Safe Haven

5 Thoughts For Today 5. Someone remind me not to listen to James Taylor's Greatest Hits ever again. [What?--ed.] Just trust me. Nothing personal, sir. 4. I once said that I'd like to be known as the greatest theologian of the 21st century. Permit me to revise my statement: If I spend one day not feeling like a complete moron in the face of the mysteries of Christ and His love, I'll be very surprised. 3. Writing sucks. Even if you're good at it or you think you are, it still sucks. 2. I'm happy the NBA got its house in order, but mainly so I can hear Charles Barkley talk about...anything. [They could just give him a talk show.--ed.] Nah, that never works. 1. How many milliseconds will it take the "Truly Reformed" (whatever that means) to say the "And with your spirit" in the English revision of the Mass confirms our body-hating Gnosticism? Maybe I'm just paranoid.

I went to Eucharistic Adoration last night, and I had a thought worth holding on to: "I don't even know what I'm gonna eat tomorrow, much less what I'll be doing in 5 years. I shouldn't hold on so tight." The good things about me and the bad things all come back to the fact that I have difficulty with loneliness. If only I could desire fellowship with God as much as I do with people, I thought. Then, sure as I'm sitting here, Jesus tried to hug me. People who know me know that I hate being startled. Well, I was. I jumped back and shuddered so hard, you'd think it was an earthquake. I laughed at myself and said, "OK, Jesus. We'll work on that one." P.S. The date on MSN's homepage has been screwed up for two solid weeks; it thinks today is January 2, 2012. Not yet.

Dear Cherished Friend, I have these many months chosen the way of Self over the way of Love. I regret every painful word, indeed every painful thought that has caused you grief. I beg you, in Christ's name, to forgive me. I know that I have destroyed your trust, and may never gain it back. This is a heavy cross, but it is nothing, in order to know that you will forgive for His sake. Perhaps we are like Paul and Barnabas; we have separated for the sake of peace. I bless you on your way, thankful for the gifts you gave me. I have no right to be called a friend of yours, but you will always be mine. With all brotherly affection, Jason

Oh, I forgot to say one thing: the severest of heresies in Christendom are not bizarre anomalies from nowhere; they are the direct result of the idolization of individual interpretation and dissent.

Hilarious Com-Box Quote of The Day: "I was caught immediately because it is the Acts of the Apostles, not the Acts of the Holy Spirit Acting Erratically."--Donald Todd, reacting to the inartful opposition of the Holy Spirit and the Magisterium. Mark Galli, an editor at Christianity Today, had suggested that today's "confusion" in evangelicalism replicates a confusion on the day of Pentecost. Mr. Todd commented after this reply , and the original article is here. My thoughts: By what means was this Church-less "consensus" formed? If the Council did not possess the authority to adjudicate such questions, who does? If the Council Fathers did not intend to be the arbiters, why do they say that they do? At the risk of being rude, I would define evangelicalism as, "Whatever I want or need to believe at any particular time." Ecclesial authority to settle a particular question is a step forward, but only as long as, "God alone is Lord of the con...

5 Opinions Or Conclusions For Today 5. Tim Tebow may be a Grade-A cheese-ball for all I know, but there is real hostility to Jesus Christ in the public square. 4. It had to be J.R. Though I have an obvious low-level antipathy for all things Kardashian,* I will admit that he danced well. Wounded veteran vs. coddled reality TV star...duh. 3. [More Tebow] Broncos fans remember well that Jake Plummer wasn't exactly Brett Favre back there, so they're gonna cut the kid some slack. They also know that Elway is right, and so does Tebow. 2. What we want and what is best for others is often different. 1. If your interlocutors call your theological insights "one-liners," you might be in the wrong line of work. *Except for Kourtney. She should leave that Scott dude. I would totally take care of her.

So there I was, [I'm not doing it.--ed.] reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church (we call it 'Triple C' when we want to sound cool or rebel) [Seriously, stop lying. You just made that up.--ed.] when I happened to read this: It is precisely in the Passion, when the mercy of Christ is about to vanquish it, that sin most clearly manifests its violence and its many forms: unbelief, murderous hatred, shunning and mockery by the leaders and the people, Pilate's cowardice and the cruelty of the soldiers, Judas' betrayal - so bitter to Jesus, Peter's denial and the disciples' flight. However, at the very hour of darkness, the hour of the prince of this world, the sacrifice of Christ secretly becomes the source from which the forgiveness of our sins will pour forth inexhaustibly. (CCC, 1851) Did you catch that "inexaustibly"? Can you believe it? Think on this for a moment: The Catholic Church--that allegedly insular, legalistic bastion of rule-making n...

Hilarious YouTube Comment of the Day: "James Taylor could sing the phone book and I'd buy the CD."--some guy. [Is every one of these going to be about James Taylor?--ed.] Hey, it's not my fault people run out of ways to express their appreciation.

