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28 SEPTEMBER 2018. Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Wenceslaus - the tenth century Duke of Bohemia and martyr for the faith, known far and wide for his humility and pious works on behalf of the poor and needy. Named posthumously as a king, Saint Wenceslaus is yet another reminder that all of us are called to be saints. That is, each of us is called to holiness in our lives, given our state in life, where we seek fully to join ourselves and conform ourselves to the Holy and Divine Will, through our submission to Christ.

Running on at the keyboard:

Much has been made in the U.S. this week of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering his nomination to the Supreme Court. A number of accusations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault have been made against him, and he gave an emotional and pointed rebuke to those accusations and the nomination process yesterday. However, I was disappointed in Judge Kavanaugh. Judicial temperament requires one to maintain a detached view of facts and circumstances to evaluate the application of the law. No judge should be outwardly partisan or emotional, and we saw both from Judge Kavanaugh yesterday in his testimony. To the contrary, a good judge addresses his or her task with humility, emotional neutrality, and somber intellectual inquiry, knowing that decisions can have life-changing consequences for the people impacted. Certainly the Supreme Court's role in our system of government should be able to count on sound judicial temperament from all nine of its justices.

As to sexual assault and all manner of sexual aggression. There is no excuse for these actions. I had a roommate in college who once told me that once he reached a certain point of arousal, there was no way he could stop himself. In his words, he was "animalistic." Not true. We are not animals, and no person should be objectified and victimized for another's sexual gratification or self-satisfaction. As a community of faithful, and as a nation, we should stand in solidarity with those affected by these crimes and ensure that victims are provided for in a manner befitting their dignity.

Dignity of the marriage sacrament, too, must be upheld in our country and throughout humanity. As we have continued to see marriage redefined as any relationship that two individuals want to commit to, not matter what its circumstances and no matter what the sex of the individuals involved are, it is no wonder that our society feels itself in crisis. The basic building block of society, the family--the domestic church--is being defined out of existence. For this reason, we should head carefully and follow Pope Francis' call for a permanent catechumenate for marriage. The marriage vocation should be formed and nurtured from early childhood, through adolescence, into the marital relationship, and throughout life. Our world cannot afford to get this wrong.

Dignity of human life is under constant attack in our world, because we are told that self-gratification is the point of life. "Do what you want. Live for you. Be happy. You do you." These are the messages of Western culture, and they are wrong.

We have an obligation to return our whole selves to God in love, because He loved us. We are called to be something more than animals, because we share in the divine--by virtue of our immortal soul--and have been given the gift of being the adopted brothers and sisters of Christ, our God and savior. Each of us, from the moment of conception until natural death, has a unique and inalienable dignity as the beloved creatures of our God. Our lives are not for us to live for ourselves, they are gifts to live for God, who is our eternal home!

This is why, too, the universal call to abolish the death penalty is important. All life is sacred, no matter the circumstances. No matter the situation. From the earliest point of development, to the end stages of disease and infirmity; no matter the culpability of a person for harm done to others. Life is still precious and shares in the divine and, therefore, must be protected and upheld.

This is truth. It is counter cultural because our culture tells us lies. Live for truth dear brothers and sisters. That is our call.

Dear readers, please pray for me and I will pray for you.

NOVUS:

It also occurs to me that there has been little mention of the influence of alcohol on all that is involved in the Brett Kavanaugh allegations. No high school teen should ever be drinking, under any circumstances. Teenage drinking is the great contributor to an untold number of teenage deaths and life altering, harmful events. Parents, keep your children from this influence and model responsible behavior of your own. 

-3OP-

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11 SEPTEMBER 2017. Today we commemorate dramatic events in the life of these United States, not the terrible terrorist attacks in our country, but the response of faith in God and in our country's principles of freedom that have endured.

Running on at the keyboard:

Is our country perfect? No. Have we made mistakes as a nation and as a government? Yes. Is our country superior to other nations? Even if we are militarily, economically, financially, or in some other way superior, by objective standards, we should always have the humility as a people to look at ways that we can assist others, not focus on our relative strengths.

