What A Busy Day!

 

What a busy day. First up, strong covfefe on the front porch as water fell from the skies upon this parched slice of rural paradise, blissful, and read the news while you're at it. Next? 

Shower, shave, make the bed (surely redundant info? Ed.), go for a morning constitutional to the Pick 'n Steal aka Filling Station, say Morning Prayer on the porch, work on Sunday's sermon, then help Senior Warden edit a Bunny Book in InDesign.

Yep, a Bunny Book. He's been made chief of the Texas Bunny Association or whatever it's called, and has to produce this great book. It's produced in Adobe's annoyingly rental InDesign and I was happy to help. A few graphic bunny design pages later and we were good to go. He to his ranch and I to vote.

That's right, unlike every other loyal rural voter I hadn't made the time to vote early, so I made up for it today. Not hard, there were hardly any people because everyone had tipped up last week and it was fun to talk to the election workers, who mostly seemed to work at the Pick 'n Steal. Most conviv.

Ahem, you're ironically a member of that? It's a broad Church

Voting, for what it's worth, done, I strolled over to the supermarket to buy some election day white wine and from there to an alterations tailor with a tan poplin 3 button roll to 2 suit coat. 

Could she fix this tried and trusted bit of cloth? Yes, she could. And C, who was waiting in the wings, asked me to bless some Holy Water for her, which I promised to do. "Better dunk it on her head," offered the seamstress. The rest is history.

Your Buddy,

LSP

Rebel Inna Woods

 

Here we are, waiting on the epochal result of a General Election. Is our democratic republic at stake? Some say it is and with good cause. But whichever way it turns out, we have a history of standing up for freedom against tyranny. That's in the US DNA, I think, and to that end here's General Jeff Thompson:

When I give the word boys, let it rip, and that's exactly what they did. So get out there and vote against evil and let the die fall where it will, we'll deal with it ensuing.

Dixie Forever,

LSP

The Election

 

You may have noticed that our nation goes to the polls tomorrow. Who will win? The Cackling Whore or the Golden Golem of Greatness? I have no idea and won't pretend to prophesy with any amount of accuracy; who knows, maybe it'll be too big to rig. 

I doubt it, though it'd be pleasant to be proved wrong. More likely this: massive contention leading into January with all that that might entail.

Regardless, here's Winston Churchill:

At the bottom of all the tributes paid to democracy is the little man, walking into the little booth, with a little pencil, making a little cross on a little bit of paper-no amount of rhetoric or voluminous discussion can possibly diminish the overwhelming importance of the point.

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those others that have been.

 

Yes, and the question is: does the little man, with his little pencil, and his little ballot and all of that, count for nothing or something? I guess we'll see tomorrow.

A friend, a pol science Baylor prof no less, once said, "We'd be a Constitutional Republic if we were, in fact, a republic." Well he had a point.

Your Buddy,

LSP

The War

 

I hope you all made it to Mass today, but en lieu of brunch and bloodies perhaps you've noticed how Zelensky's winning the war so hand over fist. There's hardly a day when Putinist Autocrat forces don't flee before the gaily rainbow colored armored, ahem, fist, of Ukraine.

Why is Inge Ley in the post?!?

Last time I checked, UNICORN FORCE was advancing in all sectors, by 1000s of kilometers, cubed, much to the dismay of EVIL AUTOCRAT PUTIN. Take that, you KGB NAZI. Yep, and this is typical of GRU PSYOPS, not only have the Russkies captured a presidential candidate and a world leader, they've also prepped the info field against "La," our truly American joy candidate. Yeah, thanks a lot, Kremlin, for messing that up.

Look, here she is again

Regardless, we persevere, and if we have to kill a few pet squirrels in the process so be it. A small if furry price to pay. So c'mon, let's finally be free of Fascism. Defeat NAZI Trump. I mean to say, he wants our country to have an actual border, what a total National Socialist, ask Inge.

Obey Your Rulers,

LSP

**** FACT CHECK ****

Contrary to the wild claims made in this inaccurate and misleading post, the Ukrainian army is not advancing but continues to lose ground. Also, Donald Trump is not a Nazi in the pay of the Kremlin and a country having a border doesn't equate to Fascism.

All Souls

 

No sooner has the dust settled from All Saints than we arrive at All Souls. For me, the former's exuberant, the latter somber as we recall the souls of the faithful departed who have left this life, leaving a gap in our lives. But where have they gone?

To paradise and the beatific vision, albeit for the most part by way of purgatory, and that's a beautiful thing worth striving for by the grace of God. In light of that, here's this, inspired by LL, Dia de los Muertes:

May they rest in peace and rise in glory,

LSP

All Saints

 

Here we are on the Feast of All Saints, celebrating those great heroes of the Faith whose lives have been transformed and transfigured by the grace of God. Living proof, if you like, of the truth of our faith, of the business of the Christian religion.

So we honor and celebrate the Saints, these outstanding examples of holiness. But never forget we're called to sanctity too, holiness and the vision of God is our true end or τέλος. So how do we get there? Benedict XVI offers us this:

But how can we become holy, friends of God? We can first give a negative answer to this question: to be a Saint requires neither extraordinary actions or works nor the possession of exceptional charisms. Then comes the positive reply: it is necessary first of all to listen to Jesus and then to follow him without losing heart when faced by difficulties. "If anyone serves me", he warns us, "he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honour him" (Jn 12: 26).

