A Saintly Salmagundi

Ciao Tutti...

After much thought and prayer, I have decided to exit the world of blogging and to stop updating A Saintly Salmagundi. The archives will still remain on-line however.

I assure you that I have not been "silenced" nor forced to make this decision by any outside authority. It is my choice and one that I have been contemplating for some time now. I've decided to shut down the blog for three main reasons:

1. I feel that the life of the blog has run its course. I have been finding it difficult to find quality things on which to post and was having a difficult time keeping it up to date with items of substance. The best analogy I can use is that like a good sitcom, it went off the air before it stopped being funny.

2. This original purpose of this blog was to provide a laugh here and there, but I noticed as it began to grow more popular it became a cause for more contention than jocularity. Now I have to be cautious with just about everything I post because it could lead to a slew of rude and condescending remarks. I never wanted the blog to be an occasion of strife and dischord.

3. Most importantly, I have a number of large projects that I would like to complete in the near future (including a book on John Paul II's "Theology of the Body") and I would like time to concentrate on those.

So, it has been a great run. I thank all my faithful readers for their support over the years. God bless and keep the faith!

Eucharistic Reflection no. 31

It takes the gift of faith for a Christian to see beyond the appearances of bread and wine and to perceive Our Blessed Lord present there. In addition, it takes the same gift of faith to see beyond the appearances of the man chosen to be the Successor of Peter on earth and perceive Our Blessed Lord present there. Indeed, both the Eucharist and the papacy are united not only as gifts left to the Church by Christ, but also as two ways of being present to his Church after his Ascension, albeit it in a hidden manner. Christ still walks among us in the Blessed Sacrament and in the Holy Father, but it takes faith to see him present there. This veiled existence unites both of these mysteries in a mysterious way that only those with a deep faith are able to perceive.

Paolini vs. Paoline

Important! From a Daughter of St. Paul friend:

The current issue of America, in reporting on Thomas Reese's resignation, refers to a Vatican action in response to complaints about Famiglia Cristiana, a "Pauline" magazine in Italy. I have already tried to notify our publishing house about this error-but everyone is on retreat, so I am doing something provisional myself here and now:

Famiglia Cristiana is published by "StPauls," the publishing division of the Society of St. Paul, our brother community. They are a distinct canonical entity and their publishing house, imprint, logo and everything else (other than the Pauline spirituality and charism itself) is specific to them. In Italian, the brothers are sometimes informally called "Paolini" (notice the final "i," which is a masculine plural ending), but in publishing the adjective "Pauline" (final "e" is feminine plural) refers to the Daughters of St. Paul publishing houses. This distinction cannot be conveyed in English, and so it leads to mistakes when translated directly, which is obviously what happened with the news service on which America was dependent.

Further info: the action was limited not only to the Society of St. Paul, but to the Italian province of the Society of St. Paul. Our brothers here in the U.S. (StPauls, Alba House) were not at all touched by this, except perhaps emotionally.

Paul Zahl on "The Passion of the Christ"

Paul is currently Dean of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Ambridge PA... he has an encyclopedic knowledge of popular culture.

From a Reader

I think I must share something very disturbing with you. Considering your work in the field of orthodox catholic preaching and the collection of action figures, it is clear you are the foremost expect in these fields.

I must tell you the truth. It may shock you. It may make you cry. It might make you want to blow things up with firecrackers. It may give you the hooboo jeebies. I'm not sure how you'll react. But I must take this risk. What follows is The Truth�.

The Truth�: Cats is trying to steal our base by launching every cheesy OCP "hymn."

I discovered this last Friday while driving home from my home parish. I am your garden variety orthodox Tiber-tempted Anglo-Catholic (and there aren't many of us around in New Jersey). It takes me 45 minutes to get home from the parish now that I moved to Central New Jersey. (Our motto: It doesn't smell too bad down here.) Suffice it to say, I know every inch of New Jersey's most infamous expressway.

Anyhow, while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, in the more carcinogenic areas thereof...this revelation came to mind. While humming the New Jersey Roman Catholic Standard, "On Eagles Wings," the aliens (or toxic chemicals of the Turnpike) communicated their dangerous message: All our base are belong to them (us).

The evidence? Listen to this!

Is this a coincidence? I DON'T THINK SO! The same can be said for "Celtic Alleluia," which is equally insidious.

It is obvious that we get signal (what?) and we are on the way to destruction unless we launch every plainsong chant for great justice.

Deviled Ham

Disturbing Stuff Going on in LA

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said Friday that members of a Ponchatoula church cult accused of sexually abusing children and animals told detectives they carried out the practices for years as part of a devil-worshipping ritual involving cat blood.

Fr. Derek Lappe's Homilies Online

Fr. Lappe preaches up a storm!

My Pentecost Homily is Now Available

Sad Sacerdotal Story

Another Letter to the Editor About Cloning

The logic used by John Maginnis in his May 18, 2005 article in The Times entitled �Research Stems Controversy� escapes me. He says that the �cell created and divided in the petri dish is not a human being and cannot grow into one, as the process of transferring the nucleus destroys certain essential enzymes.� I was under the impression that both �reproductive� and �therapeutic� cloning use the same process of cloning (somatic nuclear cell transfer) to produce the embryo, but �therapeutic� cloning harvests stem cells at an early stage (thus destroying the embryo), while �reproductive� cloning allows the embryo to develop until some stage it is implanted into a womb to continue growing. If the cell created is not a �human being� in �therapeutic� cloning, logically it would not be a human being in �reproductive� cloning either, since they both come from the same process. So, by his own logic neither can be called human beings because they would both lack the �essential enzymes� needed to become a human being. Therefore, why does Mr. Maginnis seem to oppose �reproductive� cloning and not �therapeutic� cloning? Under his view both would be harmless, since according to his argument, cloning a human being would be simply impossible.

Tonight - Buddhist Monk to Speak at Local Catholic Hospital

Tonight from 7:00-9:00pm at Our Lady of
Lourdes Medical Center in Lafayette, LA a Buddisht Monk named Khentrul Rinpoche will be speaking on "The Wheel of Mindfulness." This will not be the first time this Buddhist monk will have spoken at this hospital.

If you would like more information, or if you would like to lodge a complaint that a Buddist monk will be allowed to speak at a Catholic hospital, you can contact the Executive Department of the hospital at this e-mail address. Please be charitable.

Interesting...

The Vatican Website is reporting that the resignation of the Bishop of Linz was accepted today according to Canon 401�2 which reads:

A diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.

We have already reported on the nuttiness going on in that Diocese here and here.

I have a funny feeling that the Vatican "earnestly requested" his resignation.

Skew Another VOTF Survey

This one is about Fr. Reese and America magazine.

Alan Ames

Can anyone out there tell me anything about this supposed "healing-mystic"?