Safe Haven

 If you ever watched the NBA from 1984-1998, this will make more sense. That’s the Jordan Era. I don’t intend to say that Caitlin is Michael Jordan in every respect, but she’s the player that is taking the WNBA from a marketing perspective to a similar place as Jordan did. He became literally the worldwide icon of the game. His popularity didn’t diminish other great players; it brought the overall talent into sharp relief. Like Clark now, no one would have said Jordan was the best in the league in 1984, or even 1987. But the fans saw what they saw, and “voted” with their dollars and attendance and TV viewership. She absolutely has the ability to be a multiple time MVP, scoring champion, league champion, and assist leader. How is she not like Jordan? Right now, I don’t see Caitlin being the best offensive and defensive player at the same time, as Jordan was. Or as the great A’ja Wilson is right now. I hope she proves me wrong. But like Jordan in 1997, Caitlin is good for 20 every ni...

 I know young people and everyone else for that matter just (apparently) has sex whenever they feel like it. Christians fornicate and cohabitate worse than the heathen these days. I also definitely recognize that mistakes and “accidents” happen. If I didn’t believe in forgiveness, I would be by definition the stupidest disciple of Jesus who ever existed. A disciple knows first above everything and everyone that his debt with God is bigger than anyone else’s. He extends mercy to other sinners because he believes he is the chief of sinners. All that said… How in the Sam Hill are you gonna make a baby, and then decide—while your age starts with a “1” or barely a “2”—that this isn’t going to work out, and you’ll go find someone else to have sex with? This serial monogamy stuff is just nuts, man. There are things even more nuts, but I cannot fathom a more painful question for a child, and from a child, than, “How come Daddy isn’t here with us?” Or worse, “Who is my Daddy?” Believe me, n...

 I saw something mean on the Twitter. Someone I follow said something like, “Protestants claim to know the Bible, but they just use it how they want.” Let me stop you right there. Most Protestants do absolutely know the Bible (as they have received it) better than most Catholics. That’s just true. I was there, and I’m telling you, it’s true. Unless we can cheat and use Scott and Kimberly Hahn’s kids, we’d get murdered in “sword drills” by some 16-year-old on a break from Baptist summer camp. Look, I am not saying it’s rightly interpreted all the time. I’d still be part of the Reformation if I believed that. But I can absolutely promise you: you don’t want to pick this fight. I was received into the Catholic Church at Easter when I was 31 years old. I’m 46 now. It might have been the happiest day of my life. But I will tell you that drinking deeply of the philosophical tradition and the Sacred Tradition, I started to get sad, because the Scriptural citations didn’t come quite as eas...

 The official terms liturgically are that bishops, priests, and deacons are the “ordinary ministers of Holy Communion.” Anyone else who helps in this way or in any other way is an extraordinary minister. Respectfully, in an ideal scenario, you wouldn’t be there. So please do it reverently and efficiently by all means. But ideally, the faithful shouldn’t notice you. It is also the case that people with bad motives and the ignorant use the provisions and permissions for less-than-ideal situations to introduce their wrong ideas into the liturgy. More than a few people need to hear, “Hey friend. You could literally go to Hell for stuff like that.” “Active participation” does not mean, “As many of us as possible need to do stuff in the liturgy.” It means that we know the significance of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We are trying to be prayerfully aware of what the priest is doing, and to offer our own selves as distinct sacrifices to God. This is where the “and yours” in the vernacul...

 I don’t do it. I have a disability. Nobody should want to drop a consecrated Host, but if you know that you’re more likely to drop one than almost everyone else, just receive on the tongue. I don’t think that kneeling and receiving on the tongue is necessarily better, except to say that altering a body posture can alter a heart posture. In the main, that’s why we do it. To be somewhat funny about it, I would absolutely rather lick or bite the finger of a minister of Holy Communion than drop the Blessed Sacrament on the floor. Don’t worry about it, though; if Jesus were mostly ashamed of us, he wouldn’t show up at all. I started reading some lay “trad” essay on Substack about how it’s somehow wrong to receive in the hand, and I stopped. Just precious self-important nonsense, as usual. Please feel free to lick your hand, if you do happen to receive in the hand, and you suspect there might be a crumb. Our Lord shouldn’t be left like a hobo, after all. We do seem to spend a good deal ...

 Too bloody right, I watched The Lion King again the other day. It truly is a great film. Did you know that it’s made 979 million dollars? They made it for 45 million dollars in 1994. That’s a blockbuster, folks. Oddly enough, it did the most business outside North America. Different things struck me this time. Mufasa said, “Being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble.” Indeed, bravery in the cause of wickedness or pride is a waste. Mufasa speaking to Simba from Heaven got me pretty good. I don’t think I’ve gotten emotional at that part before. I used to feel Simba’s ache as Mufasa receded; that longing I understand. However, this time it was, “You are my son, and the one true king” which landed a hard punch against me. Indeed, I spoke the line out loud, though I was alone. It was emotional. Ancestor worship isn’t totally wrong; as it is written, “Honor your father and your mother.” On the other hand, there’s nothing inherently praiseworthy about merely having lived and die...

