A Baby Boomers Nightmare - Again?

Not a Game Console 

  The device you see above is something that was never used for the reason it was manufactured for. This control panel is the launch control panel for a Titan missile that had on top of it a reentry vehicle that held three independently targeted nine-megaton nuclear bombs.  To call this a control panel is somewhat misleading.  In reality, there were only two things that were controlled by the officer who sat before this console.  First, in the upper left -hand corner there are three lights. Directly above the button that is glowing (target 2) is a key hole.  He could if ordered, change the target of his missile from target two to either target one or target three. To the commander, it was of little import because he did not know the destinations programmed for his missile.  The second thing he could do is to insert his key into the keyhole to the right next to that innocuous row of lights, hold it for five seconds, and launch his missile. Of course seven feet or so to his left was the deputy commander who had to insert and turn his key and hold it for five seconds as well.  Once started there was no turning back. There was no way to stop the missile from launching and there was no way to abort or destroy it.  Thirty to thirty-five minutes after the key was turned, target two, some six thousand miles away would be no more.  

I lived the majority of my life protected by missiles being manned 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by dedicated professionals.  Today we are protected with the Minute Man III and Minute Man Peacekeeper missile system by men no less dedicated than the ones that tended the Titans and Atlas missiles before.   The payload, a euphemism for the bombs being carried on just one Minuteman surpasses the tonnage of bombs dropped in world war two including the two atomic bombs that were deployed.  

Why is this loon, I hear you asking, bringing up this nonsense on a blog that normally deals with religious thought?  Well, to be honest, I am afraid we are being played very skillfully by Vladimir Putin.  He is biding his time, playing Vlad the Magnanimous as opposed to Obama the Destroyer.  In the meantime, Vlad is pouring billions into refurbishing his nuclear arsenal, including a nineteen-eighties rail car silo system that constantly runs back and forth over the country.  This former head of the KGB is just waiting for the Donald to take office because then it is off to the races.  Vlad will use smoke and mirrors to distract Donald Trump while he builds unanswerable weapons systems and catches the United States with our pants down!  

The Cold War Mark II is on the way.  Unfortunately, we will have a man with a big ego in the highest office in the land.  Trump has already said that he is not interested in the daily intelligence briefing which indicates that he is going to rely on his gut feelings.  We've elected a man who will attempt to govern this country using the same methods that he used to govern his corporations.  The difference this time is that if he makes a mistake, the bankruptcy court cannot save him (or us.)  If Vladimir Putin can get the drop on us you can bet your life that the smiling, forgiving, uncle Vlad will turn into his namesake Vlad the Impaler, also known as Dracula. 

The Russians are in the stronger position right now because of the personalities involved.  The iron curtain may be rusty and falling into ruins but if it can be rebuilt, Vladimir Putin is the man that can do it.  

Pray for the United States of America.  Pray that we come together as a people, strong and united.  Pray that God spares us from the worst of the worst mistakes that Donald Trump will make and for heaven's sake, see if you can find those plans for a backyard fallout shelter.  You may need them.   

Silent Night No More

Christmas Eve is often memorialized by the song that every Christian loves, "Silent Night."  We romanticize the heck out of the birth of Jesus but let's be honest here, it was not a silent night.  It was not a night where all was calm and bright.  As a matter of fact, the world was in turmoil. People from all over the known world were on the move because the emperor had decided that he needed to make sure that everyone was paying their taxes.  There is nothing worse than to be a despot without having the money to throw wild parties or to send your army to conquer lands that are not yet in your control.  So everyone who did not happen to already be in the town their ancestors came from had to drop what they were doing and go there.  This caused a great deal of inconvenience to the people, not that the emperor cared.  So both Joseph and Mary found themselves on their way to Bethlehem to be counted.  Mary was ready to give birth, but that was not the emperor's problem either.  So the couple set out for  Bethlehem, the town of  David, the king.  Its name meant "House of Bread."   We know what happened next.  They arrived at the town and there was no room for them to stay at any of the places where traveler's rested.  They ended up in a stable, a cave really, and there Jesus was born.  The silence of the night was then broken and the world would never be the same again. 

In the fields there were shepherds watching their flocks of lambs at night, keeping them safe.  It was not cool to be a shepherd as your duties kept you from the temple and you were considered to be unclean.  So the silence of that Silent Night was broken by the sound of angels proclaiming that God had come to earth, that a savior had been born.  The good news was first revealed to those who had no say in the world, shepherds of all people.   They were a simple people, they believed what they had heard and went to see the Child.  

The silence was broken and the world was forever changed because of this Silent Night.  The old world would pass away and this birth of Jesus would usher in a New Way.  We would be taught by God Himself as to how we would live.  The old rules would soon no longer apply.  The silence of the olden days would be broken forever as God fulfilled His promise to send a savior.  

It would be thirty years before Jesus would begin to preach. This time he used to give us an example.  He worked beside his step-father, Joseph., and learned to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow.  Here is another fact.  The job of a carpenter was also looked down upon because there was a lack of wood in Judea because it was a desert community.  So, Jesus worked humbly and quietly at his trade.  

Since the Saviour's birth, there can be no more silent nights.  We have to make a choice.  Either He is the Son of God as He says He is or he is a pious fake.  Some people say that he was not the son of God, but he was a good man and a good teacher.  This is not right. Jesus is who he says he is or he is an evil madman.  There can be no other choice.  

So, who do you say Jesus is?  Or will you remain silent?

The Christmas Truce - The Power of the Holy Name

The Christmas Truce 1914

In 1914 something happened along the western front in the no man's land between the British and German lines.  Peace or at least a temporary and very unofficial truce broke out on Christmas 1914. British and German soldiers wandered into that death zone and exchanged the joy of the season with each other.  They traded tobacco, Christmas carols were sung and a soccer (football) match broke out. (it is not recorded who won the game)  For a while, there was peace on the western front.  Such is the power of the events that took place in a little-regarded town in Judea almost two thousand years previously. The very thought that God came to earth was able to, at least temporarily stop the wheels of that terrible, bloody war that was fought using industrial methods that never were seen on the field of battle before.  The leadership of both sides in this war were attempting to fight the war using outmoded tactics suitable for the nineteenth century but not for this "War to End All Wars."  As a result of this outdated old fogey thinking from the field grade officers millions of men, Germans and Allies alike went to their deaths in a war where one side was trying to "bleed the other side white." 

