The Good Shepherd

 

Christ teaches the people that he is the Good Shepherd. St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, comments:

I am the Good Shepherd. Surely it is fitting that Christ should be a shepherd, for just as a flock is guided and fed by a shepherd so the faithful are fed by Christ with spiritual food and with his own body and blood. The Apostle said: You were once like sheep without a shepherd, but now you have returned to the guardian and ruler of your souls. The prophet has said: As a shepherd he pastures his flock.

Christ said that the shepherd enters through the gate and that he is himself the gate as well as the shepherd. Then it is necessary that he enter through himself. By so doing, he reveals himself, and through himself he knows the Father. But we enter through him because through him we find happiness.

Take heed: no one else is the gate but Christ. Others reflect his light, but no one else is the true light. John the Baptist was not the light, but he bore witness to the light. It is said of Christ, however: He was the true light that enlightens every man. For this reason no one says that he is the gate; this title is Christ’s own.

However, he has made others shepherds and given that office to his members; for Peter was a shepherd, and so were the other apostles and all good bishops after them. Scripture says: I shall give you shepherds according to my own heart. Although the bishops of the Church, who are her sons, are all shepherds, nevertheless Christ refers only to one person in saying: I am the Good Shepherd, because he wants to emphasize the virtue of charity. Thus, no one can be a good shepherd unless he is one with Christ in charity. Through this we become members of the true shepherd.

The duty of a good shepherd is charity; therefore Christ said: The good shepherd gives his life for his sheep. Know the difference between a good and a bad shepherd: the good shepherd cares for the welfare of his flock, but the bad shepherd cares only for his own welfare.

The Good Shepherd does not demand that shepherds lay down their lives for a real flock of sheep. But every spiritual shepherd must endure the loss of his bodily life for the salvation of the flock, since the spiritual good of the flock is more important than the bodily life of the shepherd, when danger threatens the salvation of the flock. This is why the Lord says: The good shepherd lays down his life, that is, his physical life, for his sheep; this he does because of his authority and love. Both, in fact, are required: that they should be ruled by him, and that he should love them. The first without the second is not enough.

Christ stands out for us as the example of this teaching: If Christ laid down his life for us, so we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

Such wisdom, and as we reflect on the image, don't forget that a good shepherd beats off wild beasts, thieves and robbers with their staff.

God bless you all,

LSP 

Now Look Here You Lot

 

It's quite simple, all I want is a decent sized Georgian house and a place in Town. Speaking of which, Ma LSP always favored the former and scorned the latter. Of course, ahem, I want both. 

That in mind, you might say a prayer for her, she just got out of surgery and the Docs are saying all went well. But it's no small thing for someone pushing 80 to undergo surgery of any kind. Pray for a full recovery.

Thank you,

LSP

Bury Killzone Update

 

What happened in the bucolic, quintessentially English town of Bury St. Edmunds was horrific. A two-bit bicycle crim with scores of convictions, allowed to roam freely, robbing stuff, until the Psycho Kings took him out with a 27" ninja sword (excuse me?) and a commando knife. 

It seems like a simple case of self-defense, but is it? I reached out to LSPland's UK legal expert whoweighed in, thus:

On a legal take, they apparently weren't acting in self defence or defence of the home at night, nor using reasonable force in the prevention of crime under section 3 of the Criminal Law Act 1967. On the reported facts they did not effect a lawful arrest but simply killed the guy in a public place much like Al Capone or the IRA would have done. The verdict would have been the same in 1700 as the Crown does not delegate the power of execution to ordinary subjects. Indeed until the 20th century they would have faced being hanged themselves, unless they could have pleaded manslaughter successfully.

 

the Crown does not delegate the power of execution to ordinary subjects. There's weight in that, anyway you look at it. But what happens when the Law breaks down, when bicycle riding ciderhead junkies roam the streets unhindered, ripping off your goods. They get the ninja sword.

really?