 I was on a rant the other day about how the TV drama The West Wing was liberal fantasy, and how even Martin Sheen couldn’t play a believable Catholic president, because no one who was meaningfully Catholic—even with buffet tendencies—would go into an Episcopal cathedral (not even the National Cathedral) to contest with God over the death of Mrs. Landingham.  We just wouldn’t. Sorry. There’s probably a Catholic chapel at least within a couple miles, and maybe better. Technically, Martin Sheen was born during World War II, so he’s the Silent Generation. But The West Wing is Boomer fantasy liberalism. Notice how often the characters in that administration win the arguments with just their sheer conviction. The music swells, and whoever they were arguing with just slinks away. It’s actually embarrassing. I’ll just say it: you kinda have to be liberal to like the show. Not even the adorable Emily Procter playing a Republican could save the show. She might actually be conservative ...

 I don’t mind it. I’m not even rebellious enough to destroy a wave as it comes around. I will say that most people can’t do the wave and maintain focus on the game, which baseball assuredly deserves. In my long familiarity with my beloved St. Louis Cardinals, the outbreak of The Wave usually indicated that the game was delayed, or boring. We’re not The Best Fans In Baseball (TM). Sorry. But St. Louis has a pretty big metro area. The Cardinals will never be in financial trouble, unless they get taken over by a series of fools. Moreover, the hardcore, well, core of the fan base IS extremely knowledgeable. Objectively, we can say that the floor for the attendance of the Cardinals is probably 25,000 a game. It’s the most decorated franchise in the National League, and probably the Dodgers and the Yankees could credibly claim to have more haters. And we absolutely deserve that. We’ve won a lot. Like, a lot. They’ve spent the last few years being average or bad, and I’ve felt genuine sym...

 The Lion King. (1994) The Hunt For Red October. (1990) Field Of Dreams (1989). They are great films, but there are specific reasons why these three are the ones that mean the most to me. The Lion King reminds me of my father. When I think of my father, I think of Mufasa. I also think of Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, but Atticus is impossible to live up to. Like Bluey’s Dad.  But the parallels to Mufasa deepen. Mufasa dies suddenly, and it’s something that defines Simba for the rest of the film. When Simba finally triumphs, he does so by finding himself, and thereby honoring his father. His wandering was Simba trying to ignore his father and his father’s death. It’s more than just the sadness of the death; it’s what the death means, and what Simba does in response. The Hunt For Red October is pretty much my foreign policy and my patriotism distilled into a movie. Communism sucks, and despite herself, the United States of America remains the hope of the world. The book had to ...

 I don’t know anything about psychology, and obviously he does. I think I have dropped enough similar bombs on the far Left that I don’t need to become a poster boy for the Right like he did, or at least I felt he did. Probably from his perspective, he sees and saw his field in general being used for the destruction of self-efficacy, especially among men. I can appreciate that. He said something a few months back in a video that sticks with me as a teacher: The biggest thing a teacher does is set the inspirational frame for learning. I think he’s right. I think what I can do better is draw direct connections with the content knowledge and our near-inevitable bond as learners together. (That is, some of my friends have said that I am especially skilled at creating bonds of friendship with kids; I don’t think so. I just think a lot of people don’t feel seen, especially as they grow up. Try a little, you end up with strong loyalty.) If you don’t know something, you can find it out. Bu...

 I know Scott Stapp and those guys were trying to beat the Christian allegations, but especially the period from 1997-2001, why try? It’s a hard rock trip through the Psalms. As for music critics, what do they know? I always do reparations for “the words” in “My Own Prison”—I’m definitely a Christian, after all—but I have seen some things, man. Imperfect but real spirituality resonates more with me than a lot of “church people.” Moreover, every genre of music deserves stuff that’s radio-friendly. Make what you want, but if you try to tell me that you’re a musician and that you wouldn’t trade places with Taylor Swift in half a second, I’ll call you a liar. Besides The Joshua Tree, if it’s not a Creed record, give me the Make Believe LP from Weezer. It’s Eastern, but get over it. We can and will “baptize” anything. If I’m completely honest, “Christian” music usually isn’t good because I just don’t believe what they’re selling. Pathos and ethos, man. How many of those CCM bands had pe...

