I think it's worthwhile today to remember the Sixteen Martyrs of Carmel of Compiegne in France. These eleven nuns, three lay sisters and two externs were killed by the order of the Committee for Public Safety, an agency of the National Convention of Revolutionary France. They were murdered in a public execution by guillotine on July 17, 1794. Many believed that it was the sacrifice of their lives that led to the end of the Terror.
20 April 2024
The 16 Nuns That Sacrificed Themselves For The End Of The French Revolution!
May these Blessed Carmelites pray for us and for France!
I think it's worthwhile today to remember the Sixteen Martyrs of Carmel of Compiegne in France. These eleven nuns, three lay sisters and two externs were killed by the order of the Committee for Public Safety, an agency of the National Convention of Revolutionary France. They were murdered in a public execution by guillotine on July 17, 1794. Many believed that it was the sacrifice of their lives that led to the end of the Terror.
I think it's worthwhile today to remember the Sixteen Martyrs of Carmel of Compiegne in France. These eleven nuns, three lay sisters and two externs were killed by the order of the Committee for Public Safety, an agency of the National Convention of Revolutionary France. They were murdered in a public execution by guillotine on July 17, 1794. Many believed that it was the sacrifice of their lives that led to the end of the Terror.
19 April 2024
Why the Existence of Extraterrestrials is Implausible: A Theological Argument
C.S. Lewis posits in his Space Trilogy that God MAY have created other rational beings but that the Incarnation changed forever that which He created.
From The European Conservative
By Robert Lazu Kmita, PhD
The nature of the entire creation underwent a wholesale ontological mutation with the fall of Adam and Eve.
Stimulated by the hearings in the American Congress that took place last year, to which the voices of well-known media personalities like Tucker Carlson were added, the debate about UFOs and the existence of extraterrestrials has reached cosmic proportions. For a Christian, the issue is just as acute as it is for any other inhabitant of these times of great confusion. Because the crucial question, uttered by so many mouths, on so many media channels, cannot be avoided: do extraterrestrials exist? In order to introduce my argument, I propose a slightly more nuanced reformulation: could extraterrestrials exist?
Before responding to such a challenging question, we must clarify what we understand by ‘extraterrestrials.’ Usually, those who discuss such a possibility refer to rational beings, similar to us, living in the same physical universe as our own. So, by ‘extraterrestrials,’ we mean physical beings–not angels or demons. Of course, I’m not saying that the so-called UFOs could not be supernatural (or, more precisely, preternatural) manifestations of angels or demons. Although this hypothesis is also worthy of attention, I will set it aside in this article. What I will discuss here strictly pertains to the possibility of the existence of rational, physically embodied beings somewhere in the cosmos–meaning within the limits of the same physical universe in which we, humans, live.
If that is the case, then the answer to the question posed above—‘could extraterrestrials exist?’—is negative: no, in this physical cosmos, there cannot be other rational beings besides humans. I emphasize that I am strictly referring to non-human beings that we, as humans, could directly know, much like we can know a tribe of natives in Papua New Guinea or the Amazon rainforest. Therefore, such beings cannot exist on other planets within our universe. The rationale for my answer is not empirical or experimental in nature. It derives from certain teachings of the Christian supernatural Revelation, which provides us with knowledge beyond what we can access through our ordinary faculties of understanding.
Concretely, there are two Christian teachings at play. The first relates to what traditional theology, both in the East and the West, calls ‘original sin.’ The second pertains to the notion of ‘monogenesis.’ These provide us with a comprehensive intellectual framework, consisting of two theological axioms that will enable us, through a process of deductive reasoning, to establish an answer to the question at hand. First, I will explain the two above concepts that will supply us with our premises.
The doctrine of original sin, described in the Holy Scripture in the third chapter of Genesis as the consumption of the forbidden fruit by Adam and Eve, represents the act that produced the most terrible imaginable consequences: from being immortal, as they had been in Paradise, humans became mortal. This fact, recognized in various forms by numerous ancient religions, is often termed the ‘fall.’ The difference between the state of humans before the fall, which we can only imagine vaguely, and the state after the fall, which we all directly experience, is immense. Before the fall, humans were not only immortal but also free from disease and aging—in short, free from all the evils of our fallen state of nature. The revealed teaching about original sin has been a constant subject of meditation for all the Saints and Doctors of the Church, a province of theology that was perhaps most thoroughly detailed during the Council of Trent (1545–1563).
This teaching is necessarily associated with that of monogenesis (or monogenism), which asserts that the entire human race descends from a single couple, consisting of a man and a woman, Adam and Eve, created by God at the beginning of history. The fall of these two original beings had as its primary consequence the loss of the grace of original righteousness—that supernatural, divine light which not only adorned them but also endowed them with all the preternatural qualities accompanying the most invaluable gift, immortality. Losing divine grace, they immediately lost both immortality and all the attributes of that privileged existence. In essence, they became just like us—or, at any rate, we have ever since been like them: fragile, prone to illness, entangled in the mud of an earthly existence dominated by death. In a word, the human nature that Adam and Eve originally possessed was not completely destroyed, but severely corrupted. And what they transmitted to their descendants was and is precisely this human nature affected by original sin. This is the primary reason why the authentic Christian Church, of apostolic origin, has always practiced the baptism of children (through which the fallen human nature is cleansed of original sin). Therefore, all human beings originate from the first couple, consisting of the man Adam and the woman Eve, making it easy to understand why their fallen state has been passed on to all their descendants.
