Category Archives: In a nutshell

St. Joseph’s Day – The Man Behind the Day

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Who is St. Joseph? Scripture says little about this man and yet we honor him with titles such as Patron of the Universal Church and Patron of a peaceful death.  The Bible simply calls him “just.” Mt 1;19  All we actually need to know is that Joseph is God’s choice.

God knows a man as he actually is in his heart of hearts from the moment God calls him by name, before he is conceived in the womb, until God calls him to Himself. Every moment, every thought, every movement of the heart, nothing hidden or forgotten, and, knowing all, God chose Joseph. He chose Joseph for Mary. He chose Joseph for Jesus. Knowing Joseph’s heart, God called Joseph “just” which means right with God.

Our generation places little value on “just.” It has no glitz. Give us “world renowned” and “phenomenally successful.” “Just” is just so unimpressive. If “just” were only as common as it sounds.

Today’s celebration will go unnoticed and unreported by the world, but the courts of Heaven ring with Joseph’s name this day. Jesus and Mary embrace him, sharing with saints and angels, their memories of his obedience to the Will of God, his humility, his protective care, his kindness and the sacrificial love that reigned over their home and their life together. Who remembers St. Joseph?  God remembers St. Joseph.  The God-Man remembers St. Joseph, and called him “Abba”, no doubt.

Time for a Whip

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I’m so tired of sweet and cuddly images of Jesus.  The man who was scourged for our sins and nailed to the Cross, now must bear those sugary, insipid images that would emasculate Him.  Where is the Lord of our courage and righteous indignation. This is a time for the Jesus who whips the money changers out of His Father’s House; the Jesus who knew what He would suffer for us and obeyed with His Blood.

I do remember that Jesus cut Caesar some slack, rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.  Consider though, these are days of both blatant and disquised idolatry, where rhetoriic passes for Virtue. The Law of the Land is compromised by statesmen and judges alike, a counterfeit Temple with a counterfeit Messiah making laws that make the Lion of Judah and Lamb of God weep?

Touch Down Africa

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Pope Bededict XVI touched down yesterday in Cameroon.  According to the AP, this is the Pope’s first trip as pontiff to Africa. “For Benedict, whose only previous stop in Africa was in Kinshasa in 1987 as a cardinal, the continent presents major challenges and opportunities. He is expected to address them in meetings with Muslim representatives, bishops, health workers and women’s advocacy groups.”

This is the first day in his seven day pilgrimage. The Roman Catholic Church is booming and blooming in Africa. “Africa produces priests at a higher rate than anywhere in the world but finds itself in competition with Islam in Cameroon..”

“Benedict said he wants to invigorate the growing church in Africa. ‘I intend to confirm Catholics in their faith,” he said, and ‘proclaim the peace entrusted to the Church” by Jesus. Benedict said that as he sets out for Africa, he has in mind ‘the victims of hunger, disease, injustice, fratricidal conflicts and every form of violence which unfortunately continue to afflict adults and children, without sparing missionaries’ and volunteers working on the continent.”

“The Catholic Church has been one body that has been consistent in the development of the African continent not only spiritually, but in the provision of quality education, health care, caring for the neglected and victims of natural and man made disasters. It has also spoken up against corrupt and inept leaders in a fearless and constructive manner. The Church is only fulfilling its mandate to bring light to a darkened world and needs to continue this mission unceasingly. Africa definitely needs the Church. Osayawe Ogieva, Nigeria”

You Don’t Have To Be Irish To Be Irish

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Where the Angels? – “Greed” Revisited

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It’s so good to see Phil Donahue stumped for a retort.

Milton Friedman (1912-2006) in his book “Capitalism and Freedom” advocated minimizing the role of government in a free market as a means of creating political and social freedom. ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ of Eternity Road and Fighting In The Shade says Friedman is a pearl worth sharing. ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ revels in this video clip because:

“It is so devastatingly effective in demolishing one of the most sacred shibboleths of modern leftism that it needs to be resurrected and digested in these times of the ascendancy of the Marxist messiah.”

Who could he mean?

H/T Patrick Joubert Conlon for posting clip

Porklulus Party Favors Must End

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Cinncinnati  pours…out onto the streets that is.  Tea parties are the “in” soiree of disgruntled tax-payers.Michelle Malkin reports:

The Cincinnati Tea Party organizers told us it was going to be big. And it was. Organizer J. Binik-Thomas e-mails this evening that 5,000 folks turned out for the protest and more than 1,600 people signed a petition to ask local governments to reject porkulus funding.

Photo credit: Malkins reader Melissa)

Photo credit: Malkin's reader Melissa)

Instapundit has this great aerial view of the doings and more.

Tea Party Hardy!