Skip to main content

Welcome to Rome, Comrades

Five Thoughts For Today



5. Fr. Barron got some good press from his Catholicism series, though I haven't seen it yet. The word is that Colleen Carroll Campbell will be reporting from Rome each day until we have a new Pope. Speaking of video series, how come no one ever thought of the idea of Colleen Carroll Campbell reading the Catechism from interesting locales? We could call it, "CCC reads the CCC." We could make millions.



4. You may be judging me right now for that last joke, but don't you forget: good fun for the whole family is made from bad puns and wordplay.



3. I read some article from the National Catholic Register like, "Nine Things You Need to Know about the Conclave." Now, I'm a faithful Catholic, but their description as to how this is all going to work made it seem a little tacky. It could've been worse, however. The National Catholic Reporter would have a piece saying that Obama should be the next Pope.



2. Here in St. Louis, Mike Bush is going to be reporting from Rome. "That's odd," I thought, "isn't he Jewish?" On the other hand, St. Louis is a huge Catholic city. The only thing bigger than the election of a new Pope in this town is opening day for the Cardinals. Then again, this is opening day for the Cardinals. [That's even worse than the last joke.--ed.]



1. Did you hear that they're jamming the cell phone signals of the cardinals? Is that really necessary? I already know some important people, but I can tell you that none of them has ever said, "Yeah, I've got Cardinal What's-His-Name on speed dial."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Thoughts On The Harrison Butker Commencement Speech

Update: I read the whole thing. I’m sorry, but what a weirdo. I thought you [Tom Darrow, of Denver, CO] made a trenchant case for why lockdowns are bad, and I definitely appreciated it. But a graduation speech is *not* the place for that. Secondly, this is an august event. It always is. I would never address the President of the United States in this manner. Never. Even the previous president, though he deserves it, if anyone does. Thirdly, the affirmations of Catholic identity should be more general. He has no authority to propound with specificity on all matters of great consequence. It has all the hallmarks of a culture war broadside, and again, a layman shouldn’t speak like this. The respect and reverence due the clergy is *always due,* even if they are weak, and outright wrong. We just don’t brush them aside like corrupt Mafia dons, to make a point. Fourthly, I don’t know where anyone gets the idea that the TLM is how God demands to be worshipped. The Church doesn’t teach that. ...

Dear Alyse

 Today, you’re 35. Or at least you would be, in this place. You probably know this, but we’re OK. Not great, but OK. We know you wouldn’t want us moping around and weeping all the time. We try not to. Actually, I guess part of the problem is that you didn’t know how much we loved you. And that you didn’t know how to love yourself. I hope you have gotten to Love by now. Not a place, but fills everything in every way. I’m not Him, but he probably said, “Dear daughter/sister, you have been terribly hard on yourself. Rest now, and be at peace.” Anyway, teaching is going well, and I tell the kids all about you. They all say you are pretty. I usually can keep the boys from saying something gross for a few seconds. Mom and I are going to the game tonight. And like 6 more times, before I go back to South Carolina. I have seen Nicky twice, but I myself haven’t seen your younger kids. Bob took pictures of the day we said goodbye, and we did a family picture at the Abbey. I literally almost a...

A Friend I Once Had, And The Dogmatic Principle

 I once had a friend, a dear friend, who helped me with personal care needs in college. Reformed Presbyterian to the core. When I was a Reformed Presbyterian, I visited their church many times. We were close. I still consider his siblings my friends. (And siblings in the Lord.) Nevertheless, when I began to consider the claims of the Catholic Church to be the Church Christ founded, he took me out to breakfast. He implied--but never quite stated--that we would not be brothers, if I sought full communion with the Catholic Church. That came true; a couple years later, I called him on his birthday, as I'd done every year for close to ten of them. He didn't recognize my number, and it was the most strained, awkward phone call I have ever had. We haven't spoken since. We were close enough that I attended the rehearsal dinner for his wedding. His wife's uncle is a Catholic priest. I remember reading a blog post of theirs, that early in their relationship, she told him of the p...