Jesus is the Son of God.  The very thought of His birth that holy night stopped the bloodshed. What it took on both sides was simply a recognition that the other side was populated with people no different than those that were under arms on your side. Christmas Carols and a bit of bravery on both sides caused the slaughter to cease. 

Today we face an enemy that targets us because of our beliefs, one that has no respect for the Name that is above all other names.  As a matter of fact, they are targeting us because of the Name of Jesus. Their publications are calling for Christmas to become a celebration of blood.  They call for their followers to make their presence felt at our places of worship.  We know that they have no respect for Christian things and a basic "live and let live" policy is not part of their plan.  

What do we do?  Can there be a Christmas truce between them and us?  Unfortunately, no truce is possible for it is not within our power to create. The enemy has chosen to entrench themselves deeply in their beliefs that reward them for creating chaos and bloodshed.  So we cannot do anything on our own to cause a truce to happen.  

What we must do is to remember that the there is power in the name of Jesus.  We must trust in His name, we must trust in His power.  The name of Jesus is the antidote to hatred and discord.  We must call on the name and trust in his reply.  Our example in trusting in His name will baffle and confuse our enemies.  I have written about this example once before but it bears repeating in the present context.  Isis had lined up a group of Christians and one other non-Christian person, in order to execute them.  The Christians were on their knees and they kept praying and repeating the name of Jesus.  The non-Christian, also on his knees waiting for the knife, observed all of this.  His captors approached him and told him that if he declared himself to be Muslim that his life would be spared.  The man looked at the Christians, saw the joy on their faces and their brave countenance and he heard them repeating the Holy Name and he told his captors; "Their God is my God." 

That is how powerful the very name of Jesus is. Carry His Name in your heart, and have His words upon your lips and you will be safe in all circumstances because he will be at your side. 

A Christmas Story

I am sorry, it just could not be done, not even in a bastion of learning such as Saint Joseph and Saint Ann School in Chicago was back in the 1960's.  

How could a young boy or girl hope to master number lines, adding negative numbers or even diagramming sentences when Christmas was so near.  How could we be expected to remember the seven cardinal acts of mercy or the spiritual acts of mercy?  No, at this time of year the excitement of bright lights and wrapped packages and the looming Christmas break held every child’s attention.  While the good sisters taught us about the Advent season our eyes were focused on homemade cookies, tinsel, and those mysteriously wrapped packages now appearing underneath the Christmas tree.  And the tree itself filled the home with the rich scent of pine unless of course, your family had an aluminum tree because then you had to imagine the pine scent as the colored light changed and caused the tree to change color. No child, not even the teacher’s pets had much interest in reading, writing, or arithmetic as the nights grew longer and the time to Christmas came closer.  All of our eyes were turned to the sky not waiting for the Christmas Star, oh no, we were waiting for that mystical and magical ingredient of the season – called snow.  Because every kid had some way to propel themselves down a neighborhood hill.  For some it was a sled, for others, it might be the top of a garbage can, a hunk of cardboard or a plastic saucer.  It didn’t matter what vehicle you had or what hill you went to, you just wanted to experience the wind in your face as you slid down your favorite high spot. And who could concentrate on school work when in the afternoon you knew that the work would cease and that cupcake feast and present exchange called the Class Christmas party put all academic pursuits on hold until that time that seemed so far away called “after the New Year.”  Then finally the bell cheerfully chimes it permission to leave and donning scarves, coats, hats and boots we would leave the school, and soon the school would be silent and abandoned and as the echo of the kids excited voices faded the only thing that could be heard at SJSA was the sound of desks being moved so that the janitor could buff the floors to a lustrous shine to greet the returning revelers at the end of Christmas break.  .   Those days before Christmas at SJSA were very magical ones.  The sisters were released from their perpetual vow of not smiling and the crankiest among them adopted a Christmas countenance.  Meanwhile, in our homes things were made ready for visiting relatives. Children coming in from the slopes were warmed with hot cocoa and depending on their likes and dislikes perhaps a marshmallow or maybe some whipped cream would dot the surface of the chill chaser.    Yes, when we were young the Christmas season lasted a long time.  There was the anticipation of what was to come and that was for a child is what put the joy into the season. On Christmas eve, as the sky began to darken, excitement stirred in our hearts.  In our house there was ritual that was carefully followed every year. We would be allowed to open one of the beautifully wrapped packages before we went to bed. Every year we wondered what treasure would we behold once we opened that package.  Would it be the toy we had asked Santa Claus for?  No, no, it wouldn't.  Every year we would open that package and the contents would always be pajamas.  By the time I was eigh I got the idea but always hoped for something else.  Wearing our new pajamas we would cluster at the kitchen table where we were given hot chocolate made with real milk and whipped cream.  I suspect there may have been a sleeping pill in it too because no sooner would we be done with the treat than our eyes would start to feel very heavy and without being told, on this one day of the year, we went off to bed to dream of the treasures that would be ours the next day.  Chrismas Eve was a night filled with joy. It was the joy of innocence  Today I challenge each of you to become joyful as a child as you prepare yourself for Christmas. Let your heart anticipate the joy of Christmas day as we remember that the joy of giving to others will fill us with the same feeling for the Christmas season as we had when we were young.

Mary and The End Times - Fatima

The year was 1917 and the Blessed mother appeared to three simple shepherd children six times.  The children were Jacinta who was 7 at the time, Francisco age 9, and Lucia age 10.  What our Lady was that they were to warn the world about upcoming tribulations.  They were told that the first world war would end but if we did not change our ways another more terrible war would come. 

The apparitions began not with Mary but with an angel who identified himself as both the Angel of Peace and the Angel of Portugal.  The angel told the children that they mus pray and pray a great deal, "The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy for you.. Offer unceasingly to the Most High prayers and sacrifices."  In the autumn the angel brought them a chalice and bid them to, "Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful man. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God." 

The following spring, May 13, 1917, "a lady clothed in white, brighter than the sun, radiating a light more clear and intense than a crystal cup fill with sparkling water, lit by burning sunlight appeared to them.  Lucia asked what the lady wanted of them and was told that the lady came from heaven and told them to come to this spot on the 13th of each month at the same hour and later she would tell the children who she was and what she wanted. 

On June 13th the Lady told them to pray the rosary every day and once again she told them that she would tell them later what she wanted. 