But if things are as described, then we can understand why we cannot conceive the existence of extraterrestrials: firstly, because only humans could result from Adam and Eve. However, someone might raise the following objection: how do we know that God did not create other couples besides the one formed by Adam and Eve? Simply put, Divine revelation, contained in the canon of the sacred books of the Bible, clearly states that there was only one couple. Then another question could be posed: why couldn’t God create, on another planet somewhere else in the cosmos, another couple from a different species of rational beings than humans? Theoretically, it is evident that God, being omnipotent, could do such a thing. However, this is excluded concerning our cosmos. Let’s see why.
The fall of Adam and Eve entailed the fall not only of human nature, but also of the nature of all creation. In other words, the whole cosmos suffered and is suffering because of the fall of the first men. This is highlighted by Saint Paul the Apostle, who states the following:
The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us. For the expectation of the creature waiteth for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him that made it subject, in hope: Because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that every creature groaneth and travaileth in pain, even till now (Romans 8:18-22).
This curse on the earth is interpreted by Saint Macarius the Great as representing creation, which, along with Adam—captured by the devil through original sin—was also unwillingly captured. Saint Maximus the Confessor comments on the swallowing of the prophet Jonah by the sea monster, indicating that, symbolically at least, it represents the swallowing of both human nature and the entire nature of creation by the devil. Saint Augustine shows how, from the ease of immortal life in Paradise, where everything was given to Adam and Eve effortlessly, life transitioned, after original sin, to a life where everything became hard to attain, requiring great effort. That is the deep meaning of God’s words to Adam:
Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life (Gen 3:17).
In other words, the nature of the entire creation underwent a wholesale ontological mutation with the fall of man. That having been said, let’s return to the question of the existence of extraterrestrials.
In the cosmos created by God for humans, they could not exist. Be assured that the Bible would have told us something, even indirectly, about such created beings, just as it tells us about angels and demons. Of course, as has been noted, the Bible does not say a thing about “electricity” or other things discovered in the past century. However, the existence of other rational beings in the cosmos is not of the same nature but is directly related to all the fundamental notions of the Christian religion. Therefore, it is justified to expect, in the case of extraterrestrial existence, that the Bible may have told us something about this subject. But the Bible tells us nothing. On the other hand, for the sake of argument, let’s assume for a moment that extraterrestrials could exist in our universe. The next question immediately arises: are they affected by the original sin committed by Adam and Eve? The answer can only be negative: because, as the sacred teachings of Christian theology tell us, original sin is transmitted only through direct generation. So, it is strictly limited to the human species.
Alright, but an insistent ufologist might ask something else: what if, on another planet in our universe, God created other rational, non-human beings? In this case, either they did not commit original sin, or they did. The practically nil probability that another species of rational beings would commit the same sin as the first humans compels us to exclude this hypothesis. So let’s examine the main claim in our insistent ufologist’s question: might God have created another rational species in a fallen universe, severely damaged—though not directly implicated in—by the sin of the first humans? This would mean that God created rational, mortal creatures—because, as I explained in my short theological-metaphysical argument, in the fallen physical cosmos everything is mortal (so those extraterrestrials would also have to be mortal, or else their existence would not be possible in a fallen world under the penalty of death incurred by original sin). But wouldn’t this be unjust? Because we see that all creatures created by God at the beginning, as Genesis tells us, were “very good”—and, of course, immortal. Being not only the origin of life but life itself (John 14:6), God cannot include death in the equation of creation for any rational being not guilty of such punishment. Therefore, the possibility of the existence of rational beings, other than humans, created mortals without having committed original sin is excluded.
And yet, if we admit that extraterrestrials cannot exist in our world, then do UFOs exist or not? Yes, it is possible that such ‘unidentified flying objects’ exist. However, testimonies must be treated with a great deal of caution. What could UFOs be? First and foremost, the fruits of self-deception on a large scale. Is such a thing possible? The incredible spread of superstitions in some cultures of other historical epochs, superstitions that today we consider hallucinations, prove that many members of the human family can believe in the strangest and most absurd things.
On the other hand, mass manipulation is no joke. With today’s media, this has become not only plausible but very real. However, there are cases that seem quite real. What do we do with them? Here we can think of another kind of ‘extraterrestrials’: fallen angels, i.e., demons, who exist in what the Christian creed calls ‘the unseen world.’ With divine permission, they can act in our world. The disturbing book of Job clearly shows us this. Most likely, however, the actions of humans thirsty for wealth, fame, and especially power can offer a much more plausible explanation than the interventions of occult, demonic powers. If we think about how ufological literature was used for anti-religious and materialist propaganda purposes by the Communist Party in Romania, we have the most concrete example of the way political power could operate. Here’s why, in a post-pandemic context like ours, the value of the classical virtue of prudence can never be emphasized enough.
Pictured: The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise (1791), a 186.8 x 278.1 oil on canvas by Benjamin West (1738-1820), located at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
Our Lady on Saturday
Today's Holy Mass from Corpus Christi Church, Tynong, VIC, Australia. You may follow the Mass at Divinum Officium.
Saturday of the Third Week After Easter
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From Dom Prosper Guéranger's The Liturgical Year
℣. In thy resurrection, Christ, alleluia.
℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia.
The Saturday brings us back to Mary. Let us again contemplate her prerogatives; and yet, while so doing, let us still keep our thoughts on holy Church, which has been the subject of our meditations during this week. Let us, today, consider the relations existing between Mary and the Church—they will make us the better understand these two Mothers of mankind.
Before taking possession of the Church, which was to be proclaimed before all nations on the day of Pentecost—the Man-God made a worthy prelude to this kingly possession by uniting himself with Her who is so deservedly styled the Mother and representative of the human race. This was Mary. Of the family of David, Abraham and Sem; immaculate, from the first moment of her existence, as were our First Parents when they came from their Creator’s hands; and destined for the grandest honor which could be conferred on a mere creature; Mary was, during her sojourn here on earth, the inheritance and cooperatrix of the Incarnate Word; she was the Mother of all the living. (Genesis 3:20) She, in her single person, was what the Church, collectively, has been from the day of its foundation. Her office of Mother of God surpasses all her other glories; still, we must not overlook, but, on the contrary, admire and love them.
Mary was the first creature that fully corresponded with the intentions which induced the Son of God to come down from heaven. He found in her the most lively faith, the firmest hope, and the most fervent love. Never had human nature, perfected by grace, offered to God an object so worthy of his acceptance. Before celebrating his union with the human race as its Shepherd, Jesus was the Shepherd of this single sheep whose merits and dignity surpass those of the rest of mankind, even supposing it to have been always, and in all things, faithful to its God.
Mary, therefore, represented the Christian Church before it existed in itself. The Son of God found in her not only a Mother, but the faithful worshipper of his Divinity from the first moment of his Incarnation. We saw, on Holy Saturday, how Mary’s faith withstood the test of Calvary and the Tomb, and how this faith, which never faltered, kept alive on the earth the light which was never to be quenched, and which was soon to be confided to the collective Church, whose mission was to win over all nations to the Divine Shepherd.
It was not Jesus’ will that his Blessed Mother should exercise a visible and outward apostolate, save in a limited degree. Besides, he was not to leave her here till the end of time. But just i the same way as, from the day of his Ascension, he made his Church cooperate with him in all that he does for his elect—so likewise did he will, during his mortal life, that Mary should have her share in all the works done by him for our salvation. She, whose formal consent had been required before the Eternal Word took Flesh in her womb, was present, as we have already seen, at the foot of the Cross, in order that she, as a creature, might offer him, who offered himself as God, our Redeemer. The Mother’s sacrifice blended with that of the Son, and this raised her up to a degree of merit, which the human mind could never calculate. Thus it is, though in a less perfect manner, the Church unites herself, in unity of oblation, with her Divine Spouse, in the Sacrifice of the Altar. It was to be on the day of Pentecost that the Church’s maternity would be proclaimed to the world; Mary was invested with the office of Mother of men, as Jesus was hanging upon his Cross. When his Side was opened with the Spear, that the Church born from the Water and Blood of Redemption, might come forth—Mary was there to receive into her arms this future mother, whom she had hitherto so fully represented.
In a few days, we shall behold Mary in the Cenacle; the Holy Ghost will enrich her with new gifts, and we shall have to study her mission in the early Church. Let us close the considerations we have been making today by drawing a parallel between our two Mothers, who, though one is so far above the other in dignity, are nevertheless closely united to each other.
Our heavenly Mother, who is also the Mother of Jesus, is ever assisting our earthly Mother, the Church, with heavenly aid. Mary exercises over her, in each of her existences—Militant, Suffering, or Triumphant—an influence of power and love. She procures to the Church the victories she wins; she enables her to go through the tribulations and trials which beset her path. The children of one are children of the other; both have a share in giving us spiritual birth—one, the “Mother of divine grace,” by her all-powerful prayers; the other, by the Word of God and Holy Baptism. If, when we depart this life, our admission to the beatific vision is to be retarded on account of our sins, and our souls are to descend to the abode of Purgatory—the suffrages of our earthly Mother will follow us, and alleviate or shorten our sufferings; but our heavenly Mother will do still more for us during that period of expiation, so awful and yet so just. In heaven, the elect are rejoiced at the sight of the Church Triumphant, though she be still Militant on earth: and who can describe the joy these happy children must feel at seeing the glory of the Mother that begot them in Christ? but with how much gladder ecstasy must not these same citizens of heaven gaze upon Mary, that other Mother of theirs, who was their Star on the stormy sea of life, who never ceased to watch over them with most loving care, who procured them countless aids to salvation, and who, when they entered heaven, received them into those same maternal arms, which heretofore carried the Divine Fruit of her womb—that First-Born, (Luke 2:7) whose Brothers and Joint-Heirs we are all called to be!
As long as we dwell in this vale of tears—which is now being turned into a paradise by the presence of our Risen Jesus—let us, sometimes, think of Mary’s joys. Last Saturday, we borrowed a Hymn from the ancient Churches of Germany, in order to celebrate her Seven Joys; let us do the same today.
SEQUENCE
Rejoice, O Virgin, Star of the Sea, dearest Spouse of Christ! for the Angel of our salvation announced to thee an exceeding great joy. Cleanse us from our sins, O Virgin Mother! and speak to our heart of the joys that never end.
