Re-post: Gifts on St. Nicholas Day?

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December 6th is the Feast of St. Nicholas. Once upon a time we used to do wholesome things to honour this great saint, such as punch heretics. But now? Some try and make the day as though it were Christmas. Please read my post from last year... Gifts for St. Nicholas Day?

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Some Concerns with the Exodus 90 Program

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An update of my thoughts on Exodus 90 can be found HERE . Exodus 90 is underway for many Catholic men. It is an intense 90 day program based on prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. For 90 days these men will take cold showers, abstain from alcohol and most media, fast twice per week, give up snacks and desserts, along with various other spiritual tasks. I applaud such a penitential spirit. The inevitable…. HOWEVER… However, I do have two concerns about Exodus 90 which could use some explaining. 1: Sundays The Church already has a wise, if not perfect, system of fasting and feasting. Catholics are encouraged to do penance on Wednesdays and Fridays (some add in Saturdays as well). In addition, there are specific periods of penance (Lent, Advent, Ember Days). Feasting occurs on Sundays as well as on major Feast Days and Solemnities (e.g. the Assumption of Mary). There is a built in balance to life. My problem with Exodus 90 is that, from what I hear, Sundays and F...
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  There is always a certain amount of fear and trembling when I begin writing a piece on a somewhat unfamiliar subject. Perhaps all that will be demonstrated here is my ignorance and incompetence. To which I suppose my wife would reply: “You’d think you’d be used to that by now.” But I write this piece simply for the fact that Catholic trends, even good ones, need sober reflection and refinement. I  refer to the Exodus 90 program. [i] Earlier in 2020 – simpler times to be sure - I listened with interest to a podcast on Exodus 90. In it I heard that this program, which was founded in 2013, is an intense 90 day program based on prayer, asceticism, and fraternity. For 90 days men take cold showers, abstain from alcohol and most media, fast twice per week, give up snacks and desserts, meet weekly with a small group of participants, exercise regularly, all the while following a regimented prayer schedule. I applaud such a penitential spirit (though it seems that cold showers ...
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I thought Covid would have killed it. It should have, as an act of mercy. Better to die living than live dying, or however hippies put it. I do not speak of Anthony Fauci’s career but of a rural Saskatchewan parish a mere thirty minutes from my home. A Catholic parish that remains open to this day, though how or why I cannot say. I recently attended Sunday Mass there with my wife and five children. We had to stop in before traveling onward to visit relatives. This small church is the sister parish of our usual hometown parish and, therefore, is serviced by the same young priest. It seemed low risk.  The air had a crisp autumn chill as we pulled into the low-key town with an official population of about 500 . We bumped along the pothole minefield known as Main Street—thanks local politicians—past the 50 Shades of Green Cannabis shop—thanks Trudeau—towards the tired, rundown-looking church—thanks Vatican II . The parking area, a patch of yellowing grass that serves as a parkin...
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Urgent! End of the World Eclipse Coming Next Week!

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Last week I was flipping through YouTube looking for something edifying to watch. It was Holy Week, and so I thought a spiritually uplifting talk was in order. Something to inspire. Something to bring peace. Boy did God have other plans for me! Instead, what popped up in my feed was an interview by U.S. Grace Force. This is Fr. Heilman and Doug Barry's YouTube channel. In this video they were interviewing Daniel O'Connor about an upcoming solar eclipse. What they said shocked me to the core. There is an eclipse coming April 8th. It will hit hardest around Texas. More importantly, it will plunge several towns named Ninevah into total darkness. It's so perfect I can hardly believe it all. But wait, there's more. As if to add rocket fuel to the fire, there has been a private revelation recently released regarding this event. This private revelation concerns a place in...wait for it... Texas!  The Sanctus Ranch. A holy name for a holy place, no doubt. Well, the long and sho...
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