November 2016

Moral Cretins & Castro Mourners

Only moral cretins and hard left wingers—overlapping categories—grieve for the death of Fidel Castro. Pope Francis hurried to place himself among the mourners of a moral monster:
On receiving the sad news of the death of your dear brother His Excellency Mister Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, former president of the State Council and of the Government of the Republic of Cuba, I express my sentiments of sorrow to Your Excellency and other family members of the deceased dignitary, as well as to the people of this beloved nation.
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Thanksgiving in the Month of the Holy Souls

It is fitting that Thanksgiving should fall in the month of the Holy Souls. November, of course, marks the anniversary of the Pilgrim landing. But more than that, it memorializes the lives—and deaths—of those who were instruments in forging the religious and cultural lineaments of our nation. A day to commemorate simply a life-sustaining harvest might readily have been set on or close to the autumn equinox. That would have followed ancient precedent honoring the divinities of harvest time, guardians of the threshing floor. Continue Reading
After Election Day Schadenfreude

A thoughtful reader responded to the improbable upset on Election Day by sending me these words of St. Gertrude (Gertrude of Helfta): “May the wounds of Christ make of no effect the handwriting that is against us.” They are sobering. When our giddiness subsides, and our schadenfreude—well earned and blameless this time—wears off, we would be wise to resume the prayer of this 13th century Benedictine mystic.   The handwriting is, indeed, against us. This election, delicious as it is to some of us, does not erase the baleful scrawl. Continue Reading
Our Vichy Church / Al Smith Dinner

It was impossible not to wince at Cardinal Dolan’s cozy gladhanding with that monstrous woman at the Al Smith Dinner. Leah Barkoukis, reporting for Town Hall, quoted our shepherd:
I was very moved by the obvious attempt on behalf of both Sec. Clinton and Mr. Trump … to be courteous, get along, to say nice things privately to one another. I was very moved by that, that was pleasant.
Pleasant! The word is a scandal in light of all that is at risk in this election. Continue Reading