Osama Bin Ladin is dead. May he be fairly judged by Jesus Christ. You can figure out that he is 2 degrees from John Paul II without my help.
These celebrations of Bin Laden's death are inappropriate, uncivilized, insensitive, and unChristian. I am ashamed of my
countrymen who have indulged in this hateful conduct. Look at the faces, these people were children when the 9/11 attacks occurred. These are not victims' families. They are yahoos. Death, especially of someone who was unrepentant, is not a celebratory affair.
This is not a
sporting event, this is a mass murderer who died.
Sending a care-package to a service man or woman, caring for families of
the victims of Bin Laden, giving blood like we did on 9/11, making our
communities cleaner and safer, these are things we can do to make our world a
better place. Mr. Bin Laden made the world worse for his presence. We can
serve the memories of the dead by taking this opportunity to make the world better.
Instead, people have chosen to get drunk, vandalize, and celebrate death.
Soldiers suffer greatly when they see battle. Making sure the VA has adequate funding
is a far better use of time than drunken celebrations!
War is not a birth or a wedding. Nobody wins a war, there is always sadness
and horror. This little child is growing up in a country at war. No matter what,
he suffers. We need to pray for him, for the soldiers, and for the conversion
of all souls. Let's make Jesus proud of our conduct!
Terrorists treat the bodies of their victims horribly. By burying bin Laden's body with respect and by NOT releasing the photos of his corpse, President Obama is behaving like a Christian leader. It is my sincere hope that he will expand this behavior to all life issues as well. Here's praying!
Mary, Miriam, The Most Holy Blessed Mother, Theotokos, Panagia, Our Mother, Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, Full of Grace, Advocate of Eve, Star of the Sea, Seat of Wisdom, Cause for our Joy, Our Hope, She who shows the Way, Mother of Mercy...
Protestants are confounded by Catholic devotion to her. Catholics cry to her again and again in the rosary. Orthodox Christians allow her to be the only woman in their alters and on the Holy Mountain.
What is it about this woman that so compels billions to love and adore her?
God chose her to be the mother of His Son. He told her about His choice and she said, yes.
Above, you will find the first in a series of videos by Archbishop Fulton Sheen on Our Mother, the reason for Mother's Day. She held the creator of the universe in her womb. She gave flesh to God and brought him into a temporal world to live as one of us. She cared for him and loved him. She suggested His first miracle. She stood by the cross. She committed his body. She rejoiced in His resurrection. She was at Pentecost. She was assumed into Heaven. She is with Him now.
I'd like to reflect on her motherhood. This is the month of mothers, and I've been quite miffed at several commentaries made by men with regard to the birth of Our Lord.
I have heard several Catholic speakers discuss Mary's birth experience. They describe it as "painless" and "making no physical difference." It is quite difficult for women to listen to this and maintain their faith in these priests! (Our faith in Jesus remains.) In this post, I call on all men, who wish to speak authoritatively on the sensations of childbirth, to take a moment and realize that they will never have a woman's body. No man will ever be privy to the culture of women. No man will ever posses a feminine genius! Perhaps such speculation should not be made by men.
My experience with childbirth is quite limited. I've had one child and only been at the birth of one other. Mary was much more experienced than I. As a small child, she would have helped with simple preparations for births in her family. As a temple virgin, she would have been called to many births. She would be well-acquainted with the process, description of sensations, and the mental process of giving birth.
We must assume that Mary's relationship with her own body was the most healthy. For an American woman, this is practically impossible to imagine. She had no shame, guilt, dissatisfaction, fear, anxiety, or loathing of her body. She accepted herself and her physical being as a gift from the Lord. Her outlook on her body was a major reason why she did not fall into sin. It was also a major reason why she was chosen to be The Mother of God.
When Mary was pregnant, she did not experience implantation cramping, round ligament pain, kicking, and Braxton Hicks contractions as pain, but as joy. I myself enjoyed these pains of pregnancy because of my joy to be a mother after a lifetime of waiting.
Just because something is painful, does not mean it is negative. Pain can be glorious and wonderful. There is good pain and there is bad pain. Mary had no fear or anxiety about the birth of Jesus, her sensations during birth were welcomed and therefore not experienced as pain. As to the hymen of Mary, it's not beyond God's power to keep it in tact, but it offends me that men talk about it at length. Such talk seems disrespectful of Our Lady. If She were here, would we ask for an internal exam as Thomas put his fingers in the wounds of Jesus? Certainly not! We can assume that Mary's body was kept safe and miraculously whole for her entire life.
I dedicate this month to my own mother, whom I recently lost to death.
Kate Middleton will soon be married to Prince William of England. She is currently 3 degrees from Pope John Paul II, but in two days, she will be 2 degrees away.
Prince William (top) with his mother, Princess Diana
and brother, Prince Harry
Princess Diana met the Holy Father several times during her reign
Prince William's mother was married by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The current Archbishop of Canterbury,
the officiant at Kate and William's wedding,
and
Pope John Paul II
Kate is now two degrees from John Paul II!