To put it another way, when you erode all standards of decency and declare every aspect of right and wrong, morality itself, to be a figment of our imagination or at best a practical compromise with self-interest, don't be surprised when people act accordingly.

huh

Expect things to get a helluva lot worse and in the meanwhile, I'll call the Bury case. Three bad birds taken out with one stone. 

Mos Maiorum,

LSP

Bury St. Edmunds Killzone

 

Perhaps you've heard of Bury St. Edmunds, perhaps you haven't. It's a beautiful market town in Suffolk or at least it was. It has an ancient Abbey, now a cathedral, and a lovely hotel, the Angel, along with a tiny pub which pays homage to a mummified monkey. 

Debenhams, you may recall, attempted to take the town over and were cursed. But that was then, this is now. Bury has become a dangerous place, a kill zone.

Try not to splutter and choke on your drinks, it's true. David and Edward King, father and son, weren't happy with serial bicycle riding thief Neil Charles, so they took him out with a faux samurai sword and a commando knife. Take that, scumhead.

the Kings

Charles, you see, had messed with the wrong boys, who sallied forth when the bike riding perp was caught on the King CCTV system. Quick, they thought, let's take that fkr out, and so they did, stabbing the lowlife and chasing the ciderhead crim off their property.

Neil who is now dead because chancing tackhead

Bury's two-bit tackhead  crim subsequently died of his wounds. Oh dear. The Kings have been sentenced to decades of gaol time for murder vigilantism. So what's the score?

Were the Kings right to take out the pestilent thief who terrorized their dismal rural welfare project, or were they wrong? I call right, free men are able to defend their property but... samurai sword, commando knife? Maybe the Kings belong in the lockup too. Sayn.

Law & Order,

LSP

The Sun Shines

 

Yesterday may have been Eschaton but today is Elysium. The sun shines, Mass has been said, sturdy venison sausage pasta is on the go and all is well in this focal plane of the great state of Texas. Elsewhere? Maybe not so hot, but it's alright here, today.

Speaking of elsewhere, I've heard that many people in this country don't cook at home, they have these trophy Viking ranges and kitchens full of status gadgetry, but it's all unused. Instead, they eat out every day or did before our wise and beloved Administration made this unaffordable for all but the socialist rich.

You know what they say, all animals are equal but some are more equal than others. That in mind, Doktor Swankenstein sent in this helpful infographic, here it is:

Diversity is our strength, eh?

Salve,

LSP

The Dog Is Free - In Mem Blue

Just a quick blast from the archive. I miss that Blue.

Always,

LSP

Thunder Lightning Eschaton

 

Thunder roars and rumbles across the sky and lightning sears and cracks the heavens as rain lashes down with elemental fury. Yes, this is Texas, and the days of our small rural farming community may be numbered as assorted trash, needles, broken shoes, dime bags and weaves wash away in the flood.

A cleansing, perhaps. But on a practical note, as you look up from weapons cleaning, polishing Sam Brownes and ironing uniforms, it's said that enough rain falls in Texas to keep your compound irrigated throughout the year, if you collect the rain.

We have yet to build a cistern(s) and that's clearly overdue. You see, when the grid goes down how will you get lifegiving water to your home via electric pumps which don't work? 

You get the point. In the meanwhile, we're watching this storm in all its incandescent fury.

Eschaton,

LSP

Just Look At Haiti!

 

Just kidding, it's Baltimore. Maybe you want to live there?

Cheers,

LSP

War's A Racket & The Church

 

War's a racket? Check this out:

“We've seen a 37% increase in the value of Lockheed Martin shares. We've seen a 41% increase, in the value of Northrop Grumman shares…so it seems there are winners in this war.”

Lowkey points out the US arms companies profiting from the war in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/eLv2mzaPx8

— MintPress News (@MintPressNews) April 25, 2023

You'd think the Left, supposed enemies of corporate fascist capital, would be calling this out, but no, they're cheering it on even as they champion Big Pharma Mengeles who castrate, sterilize and mutilate their children.

