Lazarus Come Forth

Here's a short reflection on today's Gospel:

We see Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This is terrifying because it confronts us with our own mortality, like Lazarus we're destined for death. As Ash Wednesday reminds us, "Remember, O Man, that thou art dust and to dust thou shall return."

Rather than face this unsettling truth we're inclined to run from it, to pretend immortality, and the culture around us bolsters the myth. We live in a world which has pushed death to the sideline, as if by denying it we will by some strange alchemy remove its specter. "You will not surely die," says the snake, eat of the apple "and you will be as God." (Gen. 3:4-5)

Satanic deceit and DFTR aside, the recent crisis has punctured the bubble of our supposed, godlike immortality. A disease looms over us which can be fatal, we must thank God that it's not more so, and over which we have little control, there is no cure. 

No wonder, then, that society around us is panicking. Our mortality, the very thing we've imagined out of existence, stares us in the face, the bubble is burst. Today's Gospel confronts us with the reality and tragedy of the thing. Lazarus is dead, Jesus wept. But consider.

Lazarus is dead and can do nothing about it, he has no power to help himself in the grave and neither do we. Christ, however, does.  He raises his friend to life, "Lazarus, come forth!" and Lazarus returns, alive, after four days in the tomb. 

We see that Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, has power over death. He defeats it himself, dying on the Cross only to rise again, triumphant over Hell, and he will raise us up too, his friends, his faithful, as he raised Lazarus.

So, in the words of our Lord who walked over the waters to his disciples, "be not afraid." (Jn. 6:20) Have no fear, we live in Christ, we are his friends, and neither the grave nor Pit has any power over us. We share in his victory, alive in him, to  everlasting life.

Take courage and rejoice in the mystery of our salvation and may God bless, preserve and keep you all, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Here endeth the Lesson, 

LSP

Victory Over The Turk

Sultan Erdogan wasn't happy with his failed drive to expand his wannabe Caliphate further into Syria, his embarrassment at the hands of Vladimir Putin, and declining popularity at home. There he sat, a dismal failure with a wretched 41% approval rating, hardly the stuff of Ottoman Imperial glory. So the Sultan turned West.

Humiliated by Putin And Forced to Stand Under Catherine The Great

In a bold barbarian attempt at blackmail, Erdogan told the European Union that the billions they'd paid him in 2016 to keep millions of unemployed military aged males from their borders wasn't enough. No, they had to pay him more, and when they didn't he opened the Turkish border to Greece, the gateway to Europe and the ultimate prize, Rome itself. The Big Apple.

Asylum Seekers

The Sultan was apparently counting on the multicultural, diversity is our strength, Islam's a religion of peace weakness of the West and Greece in particular. He might have failed in Syria but by the Beard of the Prophet, Greece would be annexed by a sheer movement of people rolling over a hollowed out, supine people, ready and waiting to be dhimmi slaves of the Ottoman overlord.

Rapefugees With Ladder

So thousands of Afghans, Iraqis, Libyans, a few Syrians and the contents of Turkish jails were unleashed on the Greek border. Greece said no, you can't come in. The Moslems lit fires, threw tear gas with the help of Erdogan's operators, attempted to storm the border fence with makeshift ladders. And still Greece said no as Austria and Poland sent the beleaguered country reinforcements to man the border while patriots offered the Hellenes a Gurkha Greek Legion (GGL) to assist in the fight.

The Miserable Turkish Camp

As of yesterday, the Sultan has withdrawn his army from the Greek border to undisclosed locations in the barbarian hinterland, after torching its makeshift and miserable camp. A victory for Greece and the West, a resounding defeat for the Turk.

Is the fight over? No, a battle's been won and thank God for it, but the war continues.

Deus Vult,

LSP

Adrenochrome Come Down

Living in Special Times............thank GOD for imagination and fried fish! 🐠🐠🐠 #quarantine #covid_19 #staysafe #becreative pic.twitter.com/AsStqQObOO

— Madonna (@Madonna) March 20, 2020

A lot of people are asking, "What's an Adrenochrome come down look like?" Here at the Compound we're happy to supply the answer, "Look no further, readers."

