Monday, April 27, 2015
We're not in Mayberry anymore, Toto!
Michigan
Priest Urges Parishioners to Arm Themselves
Concealed Pistol License Classes Held on Parish Property
ANN
ARBOR, April
22, 2015 (Detroit Free Press) by Patricia Montemurri—An Ann Arbor Catholic priest has urged his
parishioners to arm themselves and attend classes at Christ the King parish to
earn a concealed pistol license (CPL).
In a letter sent to Christ the King parishioners recently, the Rev.
Edward Fride explained why he believed it was necessary to get concealed pistol
licenses because of recent crime in the area. During a Palm Sunday mass last
month, Fride announced that the parish would be holding the CPL class.
When some parishioners
questioned the decision, Fride sent out a pro-gun letter titled "We're
not in Mayberry Anymore, Toto" – a reference to the 1960s-era Andy
Griffith Show and its portrayal of a fictional North Carolina town, as well as
Dorothy's dog from the Wizard of Oz.
"It is
very common for Christians to simply assume that they live in Mayberry,
trusting that because they know the Lord Jesus, everything will always be fine
and nothing bad can happen to them and their families," Fride wrote.
"How to
balance faith, reality, prudence, and trust is one of those critical questions
that we struggle with all our lives. Pretending we are in Mayberry, while we
are clearly not, can have very negative consequences for ourselves and those we
love, especially those we have a responsibility to protect. If we are not in
Mayberry, is there a real threat?"
Fride told
parishioners in the letter that Catholic teachings do not preclude carrying a
gun for self-defense and to defend others. Fride then asserted that crime is up
and that because of budget cuts, "there has been a significant reduction
in the availability of an armed police response."
Fride could
not be reached for comment Monday. But Michael Diebold, a spokesman for the
Diocese of Lansing which oversees the Ann Arbor parish, confirmed Monday that
the controversial letter had been sent.
"Yes, it
appears that 'We're Not in Mayberry Anymore, Toto!' was sent out to the
parishioners of Christ the King by their pastor, Fr. Ed Fride," Diebold
wrote in an email to the Free Press.
Guns and gun
lessons do not belong in a Catholic church, Lansing Catholic Bishop Earl Boyea
stressed in a statement after they learned about Fride's letter from the Free
Press.
Boyea
"has never given permission for anyone to carry a concealed weapon in a church
or school in the Diocese of Lansing," said a statement released by
Diebold.
"Additionally,
Bishop Boyea further states that Concealed Pistol License classes are
inappropriate activities to be held on Church property," wrote Diebold.
Diebold said
the Lansing diocese's ban on weapons on church makes them "gun-free
zones" and extends to those who want to practice "open carry" of
weapons in full view. He added that public or professional security
"provide for public safety on church property."
Spain Suffered Under ISIS - Hundreds of Years Ago
Radical Islam such as ISIS is
not new. Spain suffered under similar persecution hundreds of years
ago. Here is a brief history of the invaders of Spain. . .
Romans
Control pain
The Romans conquered Spain
and made it a Roman colony.
Christian
Spain
One of the 12 apostles,
James, came to Spain and evangelized the country. His tomb is in
Compostela. The famous Camino de Santiago becomes a pilgrimage route to
his shrine.
Germanic
Tribes Control Spain
After the fall of the Roman
Empire, Germanic tribes — Swabians (from Stuttgart), Goths and Visigoths — ran
roughshod over the Iberian Peninsula and established themselves as the
sovereigns. These coarse barbarians were followers of the Arian heresy
which preached that Jesus was a special man but not divine. Over time and
with the help of luminaries such as Saint Isidore of Seville they were won over
and brought to the true Faith.
Muslims
Control Spain
In 711 a Muslim Army of
mostly Berbers led by Tariq ibn Ziyad “El Tuerto” crossed the Strait of
Gibraltar from North Africa and landed at Gibraltar at the head of an invading
army proportedly to place the heirs of Witiza the deposed Visogothic King of
Hispania back on the throne. They defeated, and probably killed, the
King, Roderic, at the battle of Guadalete and they began an unstoppable run
North, due mostly to the fact that there was no way for the remaining nobles to
enthrone a new King and get organized. They were not stopped until a
stand was made in extreme northern Spain in a place called
Covadonga by a man named Pelayo. Tariq never had any intention of placing
Witiza’s heirs on the throne. He soon took control over the Kingdom and imposed
Islam on the population.
What
the Moors found when they invaded was a unified Christian people actively
practicing their Faith. During the first 300 years after the
Muslim conquest, slowly but surely the Christians began to drift away from the
Faith. Overnight the population that had had to
convert their Kings from Arianism to Catholicism were subjected to the yoke of
Islam. Some theorize that Witiza’s heirs went to the Islamic Caliphate
for help because of the theological connection between Arianism and
Islam. The real reason will never be known. Certainly they never
imagined that they were about to enslave their own people.
The
imposition of Islamic law meant that not only the majority Catholic population
but as well the minority Jewish population could no longer practice their
religion freely and were subject to harsh restrictions and heavy taxes.
Curiously, many Christians and Jews had helped the advance of Tariq, believing
he would liberate them from the heavy taxation imposed by the Visigoths;
nothing could have been farther than the truth. Now the ancient
inhabitans of the Iberian Peninsula were foreigners in their own homeland.