On July 13th Lucia asked what she wanted the lady told her come on the 13th of next month and the pray the rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace.  Lucia again asked her who she was and if she could perform a miracle so that all present would believe. She asked the to cure some sick people and Mary replied some would be cured and others would not, all must say the rosary to obtain such graces.  She told them to sacrifice themselves for sinners and to say many times this prayer when making a sacrifice, "O Jesus it is for your love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."  Then the first secret of Fatima was revealed to the children.  She opened her hands and rays of light appeared and revealed a scene of poor souls in hell. She then revealed the second secret of Fatima and said to the children that they had seen the horrors of hell and to save poor sinners from going there Jesus wants to establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. To do this she asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart and to request a communion of reparation of the First Saturdays.   If we do this then Russia would be converted, if we didn't do this then there would be a terrible war, persecution of the Church and Russia would spread her errors throughout the world. The Third Secret was now revealed - more about that later. 

On August 13th the children were in custody and subjected to lengthy interrogations but in spite of this and in spite of being offered a large sum of money held their ground.  On August 19th the children saw Mary again. She told them to continue to pray the Rosary and that that in October there would would be a miracle so that all would believe. 

On September 13th Mary appeared again and told them pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. 

On October 13, 1917 the sixth and final apparition happened. A crowd estimated at 70,000 found their way to the Cova because of reports that a great miracle would occur.  Rising into the air Mary opened her hands towards the sun. Then to the left of the sun the children saw St. Joseph from the chest up holding the Child Jesus.  They saw Our Lady dressed in blue and white, the colors of Our Lady of the Rosary and Lucia alone saw Our Lord dressed in red as the Divine Redeemer,  

The crowd saw none of this. But, when all of this began it was raining in the cova, Lucile told everyone to close their umbrellas which everyone immediately did.  The rain stopped and all the people were dry as was the formerly muddy ground!  The people looked up into the sky where they could see the sun and they were able to stare at it without hurting their vision.  The sun appeared to spin and dance in the sky and then it appeared to zig zag downward causing many to scream in terror and called out for mercy. 

The "Third Secret of Fatima" was written down by Sister Lucia and eventually made it way to the Vatican.  It was in an envelope that said it should not be opened until 1960.  Since 1960 each pope has had a chance to read the Third Secret and decide if it should be made public. None of the popes had it published.  

Today the Third Secret of Fatima can be read in its entirety (in Portuguese in Sister Lucia's hand if you want to) or in an English version.  The third secret is not much of a secret at all as it turns out.  It is written in an apocalyptic style and is a call for penance.  

Much has been made of this Third Secret of Fatima and why it was held secret until 1960.  It turns out the year 1960 was chosen not by Mary but by Lucia because she thought no one before that date would understand the message.   The third secret features a story of a bishop dressed in white (The Pope) walking through a war torn landscape littered with corpses.  The Pope is praying for the souls of the dead he encounters as he makes his towards a large wooden cross atop a hill.  In a hail of bullets he is mowed down. Is this a vision of things to come or is it a vision of something that has already occurred with the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul the Second or perhaps it encapsules the horrors of the twentieth century?  Lucia herself said she was given the secret but not the interpretation of it.  She said the interpretation was to be made by the Church.  

The Church itself says that the events shown in the Third Secret of Fatima belong to the past.  There is no revelation about the end of the world here.  

In spite of this, the Fatima message remains as important today as it was back in 1917.  We are called by our Blessed Mother to pray, pray, and pray some more.  We are called to make sacrifices and to do penance for our sins.  This message is as fresh today as it will be tomorrow.  The Fatima message is not just for those who came before us but rather is for us today as well. 

When we look at the events that are occurring in our world today we can see that the heart of man (generic - meaning men and women) has not changed so much since that rainy day in 1917.  In fact our hearts may have grown more tepid or in some cases even cold.  The commandments of God are watered down and since Roe v Wade we have gradually declined to where we are today.  Evil is slowly taking over the world and it is only through prayer that we Catholics will be able to slow and God help us, reverse the tide.

Our next destination will be a small town called Garabandal.

Mary and The The Last Days

Of all creation, Mary, the Mother of Jesus is second only to her Son in importance to mankind. She was chosen by the Father to be the physical earthly mother of Jesus. As such she was preserved from the moment of her conception from the stain of original sin. She still had free will and could choose to serve God or not, it was her choice.  Of course she did say yes to the angel Gabriel and her fiat, her "yes" started the final act in the redemption of mankind promised in the garden of Eden.  When the time came she delivered into this world Jesus who would go to the cross and save us from our sins. When her earthly life was finished she died as all of us will and displaying His great love for His mother Jesus caused her to be assumed body and soul into heaven.  

I do not think that anyone would disagree with me when I say that Jesus perfectly kept the ten commandments.  If He did not then He would have committed sin and we know that is not possible.  Since Jesus kept the commandments perfectly, that would mean he kept the fourth commandment perfectly and he honored his father and mother. So, we can see Mary is a very important person indeed. She is very close to her Son. Jesus even began his ministry early at the wedding feast at Cana when he changed water into the finest wine. 

It is important for us to realize the importance the Mother of God plays in the history of salvation.  To this very day some people believe she is interceding for the race of man and delivering urgent messages warning us of the coming of the end times or at the least a great chastisement because of the way we have strayed from the will of God. 

Mary, it is said, has appeared at various places in various times and has brought both requests for prayer and fasting and warnings of punishments that are to come upon the race of man. The Church classifies these appearances as private revelations and we are free to believe in them or not.  

Let's take a look at some of the apparitions and see what they were all about. 

 The first apparition is that which is called Our Lady of

Guadalupe.  This took place in Mexico in the year 1531 right after the city of Mexico had been pacified and the Catholic faith was starting to take hold.  A new bishop had just been appointed and had just taken up residence there.  Juan Diego, a typical peasant, was on his way to Mexico to attend Mass when he heard some beautiful singing. He topped the hill and was stopped by a beautiful woman whose garments shined like the sun. She identified herself as "the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God"  She told him that he was to go to the bishop and tell him that he is to build a church in her honor on this spot.  Juan Diego went of and with some difficulty he was admitted to see the bishop. The Bishop was named Father Juan de Zumarraga, a Franciscan, listened to the peasant courteously and he told Juan basically. "I'll think about it." 

Juan left and was broken hearted because it appeared to him that he was not believed by the prelate. Mary appeared to him and Juan related with happened and told Mary that she had entrusted her mission to a nothing of a man.  Mary told him that she had many servants and he was one of them and she chose him for this mission. She sent him back telling him you come in my name and he should start the erection of the temple that I am asking for.  She said "Tell him that I, in person, the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of God, has sent you." 