Rejoice, spotless Mother! in that thou conceivedst of the Holy Ghost, and broughtest forth thy Child, as the star emits its ray. Grant, that we may ever be fruitful in works of salvation. Take these barren hearts of ours, and, by thy merciful prayers, make them fertile.
Rejoice, beautiful Lily! at the adoration and gifts paid, by the Magi, to thy newborn Babe. O happy Mother! pray, that we may ever imitate them, and give to God what their gifts signified.
Rejoice, Mother! at the praises spoken by Simeon, when, at thy presenting Jesus in the Temple, he took the Child in his arms. Grant, we beseech thee, that we may serve thy Son with purity and earnestness of heart.
Rejoice, and, with all thy soul’s power, be glad at thy Son’s rising from the grasp of Death. Mercifully obtain for us, that we may rise from our sins, and have our hearts set free from the pressure of its many vices.
Rejoice, in that thou hadst the happiness to see thy Son ascend into heaven, where he is seated on his Father’s throne. Grant, that, at the end of the world, we may, without fear, welcome his return.
Rejoice, O Virgin of virgins! who, after thy life’s course was run, wast raised up, by thy sweet Jesus, above the stars. Grand, that we miserable creatures may be raised from our sins, and, after this miserable life, be led to our true country. —Amen.
St Agnes of Monte Pulciano, Virgin and Abbess
From Fr Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints:
St Serf, or Servanus, Bishop
From Fr Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints:
Collect of St Agnes of Montepulciano, Virgin & Abbess ~ Indulgenced on the Saint's Feast (See Note)
According to the Apostolic Penitentiary, a partial indulgence is granted to those who on the feast of any Saint recite in his honour the oration of the Missal or any other approved by legitimate Authority.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
Graciously hear us, O God our Saviour, that as we rejoice in the festival of Blessed Agnes, Thy Virgin & Abbess, so mayest we be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching that we may be enlightened by the fervour of her dedicated holiness.
Let us pray.
Graciously hear us, O God our Saviour, that as we rejoice in the festival of Blessed Agnes, Thy Virgin & Abbess, so mayest we be nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching that we may be enlightened by the fervour of her dedicated holiness.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
Nota bene - St Agnes is not celebrated on the Universal Calendar, but according to the Roman Martyrology, today is her Feast Day. The Collect is taken from the Common of Virgins.
Collect of St Serf of Culross, Bishop & Confessor ~ Indulgenced on the Saint's Feast (See Note)
According to the Apostolic Penitentiary, a partial indulgence is granted to those who on the feast of any Saint recite in his honour the oration of the Missal or any other approved by legitimate Authority.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that the venerable feast of Blessed Serf, Thy Confessor and Bishop, may increase our devotion and further our salvation.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that the venerable feast of Blessed Serf, Thy Confessor and Bishop, may increase our devotion and further our salvation.
Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
R. Amen.
Cardinal Burke, Gianna Molla, and Us
A beautiful story of how prayer works. I wrote my own story of why I'm convinced that the intercession of the Saints is efficacious here.
From Crisis
By Austin Ruse
A story of a saintly prelate and a saint's intercession.
Our daughter Lucy is about to graduate high school and, in the fall, begin classes at the University of Dallas. Let me tell you her story, the beginning part anyway.
My wife and I are late vocations to marriage. I was 47. Cathy was 39. Our first date was on the Feast of Joachim and Anne, and it was the best first date since Joachim met Anne. I think I am on firm theological ground here. Working back from the Immaculate Conception, you can assume that every step along the way was perfect, including their first meeting.
I proposed to Cathy two weeks later. It happened in the Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery on the National Mall. This was the room created by the great painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler. The place was crawling with noisy kids on a field trip. I lost my head and said, “Will you marry me.” Quite levelheaded, she said, “Is this the plan?” It was clear from the first date that this question was coming at some point, sooner rather than later. I said, “No, this is not the plan.” She said, “Stick to the plan.”
The plan was to propose to her in a place that would never be torn down. The French restaurant on McPherson Square in Washington, D.C., site of our first date, closed long ago. So, I figured to propose to her on a bridge in Central Park near where I lived in those 2002 days.
It was a cold and drizzly December day when I lured her into a deserted Central Park. She came along bravely. We got to Bow Bridge on the west side, within sight of the Dakota, where John Lennon was shot.
I got down on one knee. She drew me up to her height. Will you marry me? She cried and said, yes. I showed her the ring. She cried some more.
Now, keep in mind this was an utterly deserted Central Park. To get there from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we had to walk through the sometimes unsavory area called The Ramble. So, it was with some concern that we spied a gang of teenagers come out of the woods and onto the bridge toward us. Without a doubt, they had seen what had transpired, including the flourishing of a not inexpensive engagement ring.
They walked past us. Cathy would not let me turn to watch them. About 30 feet away, they stopped, they formed a semi-circle, and then they began to sing. It was a love song from the Middle Ages. They were a schola that just happened to be in Central Park at that precise moment. They finished, no words were spoken, and they went on their way.
To this day, we figure they were angels.
We were married the following September.
In the first year of our marriage, Cathy had three miscarriages. These were very hard, as you can imagine. They were not only the death of a child but the death of hope that we would ever be given a child to raise.
