My thoughts at the end of this mid-week night are all over the map, friends. Bear with me. I promise you’ll enjoy the round-up (even if there isn’t any actual DDT).
Nancy and Frankie
Nancy took Communion at the Vatican. Exactly. She “took” Communion in the same way a thief takes your jewels. Her bishop ordered her not to present herself for Communion. She said she didn’t care. She jetted off to Rome on our dime despite her net worth being in the way-up-there-millions. She met with Antipope Bergoglio. He apparently blessed her which has as much worth as my own blessing but less so. She then “got in the line” and “took Communion”. She is a foul, festering, and atrocious bitch. There is no other word. You were thinking the same thing. We’re moving on.
Even the Saint of the Impossible is rolling her eyes at these headlines…“The Gift of the Rose” stained glass from the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia, Philadelphia
New Apostolic Letter, Same Old Garbage
Antipope Bergoglio issued some kind of apostolic letter today. I think it was called Desilu Studios or something like that. Trying to sift through the nonsense. It’s like trying to read through the end paper of a group project foisted upon a cohort of graduate students in a program in Education. Yes, friends, yours truly had to slog through that too thanks to the ridiculous MS in Educational Administration I had to get along the way. Here’s a hint. It’s like reading an 8th grade book report from the kids who didn’t read the book. I’ll summarize it so far. If you are Catholic, as in you believe everything handed down to you from the apostles and worship Our Lord in the Mass of Angels and Saints, then apparently you’ve got some problems. They may be psychological. They may be physical. We really don’t know. But you had better get on board soon. They’re really tired of having to play “good cop/bad cop” over there at Casa Sancta Marta. If you didn’t flip for them a year ago with Traditiones Custodes, maybe the kinder, gentler version will help you conform.
Boys Will be Trad Men
I wandered into my family room this afternoon to something I thought I’d never see. My teenage son and two of his friends were on the couch watching a YouTube video called “Novus Ordo Cringe Compilation vol. 3” I seriously love these young men. There is hope that we’re raising tomorrow’s men right.
The heat broke temporarily here in Texas. Last night the collapsing remnants of a cold front dropped the temperature from 103° to 74° in a matter of thirty minutes. This is Texas, after all. So it seems that our sufferings do come to an end, albeit for a short period only. The hundreds are roaring back in the next few days.
I mention the weather because it has shaped me over these past eleven years of my life living in the Lone Star State. I recently watched Hillbilly Elegy, the autobiographical story of JD Vance. In one of the opening scenes, an old woman sits on her porch, toothlessly mouthing the word “Amen” while listening to what I imagine is a Billy Graham sermon wafting from her radio. I still have most of my own teeth. Swap out trad YouTube videos and stick a gin in my hand and I could be that old woman. It’s the weather. It’s too hot to do much else.
The Fetal Kind
In the course of my day of “research” I came across several news items. They all focused on the supposed rage felt by the child-sacrificing Molochian class in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision last week. Would you believe that, among other things, these woketard monsters are furious that states would even consider passing legislation to outlaw baby murder but not make a provision for a case involving a child with “severe fetal abnormalities”?! The horror!
Let’s cut right to the chase.
What they are arguing is that a child who isn’t “perfect” should be slaughtered.
One of my sisters gave birth to a baby girl about 14 years ago. The baby was diagnosed with anencephaly midway through the pregnancy. She lived five beautiful days on this earth. She was baptized. She was perfect. In no universe would any mother or father in their right mind have wanted her dead.
We cannot engage with these people. Someone so vile as to argue for the murder of a child because “Oh my goodness! She isn’t perfect”… That person lacks any intellectual capacity and is likely a sociopath. Pray for that person, yes, but have nothing to do with him.
The Papal Kind
Then there is the matter of a certain Italian-Argentine and his (and his cohort of groupie bishops) refusal to comment (or to comment directly) on Dobbs. Look, it’s not my fault you weren’t cast in the lead role of Evita but don’t take out your troubles on the rest of us.
Under English Common Law, there is a maxim that states “Silence is assent.” And so instead of statements that what the Court just handed down is a good thing because it advances the cause of saving babies and thus saving souls, we get more tired seamless garment crap – heavy of the social justice nonsense and completely silent on what counts.
I’m terribly sorry to have to point this out to some of Your Eminences and Excellencies but… I can be grateful that the slaughter of children for the sake of convenience will grind to a halt in half the country without also getting my rochet in a ring because “we’re still executing wanton criminals!” They do not now nor will they ever equate. This is called Catholic teaching. If you had taken your nose out of Gustavo Gutierrez’s rear end when you were in seminary, you’d know that.
Believe me. I was in seminary. South American Marxist “theology” was our course work. Rather than studying De Deo Uno or Liguori, we read Beth Johnson’s classic She Who Is. It’s a classic alright. A classic piece of garbage. And Latin? Heh! No sir, we never touched the stuff. But Pastoral Spanish I and II were required.
I have such PTSD from my seminary days I’m adopting this ditty from a 1970’s hymnal as my anthem.