So off he went and once again with much difficulty he was able to see the bishop. The bishop sent him away stating that he had to bring him a sign from heaven that what he said was true.  Juan immediately left. This time servants of the bishop followed him to see where he went and who he spoke to. When Juan reached the crest of the hill on which Our Lady appeared to him he vanished from their sight and they could not find him. They decided that if this churlish peasant ever darkened the door of the bishop again that they would punish him severely.  Juan told the Virgin what had happened and she told him to return the next day and that she would give him a sign of the bishop.  Juan returned home and found that his uncle was ill and near death. The next morning Juan set out to fetch a priest to hear his uncle's confession but the Virgin once again appeared to him. He told her of his uncle's sickness and she said not to worry, that his uncle was cured. He then sent him to the top of a hill where, once he arrived, he could not believe his eyes. Here it was in the chill of December and all around him were beautiful roses, they do not bloom in December.  They Virgin told him to gather them and she put them into his robe and told him that this is the sign the bishop needed to see and to show them to noone before the bishop saw them. 

Juan went off to the bishops house again.  True to their word the servants of the bishop gave Juan a hard time and refused to tell the bishop that he was there to see him.  But soon he was admitted to the presence of the bishop and he told him that the sign that the bishop wanted was in his robe.  The bishop opened the robe and the beautiful roses spilled on to the floor and inside the robe was a picture of the Blessed Virgin.  The bishop now believed and needless to say the church was built.  Juan Diego himself has been canonized as a saint.  

Okay. some peasant finds some flowers and paint a picture in his robe, big deal, cute, but not miraculous. It's not that simple, we cannot just throw away the possibility of the miraculous.  Let's talk about the robe, or as it properly called a "Tilma."  The tilma was a typical garment used by the natives in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is made of two pieces of coarse cloth fibers and is approximately 70 inches by 41 inches.  The normal life of this typical garment is approximately thirty years.  This tilma has been with us for almost 500 hundred years and in the early years it was handled by literally thousands of people, hung without any protection from insects, uv light and contamination of tens of thousands of candles that have been near it over the years and it has suffered no degeneration. 

In 1879 Dr. Jose Ignacio Bartolache had two copies of the image made by local artists placed them in identical conditions as the original and the copies disintegrated in twenty years. Further, human artists tried to embellish  the original by adding a crown around Mary's head and adding gold to the sun burst. All of these things faded away but the original remained perfectly preserved. 

Modern investigations have been made as well.  In 1936 a Noble Prize winner in chemistry examined the fabric and he was unable to tell how the pigments were made as they were from no known source, neith natural, animal, mineral, or vegetable. 

NASA has ascertained that the image floats above the surface of the tilma a distance of 1/100th of an inch without touching it! The Kodak Corporation in Mexico examined the image and says it bears more resemblance to a color photograph than a painting.

Microscopic examination of the eyes of the image reveal a most remarkable thing.  In the pupil of each eye can be seen miniscule image of a bearded man, Juan Diego!  Also, if a bright light is shined into the pupil, it reacts and the retina contracts and when the light stimulation is removed the retina returns to a dilated state, just as what happens to a living eye.  

Finally, one other miraculous occurrence bears mentioning.  On November 14, 1921 a bomb consisting of 29 sticks of dynamite was left near the tilma and the subsequent explosion broke the marble communion rail and windows up to 150 meters from the explosion but the tilma, housed in an ordinary frame covered with standard window glass was not damaged at all. A heavy brass crucifix near by was almost bent in half. 

So, given the facts above, I think we can say that the tilma is a very special piece of cloth that was left as an ongoing reminder of the love of the Blessed Virgin Mary for her children.  But what can we learn about the end times from this miraculous event that happened so very long ago.  About the end times, probably not a whole lot. But I believe that this visit of Mary to her Mexican people shows that she is a caring mother who will do what she needs to help her children.  And I think it also proves that Mary does appear on earth and that she uses the powerless of the world to get her message across.   We move next to a place called Fatima. 

(Thanks to Infallible Catholic which provided the facts quoted above. Please visit the blog by clicking on the link below. ) 

Infallible Catholic (Click Here) 

The Truth about the Crusades

The followers of ISIS constantly bring up the crusades in their propaganda.  They call the alliance fighting them crusaders and the word itself is a loaded word which for the ignorant (such as those marching under the flag of ISIS) brings to mind evil hordes of Christian knights attacking and killing the peaceful Muslim people.  It brings to mind men filled with greed and taking the spoils of war from these same peaceful Muslims as they tried to mind their own business and make a living selling things to nomad traders.  Well, nothing could be farther from the truth. 

Beginning in the year 632 AD the following countries were all Christian lands; Egypt, France, Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica but in less than one-hundred years they would become under Muslim rule. The Christian communities in Arabia were destroyed when Jews and Christians were expelled from the peninsula. Between 850 and 950 Benedictine monks were driven out of their monasteries, the Papal States were overrun and plundered by Muslim pirates that set up their bases on the coast of Italy and France. But what about the Crusades?  All we have heard about so far is Muslim conquests.  We will get there in a minute, but let's talk about the conditions that surviving Christians had to endure under the rule of the followers of Islam. By the eleventh century AD conditions for Christians living in lands controlled by Muslims were harsh. They had to pay a special fax and were considered a second class known as the dhimmi. Churches were destroyed and harsh conditions were imposed.  In 1067 a peaceful group of seven thousand German pilgrims lost two thirds of their members to assaults from the Muslims. 

The call for the first Crusade went out in 1095 AD. It was called to address the tyranny and the spoiling of places such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site of the crucifixion where Christian pilgrims were massacred.  Before the capture of Jerusalem, Muslim fighters taunted the crusaders by profaning religious objects and taunting them. The commanders of the crusaders lost control of their men and the melee that followed was brutal and bloody and while it happened it should be remembered that the Crusaders were deeply religious men and the blasphemous things done to the cross would strike deeply at what they were there fighting for.  They were there not only to retake the holy land but they were there fighting for Cross and all that the Cross meant to them. 