What about those who protest at the playing of the National Anthem? What about them? They have a right to do that, but ignore them. Nothing defeats error like the light of truth.

What about all those alt-right nationalists and others who propose a racial, nationalistic superiority of the Anglo-Saxon portion of America? See the response above. I believe these people speak from fear and ignorance - always a deadly combination for both the soul and the intellect.

I believe most people are angry in our country because they truly have no idea just how good we have things. They are angry that more of their wants and desires are not met. They are angry because they are spiritually unsatisfied and,thus, cannot find rest in anything else.

President Trump was not the answer to this, he was just less objectionable to a greater portion of the electorate, as calculated by the Electoral College.  Why was Trump less objectionable? I believe, he is more traditional, even where that tradition has negative connotations.

Speaking of tradition, I pray that the new motu proprio on liturgical translations issued a few days ago, Magnum principium, will not lead Bishops anywhere to water down the faith. Bishops, challenge the faithful with the beauty, the wonder, the logic, the soundness of our faith. Elevate the character of worship beyond a meal among friends: it is truly an interaction with the Divine, with He who created the world, and sacrificed Himself for us.

Speaking of bishops, my heartfelt thanks to the Holy Father for sending our corner of Northwest Florida, Bishop William Wack.

Please Bishop Wack, drop the "Bishop Bill" nomenclature and be receptive to your flock by the wisdom and humility of your office. But, be our Bishop. We need you and our hearts are open to you and our Lord.

Please pray for everyone who is suffering from natural disaster.

Hurricane Irma was a storm that got much attention. So did Hurricane Harvey. But, how many others suffer in obscurity? Please, pray for them.

Dear readers, please pray for me, and I will pray for you.

-3OP-

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28 FEBRUARY 2015. In these days of winter, time has been short for blogging and otherwise addressing anything beyond what presents itself as the next emergency or "must do" task. I recognize this is the devil at work in the world. He places before us all that we are constantly bombarded with and cajoles us to believe that this is reality, that this is what is most important. Doing so, the evil one prevents us from lifting our eyes to God, worshipping Him, and spending time in prayer.

Running on at the keyboard:

The Church on earth, always eager for new exemplars of the faith, has a new Doctor of the Church: Saint Gregory of Narek. An Armenian monk, poet, mystical philosopher, and theologian. Pope Francis named Saint Gregory as a Doctor of the Church on 21 February 2015. Look for further AS articles on this wonderful exemplar.

Many saints are at work in the world today. Not only are each of the faithful called to holiness and, thus, to be saints for us all, but the Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere are under terrible and constant attack. Not only have the brutal killings of ISIS or ISIL proved to us today the great persecution of the Church, but so many of the faithful are persecuted each day, and suffer white martyrdom, in the face of a Western culture that ignores God for the glorification of self and self-indulgence.

I and my employer have had many difficulties over the past months as we are the object of attack by ignorant people who are focused on attempting to achieve a legal end by political means. They will not and cannot be successful.

The recent legalization of euthanasia in Canada is another sign that Christian faithful and all those of good will need to redouble their efforts to provide protection for all human life, from conception to natural death. Each of us are made in the image and likeness of God, and each of us are possessed of an immortal soul, which shares in God's divinity by its immortal nature and God's plan for each of us to love Him and share in His being for eternity. Pray for life.

The Academy Awards . . . Why does anyone care?

What joy there is in this season of Lent, for each of us to have the opportunity to examine ourselves in preparation for the death and resurrection of Christ at Easter.

How many know that Pope Francis also created a new sui juris Eastern Rite Church, which is in full communion with Rome? On 19 January 2015 Pope Francis created the Eritrean Catholic Church as a metropolitan sui juris Eastern Particular church distinct from the Ethiopian Catholic Church. It uses the Alexandrian Liturgy.

Thinking of the Eastern Rites, on 15 November 2014, Pope Francis approved a document from the Congregation for the Oriental Churches which permits married priests in the Eastern Rites, in a turn from tradition, to serve outside of their geographic and cultural homes. Coming to the United States, now more so with Anglican Use parishes . . . married priests.

