The Practical Parson

 This week, a news report broke which claimed that the Pentagon had demanded a meeting with the Vatican's US envoy, Cardinal Christophe Pierre; wherein they threatened the Roman Church unless the Pope "fell in line" with the President's administration's ideas.  On the surface that seems a fairly salacious and horrifying thing, yes?   But when we read the story further, it begins to fall apart at the seams.  Firstly, it was reported by "Free Press", not known for being a bastion of journalistic integrity to begin with.  Secondly, they name that famous person who knows all, sees all, hears all, as their source for the report- Anonymous Source.  There are no more deceptive words used in journalism than the lines "Anonymous sources report"  and "it is reported".  Neither require proof, they require no facts, they don't even require citation; putting journalistic integrity beneath high school and college term/ research papers, which ge...

 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ- Today the world witnessed a horrific act of targeted political violence, in the form of the assassination of a conservative commentator, Charlie Kirk, in Utah.  As people of Christian faith and charity, I ask you all to remember his family and friends in your prayers; and commend to your prayers the intention of the repose of his soul.  Before too long, media outlets will shift the narrative of this day away from the story of what happened, and will begin blaming inanimate objects and victims themselves for acts of horrific violence; in a spectacle that is a revolving circle of self-righteous grandstanding rather than meaningful discourse or transmission of fact.  As both a Bishop but first and foremost a Christian; I have been heartbroken and utterly sickened to see so many people who profess Christian faith and love, actively celebrating the death of a man whom they deemed “the enemy.”  While he may have held views that we...

 This Past week, a member of the Kansas City Chiefs' (American football) team was invited to give a commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas.  Speaking to fellow Roman Catholics in the graduating class and gathered, he addressed what he saw as problems with society today; which reflect his beliefs and the values which the Roman church has always held.   While at any point in history prior to 2008 this may have gone unheralded and of no great importance; suddenly to the leftist agitators in the United States, Harrison Butker has become the icon of everything wrong with the Christian faith and conservative values, almost overnight.  The most disheartening part of the entire ongoing saga is not so much the reaction to anything the man actually SAID in his speech; but that the entire "progressive" world is loosing its collective mind over what media outlets have proclaimed he MEANT by what he said.   In short, those screaming "racist, misogynis...

 Yesterday evening a group of self congratulatory, wealthy people gathered in California to give each other awards.   They call it the "Academy Awards", however that title is as offensive to Academia as it is unrepresentative of the term in general.  Perhaps one of the more shocking things to come out of the Oscars this year was the number of 'celebrities' donning red pins in order to (allegedly) support demands for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.  Much like everything celebrities do, however; they are blissfully ignorant of the origin of their rallying cry for purported social justice.   As a symbol of "palestinian" solidarity, the raised bloody hand dates back to the year 2000; when a mob of Palestinians broke into a jail in Ramallah on the West Bank, and proceeded to beat, kick, stomp, stab, etc. 2 Jewish men to death.   These 2 men had accidentally taken a wrong term while driving that afternoon, and had ended up in Ramallah by accident....

 It would appear that the radical progressive agenda has a new target this week- country music artist Jason Aldean.  Recently the music video for his song "try that in a small town" was launched and subsequently pulled from CMT; upon claims that it incited racial violence and racism.  Now unlike most people who have taken to social media and written articles about this, I actually took the time to LISTEN to the song that was performed.   Honestly, there isn't anything remotely objectionable to a person of common sense, apart from mild language that some might object to (i.e. derogatory word for human excrement).   What I find objectionable is not this song itself or even the accompanying video that was made for it; but the reaction from the radical left-wing progressive fanatics who see racism in every corner and behind every door.  They claim that the song is racism because it glorifies standing against criminal violence; but the artist never onc...