not only doesn't believe life begins at conception, but evidently believes a "true" life takes "several years of nurturing, love, feeding"... after birth! What's next? Life begins at first grade? Upon high school graduation?

"Missing the Magic"

Neil Swidey’s “Where’s the Poetry, Mr. President?” (Perspective, November 22) gives voice to something many have perhaps been feeling -- the unsettling sense of the political mundane that’s been creeping into the Barack Obama show. What Swidey doesn’t mention, though, is the Obama administration’s insistence that the president appear incessantly, making comments, giving speeches, and doing interviews. This over-accessibility is watering down the product, preventing its refinement, and making it seem boring when it is not. The Obama strategists should take a lesson from Colonel Tom Parker, who understood that by keeping the supply of Elvis a little behind demand, the demand was always there.

Mark Rast

Mr. Rast: he's the president, not an oldie rock and roller. (I think.) In any case, why throw the advisers under the bus? Could it be that the president -- not his administration, but the president himself -- likes incessant appearances? (Colonel Tom Parker, huh?)

Where is the substance we thought would come with President Obama’s election? That’s more worrying than the lack of sound bites. I was excited for his “Conversation on Race,” but after his great speech, that conversation never materialized. I fear this presidency was built on words spoken and written prior to his inauguration and that the rest of the term will be in the hands of the machine behind the man.

Everitt Speros

Another one blaming the background guys rather than facing what might be the truth...that the "substance we thought would come with" the election is as substantive as the Emperor's New Clothes.

I’ve been an ardent Obama supporter and moved to tears by some of his speeches. This year, however, almost from his inauguration, I’ve felt something is missing. Swidey’s article hit the nail on the head. The poetry has gone out of his speeches and a dull prose has taken its place. I worry he’s not what I thought he was. I take issue with his economic team, with his possible escalation of war, and his anemic backing of those who were his most ardent supporters. He downright waffled on what he said was the most important aspect of health care -- the public options. Barack Obama seemed to go silent just when our liberal causes needed him to be the most vociferous. Where is he? I don’t know.

Natalie Rosen

Ms. Rosen? I'll tell you where he is...right where you put him. The term "poetic justice" comes to mind.

Somewhat to my surprise, I was disappointed in Obama’s inaugural address. I took the day off in January 1961 and was transfixed by John F. Kennedy on that cold snowy day. Perhaps I anticipated something on that level this year. It did not come. It was at least partly his speechmaking that drew me to Obama: At last, a president who could put together two consecutive complete sentences! But he has disappeared. Bring him back!

Ruth L. Kaplan

My dear Ms. Kaplan: he has not disappeared. He's here. Because o' you and the folks who put him into office, we're stuck with him. But cheer up! You can deal with it! Remember that "speechmaking" that first drew you to him, look in the mirror and repeat after him: "Yes I Can!"

Dockers: An ad I wish I wrote

2009-12-10T18:15:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time, men wore the pants, and wore them well. Women rarely had to open doors and little old ladies never crossed the street alone. Men took charge because that's what they do. But somewhere along the way, the world decided it no longer needed men, disco by disco, latte by foamy non-fat latte, men were stripped of their khakis and left stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny. But today, there are questions our genderless society has no answers for. The world sits idly by as cities crumble, children misbehave, and those little old ladies remain on one side of the street. For the first time since bad guys, we need heroes. We need grown-ups. We need men to put down the plastic fork, step away from the salad bar and untie the world from the tracks of complacency. It's time to get your hands dirty. It's time to answer the call of manhood. It's time to WEAR THE PANTS.

(c) Dockers

Contemplating a Christmas gift list for priests...

2009-12-03T18:23:00.000-08:00

...that is, for any priest who would love to give me a gift for Christmas.

Heading the list is a simple mantra, one that Father Z has popularized, but in any case one I—and I pray most Mass-goers—hold dear:

READ THE BLACK. DO THE RED.

Starting out with a simple "good morning"....

...or "good afternoon" or "good evening" or "how the heck are ya"—why do so many celebrants think this is so necessary? So much necessary that it precedes the Entrance Antiphon, the Sign of the Cross, and one form or another of the most beautiful of greetings: "The Lord be with you"?

You might say this is no big deal and perhaps you're right. But I think it is the beginning of the slippery slope that shines the spotlight on the celebrant, rather than Whom he is acting for.

Besides, it's the first thing that happens at Mass that sets my teeth on edge, and this being my blog, there you are.

More, God willing, later. Meanwhile, if you want to add your own gripes, feel free.

Remember though, to pray for our priests...and to thank Our Father for giving them to us, and to ask for more, in Jesus' Name.

Thanks!

Missing Vocations? Help find them.

2009-11-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

The Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations helps men and women follow God's call to service in the Church through a life of consecration.

How? By offering grants that eliminate the delay many young people face as they struggle to pay off their student debts. These grants cover a candidate's student loan payments while he or she is in formation for either religious life or the priesthood.