I'd argue, for what it's worth, that we're dealing with insane satanic nihilism and you'd think the Church would wake up and sound the cry against such wickedness. Evil which is being paid for in peoples' blood. 

But no, ἡ ἐκκλησία walks like a blood-drenched agitprop zombie through the present crisis as if, heaven forfend, it's leaders are bought and paid for shills of the Beast.

To put it another way, their way of speaking truth to power equates to parroting state propaganda devices, the NYT, Guardian, NPR, BBC et al, all the while flying rainbow flags off the nearest spire. 'Coz, you know, a rainbow flag and a trans bathroom makes everything OK.

What a risible joke and what can we say. The apostates have dug their pit and deep will be the mire of it. Hope you're long Raytheon.

ENDEX,

LSP

The Feast of St. Mark

 

It's the Feast of St. Mark today. Mark was close to St. Paul and St. Peter, and his Gospel is believed to be the earliest; he was martyred in Alexandria. The wicked Venetians stole his relics from that city in the early 9th century A.D. and adopted the Evangelist as their patron saint. Perhaps you've enjoyed the basilica built in his name.

Here's Austin Farrer, preaching in Trinity College chapel to students:

Happy is the man who learns from his own failures. He certainly won’t learn from any one else’s. Here I am on a safe ground, for you are all failures, are you not? when it comes to serving God. So there is no fear of my missing my target in any of you, and especially, perhaps, just at the end of a vacation. Vacations tend to be spiritual disappointments. It is humiliating how, when you get back into your families, childish faults of temper reassert themselves which you hoped you had outgrown; humiliating how, as soon as you lose the encouraging company of your Christian friends here, your religion languishes. You have not prayed nor worked nor controlled yourself as you hoped to do. God has given you much; you have not given anything worth mentioning to God. Well, St Mark went back from the work in Pamphylia (if he is indeed the same man), and in Gethsemane none of the disciples behaved with credit. It is by these desolating experiences that God teaches us to trust him, not ourselves. The more emptied out you are, the more hope there is of your learning to be a Christian. Now is the very moment—there will never be a better—for you to put your trust in the God who makes something from nothing, who raises the dead.

 

The more emptied out you are, the more hope there is of your learning to be a Christian. Now is the very moment—there will never be a better—for you to put your trust in the God who makes something from nothing, who raises the dead. 

Such wisdom and truth.

Pax et Bonum,

LSP

Dynamite

 

Dam, Truth is speaking through Tucker, and btw AJ is a national treasure.

Your Pal,

LSP

Spooks

 

Do you believe in spooks? Well sure, we all know they're out there operating the arcana of their dark art, and the insouciance of latter day youth denigrates their online presence, "Glowies." But what about real spooks, ghosts, apparitions, typically of the dead. People see these, no doubt about it, and so have I. Here's a short story.

Back in the '80s our family lived in an Edwardian rectory on the outskirts of 'Nam, Cheltenham. My room was on the top floor and, when it was time for dinner, Ma LSP would shout out from the ground floor, "Dinner!" and off we'd go, all 5 kids.

a typical glowie

The pattern repeated. One night I was a bit slow off the mark and left the eyrie late. Walking by my parents' room  I did a quick eyes left and there was the silhouette of a woman, it was winter, the lights were off and she was combing her long hair in front of a mirror on the wall in the darkness.

I thought it was one of my sisters, being a comb your hair in the dark hippy, and was going to tease her for the malfeasance but thought better of it. Don't be a churl, LSP, let her enjoy the moment, so I duly walked down another flight of stairs and thence to the breakfast room, where everyone was present. No kidding, what had I just seen.

True story. Was it a ghost and if so, what are they, spirits of the dead in some kind of limbo? A transdimensional occurrence, a slip in  the fabric of space and time? Or something else. Feel free to weigh in.

Ghostly,

LSP