The Practical Parson

Having an emotional connection with one's faith is a wonderful thing, but also one that can be deceptive and dangerous. Many people base their entire faith practice on the emotional feedback they obtain from worship or services, and lose hope when they start to lose their emotional "high" from such. Faith is more than a fevered emotional high experienced during church service with beautiful music and moving scenes; it is a day to day battle against the terror and difficulty of this world, towards a world of peace and hope. Faith is not an emotion to be enjoyed, it is as a child; that one straps to one's back at the start of their journey. Either the child grows and eventually takes you by the hand and helps you onward; or you throw it to the side the moment it begins to cause you discomfort. Faith requires dedication, even when we cannot understand. It requires us to press ever forward; knowing that where we are headed is a brighter day, a brighter hope than w...

 On the heels of celebrating the festival of sacrilege and unadulterated hedonism of World Youth Day, everyone's favorite Antipope and AntiChrist took full advantage of his media persona to attack priests.  Accusing any priest who shows care for the liturgy of being "rigid", declaring that all traditionalists are the true problem in the church, and proclaiming that due to the corruption that young traditionalist clergy bring, he himself has had to be personally involved in 'cleaning up the mess'.   Unless you consider "cleaning up the mess" to mean vilely oppressing and persecuting Nuns, parishes, and the catholic faith in general; then he hasn't been doing much of anything he claims.   In point of fact, the single case of priestly corruption he HAS been directly involved in of late, was in pampering and lifting all sanctions off of his brother Jesuit and known rapist of Nuns: Marko Rupnik.   Yes, the great Frankie of Rome, who proclaims to the wo...

 This past week, the Roman Catholic Church celebrated its "World Youth Day"; an event marketed as a way to get youth reinvigorated in their faith and to give them opportunities for worship.  What World Youth day is, or at least what it has become; is a festival of sacrilege and blasphemy against the sacraments of the catholic faith and Christ himself.   So-called "designer" vestments which look like they were made for a Halloween Costume shop, chalices and patens made from anything but dignified materials, glass bowls for consecrated hosts covered with saran wrap, stages that look like something out of apocalyptic film/ TV series rather than altars of worship of the most Blessed Trinity.  The list of sins World Youth day this year has committed against the dignity of the Christian faith is as long as one's arm; yet the most disgraceful, distasteful, and outright blasphemous act is the manner in which the sacred Body of the Divine Savior was both distributed and ...

 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...

For those of you who may be unaware, in recent months; the Roman Catholic Bishop of Fort Worth, Texas has been embroiled in legal wrangling with the Carmelite Sisters of Arlington, Texas,  over purported accusations of broken vows.   The aforementioned Bishop has leveled allegations that the mother superior of the Carmel violated her vows of Chastity and the sixth commandment (thou shalt not commit adultery) with a priest.  A very serious accusation it would be, and one that should be handled seriously; if not for one simple fact in the case: the entirety of the case leveled against this poor, sick nun, is based on the one-sided accusations of the Bishop's own diocesan vicar.  He claims that the Reverend Mother told him (outside of confession, else he would NEVER spread it, yeah right) on multiple occasions that she had violated the vow and even on one occasion thought she might be pregnant; despite the recording of their examination of her revealing that the pr...

 Today, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Christian graphic designer who creates wedding websites, that she is not obliged to extend her services to same-sex couples who are getting married.  Of course the instant outrage over "Gay rights denied!" has been noted, with people and the dissent from the liberal justices on the court saying this will "make gay people second class citizens".   But, will it?  When you talk about discrimination, everyone automatically goes "Oh, discrimination bad!", as well they should; but wherein lies the truth in cases such as this?   Was it really a gay couple who so sincerely wanted this designer's services and she was the only person who could do the job; or was it on the other hand, a group of people who wanted to 'prove a point' about supposed equality?   The fact of the matter is that while there are legitimate cases of discrimination which occur every single day; cases such as this one before the Sup...

This month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and is also sanctioned by the state as "Pride Month".    Years ago as a younger man, it seemed as though the concept of this Pride thing was something benign; something wherein a group of people simply came together in order to celebrate who they were as individuals.  I have always believed that people should have the (civil) right to express their own individual identity; as it is one of the rights afforded to citizens under the Constitution.   However, in the past 10 years especially, Pride has become less a celebration of who a group of people are; and more of a year-round cudgel with which a group of people will beat you if you do not agree with them 100% regardless of the topic.  It seems like there isn't a month or a week that goes by wherein there isn't some form of pride festival, event, or protest; and the Alphabet community still proclaims that it isn't nearly enough.  They scream ...