Protests, Riots, Racism, COVID-19

I’ve rarely been afraid to voice my opinion. It seems I’m either loved or hated because of  my opinions—I’m painfully aware there’s little gray area regarding that. 

I used to care what others thought of me. A lot, actually. Always walking on those proverbial egg shells as to not hurt someone’s feelings. Now? No. I’m tired of walking on those egg shells. They hurt. I’ve learned I can express what’s on my mind and heart without tearing someone down, if I so choose. I also know I have the God-given gift to write and use my voice when I see something is wrong. I care about human rights—the rights of every male, female, non-binary—every human being who chooses not to have a gender to describe them. Every single human being in America deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. It really is that simple. 

Before I proved and without any apologies, I do refer to the current resident of The White House by anything except the President or Commander-in-Chief. IMNSHO, dude hasn’t earned that title. He’s spent 3.5 years dividing this country, sending race relations and the relations with this country’s allies back 60 years. 

But I digress ... 

The orders of our so-called ‘president’ to call out our nation’s military to use for against their own countrypeople. It’s ludicrous! I am upset beyond words, and if you know me even a little, you know I have a lot of words!

Instead of using words to unite and heal this nation, the Idiot-in-Chief calls in National  Guard troops to threaten fellow Americans with their government-issued guns of war and tear gas.

Ohio, by CSN&Y (1971) 

Folks, we are sadly reliving history from the mid-20th century again.

We Didn’t Start the Fire, by Billy Joel (1989)

Agent Orange is a pathological liar and narcissist, who is only looking out for his own racist, misogynistic, narcissistic wants. We are not living in a democracy, nor are we living in a republic. Nay, nay! We have a dude residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC, who blatantly lies that he is on the side of peaceful protesters, while at the same time, ordering National Guard troops to deploy tear gas and shoot those peaceful protesters with rubber bullets, while he takes a photo-op with a copy of The Holy Bible—a Bible he called “a bible,” yet a copy not his own. A dude who claims to be Christian, yet takes another photo-op in front of St. John’s Church, even though he hasn’t attended a service there since St. Patrick’s Day, 2019. Dude wants to be a dictator, instead of a true leader, i.e., an American President whose soul runneth over with genuine empathy, sympathy, love, and compassion for fellow human beings who are hurting, who have no healthcare, who have no means of supporting themselves. 

Free Your Mind, by En Vogue (1992)

We are supposed to LEARN from history, NOT REPEAT IT!!! 

Lastly, since the IIC didn’t offer a prayer for the African-American community, the family of George Floyd, not to mention for the souls of the 107,000+ lost to COVID-19, I offer this:

Father God, you see the pain. You hear the pain. You hear the prayers of people seeing, hearing, and feeling this pain—the pain of racism that’s needlessly killed Your children. The pain of a pandemic that’s needlessly killed Your children. The pain bring felt by Your children, whom you created each in Your own likeness and image. Please bring healing that only can come from You—please grant us peace, love, knowledge, understanding, and the fortitude we need so much to this troubled nation. Please sow the seeds for the growth of fruit that produced real, positive change, and grant us the peaceful world we crave. Please reunite the states o

f America.

I ask all of this in Your Holy Name through the intercessions of Jesus, and our Blessed Mother, Mary, Queen of Peace. Amen. 

Peaceful World, by John Mellencamp (2001, pre-9/11)

Let There be Peace on Earth, by Nat King Cole, Danny Kaye & Mary Tyler Moore (1963) 

9.11.2001

On this day 14 years ago,I witnessed the most horrific tragedy play out on live TV. Many of my young friends were just mere babes and have no recollection of the events that took place that fateful day. It froze this country for 2 weeks.

Some people tire of hearing it, and personally speaking, I can no longer watch that footage of those jets plowing into the World Trade Center Towers like they were mere pylons, targets of an archer's arrow, if you will. [I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the heroes who desperately tried to save their own lives and the lives of all those on United #93 that ultimately crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.] My point is, this day and these acts of domestic terrorism is my generation's Pearl Harbor, only the devastation is on a greater scale.

We must never forget! We must teach our children and our grandchildren the significance of now what is known as Patriot Day!

These are troubling times we live in—even more frightening than the Cold War, but as my history teachers always taught, if we learn from history, we learn not to repeat it. So let's take that to heart—if you see something, say something.

Have a blessed day! Perform some volunteer work if you are able, perform a random act of kindness, please do something that will make a difference. As Blessed Mother Teresa Calcutta said, "Do small things with great love." Peace.

The Feast of Corpus Christi (and I don't mean the city in Texas)

For Christian Catholics, today we celebrate The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, formerly known as The Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin translation is Body of Christ).

It is at this point where I would normally insert Fr Austin Fleming’s Pause for Prayer; the poetic prayer he posted on his blog today is one he composed while in seminary for a friend. While it doesn't explain transubstantiation (the term the Church uses today is consecration) that turns ordinary unleavened bread and wine into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus the Christ, it does explain the thinking, the touch, and the emotion that goes into the each step of the entire process of how grains of wheat become Jesus.

While the appearance of the unleavened bread and wine doesn't change (nor does the alcohol content—yes kids, the precious blood of Jesus is about 12% alcohol per volume), nor does the taste, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, the priest (who stands in persona Christi Capitis—meaning the priest is the "stand-in," if you will, for Christ) through the powers bestowed on him at his ordination and through Eucharistic Prayer becomes our Eucharistic feast that we celebrate in communion with the saints in heaven, as well with our fellow brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, in that earthly souls of the Faithful consume the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. For a short period of time after having the privilege to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament comes a very powerful time to pray because your body just became a tabernacle for Christ! How awesome is that?! If you have special intentions, I have learned and have found that is the best time to pray for God's will for each of those intentions that weigh on your soul, as well as prayers of praise and thanksgiving!

Well, looky here … what started out as a Facebook status has quickly become a full-on blog post! I feel the Holy Spirit working in me because God our Father loves each and every one of us so, so much that He wants everyone to know that His Son is here; Jesus is just waiting on you to make the first move. His mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion are inexhaustible. (From the Diary of St Maria Faustina Kowalska—Divine Mercy in My Soul, entry 950)

I want to close this post about The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Feast of Corpus Christi) by quoting what’s imprinted on one of my favorite t-shirts: “Be a good Catholic. Eat some Jesus.” 

May God bless you and keep you this day and every day, and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Pray for peace on earth!