So, the Crusades were not a war of aggression. The war of aggression had been started 450 years BEFORE the first crusade was called for by the Muslim armies of conquest.  History clearly shows that the Christians had no hair trigger, did not rattle swords but waited four and a half centuries before attempting to right the wrongs of Islamic conquest. Once again the Muslim jihadists are on the move like a plague of locusts laying waste to all that they can get their hands on.  Their cruel and bloodthirsty ways are not unlike their forefathers in the early centuries. I am afraid that I have come to the belief that Islam caters panders to the evil impulses of the creature we call man. I am not saying that it is completely evil and depraved, only that it can be turned that way by the "correct" reading of their holy book which contains such charming instructions as to cut the head off of the infidels wherever you find them. Or to beat your wife if she disobeys you.  All very practical and made so you can live peacefully with other people. 

The scary part of Islam is that it is a religion without any leader. There is no one in charge to say this interpretation is correct and this interpretation is wrong.  So for my neighbor down the street, Islam is a religion of peace because he does not take the verses that preach violence to heart.  On the other hand the follower across the street, he believes in the sword and is biding his time waiting for his opportunity to strike. Until then, he smiles, nods, pays his taxes, votes and worships at the local mosque where he hangs with other radicals who also are biding their time. To be quite frank about it, I am afraid of most Muslims because you just do not know. 

Let is be said and let my voice be heard.  I am an American. I believe in the American way of life and part of that way of life is the freedom of religion for ALL of us.  It was not so long ago that Catholics were looked down upon as second class citizens and unworthy to be called Americans just because of their religion. Today there is still great amounts of anti-Catholic rhetoric out there and still much prejudice against us. Some say it is the last acceptable form of prejudice in America.  So, I know my Father in heaven loves all of His children, including the misguided followers of the prophet and I want them to be free in this great country of ours. 

So when you read Islamic propaganda that uses the word Crusade  or Crusader in ways that make it seem evil. remember, that the Crusades were just wars undertaken to return peace to the Holy Land, to protect Christians and other that lived there from Muslim injustice.  

Many thanks to Scott Eric Alt whose article formed the basis for the facts quoted here. 

ISIS Cannot Win

ISIS is losing ground and the so called caliphate is but a shadow of its former self. The vicious snake has begun to consume itself as we hear of executions of their own fighters, men who have had enough of the killing of innocent women and children and have tried to desert these butchers.. Now their rabid leader calls for lone wolf attacks against "the infidels." everywhere.   It turns out that the infidels include everyone who are not a part of ISIS including other Muslims especially the Sunni branch of Islam.  So in one of the latest attacks two fevered followers took five hostages and after shouting obscenities around the altar in the Catholic Church killed the eighty-five year old priest who was saying Mass.

The murder of the priest in a house of worship should come as no surprise. ISIS and it followers have no desire to co-exist with any other religion including Sunni members of Islam. To them all are infidels deserving of death. The fact is that there has been a wholesale slaughter of Christians in the lands that have been infested by ISIS. Thousands upon thousands of Christians, Catholics and Protestants alike have been put to death because they would not submit to the pagan religion espoused by ISIS.  Why our esteemed president, Barack Hussein Obama, seems afraid to call this wholesale murder of whole blocks of people for their religious beliefs what it is, genocide, is beyond me.  Who is he afraid of alienating? ISIS? ISIS would like nothing more than to have the president in their clutches. Is he afraid of alienating ordinary Muslims? Your ordinary Muslim hates what ISIS has done to their religion and wants nothing more than to live in peace.  How do we know this?  Because it was done for hundreds of years in places where Christians and Muslims lived together in peace. Declaring the murder of the innocent a genocide is not declaring war on Islam at all, it is declaring war on those who pervert Islam. 

There will be more bloodshed and there is no safe place. The lunatics that ISIS attracts live among us. They may be of foreign descent but they may have been born in America and will use the freedoms we have against us. But the title of this post is, "ISIS Cannot Win." and so far what I have written makes it sound as if they are.

ISIS cannot win because they do not bear any allegiance to God at all. They cannot win because they have turned their hearts away from the way of peace and hardened them into hearts of stone. The martyrs they are making are showing other Christians what it may take to prove themselves to Christ.  The Christian martyrs know that Jesus is the Son of God and rules at the right hand of the Father.  They surrender their very being to Jesus rather than to deny Him.  When a group of Christians were going to be executed by ISIS there was one Arab man who was not a believer among them. He watched as the Christians prayed and said the name of Jesus over and over again. His captors told the Arab man that if he converted to Islam right there and then he would be spared.  He looked at the condemned Christian men praying and told the devil's apostles that "Their God is My God."  He went to his death and  I am sure directly to heaven as he was a martyr for the faith because he professed his belief in Jesus at the cost of his very life. 

ISIS cannot hope to win because we know that Jesus Christ has already won the victory and that at the name of Jesus, every knee must bend and every tongue proclaim to the Glory of God the Father, that Jesus Christ is Lord.   

Lord Teach Us To Pray

Why do we fold our hands when we pray? 

There are a lot of theories out there and many of them make sense but the one I like is the one that explains that if you were an enemy  soldier captured by a Roman soldier you could avoid immediate death by folding your hands which indicated you have surrendered and were ready to be shackled and taken into captivity. This symbol of surrender is a proper one for us to adopt when we pray. 

THERE IS POWER IN PRAYER ! 

What a great power we have within us. Each of us can make the creator of the universe stop whatever he is doing and actually listen to us. Can you imagine that? The God that built the galaxies, who set the planets in their places, who keeps all things in existence is there ready to listen to you or I.  The power of God is so very great that when you are lifting yourself up in prayer to Him you have His whole attention! He cares about the most minute things in your life and He wants you to share them with Him.  It is true that he already knows all of your problems,sins, virtues and needs before you can mention them but He wants you to freely demonstrate your trust in Him by telling them in your own way and in your own words. 

Trust In God 

Our prayers show God that we trust Him and that we recognize Him as our true and most loving Father. Our prayers make us realize that we cannot do it alone, that we need help and that help is only one breath away. Sometimes our needs are so great that we cannot put them into words. In those times of great stress, God's spirit will pray of us in words and ways we do not understand. 

Prayer As An Obligation

Prayer is an obligation too. God can and will exist quite nicely even if we do not pray. When we pray we acknowledge our dependence. Prayer helps us to conform to the will go God and helps us find what His will is.  

There are many methods of prayer out there some of which are quite complex and take years to master. But simple prayer is nothing more than speaking to the Lord as to a friend. The strange thing about it is the more that we pray the more we recognize the beauty and wonderful nature of God. 

