Monthly Archives: January 2026

If there was ever a motivation to try to live one’s life in accordance with God’s law – loving Him, meditating daily on His passion and death, seeking the Truth for He IS Truth, honoring His Most Blessed Mother for no man could love her more than He Himself does, staying confessed, and praying minute by minute to remain faithful to Him in one’s state in life… If there was such a motivation it might be this.

I want to see my twin sister again.

I want to learn all about heaven from her.

I want to see all the instances where her prayers prevented me from evil and where they motivated me to good.

I want to say hello to her even though in the confusion of the moment we never said goodbye.

Sunday, February 1st at 2 AM ET marks 44 years since I last saw her. We were four years-old. Our home was engulfed in flames. In His Providence, God saw fit that my guardian angel should direct me into the arms of our older sister. In His Providence, He saw fit to shepherd my twin sister to her eternal reward. And two days later, our six year-old brother. And two days after that our ten year-old brother.

Years later I would read something that Fulton Sheen wrote that put it in perspective.

(Paraphrasing but not much): “Sometimes, the Good Shepherd will remove the littlest lamb(s) from the flock and carry it up to the top of the hill to greener pastures. He does this not because he is spiting the other sheep. He does this so that they will set their gaze on top of the hill and follow.”

May God bless you all and please stay confessed. You know not the day nor the hour.

And please keep two people in your prayers today – my dear mom who endured so much and still continues to share her warmth, love, and deep Catholic faith at the age of 88, who has outlived her husband and three more adult sons; and my sister Susan whom the Holy Ghost used that dark night to save the lives of her younger brothers and sisters. She broke half the bones in her body that night. Without her, these words don’t exist. And without their example, the faith would not live in me.

When your wife whispers after morning Mass, “Can you give us a hand?”

Anything for the parish…

There was a line in an old episode of Kingof the Hill where Hank perfectly sums up so many things. Basically, Bobby has joined a Christian youth megachurch and Hank doesn’t like the way things are going so he confronts the “youth pastor”, a 20-something skateboarder with long hair, tattoos, and an electric guitar. Take a look:

https://youtu.be/oPwaqaOcAyE?si=MzZDh5QX2Hn77yNW

“You’re just making rock and roll worse…”

I was recently talking with a friend about the TSA. Seems this friend didn’t know the history of that agency and how after 9-11 th federal government did what they like to do and federalized a bunch of wageys by giving them blue shirts and the ability to make the average air travelers life a nightmare.

To which, he responded,

“So they didn’t make air travel safer, they just gave aggressive retarded people authority.”

So much better than the Hank Hill line and really sums up a lot (*cough* Roman Curia *cough*).

I’m traveling again. This time an intra-state roadtrip for work. Keep me in your prayers, please.

And then promptly re-froze.

Isn’t geo-engineering great!

Closing out another day of ice storm hell, I decided that if I was to venture anywhere today, it would be to worship Our Lord at Calvary. I went to Mass. And I was not disappointed (like I ever could be!).

My parish typically sees around 100 people for any of the several daily Masses we are blessed to have at our disposal. Side note to all who read this: if you have a TLM on offer to you daily and you can make it there, GO! Dismount soapbox.

Today was a bit different. Due to the ice sheet covering every road like a continuous glacier, I was one of exactly six people not counting Father in the church. So imagine my surprise when Father, finishing the Gospel, removed his maniple and laid it on the Missal. For those not in the know, that is the indication that Father is going to preach. “Really?” I thought. “ He’s going to preach a sermon to six people at a daily Mass?” It’s his prerogative…

Father gave a brief exposition on the life of St. Polycarp. What he said deserves to be heard by all – but especially by men, and most especially by young men who, these days, seem more desirous than ever for more proven men to teach them how to be men.

Polycarp was the last of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church. He was a disciple of St. John the Apostle. Betrayed and turned over to the authorities for being a Christian, he was lead into the arena for his execution. A voice cried down to him from heaven.

“Polycarp, take courage and show thyself a man!”

Magnificent.

God knows exactly what to say and when to say it.

Polycarp straightened up (I can imagine him puffing out his chest at this point as if to say, “Bring it!”), and accepted his death sentence manfully.

A fire was lit to consume his body. Miraculously the fire surrounded and surmounted him but did not touch him. It is written that his body glowed like a warm loaf of bread coming out of the oven – a clear Eucharistic reference. Angered, the soldiers instead stabbed him to death. His blood quenched the flames.

Think about those words. “Take courage and show thyself a man!” Now replace courage with any number of virtues. “Be chaste and show thyself a man!” “Be compassionate and show thyself a man!” Be just. Be pious. Be stouthearted. Be joyful. Show mercy. Be a man and show thyself a man.

In all of life’s struggles, young men (and not so young), live the virile nature God imbued you with and be virile.

God did not create you to cower. God made you to be strong. He made you to protect and to provide.

Clerics, take note too. There’s a reason only men can be priests. The one who stands as Christ must be manly as Christ. there’s a lot going on these days. Take courage. Be manly. Protect those in your care from the wolves, especially when those wolves wear miters.

And to all men – young and old, Father and Daddy, when they kill you for it, let your final act be an imitation of St. Polycarp.

Take courage and show thyself a man!

This, my friends, is a solid mass of ice. Although we made it to Mass on Sunday, it was extremely slow going. We encountered 15 like-minded parishioners.

My truck left not a single impression in the surface, as in. A heavy vehicle didn’t leave a single tire tread.

And now for the sub-arctic air mass!