Spy Wednesday’s Briefly Noted

Today is Spy Wednesday in our tradition, the day on which Judas Iscariot decided to hand over Our Lord for thirty pieces of silver which, as the sermon at Mass this morning pointed out, was the price of a slave. Christ allowed Himself to be given into the hands of men, as the price of our salvation, and the worth of that Gift is beyond human calculation, infinite in His love for us. And all things work for the good for those who return that love. We should keep that in mind in these fractious times, that, at the end of the day, we will all be weighed and measured on our love, for God, and for one another.

It is indeed odd, as Father Goering says, that we would find these two particular fragments of early Biblical texts, after a decades-long dry spell. There are no real coincidences in God’s providence, which is ‘concrete and immediate’ as the Catechism says. What is the Father of all saying to churches, to the Church, and to us all?

The cast of unsavory characters behind the movement known as BLM – its founders – evince its true mission – Marxist, Leninist, Nietzschean, and generally the inversion and subversion of all traditional values. ‘Whiteness’ is code for civilization, culture and Christianity in general, which they aim to eradicate. Ironic that all these people are who they are due to the benefits of that same civilization – the universities, the cities, the well-built homes, cars, infrastructure, an economy built on market capitalism rewarding discipline, know-how and hard work. And they want to bring it all crashing down, and you with it. We can say, for now, keep up the good fight of the Faith, and for truth, and freedom. The author of the aforelinked article ends off with the six lines from a poem that foundress Alicia Garza has tattooed on her chest:

I am not wrong: Wrong is not my name
My name is my own my own my own
and I can’t tell you who the hell set things up like this
but I can tell you that from now on my resistance
my simple and daily and nightly self-determination
may very well cost you your life

Hmm. It seems some lives matter more than others.

And, while on freedom, so it begins: The Boston archdiocese allows you to serve on the altar, but only if you’ve been vaccinated – and you still have to mask up. The same isolation and exclusion policies are already being enforced in Israel, in the U.S. Army – and we’re likely soon to see the vaxx-pass coming to a grocery store and a church near you. Hopefully, there are some hold-outs, vaxx-free zones, or places and businesses that at least allow those who suaviter et fortiter refuse the vaccine entrance to their premises. We must trust in God, Whose providence is not only ‘concrete and immediate’, but also all-powerful. Not a hair of our heads can be harmed without His permission, and He has so much more good in store for those who suffer for His name.

And, on a lighter note, this is the anniversary of the opening of the Eiffel Tower, on March 31, 1889. At the time, and at 984 feet, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world, until the Chrysler Building opened in 1930. I once stood underneath the tower late at night, wandering around Paris with a backpack, hence did not go up. Now I wonder if I ever will; but, as a wise woman once told me, we cannot do everything in this life, and some things must wait ’til heaven. At first, many were skeptical of the iron building, thinking it would be unsound and/or unsightly. But time has proved them wrong, as to this day, it is one of the world’s most iconic pieces of architecture, and most famous tourist attractions. If you build it, they will come…

And, at the risk of stretching the analogy, if the Church is what she is meant to be, they will come, more than the tourists flocking to Paris, or that used to…And the world, or a good part of it, will be converted.

A Closed, Unsustainable, Descending Loop

As a follow-up to my thoughts on Payette’s payout, here be a stark image of where are here in Canada. As the graph shows in, well, graphic terms, since 2025, the public sector has contributed to 95.5% of economic growth. The private sector – which funds the public sector, or is supposed to – has[…]Continue reading→

Remembering Father Alphonse de Valk

(Today marks the sixth anniversary of the death of Father Alphonse de Valk, C.S.B., a faithful, courageous and indefatigable Basilian priest, pro-life-and-family apostle, and the founder of Catholic Insight magazine. Here is what we wrote those on his entering into eternity five years ago, as we continue to remember him in our prayers and thoughts)[…]Continue reading→

Presidential Pardon of Weronika Krawczyk

As a good news, follow-up to our story from Poland, of the persecution of Weronika Krawczyk for her pro-life views, we heard that she has been granted a presidential pardon. One might still wonder why one needs a presidential pardon for simply holding the long-held belief that the child within the womb is a child,[…]Continue reading→

Pope Leo and a Rosary for Peace

Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics across the world to join him in a Rosary for peace today, at 18:00 Rome time (6 pm), which would be noon from where I write (EST). If you are able, whether at that time or another, and in whatever way you pray, to join in intercession with the[…]Continue reading→

Payette’s Payout

I was glancing through some headlines, and noticed a mention of Julie Payette – engineer and astronaut and sometime the Queen’s representative in Canada – which brought back vague memories. She was appointed Governor-General by Justin Trudeau in 2017. Ms. Payette resigned in 2021, amidst claims that she created a ‘toxic work environment’, with allegations[…]Continue reading→

Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów

We celebrate Saint Stanislaus today (+ April 11, 1079), in light of this Easter Octave, a bishop and martyr who accepted the episcopacy only at the direct order of Pope Alexander II. He proved a wise and courageous leader of his flock, put to death by his own king, Boleslaus, for rebuking the monarch’s ‘immoral[…]Continue reading→

Weronika Krawczyk and Injustice in Poland

Catholic Action in Poland has issued a formal statement appealing to the President of the Republic of Poland to pardon Weronika Krawczyk—convicted for warning other women against an abortion-performing gynaecologist. Catholic Action (AK) emphasizes that no apology is owed to a doctor who has performed numerous abortions and proposed others; furthermore, the organization considers the[…]Continue reading→

Three Easter Musical Gems: Bach, Palestrina and Byrd

A very blessed and glorious Easter! Christus surrexit vere, alleluia! As we begin this Easter Octave with the great Solemnity of Easter, music to lift the soul would be one of Bach’s Easter cantatas, composed during his time at Leipzig in the early 1700’s, for the six Sundays of this festive season, leading up to[…]Continue reading→

Saint Isidore of Seville, the Internet and Industriousness

Today, April 4th, muted this year by Holy Saturday, is the commemoration of Saint Isidore of Seville (560-636) a bishop and doctor of the Church during a tumultuous age, when civilization was crumbling, coming apart at its very seams, which may sound sort of au courant. Then again, the form of this world has always[…]Continue reading→

An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday

The time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is one of waiting, in silence, as the world wonders – anticipates – what will happen, after the death of Christ. We re-live this time each year in the anamnesis of our liturgy, and in turn look forward to the glorious re-creation of all things at the[…]Continue reading→