I am from St. Louis. Cardinal Burke was then the bishop in St. Louis. He knew my work in the international pro-life sphere, and he heard on the pro-life jungle drums that two pro-lifers were having trouble. He reached out and said, “Come and see me when you come home for Christmas.” We happily complied.
We arrived that day at the bishop’s residence across the street from the magnificent Cathedral Basilica on Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis. We were invited to wait in a small well-appointed room near the front door.
Cardinal Burke walked in. We rose. He said, “Kneel down.” And then he blessed us with a piece of Gianna Molla’s wedding dress. For those who do not know, Gianna Molla was the last saint raised to the altars by Pope St. John Paul the Great. Gianna Molla chose possible death rather than receive medical treatment that might have harmed her unborn child. Her child was born, and Gianna Molla died. She is a great pro-life saint.
Cardinal Burke said, “I have done this eight times, and it has worked eight times.” He said this with a practically cherubic smile on his kind face. He scurried around to find another piece of her wedding dress that we could enshrine in our home for as long as we needed it. He could not find one since he had given them all out.
What people don’t know is that Cardinal Burke has a deep devotion to Gianna Molla. He quietly enshrines her image in medical facilities around the world.
So, here’s the thing. We didn’t know, but at the moment he blessed us with Gianna Molla’s wedding dress, Cathy was two weeks along with our daughter Lucy, who did not miscarry. She stayed with us. We returned a year later with newborn Lucy, and we have this wonderful picture of big burly Burke uncomfortably holding this little peanut of a baby!
And then what happened? Three years later, at the age of 44, Cathy gave birth to our second daughter. We owed Gianna a name, so we named her Gianna-Marie. We call her Gigi. She is a freshman in high school this year.
Lucy will attend the University of Dallas this fall with a full ride. She is a writer, having written a 100,000 word novel at 15. She plays the harp and piano. She is a gifted artist, sketchbook after sketchbook. She did not miscarry. She stayed with us. Deo Gratias.
Pictured: St Gianna Molla with one of her earlier children.
Bill Maher: The Prophet We Need?
Bill Maher, a Leftist in favour of child murder, calls out the Republican Party for their two-faced so-called opposition to abortion.
By Lauren De Witt
Bill Maher, of all people, exposed the lie behind the Republicans' supposed opposition to abortion.
HBO’s Real Time host and longtime leftist Bill Maher made headlines this past weekend when he chastised Republicans’ ever-shifting stance on abortion in a panel discussion on the Arizona Supreme Court’s recent landmark ruling upholding a near-total abortion ban. The Arizona Court took up the case in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which Republicans, including former President Trump, rightly take credit for.
This historic event in the State of Arizona should have been unabashedly celebrated by all Republicans, serving as a springboard from which conservative candidates everywhere can double down in their support for life at all stages as the 2024 election cycle heats up. Instead, it was met by an extremely disappointing, though predictable, mixed reaction on the conservative side of the aisle.
President Trump expressed his opposition to the ruling, responding, “No,” when asked by reporters on a tarmac in Atlanta whether he would sign a national abortion ban if Congress sent it to his desk. Just days before, he clarified his position on abortion, stating that the issue belongs to the individual states to decide. “Many states will have a different number of weeks,” he explained. “[A]t the end of the day it is all about the will of the people.” The will of the people? Whether the most innocent among us have a fundamental right to life should be determined by the will of the people?
Kari Lake, former conservative darling and Arizona U.S. Senate candidate, responded unequivocally to the ruling, stating, “I oppose today’s ruling, and I am calling on [Democratic Gov.] Katie Hobbs and the State Legislature to come up with an immediate common-sense solution that Arizonans can support.” Common sense? Is it common sense to permit the direct killing of another at any stage of development?
Unsurprisingly, Maher is vehemently in favor of abortion and strongly opposed to the court’s decision. Generally speaking, I don’t trust a single word with respect to policy that comes out of the mouth of someone who can’t get this most very fundamental right-to-life issue correct, which apparently now includes most Republican candidates. If you can’t recognize and support this basic principle, why should I expect you to get anything else right? In this case, however, Bill Maher’s comments are exactly what we who profess to be pro-life need to hear. They are, dare I say, prophetic.
Referring to Republicans as “the dog who caught the car” with respect to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Maher went on to say:
For 50 years, they talked about getting rid of abortion. They did it and it’s super unpopular, and now they have to basically lie. I mean, Trump—some of his statements on this—it sounds like what he said about healthcare: “Make both sides happy…15 weeks seems to be a number people can agree.” Can he lie his way out of this?…A lot of people think it’s murder. That’s why I don’t understand the 15-week thing, or Trump’s plan is, “Let’s leave it to the states.” You mean, so killing babies is OK in some states? I can respect the absolutist position. I really can. I scold the left when they say, “Oh, you know what, they just hate women, people who aren’t pro-choice.” They don’t hate women. They just made that up. …They think it’s murder and it kind of is. I’m just OK with that. I am. I mean, there’s 8 billion people in the world. I’m sorry, we won’t miss you. That’s my position on it.