Pray With Confidence

We should pray with confidence and with trust and with persistence. God answers all prayers, and I mean all prayers.  There are only three answers God gives to prayer. The first is the one we long to hear, "Yes." There is nothing better than you and God agreeing fully about something. Yes is more beautiful than any other word you can hear when you pray. The second answer is "No."  We really dislike when the answer to our prayer is "No."  When the answer is no, we have to accept it as if it were a yes. This is because that yes and no are the same answer, the answer that expresses inexhaustible love for us. 

Like a good Father,He will give us everything that we need, but not necessarily everything that we want. Yes and no are easy to deal with compared to the third possible answer to prayer and that answer is "Wait." Why should we wait? We know what we need, we know what is good, why does He make us wait? We have to remember that this earth is not our home.  Our home is in heaven with God and He will give us everything that we need to make it to heaven. Sometimes that means we have to wait for a time. 

Praying in or out of the foxhole 

It is sad that more people do not realize that within them they have this great power, a direct line to God. Some people resort to prayer when all other possibilities under their control have been used and they are in a foxhole with enemy shells whizzing overhead. It is okay to pray then of course, but personally I when the enemy seemingly is winning I would rather have a personal ongoing relationship with God, not because he is more or less likely to answer my prayer, but rather my spirit would be calmer knowing by experience that he will answer and his answer will come in the nick of time. 

The late Mother Angelica said this about prayer and I have always remembered it: 

"WHEN WE PRAY TO GOD OUR PRAYER NO MATTER WHAT THE WORDS ARE ASKING GOD IF HE LOVES US AND HIS ANSWER NO MATTER WHAT THE ANSWER IS, YES, NO, OR WAIT, IS THAT YES INDEED HE LOVES US." 

Attitude Is Important

The Sodom Chamber of Commerce Welcomes You!
What happens in Sodom stays in Sodom. 

Today in this world we have created for ourselves, a world where little by little God is being edged out and being replaced with what seems good, or feels good, or doesn't offend, we Christians have a grave duty.  It is a duty to our to our God, to our Church and to our fellow human creatures.  Our duty is to be the pain in the ass for the world. (I cam't believe he said that!) It is the easiest thing in the world to be politically correct, just sitting back and letting what happens around us happen. We need not participate. No we just need to stand by and watch it happen. This will promote peace and harmony among all of the people and isn't that what we are after?  Peace is a good thing after all isn't it? Well, there is peace and there is peace. In 1938 Neville Chamberlain stumbled off of his airplane clutching a piece of paper in hand and proclaimed that he had brought back "peace in our time." We all know what happened. On September 1, 1939 NAZI Germany started World War II which caused millions of deaths world wide. 

The men and women living in ancient Sodom kept things politically correct, they were at peace with one another and we know what happened to them. I am afraid that peace is something that is going to be hard to achieve in our world. We Christians have the duty to point the way, to be a lighthouse that points out the rocky outcrops that litter the pathways of life. This duty is not going to make us popular with the people around us that have chosen to turn their back on the law of God and to follow their own law. It is very important that in being a PIA we do so keeping in mind that those we are trying to help are beloved by God our Father just as we are. The most rabid homosexual activist, the Muslim who bathes in the blood of the innocent, the abortion doctor who has filled his wallet with money by creating baby cadavers, all of these are loved by God who is just one step away from them with His arms outstretched waiting for them to return to Him. 

In a soul where God is absent, ego grows to imperfectly fill His place. A soul without God can never be satisfied because no matter what he/she obtains in gratification of their wants still leaves them wanting more.  They are in a most pitiful shape because they cannot see the trouble that they are in. When we point out an issue where Christians and they are on opposite sides their ego shuts off their ability to see and they that cannot see, will not see. 

Okay, lets get to the bottom line. We must love our brothers and sisters back to life. Do you remember Chinese handcuffs? You put your fingers in them and if you pull hard, they hold more tightly to your fingers and you cannot get out of them. Release the pressure and your fingers slip right out. While we have to confront people about behavior that is sinful we must do it in a loving and respectful way. We must always remember that we are the planters and God Himself is the harvester. If we sit back and say nothing then we are guilty as if we committed the sin ourselves.  If we attack frontally and insult our brothers and sisters, we can only expect them to hold on to their beliefs even more strongly. We must love them back to health. Our good example and gentle prodding will do more good than anything else. 

God bless all of you. Please leave a comment, even if it is only to say you think I am nuts! Michael 

Early In The Morning

I was up very early this morning. It is a gloomy looking start to the day and it is refreshingly cool as I sit by the window with my computer thinking about what I want to say this weekend.  To be honest, I feel a little bit down today.  I look back at my life and I see nothing noteworthy that I have accomplished. It seems everything I have tried has come to naught.  I look at the lives of others and with suppressed envy I wonder why the key to success does not fit the lock I have been given. This is a very rare thing for me to be feeling this way. I am normally a guy who sees the glass as being half full, not half empty.  

There have been a few changes in my life recently, nothing too bad but changes none the less.  The most important of these changes is that my Type 2 Diabetes has become harder and harder to control with just oral medications and TLC care, so my doctor has put me on Lantus, a long acting synthetic insulin. Some of my friends have offered their sympathy and while I am grateful that they think that this is something to mourn about, it really is just another medication and I have adapted to it.  In my life too there have been things I have had to adjust to. I know it was bound to happen sooner or later and I think deep inside of me, in the part of my brain where "self failures" are stored I still consider this to be a failure.  this has been added to the list my brain has compiled when it wants to make me feel sorry for myself.  

My brother and sisters for reasons known only to them have in effect abandoned me and since the death of my father eight years ago I have truly been an orphan, declared persona non gratis by those that should be closest to me. I mourn about this regularly and pray to God often and ask Him why he has permitted this. 

Now, why am I sharing all of this personal stuff with you?  It is because our Gospel today is the story of Mary and Martha. You know, Mary is running around serving the guests while Martha is sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to him speak.  Our deacon pointed out that what Mary is giving us is a poor me type of a story. She is saying "Oh poor me, look at how hard I have it, why me?" 

I truly believe that God has a plan for us and it is our job to cooperate as best as we can with that plan.  People come and go in your life and it is a fact that the ones that you love most are the ones that can hurt you the most.  As for me, I bear no ill will towards my estranged family.  I have granted them what their heart seems to yearn for, my absence in their lives. I leave it up to God to someday to tell me why this has happened.  This of course has caused my spirit to suffer, to feel lonely and abandoned but I offer my anguish and sadness that the situation causes me up to the Lord and ask Him, as Paul did in our second reading today, to add it to the all sufficient suffering he experienced on the cross for us. 