All things being equal, I haven’t heard anything from the pope about recent news. His Holiness Benedict XVI, although still wearing white, giving Apostolic Blessings under his own name and hand, and also being the actual pope, has also remained silent.
Perhaps we will suffer longer under the sweltering mess of this situation. Or perhaps as the Texas weather has shown me, it might all just break one day.
I saw a report earlier that, thanks to Megyn Kelly’s freakout about a “Cardinal or bishop or something” loitering around the Vatican, Newsweek or some other such moribund periodical is pushing for a Pope Tagle.
No, you’re not doing it right. Stop it!
This would be a worse disaster than when the US Navy hired the Village People to record a recruitment video. “In the navy, yes you can sail the seven seas, in the navy…” Dammit it’s stuck in my head now!!!
Seriously, friends… I worked in that industry (broadcast news) for a few years. Take it from me. If it bleeds out of its whatever, it leads – to mash up a Trumpian phrase with an old news maxim.
Listen to what she said and how she said it.
“Inside the Vatican, moments ago, we saw a ton of cardinals, which our guide tells us is highly unusual.”
Highly unusual? You can’t swing a dead cat by its tail in the Vatican without seeing “a ton of cardinals”.
I’m not even getting into her truly retarded “reporting” that a “priest or a bishop or someone came into the Sistine Chapel and gave a blessing” and that this, too, is “highly unusual”.
Let’s review a few things.
1.) Bergoglio will not resign. He’s a Peronist. He’s a diabolical narcissist. He’s holding onto this as long as he can.
2.) Even if he did “resign”, he’s not the pope so it will mean nothing more than another faux-conclave while the one and only Vicar of Christ on earth, Pope Benedict XVI continues to reign whether he likes it or not.
3.) Megyn Kelly… She gets Harvey’s Gold Star for Dummies for the day!
Good job, Megyn!
I’m going to leave that one there as I’m headed out to Adoration. I was going to say “Megan Kelly is a twit,” but thought better of it. Our Lord is waiting for me and my son to keep Him company, to console Him, and to ask Him for our hearts’ desires. That thought gives me chills.
“Pope Francis spoke on Friday about the importance of scrutinizing candidates for the priesthood to ensure that the men who reach ordination are well-formed and mature.”
Between the years 1996 and 2001 I was a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Newark.
‘Nuff said.
Well, not quite. I will be working on a piece or two recounting my time in seminary by way of trying to help the reader understand the current state of priestly formation, or malformation as the case may be. Even better, I hope to be able to help the reader know how our current priests came into the priesthood – what kinds of things were taught or withheld, what spiritual formation was given, what the subcultures were like. I can tell you that every seminarian in my house of formation was indeed scrutinized, though not necessarily in a laudatory manner.
Speaking of Newark, does anyone know where McCarrick is these days? His boy McElroy is going to get one of those nifty red hats. Ooh, I have an idea. Let’s play a game. It’s called “Insult My Intelligence”. Here’s how it works. I make the perfectly logical connections and state the obvious that, even in his early 90’s Teddy is still kind of calling the shots in the American Church and you tell me that’s crazy! But you have to promise to say it like Rod Roddy. Anyway, last I heard he was still living on Church property. He was still being, in some way, supported by the Church. I wonder why that is. Why is it a man with his kind of money – keep in mind he was besties with Leona Helmsley and the entire Hilton family – needs remuneration from the Church? Speaking of which, I’ll never forget the time I saw Leona entering the rectory of the Cathedral Basilica for a dinner date with Teddy. I heard some stories afterwards. That’s called a tease because I want you to keep reading (and even to subscribe).
Friends, these are just this trad dad’s musings on a Friday night. It’s been a long week. I hope yours was blessed. I hope you had opportunities to spend time with your families and to meditate on the Passion. I hope you enjoyed the few words scattered on these pages. I’ll leave you with one final thought.
I wonder if we could ever get the Archbishop of San Antonio to say the line: “Rich, Corinthian leather…” If you get it, you get it.
Today Our Lord and St. Francis de Sales have presented me with several topics about which to muse. So let’s gooooooo, as the kids say. Who am I kidding? I say it too.
Topic #1: Francis celebrates world no tobacco day (or whatever it’s called)
I am informed that Bergoglio recently “celebrated” World Anti-smoking Day or similar. So here’s a tale for you. Those who know me have heard this story before. I was just shy of my 18th birthday when I started smoking. Ooh, rebel, right? Although I didn’t know why at the time, the smokey lung noose of a Marlboro always seemed to have my number. A few months later I began my seminary studies. My ordinary at the time was the now Mr. Teddy McCarrick. Flash forward to the summer of 2018 when I came across an article in the midst of that man’s downfall. The article quoted several anonymous Newark priests detailing what they knew about Uncle Ted’s proclivities. Keep in mind, I had been a very innocent young man at 18 and truly did not know what lay beneath that festering surface and thank God for that! “McCarrick,” they said, had no preferences. He’d go after anyone. Fat, thin, short, tall… As long as he wasn’t a smoker he was fair game. McCarrick hated smokers.” A chill went down my spine. I showed the article to my wife who quipped, “I will never again ask you to quit.”