#quarantine #covid_19 #staysafe #becreative pic.twitter.com/DvU0i8GZzX

— Madonna (@Madonna) March 21, 2020

Adrenochrome medical studies report that the high level drug triggers "psychotic reactions such as thought disorder, derealization, euphoria and dissociation."

Bob Fosse is always a good distraction. Feeling inspired to write my own musical!! Feel free to make suggestions! 🎭🎤🎼🎬. #quarantine #staysafe #becreative #bobfosse pic.twitter.com/2nBsviiKQB

— Madonna (@Madonna) March 26, 2020

The elite, sought after drug is harvested in vivo from the adrenal gland of living humans, or by oxidizing epinephrine. Users typically exhibit fits of bizarre, narcissistic withdrawal and borderline to extreme psychosis.

Madonna, get well. You're better off without it!

Your Friend,

LSP

Shopping In The Plague Year

“And here I must observe again, that this necessity of going out of our houses to buy provisions was in a great measure the ruin of the whole city; for the people catched the distemper, on these occasions, one of another.” 

Daniel Defoe, History of the Plague in London.

Mindful of Mr. Defoe's admonition, I traveled to Walmart, not so much to shop as reconnoiter. The shelves were mostly full of necessities such as milk, bags of frozen fish, even a small amount of flour, though there was little meat. But there were few enough people to take advantage of the newly provisioned shelves. 

Stuck between the menace of Scylla and Charybdis, of the pest looming North to Dallas and South to Waco, they had stayed at home, such that you could fire a canon down dairy to beyond and not hit a soul. Still, some few had ventured out. 

Several, like myself, on reconnaissance. They stared silently at newly restocked pizzas and looked in vain for dry goods. Others, actual shoppers, pushed carts full of supplies. Some wore face bandannas as impromptu masks and  plastic gloves as protection from the plague. Both, doubtless, made in China.

I left the store with a Four Cheese pizza and a bottle of red wine and the words of Luke's Gospel echoing:

"...as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man: People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all..." (Lk 17: 26-27)

What a moment. Pope Francis in pouring rain, praying alone from the steps of an empty St Peter’s square.

“We are all in the same ship. We cannot make it alone. Only together.”
pic.twitter.com/aa2o3nrNRl

— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) March 27, 2020

Lest it do, pray with Pope Francis that this pestilence will pass over us and take note of his prayers before the miraculous crucifix of St. Marcellus and the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani. A friend commented, "Ancient and spectacular and terrifying."

Ave,

LSP

The Truth?

With the rider that the current crisis will doubtless see a remarkable rise in awful novels, I like this infovideo.

Feel free to disagree,

LSP

A Beautiful Spring Evening But Don't Forget Detroit

Here we are on a beautiful Spring evening in North Central Texas. Peacocks shriek, roosters crow, fierce robins face-off against marauding squirrels and Mexican music fills the air as Eduardo tends to the neighboring chicken operation. 

All good, nature obviously rejoices at the Kennedy Center's $25 million gift, which you can read about on Virtual Mirage, LL's gentle and tolerant news portal. But of course things aren't so good, Kennedy Center pork notwithstanding, as the Chinese Virus starts to lay hold of the DFW metrosprawl. Then there's Detroit.

A Typical Detroit Street Scene

Detroit, America's onetime thriving Motor City has the highest rate of contagion outside of New York and New Orleans. Who would've thought it? Spare a prayer for the hapless city and its declining population.

Pre-Virus Detroit. Now It's Shut

But enough doom and gloom, it should be dry enough to get out to the range tomorrow for some plinking, or maybe fishing. We must thank God for his many mercies.

This Old Gentleman is Resting

Train hard, think positive, fight easy,

LSP

Powerful Prayers From Moscow

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has approved the following prayers for inclusion in the Litany of Fervent Supplication. Via Anglican Ink:

Again we pray unto Thee, O Lord our God, for the mercy and salvation from the disastrous epidemic coming onto us, for the deliverance of Thy faithful people from spiritual and bodily death, for the healing and health of the diseased and for Thy divine protection and help, we pray unto Thee, O merciful Lord, hearken soon and have mercy.

Again we pray for the pacification of confusion and every fear among people, for the protection of Thy faithful by firm faith, for filling our hearts with peace and quietness, we pray unto Thee, O Lord, hearken and have mercy.