There is a purpose for everything under God's universe.  My puny mind and my sin weakened soul cannot hope to know what specific part those things that appear as evil in my life will have in bringing the ultimate plan of God into fruition, but I just have to remember that it will.  For the disappointments in life, for those things that have caused me pain and suffering I accept them and thank God for them because I know that He will ultimately place all things under his feet.

Change The Mass - An Ex Catholic with a Bad Idea and Lets Play Spin the Bottle Spin The Priest

Proposal By A Fallen Away Catholic

This week I skimmed over an article written by a young lady that styles herself as a former Catholic which in the olden days we would have called "fallen away."  She decided to take it upon herself to recommend to Pope Francis that the Catholic Church remove from the Mass the words of the Roman soldier, "Lord I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, only say the word and my soul shall be healed."  Like many fallen away, excuse me, former Catholics she has suddenly become an expert on the Bible, sacraments, and the liturgy.  In her treatise she says that Jesus died for all and His death made us worthy so we should not say these words as they are not true and an affront to our humanity.  As many former Catholics, she has become blind to the beauty of the moment of when those words are said in the Mass.  She obviously does not or perhaps she chooses not to remember that this prayer is said as part of the communion rite, right before we receive.  She obviously has no respect for the Eucharist. I am sure that in her denomination any remaining grape juice and saltines are simply disposed of along with the stale cupcakes and used Styrofoam coffee cups used in the fellowship after their preacher finishes his sermon.  She should remember that in the Catholic Church the Eucharist is the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ who enters into us in the form of transubstaniated bread and wine.  The words of the soldier are very apt for each one of us. Because while it is true that we are saved by the Cross of Jesus, each one of us falls short, misses the mark, in some ways.  So the words confess that we are but a shack of a temple with a leaky roof and mud floors and in faith it shouts that when Jesus enters us in this most intimate way we become greater than St. Peter's Basilica in Rome because Jesus, the resurrected Jesus, the Triumphant Jesus, the Very Word of the Father  is physically within us.  This makes me just a bit on the humble side, as it should. 

SPIN THE PRIEST AROUND?

Since the reforms of Vatican II the priest has lead us in prayer by facing the congregation.  Prior to this the presider would face the altar with his back to the people.  First of all, let me say that whatever way the priest faces makes no difference to me.  But, if I had my choice, if the Church left it up to me, I would keep the priest facing the people, sharing prayer and better able to communicate with the people.  Some conservatives want to go back to the old way.  This week the Pope said that while it is permissible to face the altar instead of the people, it is not mandatory that the priest do so.  With Christians being slaughtered in the Middle East I think we should have more to worry about than this.  I will take what comes.  I have to confess that I was a bit put out when Pope Benedict vetoed using the name of God, "Yahweh" in our worship because I love the song "You Are Near" and really got into it when it came up as part of the music selected for worship, I put this in its place and realized that in the long run, this was something that does not matter.  I classify the position of the priest in the same way.  I would not be pleased if I started to have to watch the priest from behind, but I certainly would not stop going to Mass or give up the Catholic Church because of it.   What I say now, I say with all due respect to the Pope and to the Magistarium, but sometimes I think that breathing that holy rarefied air that seems to fill presidential offices, board rooms, and executive meeting chambers the world over sometimes makes those who inhale it lose sight of the little people below them that do not really care one way or the other.  So let's play spin the priest if we must but my fellow little people, let us not get caught up in a minor change in ritual that only makes a real difference to the Pope, the Cardinals, and the Bishops who make their living in and through the Church. Now, changing the words of songs to make them "inclusive," well, don't get me started on that...........

It's All In The Instructions

I brought home the thing and opened the box. It looked easy enough and I started putting the thing together. Well, part one went into part two but the hole for part three didn't quite line up but I inserted it anyway.  Part four almost lined up correctly and using the wrench provided by the manufacturer I tighten the nuts and turned my new table over and it was very, very lopsided.  I took the thing apart and looked in the box and pulled out this printed sheet. It appears that I had part one upside down as to how it was supposed to fit in part two.  I took the thing apart and this time I followed the instructions and my new table looked just like the sample did in the store. Reading and following all of the instructions made all of the difference. 

In the first reading at mass this Sunday, God reminds us in Deut 30 10-14 that the instructions are there, he put them there, we do not have to look for them, He has written them for us in our hearts.  In the Gospel today we heard the story of the Good Samaritan.  The story was a shocker in the time of Jesus. Samaritans were looked down upon, they were looked on as pagans by the faithful Jews of the time.  The road that lead to Jericho was avoided for a couple of reasons. First, it went through Samaria.  Second. it was well known that it was infested with robbers. A Jew would travel out of his way to avoid this road.  So it must have been an urgent mission that caused a priest and Levite to use that road. First of all the priest, why he could not stop. The man lying on the side of the road was bloody and if he touched him he would not be able to pray because he would be ritually unclean. The same was true for the Levite. Besides, what if the man was faking and either one of these two stopped to help, well maybe the man would jump up and rob them or hidden accomplices would jump out and beat the tar out of him and leave him for dead on the side of the road.  So for practical purposes alone, the priest and the Levite ignored the victim.  The Samaritan on the other hand was walking down that same road.  He stopped, he chose to extend mercy. He carried the victim to an inn and dressed his woulds and paid the innkeeper to watch over the man.  He also promised to pay whatever the innkeeper paid in excess of the two silver coins he left for the victims room and board. 

Jesus in this story makes sure to tell us while it is important to love God with your whole heart, soul, and being, you must also love your neighbor.  

On this Sunday where we are all still shaking our heads at the senseless violence that is plaguing our world, we have to ask ourselves are we taking care to be a caretaker of our neighbor?  Jesus is asking us to do so.  If we do, the violence will stop, I guarantee this to you. 

  

Freedom

It is the 4th of July holiday weekend. It is a time for festive events, picnics, family reunions, fireworks, and parades. I think it should be a time also for sober reflection on just what it means to be free. 

In America we have the freedom to hold any opinion about the government that we want to hold and we can shout it to the rooftops if we want to!  

In America we can elect any citizen to any office based on what they say and we can hold them accountable and even demand a recall election if they seriously fail in their job. 