The Significance of 903 In the interests of full disclosure, I should say that I adopted the Duke Blue Devils as my second-favorite team (after my alma mater) sometime in the '90s. College basketball has its share of legend coaches, just like football. In a certain way, there are more of them: Wooden, Smith, Rupp, Knight, and the rest. If you watch the sport, there are those still in the game who are legends even before their sunset: Boeheim, Calhoun, Pitino, Krzyzewski. And now Krzyzewski stands above them atop the win list of men's college basketball. The relatively young man of 64 is numerically greater than all of them. What would have happened if the coach had not led his seriously flawed team past the rising Butler Bulldogs in 2010? Would the celebration of this moment, the adulation, and the editorials be this fawning? No way. And surely that run was energized by leading Team USA to Olympic gold in Beijing. So here we are, facing one incontovertible fact: Arguably the gr...

Happy Birthday, Mom! If having two sons who've both attained the age of 30 hasn't convinced you that you're old, I guess we'll have to leave you in your 28-year-old delusions! But seriously, I love you, Mom.

RIP, "Smokin'" Joe Frazier.

Rest In Peace, Bob Forsch.

Average Chris Carpenter Cardinals Season: 16-7, 3.05 ERA. Average Greg Maddux Braves Season: 18-8, 2.61 ERA. Not too bad, Chris. Maddux is a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2013, and is among the 10 greatest pitchers ever to pick up a ball.

Hilarious YouTube Comment of the Day: "I am a total Metalhead all the way but this dude's voice is otherworldly. He could be singing about toasters and it would be art."--some guy, referring to James Taylor.

5 Random, Disconnected Thoughts For Today 5. I played poker last night for the first time in ages (online, play money). Played well, but lost. 4. I got a voter ID card the other day; sorry, if there was something to vote on, it wasn't important enough for me. 3. It turns out there are Republicans in Hollywood. Should have known Eastwood was. 2. If the Cardinals--uh, sorry, I mean, the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals--can't find a manager, I'll do it. 1. You want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.

Today, I'm sad. We had to put down our dog, Cubby. That was his name because he looked like a bear cub, not because we have any affection for the Cubs! (as should be obvious from the blog) Anyway, believe me when I tell you that he was the best dog a person could ask for. Always happy, even to the end. He understood that I had a disability; he just worked around it. He spent long hours just guarding my door. He'd jump around like a lunatic at the sight of us; he'd bark like a mad dog at strangers, and then ask for pets 2 minutes later. It wasn't long ago he'd lay right behind my wheelchair and be jarred to action by the magnetic click of my brakes releasing. He was the dumbest, most adorable Australian Shepherd you ever saw. One green eye, and one clear. My favorite pastime was to put on my affectionate voice and say, "Are you so stupid, Cubby? Yes, you're so stupid!" I used to say, "You're a silly Cubby" and "You're our Cubby-do...

I admit it, I gave up. Tons of times. This Cardinals team earned my respect, my scorn, and my hope all in a vicious cycle for these six or so months. They blew a 6-2 9th inning lead against the Mets with about a week to go. They blew the most games they'd led in the final inning of any team in baseball. They are maddening to watch. I have almost nothing left as a fan. I just need to be honest here. And so, after three errors that all led to runs and a 7-4 lead for the Texas Rangers, trying to win the first title of their existence as a team that made their maiden voyage in 1961, I thought, "It's over." My brother was swearing and asking Tony La Russa why Lance Lynn, only equipped for one inning of duty, returned to surrender the leading runs. As for me, I always lack faith. I pronounced our doom, as is my role as the realist yet again. When Allen Craig smacked a homer in the eighth to make it 7-5, I said to myself, "Why are you making it closer? It'll just hu...

5 Irritated Thoughts on Tim Tebow 5. Look, Bryan Phillips, we get it: You don't like Tim Tebow (or Brett Favre*, for that matter) but most normal people do, and seriously, what is it with you people? 4. Tebow wins. At every level. Why wouldn't you roll the dice in re-building mode? 3. You're darn right that we like how he appears to be exactly what he says--a real Christian--who's willing to stand up for that weird sub-cultural tenet that we shouldn't kill each other. What a freak. 2. They won the game, didn't they? And almost won the week before. 1. I'll take 10 Tim Tebows over a whole league of "real," "gritty," and "flawed" people you tell us to like. *Brett Favre is, of course, (with respect) a scumbag, whose beauty queen of a wife would have divorced him long ago if she weren't Catholic. But he was fun to watch.

I had to link this as your "Socialism Sucks" Story of the Day, as if anyone with a brain and a history book needed proof. I mean, I pretty much hate cheese, but I DEMAND multiple cheeses! Better to risk gluttony than starve to death.

I believe in capitalism. I do not believe in it as a concession, a middle-ground until grace perfects something better. I do not hold my material goods with a closed fist, nor adore them as gods. I believe in the dignity of the human person, first as an individual, and then in larger groups. I will accept some limits on the rights of individuals to buy, sell, and trade goods, ideas, or anything of value, consonant with Christian truth, given by the Catholic Church (whether directly or indirectly). I DO NOT automatically accept appeals to the "common good" in the regulation of markets, because "the government" (or the State) cannot be called to account when its meddling creates the very injustices that we all decry. If the efficiencies of markets lead to the valuing of the wrong things, the Church exists to exhort her children (and everyone else, for that matter) to use our freedom to alter outcomes as she sees fit, guided by the Holy Spirit. It may well be unwise fo...