Yes, Bill Maher. Republicans are lying. They aren’t pro-life; they are politically expedient, and the public is finally waking up to the real “common-sense” approach to abortion: that if it’s okay to murder a baby at 15 weeks gestation, why not 39? That is why we are losing massive ground on this issue, notwithstanding our victory in the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
I welcome Maher’s comments with open arms, as repulsive as it is to hear someone flatly admit they’re okay with murder since the victims won’t be missed among the 8 billion other people in the world. If Maher can respect the pro-life absolutist position—that it’s intrinsically evil to willfully take a human life at any stage for any reason whatsoever—then I can respect the pro-abortion absolutist position—that a woman has a right to kill her unborn child at any point in her pregnancy—even if it sickens me to my very core. I vehemently reject it and will fight it with every ounce of strength in my body, but at least it’s honest. At least it’s consistent.
Thank you, Bill Maher, for finally saying the quiet part out loud, for forcing Republicans to grapple with their lies. I am, frankly, sick and tired of such hogwash as “political expediency” and “common-sense” solutions from those on the conservative side of the aisle, views expressed even by some popular Catholic policy wonks. The idea seems to be that the general public is so poorly catechized on the issue of abortion that we have to take our wins where we can, compromising at stages of life like 15 weeks so that we can live to fight another day and hopefully convert a few more to the pro-life side in the meantime.
Newsflash: 90 percent of abortions occur before 12 weeks gestation. How pro-life is it really to set the bar at 15 weeks? We’re okay with it so long as the babies are really small? We will permit and compromise with evil so we can stay in office and wait another 50 years for an opportunity for massive change like we did with Roe? Are we working for the City of Man or the City of God here?
“Pro-life” Republicans who are willing to equivocate on this issue are thinking as the world does, not as God does. O ye of little faith, “do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.” Be willing to be honest on the pro-life position, I beg you. Be consistent. Have courage, and put your faith in the Lord. We aren’t fighting against flesh and blood here, “but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
The Kingdom of God will not be won by political expediency. Stand firm in Truth. Do not retreat. Do not compromise. The Lord, Himself, will fight for us.
Today in History
MM remembers the 92nd Birthday of His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last sane ruler of Iran to date.
From The Mad Monarchist (26 October 2011)
The Mad Monarchist remembers the birth, today in 1919, of His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, last Shahanshah (King of Kings) and Aryamehr (Light of the Aryans) of Iran, the last legitimate ruler of that proud and ancient country. May we soon see the day when the rotten republic collapses and the legitimate monarchy is restored to the lands of ancient Persia.
Bishop Challoner's Meditations - Saturday After the Second Sunday
THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
Consider first, that in this third petition, the soul embraces with all her heart the holy will of God, earnestly desiring and praying that both she herself, and every soul upon earth, may ever be both a faithful servant and true lover of the divine will, even as the saints and angels are in Heaven, who are so absorbed in the love of God that they have no other will but the will of God. So that this petition, like the two former, contains an act of divine love. A love of benevolence to God, inasmuch as the soul here desires to give all to God, and to bring both her own will and all other wills to him; that all may embrace, bow down, and adore, love, serve, and obey the sacred will of God, and conform to it in all things. And a love of the most perfect charity to ourselves and to our neighbours, in desiring and procuring for ourselves and them so great a good as is this perfect conformity to the will of God, and that God’s holy will may be ever done, both in us and by us.
Consider 2ndly, how just it is that we should ever adhere to the holy will of God, and pray with all our hearts that his holy will may be done in all things. The will of God is always good, is always wise, is always right and equitable, is always beautiful; and therefore we ought always to embrace it and love it. He perfectly knows what is best, and what is best for us; and if we will leave ourselves in his hands he will certainly order all things for the best, and therefore it is our wisest way, if we love ourselves, to give ourselves up to his holy will. The will of God is all-powerful, and must take place; and therefore it is madness to set ourselves against his Almighty will; it serves for nothing but to make us miserable. The will of God, in effect, is God himself and therefore we must ever submit and obey it; we must always bow down and adore his sacred will.
Consider 3rdly, that the will of God ought to be the Christian’s rule in all things. In all our deliberations, whether with regard to temporals or spirituals, we ought first to consult the holy will of God, crying out to him with the convert, St. Paul, Acts ix. 6, 'Lord what wilt thou have me to do?' And this with a sincere desire to know and a perfect readiness of mind to follow his will in whatever way he is pleased to order or direct - not seeking that his will should bend to ours, but that ours may ever conform to his. And as in all our doings we must, to the best of our knowledge and power, follow the will of God, so, in all our sufferings, we must resign and submit ourselves to his blessed will, assuring ourselves that nothing happens to us in this kind but by the appointment of heaven, and that all comes from the hand of him who knows what is best; because he is infinitely wise, and sends what is for the best; because he is infinitely good, and good to us.
Conclude ever to recite this third petition of the Lord’s prayer, with these dispositions of the love of God and of the holy will, and of a perfect conformity in all things to his holy will. We read of a servant of God (Gregory Lopez) that for some years, at every breath, repeated this petition, 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!' O that we could be always in the like happy sentiments.