 The Spotify algorithm knows me well. 1980s and 1990s pop and R&B. It was a time when pop and adult contemporary were the same songs. Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis made their bones in this time, somehow making a mark as songwriters and producers contemporaneously with the legendary Babyface. (Kenneth Edmonds) Jam and Lewis introduced the music world to Janet Jackson principally, though that is in no way exhaustive of their contributions. They wrote and produced the ballad “Let’s Wait Awhile” from the 1986 LP Control. It concerns a young woman telling her boyfriend that she isn’t ready to have sex. Now, the younger sister of Michael Jackson was only 20 years old in 1986. Doubtless many of her fans were younger. The question is, why? What are we waiting for? A lot of scary red pill types go on and on about not wanting a woman who’s “ran through,” but what’s the point? 20 is too young, but 22 would be fine? The Christian ethic is direct: the permission for sex for both men and women...

 I’m not a conspiracy theorist by any stretch. I thought and think that COVID-19 was deadly and dangerous. I wore a mask the whole time, and got the vaccine as soon as I was permitted to. I’ve received three doses so far. All that said, I have no need to put my spikes in the ground to defend Anthony Fauci. In fact, I have known a few people who got MPH degrees to wonder if the whole racket is in creatively lying to the “ignorant” public for ideological purposes. High US officials knew the Chinese were literally making bio weapons at the Wuhan lab. We funded it. It was not a bat or a pangolin or anything at a wet market. If that right-wing nutjob Jon Stewart (sarcasm) can joke about it on late-night TV, it ain’t the fever swamp, my friends. And look, I started fights on social media trying to get friends and loved ones to get vaccinated. Basic math said the older you get, the less likely you were to bounce back unaided. That’s still true. It’s not in the news, but it could still kil...

 Obviously, I didn’t know Glen. But I knew his work, especially “Once” and the music associated with the film. It’s legitimately a great film, and the song “Falling Slowly” won an Academy Award. Marketa Irglova played a fellow musician who agrees to help him make an album. There is some romantic tension in the film, though Irglova’s character was married. It was a real Kris Kristofferson-Barbra Streisand situation, and the actor-musicians actually were dating during the making of the film. It’s a good enough story to have spawned a Broadway musical, and if you’re not aware, that’s a compliment from me. Hansard really did play his guitar on the street for money, and even after “Once” he wasn’t likely to be the opening act on the Eras Tour. He loved music, and he loved to play it for people. With the Lord’s permission, I would like to say that auto accidents and plane crashes are stupid. Actually, I can think of a few other ways of dying that seem senseless. Suffice to say that he’s ...

 I suppose that a person who is not an adherent of Christianity would be literally ignorant of certain details, but does any American who lives in Kentucky of all places really not understand why Christians would be sad if you said you’re not a Christian and you don’t want to attend their church? [People are idiots, and some people on social media pretend to be idiots for money.—ed.] Fair enough. Being Catholic is somewhat easier, in the sense that we don’t anxiously worry about the souls of those practicing other faiths, because God doesn’t condemn ignorance and can lead them to His Son via his own workings. That said, if a Muslim walked straight up to me and demanded to know about Jesus, I won’t miss that hanging curve. Some crazy fundamentalist wandered into our parish one night before Saturday Vigil Mass, and tried to preach us out of the Catholic Church. I was almost sad that the usher dragged him out. Dude, you’re standing in front of your Beloved right now. Your Savior is ri...

 Did I watch it a fair amount? Sure. Did I laugh sometimes? Absolutely. And he's not without his charms. Our ages are close enough that we lean into pop culture similarly. I've never met anyone who dislikes The Lord of The Rings book trilogy. His wife is more interesting than he is. But let's cut the crap: the show was too political and too liberal to have and keep a big audience. He got his start in Jon Stewart's satirical orbit, and his rise may have sown the seeds of his own destruction. Of all the really strong criticisms you can make of Donald Trump, I guess I never have hated him enough to be sad that Colbert's show was ending. The Left thinks its satire reflects reality, and that's exactly why they keep losing. To paraphrase James Carville, you can't beat someone you don't take seriously. Political satire has a long tradition in our country, but the secret sauce of political comedy gold is that (almost) everyone has to laugh. We've hit a point...

 People who have been actually abused have a good reason to do something like that. And if an otherwise healthy and accountable person doesn’t respect boundaries that you want to set for your own family and children, well, I can see saying something like, “These are our expectations. Meet them, or leave.” I think that Catholic Answers piece was overstated on this point. You can still will the good of any person—the definition of love—and still rightly decide that being physically and emotionally close to someone is everything from undesirable to highly inappropriate. My parents are and were great. Not perfect, mind you. I’ve had to forgive and let go of things. I don’t want to give a eulogy any time soon for my mother, God willing. But in the end, it would be an honor. I couldn’t even attempt a eulogy for one stepfather. See the first paragraph. But I did give one for the other stepfather, and I meant every good word. I honestly hope I don’t become “The Eulogy Guy.” Because I feel ...