Their new overlords did not take kindly to the people’s resistance to
conversion to Islam.
Radical
Islam Controls Spain
There also began a movement
in the Muslim world to purify and reform. These Muslims believed that their
co-religionists on the Peninsula were too lax, much like the radical Islamic
movements of today.
In 1086 the
Almoravid dynasty, North African Berbers, came across the Strait to aid their
co-religionists against the constant attacks of the re-conquering Christian
kingdoms. Once they arrived they overthrew the ruling class with the
permission of their religious superiors in Baghdad and began a
religious reform of the type we are seeing the radical Islamic terrorists use
today in the Middle East. There were immediate consequences for the surviving Christians.
Some had converted to Islam
to gain personal advantage, others emigrated to North Africa where they could
practice their religion more freely, oddly enough. Still others escaped over
the border to the Christian Kingdoms.
Those
Christians who were left after the arrival of the Almoravid were forced to
either flee, be deported to North Africa, convert or be put to the sword.
Their
Churches were destroyed and all signs of Christianity were erased.
Not a
Christian remained in the Muslim-controlled territories. Much like we see today
in areas controlled by the Islamic State, Christians were slaughtered and the
land became void of the light of Christ.
The Reconquista (Reconquering)
Spain
By 1086, the Kingdoms of Castilla-Leon, Aragon
and Navarra had taken back a large portion of Spain. Toledo had been
re-taken and was safely within the Kingdom of Castilla-Leon. As the
re-conquest made its slow progression south the re-conquered territories would
be repopulated by Christians from the North and suspended dioceses would cease
to be Inpartibus Infidelium, although some would take
centuries to restore.
Christianity survived in Spain, not
because the Christians in Muslim-held territories were able to practice their
religion, but because the Christian kingdoms began to move south and re-conquer
lost territory.
FOR ALMOST 800 YEARS, SPAIN LIVED UNDER THE YOKE OF
ISLAM. Between 711 and 1492 AD, Spain was occupied by North African Muslims.
Yet somehow, against seemingly impossible odds, the Faith did not die.
From Regina Magazine
Saturday, April 25, 2015
April 25: Major Rogation Day
What are Rogation Days?
"Rogation Days are the four days set apart to bless the
fields, and invoke God's mercy on all of creation. The 4 days are April 25,
which is called the Major Rogation (and is only coincidentally the same
day as the Feast of St. Mark); and the three days preceding Ascension
Thursday, which are called the Minor Rogations. Traditionally, on these days,
the congregation marches the boundaries of the parish, blessing every tree and
stone, while chanting or reciting a Litany of Mercy, usually a Litany of the
Saints".
The real name of this procession is The Greater Litanies.
The word Litany means Supplication, and is applied to the religious rite of
singing certain chants whilst proceeding from place to place in order to
propitiate heaven. The two Greek words Kyrie
eleison (Lord, have mercy on
us) were also called Litany, as likewise were the invocations which were
afterwards added to that cry for mercy, and which now form a liturgical prayer
used by the Church on certain solemn occasions.
The Greater Litanies (or processions) are so called to distinguish
them from the Minor Litanies, that is, processions of less importance as far as
the solemnity and concourse of the faithful were concerned. We gather from an
expression of St. Gregory the Great that it was an ancient custom in the Roman
Church to celebrate, once each year, a Greater Litany, at which all the clergy
and people assisted. This holy Pontiff chose April 25 as the fixed day for this
procession, and appointed the Basilica of St. Peter as the Station.
During
the procession, the Litany of the Saints is sung, followed by several versicles
and prayers. The Mass of the Station is celebrated according to the Lenten
Rite, that is, without the Gloria
in excelsis, and in purple vestments.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Have Yourself A Merry "Talk Like Shakespeare" Day!
It’s…
Talk Like Shakespeare Day!
Therefore,
I urge
you all hence forth to speak in verse.
Pentameter iambic would be best.
Hear, O gentles! Also strive to use
in thy fair speech some homage to the Bard.
Pentameter iambic would be best.
Hear, O gentles! Also strive to use
in thy fair speech some homage to the Bard.
Maybe you
could (ehem… Coulds’t thou not) use the word “Prithee” a few times today, or,
perchance, “perchance”?
How to talk like Shakespeare - http://d20szssgzbrkwr.cloudfront.net/tls/res/TalkLikeShakespeare_Top10.pdf
Don't Be a Jackanape, an ass-head, a coxcomb, or a knave
Bill O’Reilly mentioned Jackanape
on his show last night.
Top 10 best
Shakespearean insults – to celebrate the bard's birthday
From tripe-visaged rascal to ass-head… William Shakespeare may
have been born 450 years ago today (or thereabouts) but he sure knew how to put
someone down in style. David and Ben Crystal, authors of the Oxford
Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary, help you work out which insults
to use and when!
Saturday, April 18, 2015
The Perfect Candidate
Leftist/Progressive/Democrat
Catholics in San Francisco are furious that their Archbishop Cordileone expects
members of his diocese to believe in and comply with Catholic
doctrine. They have petitioned Pope Francis asking the pontiff to
fire Archbishop Cordileone and replace him with someone who is more to their
liking and their “lifestyles.”
Here is the
perfect replacement:
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