Like the grain of wheat buried in the earth, those who trust him and love him sincerely accept dying to themselves. Indeed, he knows that whoever seeks to keep his life for himself loses it, and whoever gives himself, loses himself, and in this very way finds life (cf. Jn 12: 24-25).

The Church's experience shows that every form of holiness, even if it follows different paths, always passes through the Way of the Cross, the way of self-denial. The Saints' biographies describe men and women who, docile to the divine plan, sometimes faced unspeakable trials and suffering, persecution and martyrdom. They persevered in their commitment: "they... have come out of the great tribulation", one reads in Revelation, "they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rv 7: 14). Their names are written in the book of life (cf. Rv 20: 12) and Heaven is their eternal dwelling-place...

Holiness demands a constant effort, but it is possible for everyone because, rather than a human effort, it is first and foremost a gift of God, thrice Holy (cf. Is 6: 3). In the second reading, the Apostle John remarks: "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are" (I Jn 3: 1).

It is God, therefore, who loved us first and made us his adoptive sons in Jesus. Everything in our lives is a gift of his love: how can we be indifferent before such a great mystery? How can we not respond to the Heavenly Father's love by living as grateful children? In Christ, he gave us the gift of his entire self and calls us to a personal and profound relationship with him.

Consequently, the more we imitate Jesus and remain united to him the more we enter into the mystery of his divine holiness. We discover that he loves us infinitely, and this prompts us in turn to love our brethren. Loving always entails an act of self-denial, "losing ourselves", and it is precisely this that makes us happy.

 

How can we be indifferent before such a great mystery? How can we not respond to the Heavenly Father's love by living as grateful children? And doing so by following Christ, even to the Cross, which is the gateway to everlasting life and the Beatific Vision itself.

Persevere, my friends.

Salve,

LSP

Halloween Scary

 

I'd imagine many of you think Halloween is Satan's birthday, but you'd be wrong in thinking that. No, Halloween is the Eve of All Saints, a Feast which marks the victory of God, of light over darkness in the sanctified lives of His holy people. But that's for tomorrow, in the meanwhile, the demons are allowed to play. And what a play they make.

Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here

Here in this small Texan rural community they mostly run around asking for candy, many it seems in the safe space of 1st Baptist car park. A living parable of the world around us, perhaps. Here, let me leave you with something scary. Maybe you remember all that "joy."

Out Demons Out,

LSP

Just Go To Mass

 

So, LSP, where do you to Mass in London, if you go at all, which we doubt you ask with that knowing smile on your face. Ah hah, not so fast, punters, I do go to Mass in London and here's where, the Brompton Oratory in Knightsbridge.

Why? Because it's most awesome, with remarkable music, think Tallis, Tye, Byrd etc, and there you have it, the music transports your soul to heaven, and the oriented Novus Ordo but in Latin liturgy (lections English) does the same. And all with efficiency, they don't fumble about and mess around.

I tell you, this Solemn High Concert Mass lasts exactly one hour and fifteen minutes, perfect, leaving you with plenty of time to catch a cab, aka fast mover, to St. James' Square and Sunday lunch at the Club. No bad thing.

So, if you want a dose of real religion and you're in London, if you want to feel like you've been to church, go to the Brompton Oratory, it won't disappoint. Or go to St. Peter's London Docks, but that's a different if similar post.

Your Pal,

LSP

Texas is Awesome Liturgical Dance is Not

 

It's great to be back in Texas where there's no liturgical dance outside of Austin, just all this big sky threatening rain, yes please, and dusty roads. But maybe this angers you, maybe you want liturgical dance. Here, have a look:

Beautiful, isn't it. Not unlike a Clown Mass, on reflection. Check it out:

And they're wondering why the Church of England is dying, which it is. No wonder, the people in charge of the operation don't believe in the Faith they're paid to promote. Witness subsequent clownshow. Is there a solution? Always.

Years ago, I celebrated a wedding in rural England, just a kid, and some ne'er do wells crossed me afterwards in the churchyard, "We're from the old religion," they said, and I paused, "So you're Roman Catholics? Perhaps you like Chesterton?"

They did, curiously, and we got along just fine, despite their Fuhrer having flicked a dead rat at me over the grave of a county worthy. Regardless, solution?

Return, steadfast to the Faith, regardless of denom, and say NO to the godless NWO. I tell you kids, it's dark v. light right now. Rise to the challenge.

Your Pal,

LSP

Let's Rock 'n Roll

 

There we were, years ago in a flat in Bloomsbury, which is a part of London, and a music kid asked me to put on some music. I did, Mona, QSMS, rock on. Boy listened for a minute and asked, "So where's the bass, man?" So where's the bass. Resisting the heady temptation to punch him in the face, I turned up the juke box. Rock on.

Excelsior,

LSP

WAR

 

Just throwing it out there,

LSP

Who Are These Ciphers?

 

They don't even bother to campaign.

La Malinche

And why would they?

Because the result is fixed. But the question is, fixed towards whom. Maybe that's up for debate, wewait with bated breath, or not. Game of Thrones, anyone? As always...

Your Call,

LSP