From the Mater Ecclesiae website, some good news:

We are helping 50 men and women follow their vocations (and have helped another 21 to try their vocations), and each year we must raise the money necessary to make their student loan payments. These men and women are learning to become priests, monks and brothers, and nuns and sisters and pray each day for you, for the Church and for the world.

And some bad news:

The truly awful news is that we have had to turn away 58 young people who wanted to offer their lives to Christ, but could not because of their student debt! Will the Church lose these vocations?

She won't if you help. First, pray.

This video dramatizes the plight these good folks—and potential servants of The Church—are facing. Watch it, and pray. Visit the Mater Ecclesiae website to find out more about their work. And, if you can help in a monetary way (or know someone who can), all the better!

Thank you. You will not go unrewarded.

ACORN, "provided to," and the justice department

2009-11-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

The NYT tells us:

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has concluded that the Obama administration can lawfully pay the community group ACORN for services provided under contracts signed before Congress banned the government from providing money to the group.

The weird thing is that President Obama signed a law including this:

"No taxpayer money—including money authorized by previous legislation—could be provided to Acorn or its affiliates."

Seems the phrase "provided to" is...ambiguous.

David Barron, the acting assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel said he had based his conclusion on the statute’s phrase “provided to.” This phrase, he said, has no clearly defined meaning in the realm of government spending — unlike words like “obligate” and “expend.”

Evidently, Mr. Barron consulted his dictionary and thesaurus to come to his decision. Somebody outta show him how to use these tools. To say nothing of explaining what a preposition is.

(By the way, regarding "is"...Is there a definitive definition of what the word "is" is?)

"Sarah's Choice" -- a movie I'm looking forward to

2009-11-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

Synopsis - Sarah's Choice

A blessed Christ the King to you!

2009-11-21T18:50:00.001-08:00

Have some fun with Nestle's Crunch! :-)

2009-11-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, let's have some fun.

Call the Nestle's Crunch Hotline at 1-800-295-0051. When you are asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, just wait quietly for about 10 seconds and you will smile. Promise! (If you comment on this status after listening, don't give away the surprise...) Keep going and press 4...it gets even better.

(H/T to Marika)

AP goes rogue with the facts * Bettnet.com

2009-11-17T18:45:00.001-08:00

AP goes rogue with the facts * Bettnet.com

Dom has an interesting blog on the supposed "fact checks" on Sarah Palin's new book.

Listecki for Milwaukee!

2009-11-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

Archbishop Jerome Listecki has been chosen by the Holy Father to succeed Archbishop Timothy Dolan as chief pastor of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Here's a bit o' what I know about His Excellency, and it looks good!

Prayers for my Milwaukee brethren and their new pastor. Our Lady, Mother of the Church, pray for us, and for your Son's priests!

Blood Money

2009-11-13T18:16:00.000-08:00

To learn more about this film, go here.

You keep telling yourself that Fort Hood wasn't a terrorist attack.

2009-11-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

Incredibly enough, the headline o' this NYT story has nothing to do with the terrorist's -- excuse me, alleged -- what? -- is it okay to say "murderer?" -- but the, um, person's attorney's opinion regarding his health.

Fort Hood: the 103,335,629th reason I love George W. Bush...

2009-11-12T18:55:00.000-08:00

And this would be the 103,335,630th

And the stupid liturgical award o' the week...

2009-11-11T18:22:00.001-08:00

...goes to the celebrant who, although steadfastly refusing to participate in the purification rite during the Offertory (again I ask...what in Heaven's name is the symbolism we uninformed laity are supposed to get from this omission?) elaborately cleansed his hands, wrists and, indeed, forearms with a portable hand sanitizer before distributing the Blessed Sacrament.

No urban myth...I was there.

Health care, China, and connecting the dots

2009-11-11T17:54:00.000-08:00

From today's New York Times:

Now, Chinese and foreign health officials say that some of those contested measures — more easily adopted by an authoritarian state — may have helped slow the spread of the disease in the world’s most populous country. China has not had to cope with a crush of cases, and it began administering a vaccine for swine flu in early September, the first country to do so.

Yay, China!

I guess my question is pretty simple: why couldn't those measures to help slow or eliminate the spread of swine flu been left to free enterprise — not The Government?

My opinion is not changing. Expect more —and more blatant — accolades to "solutions" offered by "authoritarian" states. Expect more — and more blatant — suggestions that Big Government will solve all our problems.

Expect the worse, in so far as this country is concerned.

(On the other hand, my hoped-for citizenship — and I pray this is the same for you — is not of this world at all. Given that, expect the best.)

Tuesday rant: health care, terrorism, and Obama

2009-11-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

Howdy,

Forgive me, but I'm feeling a tad ticked off. Why? Because I'm growing weary of living in Alice's Wonderland.

