The Practical Parson

Many years ago in Mexico, there was a small girl named Pepita.  She was a good child, but from a poor and needy family; who often barely had enough food for dinner.  Though her family was poor, Pepita was happy; because Christmas would soon be here.  Each year, the parish church was beautifully decorated with candles and ornaments; and a beautiful nativity scene which was her favorite.  Though she was looking forward to Midnight Mass and celebrating the Christ Child’s birthday; she was sad to know that she would not be able to afford a gift to offer the baby Jesus this year.  As she and her brother were walking to Mass, she became sadder when thinking about how she had nothing to offer.  Seeing her sadness, her brother spoke to her and said “I’m sure that even the smallest and simplest gift, given by someone who loves him; will make the Baby Jesus very happy”.  Pepita was encouraged by this, and looked around to see what she could find; seeing only a m...

  In a move that should come as little to no shock to many, the Arch-Heretic in white of Rome today announced that Roman Catholic priests would be permitted to bless same-sex couples- "provided they do not resemble marriages".   What the Lout has done is essentially what the United Methodist Bishops did, which caused the breaking up of the Methodist Union:  telling one group of people (heterosexual couples) that they must abide by the rules and regulations hereunto set forth in canon law and church doctrine; while telling another group of people (homosexual couples) that they don't have to follow those same rules, that they get a pass on it because "God loves them too".   The main issue at hand is not even whether same-sex couples/ marriage is morally right or wrong; but rather a man (or group of leaders) telling 2 groups of people to follow 2 diametrically opposed sets of rules, while claiming both are perfectly acceptable and equal.  NO.  If you...

Today, possibly one of the world's most pointless and impotent organizations voted to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.  They decried the "humanitarian" crisis which they claim Israel has perpetrated on the people living in Gaza, and demand an immediate ceasefire.  The secretary General of the UN claims he has never before encountered such a horrendous situation and loss of civilian lived on his watch as secretary general. In total, there are 13 (registered) major wars/ armed conflicts currently ongoing across the globe. On the continent of Africa alone, millions of lives have been lost to civil war and Islamist terrorist uprisings for over 25 years.  In the north of the European continent, of course we have the Russian-Ukrainian war which has been going on for almost 2 years at this point.  Do you want to know what every other war or armed conflict in the world has in common, not shared with the Israel-Hamas conflict?   A United Nations resolution demanding a ce...

  They say it doesn’t matter who he is or where, They say he comes and brings us only deep despair. They tell me that he’s not the kind we want in our hometown, So it’s best for our interest if we should hunt him down. We tell him he is cursed of all and never shall be free, We take his hopes and dreams and all with happiness and glee.  We tell him he can’t go home, for home he never has, We’ve given it away to a group we call Hamas. We tell him he’s not wanted here, but then not even there, We fill his ears with words of hate and anger and of fear.  We tell him that he’s the cause of all our suffering, And never give him thanks for any good that he may bring. We blame him now, we blame him then, and blame him near and far, We blame him now for everything, this boy who wears that star.  We claim that he is violent, and kills without a cause;  While his mother, sister, father, aunt: were killed by that Hamas.  We claim that all the death is his sole responsi...

  In just under a month, Christians will gather in crowded, candlelit churches on Christmas Eve to celebrate the great feast of our Savior's birth.  Recently, some clergy friends of mine have directed me to an interesting little thing that the Episcopal Church's National Cathedral in DC has decided to do for Christmas Eve this year.   Are they going to bring in the homeless so that they have a warm place to sleep that night?  No. Are they going to actually preach the Christ whom they are obliged to by the book of common prayer?  No. Are they going to charge people to attend Christmas Eve Mass and receive Christ?  YES! You heard that correctly, the National Cathedral in Washington, DC; has decided to CHARGE people to attend a worship service on Christmas Eve.  Now some will defend this move as an attempt to control crowd levels or such; but that goes against the very essence of the Christian faith and the nature of cathedrals themselves.  The ...

  If you've lived in the south long enough, you've been pulled over for a traffic stop at some point most likely.  When the officer/ trooper explains their reason for stopping you, there is always a "tell" that indicates they really only pulled you over because they could: and that is the famous point, usually given at the end of a brief list, that you "were swerving a little".  It's the accusation that gives a ground for every other thing they may want to write you a ticket on, because it is the one point which NO ONE is capable of proving incorrect.  Simply put, there is no human being on the face of this earth who is capable of driving a motor vehicle perfectly parallel to the street lines at all times.  Even if every other accusation they level at you falls by the wayside; they still have that one "gotcha" they can fall back on. Recently, the Bishop of Rome decided to sack the Bishop of Tyler, Texas.  When giving his justifications for doin...

 We hear it all too often in the ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict: "Hospitals must be protected!"  "An assault on a hospital is a war crime!!"  One would ordinarily agree with that assessment; though such demands are only made against Israel for military strikes near hospitals in Gaza.  I would like to draw your attention to the destruction wrought at a hospital during this conflict-  Examine these pictures well.  Take a moment to reflect on the destruction and devastation that has been inflicted on this hospital; and then ask yourself:  Who on earth would dare do such a thing to a hospital?  That's a war crime! No, these photos are NOT from Gaza.  They are, in point of fact; pictures from the Barzilai Medical Center (hospital) in Ashkelon, Israel.  This hospital was struck by multiple rockets from Hamas in Gaza from October 7th to the 11th; far removed from the situation in Gaza.  Yet has the World community come together to condemn H...