Safe Haven

We knew this day would eventually come. Mariano Rivera, the Yankees closer and the greatest of all time, will retire after the upcoming season. Along with 608 saves and a 2.21 ERA, Rivera has saved 42 games in the postseason. And he throws one pitch, a mid-90s cut fastball. Isn't it supposed to help when you know what's coming? This is a guy who says that God showed him the cutter as he was warming up in the bullpen. It slipped out of his hand or something. He's the quiet leader of the Yankees, even a sort of moral compass. He's the epitome of humility. He's been the best at his position since 1997, and he's still the best on the eve of his final season. He's 43 years old. They say it's hard to walk away when you're the best. I get the sense that Mariano wants to be the best at something other than baseball. God and family. It's hard to argue when those two cards are played. The truth is, I haven't seen him play much, but hardly anyone

5 Thoughts For You 5. If two men or two women are "married" in the eyes of the State, and the State should recognize that because they "really, really, love each other," then I will marry my dog for the same reason. No, you say? Preposterous, and not consistent with the common good? Looks like you have some explaining to do, not me. 4. Um, if you're so tolerant, why do you swear at me? 3. Yeah, I will eat that Chick-Fil-A. Mockingly. And proudly. But not today. It's Friday in Lent. Some of us aren't governed by unrestrained desire. 2. I have too much to do to sort out all your issues today. 1. I'll pray for you. Over and over. And I'll enjoy it, too.

I missed a chance yesterday. God was calling me to pray. He knew I was angry. Meanwhile, our friend John is going through some health difficulties of a very serious kind. Other friends took it to the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Anyway, it was the perfect chance, even while not being able to make the Holy Hour. And I missed it. On the one hand, it's stupid to be angry about this. It's over. It's done. And I guess it was my fault. And you can say anything you want about how the words I said really hurt, etc. and how I'm not who you thought (even though that isn't true). But you will never get me to say that I'm a bad person. I can't do it. I know my character. And so, I'm still angry about it. I think I'm angry in an acceptable way, because I don't wish ill on anyone. Far from it. I hope for everyone the best. Especially if you're here. I really do value whatever time you spend reading my incoherent blatherings. That's truly what th

5 Thoughts For Tonight 5. If I were forced to talk for 13 hours, I would hope it wouldn't be about Barack Obama. 4. Your life and mine in the hands of a squirrely dude named Eric, and a guy that sounds like a holdover from the Johnson Administration. 'Merica. 3. Maybe the Dems are setting up Obama as the beast Rabban, so Hillary can be the "savior" Feyd Rautha. 2. If Rubio wins, I'm totally yelling out, "For he IS the Kwisatz Haderach!" 1. Paul Ryan=Gurney Halleck? [These are all Dune-themed, but the title suggested The Matrix.--ed.] Think trippy Christian-tinged sci-fi.

5 Thoughts For Today 5. Piers Morgan is mind-blowingly stupid. 4. Penn Jillette is my kind of atheist. He's a Leah Libresco-type: honest, unafraid, fair. Which probably means he won't stay an atheist (just like Leah). 3. YOUCAT is awesome. Maybe it should be used for adults. We don't have to tell anyone. 2. The above thought is not meant as a disparagement of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But this New Evangelization is going to need people to talk in simple words (like YOUCAT). 1. I'm open to hearing more about "distributive justice" as Mother Church means it, but not from smug dudes looking for a justification to vote Democratic.

I'm Catholic now, in case you haven't figured it out. So my usefulness as any sort of commentator on things Reformed is severely limited. However, there seems to be some debate has to what Reformed theology actually is. Some notable theologians and teachers, like Dr. Anthony Bradley of King's College, New York City, argue that a small band of tribalist Baptists have hijacked the meaning of "Reformed". Offering the pamphlet " What it Means to be Reformed " from Calvin Theological Seminary as an alternative to what he perceives as this tribalism, I read it with interest. I wanted to know if this pamphlet accurately represented what I understood to be Reformed theology. If it does, then it may be used to correct any errors of a more provincial or limited nature with respect to to the scope of Reformed theology. If it does not, then a more credible alternative must be found. In my opinion, this pamphlet does represent Reformed theology accurately as it was

I'm a slow typer. There's a non-JK-is-an-idiot reason for this that you may or may not know. In any case, have you ever been on Facebook when someone posts a status update looking for information? Any reasonable person, even if he doesn't know anything, wants to be helpful. Truthfully, I do this more often than most people, because A) I know lots of stuff about lots of things, and B) I think I do even when I don't. So there I was, plodding away at my response of middling importance, when suddenly definitive answers came flooding in. And I knew they were right. The most humble thing would be to push the Backspace key on my comment-in-waiting. [But this is you we're talking about.--ed.] Exactly. So I finished what I would have said, and added a humorous aside to the effect that there is no way I'm wasting this effort, no matter how pointless it is. Not to mention that it was The Deb's status, which makes the likelihood of a comment by me a near certainty. Af

5 Political Snark-Nuggets For Today 5. It'd be funny if it weren't so sad. Namely, asking yourself, "How will President Obama blame Republicans for his own short-sighted partisan hackery today?" 4. When the Peace President has to go to war with Iran because he's an incompetent negotiator who alienates potential allies in the effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, I admit it, my first reaction will be laughter. [You voted for this clown.--ed.] Yeah, well, you couldn't pay me to vote for Senator Happy Trigger from Arizona. Sue me. 3. I wouldn't call the president a socialist. A craven corporatist bribe specialist who pays off his cronies with taxpayer funds? Definitely. 2. Remember when we had a budget? 1. Can we call President Obama the proud head of the Murder Party, or is that too true to be spoken aloud?

5 Thoughts For Today 5. Watch where you are going. No, seriously. 4. Give tax breaks to everyone! That way I don't have to listen to your envious babble on the point. 3. Extortion comes in many forms. 2. I'm not averse to helping people out. Common good, and all that. Isn't it interesting, though? We're getting more starkly utilitarian even as the sanctimonious armies of coerced compassion grow in strength. 1. You know, I'm not a suck-up to the rich and powerful. Money's a tool; you can use it well, or use it badly. But you're right that I admire people who struggle, who've even gone without food for a dream. I don't think we should knock them off the mountaintop when they get there. Just sayin'.

Brothers, we need to talk about this . This is what lust is, gentlemen. It's not an innocent little habit, and it's not part of who we are, at least who we are meant to be. I've been guilty of it, lots of times. I get it. I really do understand. Women are beautiful. Most of them, in fact, are pleasing to the eyes. God made us to be drawn to each other as men and women. Sexual sin is about taking for yourself, instead of giving. It's very simple. I'm not going to lecture you, because I know. I know what it's like to hate yourself somehow, to feel no control. But you want to feel powerful, like you matter. Maybe you're disconnected, like the world has forgotten you. And you want to take something, to have something, anything, that's yours. Believe me, I know this in a special way. So you take. Who will know? It's my mind, and my body. But it's a trap. We'll die. Maybe you're dying right now. But I realized something in this battle: All

5 Thoughts For Today 5. Write a song if you feel like it. 4. A letter is better. 3. Play that funky music. 2. "And in that Cheyenne wind, he could still hear her say..." 1. "All the kingdom lights shined, just for me and you."