Here's the facts:

Last Thursday, 14 people were massacred at Fort Hood, which is an American defense post in Texas. (We keep hearing "13" but that's BS. One murdered woman was carrying an unborn baby. So we're talking 14.)

42 people were wounded.

The "alleged" perpetrator is a fellow named Nidal Malik Hasan.

This was a terrorist attack on American soil -- on an American Army base! -- and I don't give a bleep whether the terrorist's name is Hasan or Maloney. We're talking no brainers, here, friends.

And it happened on Obama's watch.

Remember the swine flu? It hasn't gone away. You enter "swine flu" into Google and guess where you're taken? Directly to the government-run CDC. This stands for "Center for Disease Control" but so far the government hasn't done much in controlling the disease.

My niece is a physician. She got the disease a couple of weeks ago.

I work part time with hospital patients undergoing bone marrow transplants.

Neither one of us have been vaccinated. Have you? I thought not.

And yet this country is actually considering the notion of putting health care in charge of the federal government!!! Are you kidding me???

Folks, it's time to wake up. Under the Obama watch, this country has been attacked on her own soil by a terrorist. Under the Obama watch, this country has been deprived of a vaccine to prevent what we've been told is a deadly disease.

Under the Obama watch, we've seen more "czars" -- people with enormous power who need not undergo any congressional approval or even investigation -- than pre-revolutionary Russia had ever seen.

Do we pray for the terrorist? Of course we do. Do we pray for Obama? Of course we do.

Do we just sit back and let this bleep happen?

You decide. I've already decided.

While President Obama is fit -- and evidently more than eager -- to be an emperor, emperor status is not afforded under the United States Constitution.

He should be impeached and removed from office.

I'm Kelly Thatcher and I so approve of this message.

Keeping the lines of Communication open

2009-11-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

All Souls' Day is not the only day to pray for the Church Suffering, but it's a good start if you've been remiss in doing so. Do it every day.

Yesterday, All Saints' Day, wasn't the only day to ask the Church Triumphant for prayers, but it's a good start if you've been remiss in doing so. Ask for their intercessions every day.

The Communion of Saints: still another gift from God Who is Love!

We pray for our brothers and sisters in Purgatory because it pleases God. And they pray for us because it pleases God and gives them joy to do so. And because they love us. We must love them in return because it pleases God and so therefore should give us joy to do so.

The saints in Heaven pray for us because it pleases God and because they love us.

All of this love emanates from the One Who is Love!

May His Kingdom come!

Planned Parenthood Director Leaves, Has Change of Heart

2009-11-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

Planned Parenthood Director Leaves, Has Change of Heart

For those who generally make it to Mass on time...

2009-10-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

...please turn your clocks back one hour -- might as well do it now -- and enjoy an extra hour o' sleep tonight.

For those who generally saunter in just after the Offertory? Kindly ignore this post.

This has been a pubic service announcement from the Lady in the Pew. I'm Kelly Thatcher and I approve o' this message.

Have you contacted your congressman yet?

2009-10-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

Great post, and an informative one, from Unborn Word of the Day.

Attention St. Jude fans: he doesn't need a "magician's assistant"

2009-10-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

It happened again this evening. As I was leaving Saint Clement's Shrine after a visit with Jesus, I spotted a stack of xeroxed sheets labeled "Miraculous Prayer to Saint Jude." Sighing, I glanced at them and, sure enough, there was a lovely prayer to the Saint of Hopeless and Desperate Cases...and a not so lovely instruction:

"Make 90 copies of this prayer and distribute 10 each to 9 different churches immediately...you will surely get your wish, guaranteed!"

Or some such drivel.

As usual, I tossed them in the trash. Where such garbage belongs.

I happen to consider Saint Jude a very good friend.

And as such, it pains me to see him used as a baal.

It is a good thing to ask for this good saint's intercession, particularly in situations which seem hopeless.

It is a bad thing to think that he's a magician.

It's a terrible thing to think that one can manipulate what is, after all, God's domain.

If you are facing what appears to be a hopeless or desperate situation, three things:

1) You're not, really. You're just facing a situation that you, personally, can't see how to handle.

2) This is a good reason to ask Saint Jude to intercede on your behalf. Let him do it. Don't muck it up by adding your own brand o' witchcraft to the mix.

3) Remember that you're asking the good saint to pray for you! You're not asking him to wave a magic wand (he doesn't own one) and you're not helping matters by spreading idolatry around.

Okay? Thank you. When I approach Saint Jude, I often ask him to pray for folks who misuse his love this way.

Because sometimes it seems like a hopeless cause.

Maybe Barack doesn't totally own the MSM after all?

2009-10-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

Short, but incredibly sweet article.

Abortion, health care reform, and the Dem's insisistence on the "status quo" blown apart by Charmaine Yoest

2009-10-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Pope to allow Anglican communities to join The Church!

2009-10-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Very, very cool news!