I’ll Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Every so often, I get the chance to enjoy some R&R, away from the hurly burly of daily life. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be taking something of a vacation and will not be as able to post to this blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. For some of you who frequent this blog, that may come as good news! But for those who have made this place a regular stop on your daily rounds of the blogward, I don’t wan’t to leave you panting with unrequited need for your daily dose of what I dispense here (theology, apologetics, humor, social commentary, etc.).

I'll Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Every so often, I get the chance to enjoy some R&R, away from the hurly burly of daily life. Over the next two weeks, I’ll be taking something of a vacation and will not be as able to post to this blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. For some of you who frequent this blog, that may come as good news! But for those who have made this place a regular stop on your daily rounds of the blogward, I don’t wan’t to leave you panting with unrequited need for your daily dose of what I dispense here (theology, apologetics, humor, social commentary, etc.).

Let’s brag about our priests!

Good morning, fellow Pat Madrid fans!

I’m Jim Moore–the “Rocking the Cradle Catholic” guy from Envoy magazine. Pat has done me the honor of inviting me to be one of his guest bloggers while he’s away.

I’d like to get a sharing/conversation session going today in the wake of the most recent anti-Catholic bigotry foisted upon the American television audience by an alleged comedian whose name sounds like a brand of razor.

We’re not going to talk about that tirade, but what I’d like us all to share–in this year dedicated to priests–are stories and ancedotes about the priests who have had a positive impact on our lives.

I’ll sign back on this evening to catch up on the chat and share my own experiences. I’d do that now, but my day is starting early and I’ve got to it the road.

Happy Wednesday!

Let's brag about our priests!

Good morning, fellow Pat Madrid fans!

I’m Jim Moore–the “Rocking the Cradle Catholic” guy from Envoy magazine. Pat has done me the honor of inviting me to be one of his guest bloggers while he’s away.

I’d like to get a sharing/conversation session going today in the wake of the most recent anti-Catholic bigotry foisted upon the American television audience by an alleged comedian whose name sounds like a brand of razor.

We’re not going to talk about that tirade, but what I’d like us all to share–in this year dedicated to priests–are stories and ancedotes about the priests who have had a positive impact on our lives.

I’ll sign back on this evening to catch up on the chat and share my own experiences. I’d do that now, but my day is starting early and I’ve got to it the road.

Happy Wednesday!

What do you make of this unusual cloud I saw today?

Today, at about 4:45 p.m. ET, while on my daily 5-mile walk, I had just finished praying the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel at the conclusion of praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. I tucked my rosary into my pocket, wiped the sweat from my brow, and I looked up to the heavens. This is what I saw in the sky above me . . .

Is Using A Minotaur To Gore Detainees A Form Of Torture?

Perhaps some who’ve been defending the moral propriety of torture in the comments section of one of my recent posts about the subject might think so. Hard to say. What do you think?

13 Things a Burglar Doesn’t Want You to Know

The information for this comes from crime experts and convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky. Here’s what a burglar won’t tell you:

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love the flowers — they tell me you have taste, and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door — understandable. But I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters — don’t take me up on it.

10. I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. However, I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12. I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. You can also buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a television.

(Source)

13 Things a Burglar Doesn't Want You to Know

The information for this comes from crime experts and convicted burglars in North Carolina, Oregon, California, and Kentucky. Here’s what a burglar won’t tell you:

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love the flowers — they tell me you have taste, and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door — understandable. But I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters — don’t take me up on it.

10. I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. However, I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12. I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. You can also buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a television.

(Source)

Is waterboarding torture? And if so, is it a sin?

There has been some rather, shall we say, “vigorous” discussion about the morality (or immorality) of waterboarding and torture among some Catholic folks over at my Facebook page. The issue came up tangentially as part of a larger discussion over the merits and demerits appertaining to the likely candidacy of former senator Rick Santorum for the 2012 presidential election.

Seems like in this post-9/11, post-Iraq-War world we now inhabit, the issue of what constitutes “torture” and whether techniques such as waterboarding will be an indelible part of the national Catholic conversation. So I’m reposting now something I had originally brought forward awhile ago to offer my own thoughts on the waterboarding/torture debate. Knowing in advance that some of you may strongly disagree with me, I offer you this audio clip for your consideration.

That’s one of the questions which came up on my EWTN Radio “Open Line” radio show recently. I thought you might find interesting the 8-minute discussion about this issue that I had with the caller. I don’t think he got the answer he was hoping for. What are your thoughts on this issue? (Click the picture to launch the audio.)

Vicious, Venal and Violent

That’s how Human Life International’s Father Tom Euteneuer characterizes the pro-abortion ideologues who are currently in control of this country’s executive and legislative branches and soon, perhaps, its judiciary branch. And he doesn’t limit this description just to those in government who promote and defend abortion. It applies, he says, to everyone who, in one way or another, helps run the death machine that devours upwards of 4,000 unborn children each day.

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