The Lay Dominicans del Espiritu Santo, the Tallahassee, Florida group of Lay Dominican faithful, are eagerly awaiting the celebration of Pentecost and the perpetual profession of our Brother into the fullness of Dominican lay life.

Pray to the Dominican Saints for their intercession for all your needs:

St. Dominic, pray for us.
St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us.
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us.
St. Mary Magdalen, pray for us. (Patroness of the Order)
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
St. Albert the Great, pray for us.
St. Rose of Lima, pray for us.
St. Vincent Ferrer, pray for us.
St. Pius V, pray for us.
All you holy angels and saints, pray for us.
Blessed Virgin Mary, Most Chaste Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.

Dear readers, please pray for me, and I will pray for you

-3OP-

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20 SEPTEMBER 2012. These pages have been silent for much longer than a fortnight now. With apologies from your scribe and host, things have been quite busy on other fronts as of late.

Running on at the keyboard:

I was in New York City last week and tasted the first real glimpse of Autumn. It was, for sure, still warm, but the mornings were chilly. And, besides work, which is all I tend to do when I am in the City, I did get the opportunity to catch a baseball game at Citi Field between the Mets and Nationals. What a beautiful ballpark, in some ways it reminds me of Camden Yards, but it's still New York. The Mets, on the other hand, were anything but beautiful; maybe next year Mets fans.

When in New York I also got out for a couple of hours and spent that time at St. Patrick's Cathedral. I  wanted to speak with Cardinal Dolan, if he was around, but learned that he was out of town. My thought was to simply thank him for his service and leadership for our stateside Church.

We are in full press campaign season now for the Presidential and congressional races. Redistricting has also been redone this year in Florida, so all seats in both houses of the Legislature are up for grabs. Having said that, I have yet to see a political candidate that I can be enthusiastic about. I have certainly seen a number that I can enthusiastically oppose, but none that I can get behind with gusto. Is there any candidate out there that really presents a model of the Magisterium carried into the world? I am looking for her or him.

Remember a vote for anyone other than Romney, or staying at home (for that matter), is in fact a vote for Obama. So, get out and vote.

Speaking of President Obama, please continue to support an end to the HHS mandate and oppose any so called health care reform law that does not have an appropriate conscience protection and that falls to respect the dignity of human life, in all stages of development, from conception to natural death.

I feel for the faithful in Philadelphia with all that they have endured over the last year, including the near-to-home abuse incidents at Penn State. I pray for healing for all victims and for the community that is put in shambles by such violence and breach of trust.

I am thoroughly confused by the LCWR, why do they not put their own agenda's behind the obligation to be faithful and obedient to the Church? Why can't they see the misplaced priorities when they replace Christianity for humanitarian works. I recall Mother Theresa once saying, in response to some praise for her humanitarian work, "No! I am not engaged in humanitarian work. I am living the Gospel of Jesus Christ." I pray that the so many good religious sisters that are represented by the LCWR will put their own aspirations behind the desire to live God's Will, put their own agendas behind fidelity to the Church, put their own sense of self importance behind their truly important work of being Christ to those they encounter, put their own sense of worth, under the boot of living to be truly worthy in God's eyes. Sisters, I pray, be a model for the world!

I have also spent a great deal of time in Orlando over the last several months, but I have not been to Disney World since 1991.

With all of the news coverage over the recent Middle Eastern protests against the United States, and the pointless violence and harm that has occurred with those protests, has anyone seen any mainstream media coverage of Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Lebanon? His words on peace and respect between the Christian West and the Islamic East were indeed profound and communicated well his true and real good will in brining a positive message of peace to the region. It is a shame that the mainstream media did not consider his apostolic journey to be more noteworthy. Their loss. The world's loss.

I am also in my first semester of studies in the Master of Arts in Theology program at Holy Apostles College and Seminary through the college's distance learning outreach. Carving out enough time for study and to complete readings and papers has been a challenge. It truly makes me appreciate, now in retrospect, how good a life I had during college and grad school. I wish I had understood better how fortunate I was at the time, but--as it is said--youth is wasted on the young.

