Teresa of Avila, October 15

Teresa, doctor and virgin, pray for us!

"O Lord, how different are your paths from our clumsy imaginings! And how from a soul that is already determined to love You and is abandoned into Your hands, You do not want anything but that it obey, that it inquire well into what is for Your service, and that it desire this! There's no need for seeking out paths and choosing them, for its will is Yours.

"May you be blessed forever and ever, my God, for within a moment You undo a soul and remake it... You know what You are doing, but I do not know what I am saying since Your works and judgments are incomprehensible. May You be ever glorified." ~Teresa, The Foundations

Abortion Survivor Speaks

The remarkable thing about this--aside from her survival--is the deep love and forgiveness with which she relates the story. If this does not at least sway a heart, there's not much that will.

Edward the Confessor, October 13

Edward: Such a good man. Not such a great king, according to Churchill. But holiness does not require worldly success. The patron of difficult marriages and separated spouses. Ora pro nobis.

Palin for life.

Here's Sarah Palin on Barack Obama's abortion "rights" voting record. It's a damning indictment, but what is most compelling about her speech is her testimony to her and her husband's own choice for life. Only he who loses his life will find it!



Whether she and McCain win or not, she has fought a good fight and been a valiant witness for the unborn. Well done, good and faithful servant!

Keirkegaard for President

Thanks to Matthew Dunch, SJ!

Paul VI on Life

Once in a while you come across a quote that strikes at the heart of a matter. Paul VI here speaks on the most fundamental reason for the Church's teaching on marriage, the conjugal embrace, and life. It's a matter of keeping your eye on heaven and of seeing the beauty of a human soul created for eternity. It makes me want to say, "Whah-tcha!"

"You must strive to multiply bread so that it suffices for the tables of mankind, and not rather favor an artificial control of birth, which would be irrational, in order to diminish the number of guests at the banquet of life."

~Paul VI

"Sorry, sorry..."

Over at First Things, Amanda Shaw gives a brief overview of Theodore Dalrymple's (what a marvelous name!) article on False Apology Syndrome. While it takes a certain strength of character called, I believe, pride, to agree wholeheartedly, I think there's a lot of truth in what he says. False Apology Syndrome is the tendency to confess the sins of others rather than one's own sins: E.g., perpetual (note the "perpetual") need to apologize for Galileo, the Crusades, and the Inquisition. E.g., the habit of explaining your bad choices in terms of "my father was a harsh man..." I love it. Goshdarnnit, just own up! Remove the log and then the splinter, what ho!

Here's Dalrymple:

"False Apology Syndrome is a way of judging others to avoid judging ourselves–of shrugging moral responsibility. It fosters a perpetrator–victim mentality: “For what can I do wrong to compare with the wrongs that my ancestors suffered at the hands of your ancestors? How dare you even mention it, you hypocrite!” For that matter, what could I do wrong to compare with the wrongs my ancestors committed? I must say, it’s a reassuring mode of thought."

Of course, I apologize if you don't agree. My father is a crotchety old fellow, after all, and my mother a genius of a housewife. And I am what I am, therefore, I am a sinner...