O Lord our God, enter not into judgment with Thy servants and save us from the disastrous epidemic coming onto us. Have mercy on us, Thy lowly and unworthy servants who in repentance, with fervent faith and broken heart, prostrate ourselves before Thee, O God, merciful and ordaining every good change, and trust in Thy mercy.

For Thy property it is to show mercy and to save us, O our God, and unto Thee do we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thank you, Patriarch, for these powerful supplications.

God bless,

LSP

The Annunciation

We celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation today, and with it Mary's fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum, let it be done unto me according to thy word. With that righteous yes salvation came into the world, may we echo it. But I won't bang on, here's the Angelus:

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.R. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost.

Hail Mary, full of grace,The Lord is with Thee;Blessed art thou among women,And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.Holy Mary, Mother of God,Pray for us sinners,Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary, etc.

V. And the Word was made Flesh. (genuflect you heathen)R. And dwelt among us.

 Hail Mary, etc.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts; that as we have known the Incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his (cross yourselves, pagans) cross and passion we may be brought unto the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the Blessed Ever Virgin Mary intercede for you, the hosts of Angels watch over you and may God bless you all, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

LSP

A Holy Priest

Priests have had a lot of bad press, to put it mildly, and much it self-inflicted and deserved. But don't forget the many holy men who lay down their lives for the flock, true shepherds. 72 year old Father Giuseppe Berardelli who gave his ventilator to a younger patient, was one of them.

Via Breitbart:

"Father Giuseppe Berardelli died as a priest,” said one of the healthcare workers in the Saint Joseph retirement home where the priest lived. “I am profoundly moved by the fact that he, as archpriest of Casnigo, freely renounced his respirator to give it to someone younger than him.”

The priest died during the night of March 15 in the hospital of Lovere, in Bergamo, but his story only began to circulate on Italian media on Monday. Like many others who have succumbed to the disease, Father Berardelli already suffered from severe health complications.

According to Breitbart, some 50 priests have died in Italy and while you may be baffled, confused and shocked that I make no claims to sanctity, I'm inspired and humbled by the example of Fr. Berardelli. Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory,

LSP

Behold The Face Of Evil

Have you witnessed a more despicable, venal, traitorous, corrupt, lying, malfeasant spectacle than the Democrats derailing stimulus for America in a time of crisis? And it is a crisis, people can't make rent,  payroll, are losing their jobs and don't know, day to day, if they'll be in an ICU tomorrow.

Pelosi and Schumer don't care. Why would they? They're Millionaire Socialists so the affairs of working people, of the underclass who can't afford private jets, adrenachrome and private islands don't concern them. Who cares if flyover country dies while we wax fat off the proceeds in our gated mansions?

Here's Ted Cruz:

"What in the hell does a windmill have to do with this crisis?" @SenTedCruz @realDonaldTrump @parscale pic.twitter.com/u49CZnvEdZ

— 🇺🇸🇺🇸 Miguelifornia 🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@michaelbeatty3) March 23, 2020

Well said, Ted, who may be a fool but /ourfool. In the meanwhile, I know more than a few of the small handful who read this simple mind blog have served. Question. Is there not a unit ready, willing and able to take out the traitors sabotaging our country and the lives of its citizens?

You know, like the way Charles I attempted to take out Parliament but failed, or Cromwell who succeeded.

Thanks in advance for advice.

DFTR,

LSP

Bumpy Night!

Via RR.

DFTR,

LSP

Private Mass

While not able to worship publicly at this time, I did offer the Mass this morning on all our behalf. This service is known as a Missa sine populo (Mass without the people) or a Private Mass. 

However, the grace in this worship is very far from private and ripples or reverberates throughout the whole Church, not least our part of it.

This is because all of us are joined to Christ and one another in a mystical, spiritual communion. As the Apostle Paul teaches us, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body." (1 Cor. 12:13) And so the blessing of even one faithful Communion at the Eucharist extends to us all.

Please know that you were all offered up at the Altar of Our Lord this morning and rest assured of my daily prayers. May God bless, preserve and keep you. 

Be strong in Him and take courage, for Christ has "overcome the world,"(Jhn. 16:33) and neither death nor Hell itself have any power over us.

With much love and every blessing,

LSP