20 April, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day
The Mercy of God
1. God is the Being Who is infinitely true, beautiful, and good. His goodness is manifested in His infinite love for all the creatures which He has made, but it is in His relations with sinners in particular that we call Him merciful. He loves all things which He has created and directs them towards Himself, their beginning and their end. When He is dealing, however, with beings endowed with free will, who can separate themselves from Him and even offend Him, He tries while respecting the liberty which He has given them to recall them to Himself by the influence of His love and of His grace. It is this supernatural outpouring of love towards sinners which we call mercy.The mercy of God shines forth in all the pages of Sacred Scripture. In the Old Testament there is promised and foreshadowed in many ways the coming of the Saviour of the sinful human race. In the New Testament Jesus appears, made man for our salvation, meek and humble of heart, and merciful towards the unfortunate, especially towards sinners. For them He offers His life and His Precious Blood, dying on the Cross with His arms outstretched, as if in an embrace of forgiveness. He tells us that He has not come to call the just, but sinners, (Luke 5:32) and that He has not come to those who are in health, but to those who are sick; (Mark 2:17)He assures us that if we ask the Father for anything in His name, it will be given to us. (John 16:23) So much goodness should move and soften our hearts. Even if we are unfaithful servants and are covered with the leprosy of sin, let us go to Him and He will heal us. Even if we have deserved Hell a thousand times, let us shed tears of repentance at His feet as Magdalen did, and He will give us His forgiveness and His peace.
2. Let us meditate in particular on certain passages in the Gospel in which God's mercy for sinners stands out most vividly and appealingly. There is the incident of the adulteress who is brought before Our Lord by the hypocritical Pharisees. According to the law she should have been stoned to death. Jesus looks at her accusers, who harbour in the secrecy of their own hearts God knows how many abominations but strut about in public with the mien of stern and impeccable judges. Then He rivets His gaze upon the shamefaced woman who is looking like a soiled rag thrown away on a dust-heap. When Jesus addresses her relentless judges His voice is steady: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.” When they all drift away with lowered heads, Jesus says pityingly to the woman: “Has no one condemned thee?... Neither will I condemn thee. Go thy way, and from now on sin no more.” (Cf. John 8:3-11)
Elsewhere Jesus is called "the good shepherd" who knows His sheep and calls them to Himself one by one. If a poor sheep is lost, He leaves the other ninety-nine of His flock and searches for it, nor does He rest until it has been found. When He sees that it has been injured, He carries it back to the fold upon His shoulders. Who could forget the touching parable of the prodigal son? He had left the house of his aging father and had gone to a distant country where he had squandered his inheritance in the course of a low and worldly life of pleasure. When all his money had been spent he was very much alone, and was reduced to such circumstances that he took a job looking after unclean animals. One day when he was weeping over his fate, he made a sudden resolution. “I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. I am no longer worthy to be called thy son.” His father had been waiting for him for many years. He met and embraced him and gave him the kiss of pardon. Then he held a great feast because his son had repented and come home. He "was dead and has come to life, he was lost and is found." (Cf. Luke 15:11-32) No matter how great our faults may be, let us trust in the infinite mercy of God, and when we go to Him He will grant us forgiveness and peace.
3. Remember, however, that if God's mercy is infinite so is His justice. When we realise that we have fallen into serious sin, we should not give way to despair as Judas did, but should turn to Jesus trustingly and contritely, saying with the Psalmist: “My refuge and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield, in whom I trust.” (Ps. 143:2) We shall certainly be forgiven. It would be the highest form of ingratitude to abuse God's goodness and mercy. Let our repentance be sincere and effective. In return for the infinite goodness of God let us give Him our love, limited indeed but willing and constant.
Eastern Rite - Feasts of 20 April AM 7532
Today is the Feast of Our Venerable Father Theodore Trichinas (that is, “the one who wears a hair shirt”), Hermit near Constantinople.
Saint Theodore Trichinas was born in Constantinople, the son of wealthy and pious parents. From childhood Saint Theodore was inclined toward monasticism, so he left his home, family, and former life in order to enter a monastery in Thrace. There he began his arduous ascetic struggles. He dressed in a hair-shirt, from which he derived the name “Trichinas,” (or “Hair-Shirt Wearer”). He even slept on a stone in order to avoid bodily comfort, and to prevent himself from sleeping too much.
His life was adorned with miracles, and he had the power to heal the sick. He reposed at the end of the fourth century, or the beginning of the fifth century. Healing myrrh flows from his relics.
The name of Saint Theodore Trichinas is one of the most revered in the history of Eastern monasticism. Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4) has composed a Canon to the saint.
Troparion — Tone 3
Holy Father Theodore, / you were a temple of abstinence and a vessel of dispassion; / you served God by your works, / and were found worthy of His gifts. / Now pray to Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.
Kontakion — Tone 2
God-bearing Theodore, / treasury of virtue, a storehouse of grace / and adornment of monks; / pray for the forgiveness of our sins and for our salvation, / for you are the protector of the faithful.
✠✠✠✠✠
Saint Theodore Trichinas was born in Constantinople, the son of wealthy and pious parents. From childhood Saint Theodore was inclined toward monasticism, so he left his home, family, and former life in order to enter a monastery in Thrace. There he began his arduous ascetic struggles. He dressed in a hair-shirt, from which he derived the name “Trichinas,” (or “Hair-Shirt Wearer”). He even slept on a stone in order to avoid bodily comfort, and to prevent himself from sleeping too much.
His life was adorned with miracles, and he had the power to heal the sick. He reposed at the end of the fourth century, or the beginning of the fifth century. Healing myrrh flows from his relics.
The name of Saint Theodore Trichinas is one of the most revered in the history of Eastern monasticism. Saint Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4) has composed a Canon to the saint.
Troparion — Tone 3
Holy Father Theodore, / you were a temple of abstinence and a vessel of dispassion; / you served God by your works, / and were found worthy of His gifts. / Now pray to Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.