Pray to the Dominican Saints for their intercession for all your needs:
St. Dominic, pray for us.
St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us.
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us.
St. Mary Magdalen, pray for us. (Patroness of the Order)
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
St. Albert the Great, pray for us.
St. Rose of Lima, pray for us.
St. Vincent Ferrer, pray for us.
St. Pius V, pray for us.
All you holy angels and saints, pray for us.
Blessed Virgin Mary, Most Chaste Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.

Dear readers, please pray for me, and I will pray for you.

-3OP-

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10 DECEMBER 2011. There is a bustle in the air, but I don't feel compulsion to move with the crowds. There is a buzz of excitement, but the feeling eludes me. There is an anxious and noisy anticipation, but all I seek is quiet.

The season of Advent is upon us again. As the world around us focuses on an X-mas celebration that is, at its commercial heart, based upon a perceived joy--so go the advertisements--of giving and receiving material things. However, we are called, apart from the worldly sirens, to prepare ourselves quietly for the joy of the Nativity of the Lord--a holy and quiet Christmas.

I pray that this Advent season is a good one for all readers.

I am overjoyed by the use of new translation of the Roman Missal. It brings a richness and beauty to the language of the mass that I have often times over the years felt was missing. Thank you to all whose efforts made the new translation possible.

Please pray that the Holy See will soon provide the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee with a holy man to serve as our new bishop. Please also pray for the health and safe keeping of Bishop Ricard, our bishop emeritus.

As always, I will pray for you, please pray for me and my family.

Pax Christi!

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8 JULY 2011. The long absence of a functioning computer is over and A.S. is back on the air, so to speak. Word to the wise for parents out there, if your home computer suddenly stops working, and you have young children, make sure your young ones have not broken the on/off switch in the off position. I am just saying; it happens.

Running on at the keyboard:

My wife and I went to New Orleans for our tenth wedding anniversary. The crescent city is a hot place in June. I mean that literally: over a few days I do not think the mercury dropped below 89° F, even in th dead of night. The Archdiocese, however, believes in keeping the Basilica Cathedral like an ice box. We went to mass on Sunday morning at the Cathedral and then across Jackson Square to Café du Monde for coffee and beignets. A real treat!

The celebrant for the mass we attended was Auxiliary Bishop Fabre on Trinity Sunday. Bishop Fabre gave a tremendous homily that very eloquently described the interior life of God in the Holy Spirit and the relational nature of God - one to himself - and one to humanity.

Please pray for Father (once) John Corapi. Whatever peril his soul may be in is, indeed, a peril that could visit any of us.

The dog days of summer are certainly upon us, and it is this time of year in the Church calendar that I probably treasure the most. In a way, we are in the desert of the calendar, with a long many weeks of Ordinary Time ahead of us until the eventual coming of Advent. In this desert we have the opportunity to seek ever greater spiritual nourishment from the Church by perseverance.

I continue to pray for the health of our bishop emeritus, John Ricard, and ask that you pray for him as well. I understand he has settled in at the St. Joseph's Seminary in Washington D.C.

I am a lawyer and I live in Florida, so the recent question du jour has been "What do you think of the Casey Anthony verdict?" My prayers go out to all the victims of the case. Certainly first and foremost to the poor child who obviously suffered and died at the hands of another. I pray for her soul and that she is at rest with our Lord. I pray too for all the other victims of the entire ordeal. Certainly that family has been traumatized and injured in a way that time will not heal. I pray that the Holy Spirit will give them the grace to preserve and ultimately be healed. I pray too for Casey Anthony, may our Lord have mercy on her for her sins, no matter how heinous they may be. We are all sinners and in need of Christ's salvation, and the mercy of our God.

My prayers also go out to our Holy Father as he begins his summer period of rest at Castel Gandolfo. I pray that his time away from the Vatican will be restful and spiritually renewing. I also wish him well in his efforts on the third installment of his work on Jesus Christ. The Church is truly blessed and privileged by his pontificate.

Speaking of the Holy Father, did you see the pictures of him tweeting? How cool is that!

(I bet no one will break his on/off button!)

Today is the feast day of Blessed Adrian Fortescue. Blessed Adrian pray for us!

Please pray for me; I will pray for you.

