Bravest Thing (He Ever Did)

St. Theresa of Avila once said that “behind each priest, there is a demon fighting for his fall.” Indeed, the Catholic priesthood is at the forefront in the battle for souls, and thus priests are particularly scorned by demons. Undeniably, there are many ways for the Enemy to strike at the Catholic priesthood, and thus scatter the flock. Attacks on the priesthood come from the outside secular realm. For instance, physical assaults, like the knife attack on a priest recently at St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, are possible, if not increasingly probable. Non-violent, more conceptual, exterior attacks against the priesthood arise from a plethora of modes and maddened hostility; an example being a recent music video by Miley Cyrus with clerics ogling female exotic dancers. It is undeniable that the sickened outside secular “culture” has long targeted the priesthood. Attacks on the priesthood come from within the Church as well. An infiltration of the Catholic priesthood, as rec...

The purpose of this post is not to take shots at the perturbed Fr. Larry Richards, who wrote a book titled Be a Man . Though I do write this with a mind towards those who insist we are "an Easter people" without any real inclination of what that entails, nor the path one must trod to live as such. Rather, let us simply look to Christ to find out what a real man, especially a husband and father, is. Jesus was laid on a cross. His arms were most likely dislocated as the Roman soldiers stretched them into place. His hands and feet were then nailed to, as St. Alphonsus Ligouri calls, "this infamous gibbet." Hands are rather delicate, and contain some of the most sensitive nerves in the body. These nerves pass through the wrist. The Romans knew this, and knew how to puncture the palms, into the main core of nerves near the wrist, when crucifying a man. It is said that the burst of pain from this puncture is comparable to a woman giving birth. It is also sa...

Every morning at school I make a brain teaser for my students. Seeing as I teach at a public school, I never get the opportunity to create Catholic brain teasers. And so, here are some Catholic brain teasers I made. They concern all things Catholic. 1) Hint: Mystery of the Rosary 2) Hint: Sacrament 3) 4) Density x Volume 5) Hint: Mass apparel 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) Answers: 1) Crown of Thorns     (Thorin from the Hobbit) 2) Penance 3) Apollinarius Creed 4) Mass    (Density x Volume = Mass) 5) Stole 6) Holy Water 7) St. Thomas Aquinas    (Dumb Ox) 8) Easter 9) Pew 10) Bible (Bye, Bull)

A guilty pleasure of mine is that I love a good hockey fight. I will blame this barbaric inclination for fisticuffs on my Saskatchewan blood. I particularly enjoy the eruption of an all-out hockey brawl. Gloves fly; all skaters grab a "dance partner"; the teams respectfully work through their animosities. Perhaps this is not the saintly way to solve a disagreement, though I counter that Pope Francis' synods and summits would be far more productive handled the hockey way. Well it is certain that Holy Mother Church has an epic brawl on her hands. Modernists and faithful Catholics are aggressively fighting for the very future of the Church. Yet as the gloves fly off, a most surreal scene is unfolding: traditional Catholics are battling one another in these blessed fisticuffs. That is, many are deliberately squaring off against their own teammates. It is perplexing, and cause for great shame. Of particular concern is the rancor, often seen...

Unfortunately it was just a little too much to handle. I speak of homeschooling. After three years of homeschooling our oldest child Joseph, our family is worn out and simply cannot go on like this.  Starting after Easter we will be sending Joseph (age 7) to the public school where I teach. Thankfully I know his soon-to-be teacher, and can confirm that the class has already completed their units on Native Spirituality, Yoga, Diversity in Family Life, and Caring for Mother Earth. Thus it should be smooth sailing for Joseph from now until the end of June, apart from one small unit titled Pink Shirts. Of course we will supplement Joseph's education at home. I'll be sure to teach him some math at night, and how to write properly (sometimes these skills are not emphasized in schools). I might even have him read from books as well, for he will surely be tired of reading only from Ipads at school (though I think he will come to enjoy, and even crave, having that Ipad in his h...