Kontakion — Tone 2
God-bearing Theodore, / treasury of virtue, a storehouse of grace / and adornment of monks; / pray for the forgiveness of our sins and for our salvation, / for you are the protector of the faithful.
IN LUMINE FIDEI: 20 APRIL – SATURDAY IN THE THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER
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IN LUMINE FIDEI: 20 APRIL – SATURDAY IN THE THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER: Dom Prosper Gueranger: The Saturday brings us back to Mary. Let us again contemplate her prerogatives and yet, while so doing, let us ...
20 April, The Chesterton Calendar
APRIL 20th
'I know of a magic wand, but it is a wand that only one or two may rightly use, and only seldom. It is a fairy wand of great fear, stronger than those who use it—often frightful, often wicked to use. But whatever is touched with it is never again wholly common; whatever is touched with it takes a magic from outside the world. It has made mean landscapes magnificent and hovels outlast cathedrals. The touch of it is the finger of a strange perfection.
'There it is!'—he pointed to the floor where his sword lay flat and shining.
'The Napoleon of Notting Hill.'
20 April, The Holy Rule of St Benedict, Patriarch of Western Monasticism
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CHAPTER LXIV. Of the Appointment of the Abbot
20 Apr. 20 Aug. 20 Dec.
In the appointing of an Abbot, let this principle always be observed, that he be made Abbot whom all the brethren with one consent in the fear of God, or even a small part of the community with more wholesome counsel, shall elect. Let him who is to be appointed be chosen for the merit of his life and the wisdom of his doctrine, even though he should be the last in order in the community. But if all the brethren with one accord (which God forbid) should elect a man willing to acquiesce in their evil habits, and these in some way come to the knowledge of the Bishop to whose diocese that place belongs, or of the Abbots or neighbouring Christians, let them not suffer the consent of these wicked men to prevail, but appoint a worthy steward over the house of God, knowing that for this they shall receive a good reward, if they do it with a pure intention and for the love of God, as, on the other hand, they will sin if they neglect it.
21 April, The Roman Martyrology
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Undécimo Kaléndas Maii Luna duodécima Anno Dómini 2024
April 21st 2024, the 12th day of the Moon, were born into the better life:
At Canterbury, in England, holy Anselm, Archbishop of that see, illustrious for his holiness and teaching, [in the year 1109.]
In Persia, [in the year 345,] the holy martyr Simeon, Bishop of Seleucia and Ctesiphon. He was arrested by order of Sapor, King of the Persians, loaded with chains, and brought before the iniquitous judgment-seat. He refused to worship the sun, and with a free and unfaltering voice bore witness for Christ Jesus. He suffered a long while in prison along with a hundred others, whereof some were bishops, some priests, and others clergy of diverse orders. He recalled to repentance Usthazanes, the king's tutor, who had fallen away from the faith, but who now bravely underwent martyrdom. On the day after, which was the anniversary of the Lord's Sufferings, all the others were slain with the sword before the eyes of Simeon, who earnestly exhorted every one of them, and at the last was himself also beheaded. There suffered, moreover, along with him his eminent Priests Abdechalas and Ananias also Pusicius, the foreman of the king's workmen, who encouraged Ananias when he was wavering, and who was put to a very cruel death by having his tongue cut out through a hole in his neck; and after him was put to death his daughter, who was an hallowed virgin.
At Alexandria, the holy martyrs, the Priest Arator, Fortunatus, Felix, Silvius, and Vitalis, who fell asleep in prison.
Also, the holy martyrs Apollo, Isacius, and Crotates, who suffered under the Emperor Diocletian.
At Antioch, [after the year 686,] the holy Bishop of that city, Anastasius of Sinai.
℣. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
℟. Thanks be to God.
At Canterbury, in England, holy Anselm, Archbishop of that see, illustrious for his holiness and teaching, [in the year 1109.]
In Persia, [in the year 345,] the holy martyr Simeon, Bishop of Seleucia and Ctesiphon. He was arrested by order of Sapor, King of the Persians, loaded with chains, and brought before the iniquitous judgment-seat. He refused to worship the sun, and with a free and unfaltering voice bore witness for Christ Jesus. He suffered a long while in prison along with a hundred others, whereof some were bishops, some priests, and others clergy of diverse orders. He recalled to repentance Usthazanes, the king's tutor, who had fallen away from the faith, but who now bravely underwent martyrdom. On the day after, which was the anniversary of the Lord's Sufferings, all the others were slain with the sword before the eyes of Simeon, who earnestly exhorted every one of them, and at the last was himself also beheaded. There suffered, moreover, along with him his eminent Priests Abdechalas and Ananias also Pusicius, the foreman of the king's workmen, who encouraged Ananias when he was wavering, and who was put to a very cruel death by having his tongue cut out through a hole in his neck; and after him was put to death his daughter, who was an hallowed virgin.
At Alexandria, the holy martyrs, the Priest Arator, Fortunatus, Felix, Silvius, and Vitalis, who fell asleep in prison.
Also, the holy martyrs Apollo, Isacius, and Crotates, who suffered under the Emperor Diocletian.
At Antioch, [after the year 686,] the holy Bishop of that city, Anastasius of Sinai.
℣. And elsewhere many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
℟. Thanks be to God.
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