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20 OCTOBER 2010. Today the Church receives with joy 24 new cardinals. A few day's ago, the communion of saints grew by six. These days are interesting and exciting indeed. But your author is tired.

For any reader who is (or was) a regular visitor to these pages, I apologize for the lack of prose production over the last many weeks. The third child in our household (8 weeks old today) is putting quite a dent in restful sleep, which is to say:--we are getting none. Aside from that, work is very busy and my time seems to be entirely overloaded between the office and home. I am still trying to be diligent with the daily office, which is a true blessing of peace and holy joy in daily life, but even that has suffered as other duties have burgeoned.

I continue to pray for those who find these pages and ask that you pray for us.

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10 MARCH 2010. I am going to use the title of this post, from time to time, to post a series of probably unrelated pieces of thought that I will struggle to organize into a cogent and interesting read for someone out there.

Here goes:

Running on at the keyboard . . .

I know that Lent is a long period of preparation for Easter, but this Lenten season seems to be flying by. More than half of Lent is now behind us and the glory of East is not too far over the horizon.

I remember reading a quote from a cardinal once that said something along these lines: Thank the Lord for purgatory. I will need the time to prepare to see the Lord face-to-face. I understand the Cardinal's sentiment. I need this time of Lent to prepare myself to find again the glory of Easter, but time is drawing too quickly to a close.

I had the honor of serving in the Knights of Columbus 4th degree color guard this evening at the annual Red Mass of the Holy Spirit that is celebrated by all the bishops of Florida each year at the beginning of the annual two month Legislative Session. This year's mass was wonderful, except that our bishop, a tremendous Josephite priest, Bishop John H. Ricard, was not able to attend because he is in a rehabilitation facility. Bishop Ricard is not an old man, not at all, but in recent months he suffered a stroke and has had several complications and set-backs following the stroke. Please pray for Bishop Ricard!

We are tasting our first glimpses of spring weather here in Tallahassee. Dogwood trees are starting to bloom and it was nearly 70 degrees this afternoon. Winter was quite cold this year--Tallahassee saw its longest consecutive string of days with temperatures below freezing (14) in its recorded weather history.

What is the deal with health care reform? Our bishops could not be clearer, and the President seems to be condemned to talking platitudes about reducing abortions, but allowing federal funding of abortion to continue to sail through the health care reform legislative process. Taking the life of an unborn child is not health care! It is not health care for the mother. It is not health care for the unborn baby.

On other life issues, a recent scheduled execution (last week) of a man on Florida's death row has been stayed pending another court review. Have you ever seen death row? I have. It is the single most depressing place in the world that I have been. Men chained and treated like animals. I am not a fan of coddling those who in our society would cruelly victimize others, but the dignity of the human person on death row is institutionally erased. There is a better way. Pray that Florida, and the U.S. as a county, ends the use of the death penalty.

At tonight's Red Mass there was a section of the co-cathedral that was reserved for nuns. It was packed by the start of mass, but I only saw three habits. God bless our nuns who continue to wear the habit. I pray that more nuns will grow to understand that the sight of a habit is an uplifting and needed witness to the world of their identity as Catholic, Christian, religious, consecrated women.

Doesn't the FSU baseball team look great so far this year? They're outscoring opponents by about 40 to 1 (or so it seems). Kudos to Manager Mike Martin, the staff, and the team. But, uh, bring back the sale of frosted pecans at the ballpark. Please!

Seems to me that Archbishop Tim Dolan is everywhere these days. He seems to be a genuinely Christ-centered and loving pastor for the Church in New York. I pray that one day I will be able to sit down with him (hopefully over a meal) and enjoy a conversation with such a pastor. I also pray that the red hat will indeed be bestowed upon him in the yet-to-be-announced (but, highly anticipated) consistory later this year.

Did you realize that there are no Dominican saints on the Order's calendar for the month of March? This means that my daily blogging research gets a bit of a break this time of year. That is actually a relief, because quality time with my breviary is at the top of my priority list this Lent. April will be a busy month.

My wife felt a few flutters of movement from the baby today. We'll learn in a couple of weeks whether the baby is a boy or girl. August will be a busy month.

Take care. May God's blessings be generously bestowed on you all.