The Gipper’s doctor even told him to light ’em up.
So take your world day of boring people no tobacco and pound sand. On second thought, that might appeal to some of these people. I’m not saying the Blessed Mother put that first nic stick in my mouth or flipped the ol’ Zippo for me, but my mom had asked me to pray a Memorare every day for protection (from what or how she knew is still beyond me) and Blessed Mother sure came through.
Who wouldn’t put up with emphysema and heart disease to avoid being sodomized by a satanic cardinal?
Speaking of unseemly reality here’s
Topic #2: We don’t flex for the mirror. We lift weights because we’re men and it’s hard.
With all the stories about A certain former auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles and his penchant for being surrounded by “bodybuilders” I thought I’d take a moment to remind everyone that no man – priest or bishop especially – should be deliberately showing off his guns. Or his pecs, delts, tris, abs, or any other part of his body. I’ve said it before. Cassocks are brilliant. Not only are they flattering (black covers a multitude of gluttonous sins) but they double as a symbolic “tomb”. The cleric is not a businessman. He is another Christ. He is to die to himself for his people. What better way to remind him of that daily death than by entombing himself in black robes?
It seems the good bishop, in addition to surrounding himself with lunkheads, has been known to wear the occasional tight fitting clergy shirt from time to time. I think that’s actually an official Toomey cut. I’d tell you to Google that and vomit or you can take my word for it. I have a cast iron stomach. Eh, what the heck. I’m in a sporting mood. I’ll include the pic. But it’s not just Barron posing down the camera. On his staff, the bishop employed a priest who couldn’t help himself when it came to posting pictures of his oiled and pumped-up physique. Read that again. A priest. I will NOT include his picture because it’s just gross.
Tough guy…
Here’s the thing… I lift weights. I started a few years ago in earnest after my second spinal fusion. I find it’s a great way to handle a lot of things. It reduces stress. It builds a strong frame. It’s a great hobby. I truly enjoy it. But if I’ve learned nothing from the great Fr. Chad Ripperger it’s that 1) the nature of a man is to want to do difficult things, 2) a man needs to do those difficult things for the benefit of others, and 3) a real man is humble and the antithesis of vanity. Lifting weights is hard as hell if you do it right. What’s even harder is getting up at 5:30 to do it on an empty stomach. I lift weights to be strong for my wife and kids. It’s my job to protect them and to work by the sweat of my brow for them. I want any fool who’s inclined to mess with them to see me and think twice. And God help the turkey who’s idiot enough to actually throw down because he’d get his head bashed into the pavement. Repeatedly. Sorry folks, I have but one setting. Are the benefits to my appearance also great? Sure. This is where true humility kicks in. These aren’t my gainz, bruh. They belong to my family, from God. There is truly no reason I should be able even to walk after the times my spine has been taken apart and reassembled and yet here we are.
My advice to the bishop and his friends? Lift weights. And when you’re done, step away from the mirror and put the camera down. A further question here is why is any grown man taking selfies at all? I shudder to think of the number of times I fell into that trap. You live and you learn. It’s cringe. Don’t do it. And if you’re an aging bishop, especially don’t do it. Social media was invented by minions of the devil. Remember, Satan wants men turned into 12 year-old girls because he loathes the image of God. With every selfie post you get a dopamine hit but your testosterone drops.
Topic #3: Bergoglio still isn’t pope.
I was struck by the Gospel at mass today. It begins thus:
“At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees, Amen, amen, I say to you, he who enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up another way, is a thief and a robber.”
Jn. 10:1
From the politicking ahead of the “conclave” to the Sankt Gallen Mafia to, my favorite and the key to this whole mess, the substantial error laid out in Canon Law, it should be obvious. And it is obvious. There are many who are on the cusp of admitting this now. If you need further resources to help push you over the edge, check out Anne Barnhardt’s brilliant work here, Dr. Ed Mazza’s invaluable contributions here, and even Patrick Coffin’s summary presentation here.
Not to continue to stir up the “Bergoglio is moribund” thread but…
My correspondent in the Eternal City reports to me today that she has seen him at his Wednesday general audience and things do not look optimal.
“He looked sickly and thin. Didn’t walk around much at all. They helped him to his chair and that was it.”
Again, we’re not doing anything more than observing here.
Pray for this man. Pray for his conversion to Catholicism. Pray for the Church. Pray for His Holiness, Benedict XVI, gloriously reigning since April 2005, as Ann Barnhardt says “whether he likes it or not.”
Mary Mother of Good Counsel, Madonna of the Popes, pray for us!
Folks, I got off all that social media nonsense a while ago. Sorry but I'm not on Twitbook, Facepalm, YouHu, WingWang or any of the others. Maybe an event will happen to make me change my mind like Peter and Paul coming down with flaming swords and commanding it be so. Until then, read the blog and if you feel a comment is in order or you feel like sharing a tip or suggestion for a topic, email me at harvey@harveymillican.com.
Harvey Millican's Blog: Musings of a Trad Dad 