Ending 2023 - thank God! Dear and gentle reader, a very Happy Christmas and coming New Year to you and yours!  We've made it - almost - through yet another year together.  No, I've not posted as often as I should, but then, I was lazy and just didn't feel like it, so deal with it. What a year it has been, and personally, I'm glad to see the back of it.  On a personal note, I'm about the same as I was last year, only older, grumpier, and fatter, and I don't give a fig if I am.  My diocese is still in limbo concerning the bishop's restructuring plan.  I have no idea if I will be transferred this coming June.  My two parishes have been proposed to be split, one being merged with a parish to its northwest to form a new parish, and the one where I currently reside, to be merged with a parish to its northeast.  So, if the proposals go through, which most likely they will, I will be without a parish, thus, no longer a pastor.  God forbid that I be ...

 Unholy Hell in the Holy Land 10 October 2023 Dear and Gentle Reader, No doubt you've heard of the escalating war between Israel and Hamas.  It is shocking, saddening, and brutal.  Many shake their heads and think, "Why can't they sit down and work it out?".  The answer to that is not so simple.  It is not just a battle for territory.  It is not just a battle for political self-determination.  It is not just a battle for human rights and security. It is not just a battle between religions, ethnicities, or races. It is all of those things combined into our modern world of global politics, which had made it even more complex and inscrutable.  To make it clear, Gentle Reader, firstly, I am not anti-Semitic, nor anti-Arab.  I believe that Israel has a right to self-protection, as do the Palestinian peoples.  In opposing some of the acts of the state of Israel, I do not oppose the Jewish religion.  In opposing some of the acts of the Pal...

 12 June, 2023 Dear and gentle reader, how good it is to meet again, even if only online.  Since the coronation of His Majesty, King Charles III, I've watched the whole liturgy at least twice, examined pictures, listened to commentary by historians, and tried to soak in the pageantry and pomp. One notable comment struck me, made by Dr. David Starkey, sometimes known as "Dr. Rude" for his acerbic wit and fearlessness for making controversial statements.  Dr. Starkey, a fellow curmudgeon and monarchist, remarked on how frail King Charles looked before his anointing, stripped down to his shirt and trousers; how he appeared as a man his age, stooped and somewhat frail.  How very human the King was and is.  This weak, fallible man was taking on the burden of being the Sovereign.  Then, Dr. Starkey remarked on the vestiture of the King after the anointing, the cloth-of-gold supertunica, the stole and belt, and the great Robe Royal, and the weight of these garmen...

 Such A Long Time! Dear and Gentle Reader, you might have been wondering what was going on with me, in such a long absence here.  Well, I assure you, I'm alive, well - reasonably so - and still kicking - when my arthritic knees allow. So, let me catch up as best I can.   Farewell! Since my absence we have bid farewell to both Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Pell.  I'm sure our prayers for their eternal repose have helped them on their journey home.  Benedict's scholarly work will continue to enrich the Church for centuries to come.  Unlike some of his Germanic counterparts, his theological writings were rather easily read and digested.  As for Cardinal Pell, whilst he had his detractors, I was so glad that he was legally vindicated against the unjust charges of abuse.  I do not think I would have had the patience and grace to endure the unjust solitary confinement he was subject to for fourteen months!  May God rest both of these shepherds and...

  Dear and gentle reader: Last posting, I had a very short list of some of the things that irk me.  I shall add to it now.  Mind you, these are only my own not-so-humble opinions.  They may even be in error; doubtful though that is.  If you differ in your estimation, so be it, and I'm sorry that you do not have the refined tastes which I myself enjoy. Hairstyles and facial hair.  Whilst I have sported facial hair - a beard and moustache since the tender age of eighteen, allowing the beard to grow to varied and sundry lengths, I cannot help but wonder what many young(ish) men of today are thinking when they attempt to sport a hirsute look.  I do not style my facial hair, nor use any specialised soaps or shampoos for it, and I keep it short and easily managed.  I shall make it plain - I loathe and despise patchy beards, neck beards, and other kinds cut and styled to suit contemporary fashions.  Pair those monstrosities with the currently fashi...

 The Winter of Our Discontent 1 December 2022 Good morrow, gentle reader!  The annual American feast of gluttony and football is over and done with thankfully, and now retailers bombard us endlessly with adverts for buying things we don't need for those in our circle of family and friends who probably don't need those things either.  Perhaps it's the dreary, grey, wet & chilly days that turn me even grumpier than I already am.  Certainly the additional work and stresses that come from my bishop's pet project which is supposed to "grow disciples", (I honestly had no idea that one could legally plant and harvest human beings), adds to my increasing frustration and general curmudgeonly nature.  Thus, I have found in the past few weeks myself becoming increasingly agitated and short-tempered.  I will share with you, gentle reader, some of my least favourite things. Moronic drivers:  those folks who have no idea in how to employ turn signals; those folk...