In America we have the right to be free of government interference in our life and concurrently we have the right to give the government authority to do things for us and in our name, We the People!

In America we have an absolute right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

In America we are guaranteed the right to worship God in the way that we want to and to follow our conscience using the light that God sends to us. 

In America we can be what and who we want to be. We can be a garbage collector or a doctor, it is our choice what we become and what we work towards.

In America we have citizen soldiers, volunteers to protect us and our country. We have a duty to see to their welfare during and after the service that the give to us. 

In America we unite with our brothers and sisters in our neighborhood, in out towns and cities and try to live in peace and in harmony with each other. 

In America, law is master over might.

In America in modern times we have lost the ability to discuss things with one another, the word compromise has lost its meaning with our elected representatives. 

In America, we have lost confidence in our senate, in our congress, in our executive and legal branches because they no longer want to work together for the common good. 

In America, we move ever closer to having a state instead of a government. 

In America, our freedom of religion is being rescinded little bit by little bit. 

In America, the president now issues decrees called executive orders that have the force of law. 

In America, the Supreme Court issues decrees called decisions that have the force of law. 

In America, our Congress and Senate are deadlocked because party politics have become more important than the good of the citizens that sent them to Washington. Those entrusted to define the law do nothing. 

In America, you have the right to live unless you are in the womb and then you have no rights at all. 

In America, there is good, there is bad. But the only other form over government that is worse than ours is any other. 

God bless this country I call home, my Lord protect us, speak more loudly that we may hear your voice.  We pray oh Lord that never take for granted the freedoms that come from you. May America be a shining light to all the world of what can be.  Amen.   

The Death Penalty

On June 21, 2016 Pope Francis that "No matter how serious the crime it is an offense to the inviolability of life and the dignity of the human person, as well as a contradiction if God's plan and His Merciful Justice." (Catholic News Service) He went on to say that the death penalty is not justice, it is revenge.  
The pope is correct in his thinking here.  Although there are many examples of people being condemned to death and being executed in the Bible, let's look at the first reported murder, the case Cain versus Able. The motive for this killing was simple jealousy and Cain slew his brother because he was jealous because God did not accept his sacrifice.  God of course knew what Cain had done.  Did He apply the death penalty? Actually no he did not. He sent Cain off to exile. 

The Bible says "Whoever sheds the blood of men shall his blood be shed for God made man in His image."  The catechism says that the death penalty may be used if there is no other way to protect society from harm from the perpetrator.  Today we have such a method, it is called "Life in prison without the possibility of parole."  We can take the worst of the worst and keep them away from others until such time as God calls them home in order to answer for their crimes before His tribunal. 

Maybe we are too concerned about the perpetrators here and are not considering the victims?  Let's talk about them a bit. Very often it is claimed that the execution of the one that hurt their loved one brings closure.  If you do a little bit of research you will find that, in America, the long time between conviction and the ultimate execution keeps the wound fresh red and raw in the victim's family.  Then when the execution finally does occur there is no closure because many of the families realize that this second killing did not bring back their loved one. 

What are Christians such as you and I supposed to do?  Jesus is very clear on this.  We are to love one another as ourselves and we are to include our enemies in this.  We are to turn the other cheek.  But since we are to love others as we love ourselves we are also allowed to deal a lethal blow to defend our lives against an aggressor.  What I think we are being asked to do is to err on the side of mercy.  

Let me tell you a personal story.  My mother, Violet, was a wonderful woman. She had a hard life growing up during the depression.  Her mother wasn't especially good to her during her childhood.  She grew up, dropped out of high school and obtained work in a defense plant.  After the war she met my father, married, and gave birth to me and my siblings. She was always looking for happiness to come into her from outside, she never learned that happiness comes from within. She ended up divorcing my father and she went to work for our family doctor. When he retired she continued working for the doctor that bought the practice.  Part of her compensation package was that she was to receive free health care from them.  This doctor apparently took this obligation with a grain of salt.  She misdiagnosed a growth on my mothers skin and prescribed an ointment to fix it.  It was not going away but she really could care less because she was not receiving any money for treating my mother.  Mom was getting very concerned and she went to see her former employer who recognized it as what it was, cancer.  She was immediately put into the hospital where she received the news that it would have to be removed.  The surgery went well and afterward the follow up showed no return of the cancer.  Then on the third follow up it was discovered that the cancer had indeed returned and had invaded her lungs and that her condition was terminal.  She went to a surgeon who said she could buy herself more time if she had the tumors removed.  She was scheduled for surgery and the doctor came to see us and gave us the good news that it had gone well and that she might have as much as a year or a year and a half to live.  Three days post op she went into a coma and died.  At the funeral a lady came up to me and offered condolences which I accepted.  My younger sister came up to me and said that that was the doctor mom had worked for.  I looked at this so called doctor and my heart filled with hate and rage.  I never knew I could feel such negative emotions as I did at that minute.  I nurtured those feelings over the next months.  I also went into a deep and dark depression that lasted for six months!  Then one day I realized that I was a Christian and Jesus was calling me to forgive.  I did forgive this worthless excuse of a doctor, gave her an unconditional pardon and at that moment my depression lifted and I felt once again the warmth of God's love filling my heart.  Don't get me wrong, I wound not cultivate a relationship with this doctor, I would not take her to lunch, or play Parcheesi with her, but I no longer wished her any harm and placed her under God's care. 

Jesus knew that forgiving brings its own rewards and that is why he asks us to do not the impossible, but the very, very, very, difficult and forgive those that do harm to us. 

What are my views on the death penalty?  In general I am against it.  I think there are some people whose offenses are so heinous that the death penalty has to be on the books to deal with them.  I cannot imagine the world would be better off if we kept people like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, or others like them alive.  But they are the exceptions to the rule. 

The death penalty is fraught with the danger that an innocent person will be put to death.  IF you are poor, black, living in Texas, or California, Alabama, or Florida you are likely to get the death penalty if you are found guilty of murder.  In Texas there is was a ruling that a capital defendant is entitled to a lawyer but they don't have to be awake during the trial.  This is true I swear it.  Let's face it, once you are dead, you are dead even if ten minutes or ten years later DNA evidence proves that you are not guilty.  And let's not forget if you execute the wrong person, the killer is still at large. 

So I guess I for the most part agree with Pope Francis. Let's get rid of the death penalty.  It's time to prove that we can be better that the people we jail.  It really makes no sense to kill people to teach them not to kill.   What do you think?