Here is part of Queen Elizabeth's wedding in November of 1947.
And here is the Queen Mum's wedding in 1923. It's silent film. Enjoy!
A word about the abdication, divorce, and the Anglicans.
"I do believe you'll be queen over Churchill's dead body.
This is my fondest wish, Wallis."
Edward VIII abdicated the throne because of his relationship with Wallis Simpson, a woman who had previous marriages. The traditional story is that, as a divorcee, Ms Simpson was unsuitable to be queen of England. This was not the actual reason for absolutely and entirely rejecting her. Ms Simpson was a Nazi! She was friends with Adolf Hitler, a Eugenist, and general white supremacist. In the 1930s, many countries toyed with the ideas which became Naziism. Indeed, the concepts of Eugenics, superiority of the white race, were born in The United States. England and America could have easily turned to the right. Instead, we elected FDR, and England forced the abdication of Edward VIII and had King George VI consecrated as their king.
The abdication happened when the then Princess Elizabeth was barely 10 years old. It must have made quite an impression upon her. The government serves at the pleasure of the king and queen, but the king and queen ultimately serve at the pleasure of their people. It is Elizabeth's integrity, love of country, and love of personal and societal freedom, that have kept the monarchy strong during her reign. While I don't understand the need for the royal family, I respect the British institution and understand that Britain's need for the royal family goes very deep and bears much fruit. I wish them well and pray earnestly that their church will reconcile with their Roman brothers and sisters soon.
Third Degree, Stan Laurel and Fourth Degree (through Stan), Oliver Hardy were comedy stars of the 20s, 30s and 40s. They were lifelong friends and wonderful comedians.
Here is an interview with third degree, Stan Laurel shortly after the death of Oliver Hardy.
Second Degree, Jerry Lewis was a protege and admirer of Mr. Laurel.
First degree, Michael Jackson performed on Jerry's telethon in 1974.
Michael Jackson, Mikail Gorbachev, and Pope John Paul II were honored at the 2002 World Awards. Here is Mikail Gorbachev meeting Pope John Paul II in December of 1989. Mr. Gorbachev was baptized into the Russian Orthodox faith as an infant, but claims to be an atheist to this day.
One of my students made me aware of this comedy sensation today. I laughed so hard. I don't know his real name, but I'll go with his youtube name and character name. I hope you enjoy the videos.
I am one. My family is mostly French Canadian and arrived in this land in the 17th Century. There is some Syrian in my family as well. I am not alone. There are millions of Americans who trace ancestry to the Middle East. AND MANY OF US ARE CHRISTIANS!!!!!
Maronites, Melkites, Chaldeans, Copts, Antiochians, and dozens of other Christian churches which are descended from the 12 apostles, have churches and congregations in the United States.
Jesus' first miracle happened in Lebanon at Cana!
Christians were first called "Christian" in Antioch, present-day Syria
Cana in Lebanon was Jesus' first miracle
To love Jesus and the ancient church is to love people from the Middle East!
You may remember Don Knotts as the loveable Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. But he did many other gigs. In the 70s and 80s he made many guest appearances on The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Matlock, and scores of others.
Don's legacy is long and far-reaching. He has given millions of people laughter and smiles. Read here how he inspired a teenage boy recovering from a spinal injury.
In this clip, see Don plugging tax preparation services and appearing on that Saturday's episode of Fantasy Island. Note also second degree, Warren Beaty. This is a blast from the past, so get your bellbottoms, Tab, and hairspray ready!
Don Knotts appeared on the first season of The Love Boat in the episode, Who killed Maxwell Thorn? So was Barbi Benton, a lover of fifth degree, Hugh Heffner. Find full episodes of Love Boat here.
3 Degrees
I was unable to find footage of third degree, Don Knotts on The Love Boat, but here he is in a wonderful clip from The Ghost and Mister Chicken.
Second degree, Fred Grandy was a core cast member of The Love Boat. He had a career change later in life to become a member of the United States Congress for four terms, most of them during the presidency of first degree presidents Bill Clinton, H.W. Bush, and W. Bush. President Clinton is mentioned in the Gabrielle Giffords, Jimmy McMillan, Asia Cottom, and George Stephanopoulos posts. President George W. Bush was mentioned in the King Tut #1 post, the Glenn McDuffie post, and the Beyonce Knowles post.
Fred Grandy is a centrist Republican. If you care to hear a good interview with him, here it is. Enjoy.
Mary, Miriam, The Most Holy Blessed Mother, Theotokos, Panagia, Our Mother, Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, Full of Grace, Advocate of Eve, Star of the Sea, Seat of Wisdom, Cause for our Joy, Our Hope, She who shows the Way, Mother of Mercy...
You may remember Don Knotts as the loveable Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. But he did many other gigs. In the 70s and 80s he made many guest appearances on The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Matlock, and scores of others. 
