The Writ Be Dropped

Today marks the official beginning of the campaign to elect the next Prime Minister, on October 21st, five short weeks, praise God, rather than the endless politicking south of the border. As Canada is still a constitutional monarchy, the current holder of the office of Prime Minister must approach the Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II, through her representative in Canada, the Governor-General, currently Ms. Julie Payette, and request that the current Parliament be dissolved, with every seat open to election. This is the ‘dropping of the writ’, with the ‘drop’ likely derived from ‘to draw up’.

The Head of State is free to refuse the request but, as far as I know, has never done so.

Hence, we face a choice, in the practical world, between Justin Trudeau and Andrew Scheer. The hapless Mr. Scheer, who needs to clearly state his principles, does not, from what I have seen and heard, deserve to be Prime Minister. Why obfuscate on such issues as abortion and same-sex marriage? I know nothing of him in private, but his public persona, at least – what he projects to we hoi polloi – needs to man up. What we don’t need are more of the same milquetoast political lifers maintaining the status quo.

But Justin Trudeau, le dauphin, deserves the leadership far, far less. We must ensure that he does not get re-elected, for the harm he has done to this country – to paraphrase Christ’s words on the blind prophets, finishing off the work of his father – will only get worse. Then again, what could be worse than instantiating yet more mass murder, in the guise of ‘medical assistance in dying’? And going full gung-ho on abortion, discriminating against anyone who raises any faint objection to ‘reproductive rights’?

And all with nary a peep from the Catholic Church and her hierarchy, to say nothing of all those Mr. Trudeau has in his pocket, filled with endless cash, they hoping to pick up some scraps from their master’s table. Not Trudeau’s own, of course, but like the brand of cigarettes would-be quitters most enjoy, ‘O.P.’s, that is, other people’s.

At least Mr. Scheer may, we hope, do less harm. Even if we are well on the road to ruin in this once-glorious nation, perhaps he will press the gas pedal less lightly, giving us time to re-group, re-think, and hopefully elect a real conservative who might, even just a bit, pull Canada back to some sense of sanity.

We can hope. And pray. And vote.

Carney’s Amoral Majority

After five defections – euphemistically described as ‘crossing the floor’ – and three by-elections, Mark Carney and his Liberals how have their coveted majority. One wonders what bowls of pottage were offered in back-room deals. In the archaic monarchical system that is the Dominion of Canada, this majority allows the newly-minted Prime Minister to rule[…]Continue reading→

Saint Kateri , Canada’s Protectress

This was the title given to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, by Pope Benedict XVI, when he canonized her on October 28th, 2012, along with six others, in Saint Peter’ Square (she had been beatified by Pope John Paul II back in 1980). With Saint Joseph as our protector, along with the Canadian martyrs, we seem to[…]Continue reading→

A Tale of Two Benedicts

A grace-filled Holy Week to all our readers! As we await and prepare for the Resurrection about to dawn upon us, we might keep in mind two Benedicts: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, requiescat in pace, elected on this day in 2005; and today’s commemoration of the mystic pilgrim, Benedict Joseph Labre, who died on this[…]Continue reading→

My Name is Bernadette

April 16th is a propitious day, for besides the anniversary of Father de Valk’s death, who founded Catholic Insight in its print form decades ago, and the commemoration of the ‘two Benedicts’, mentioned in accompanying posts, today we also recall Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary to whom the Virgin Mary appeared numerous times at[…]Continue reading→

Saint Lydwina of Schiedam and Suffering Joyfully

Saint Lydwina of Schiedam (1380 – 1433) was one of the countless and glorious ‘victim souls’ in the history of the Church, those whose lives are filled with suffering, often of an unimaginable intensity, but who suffer joyfully. She was a fifteen-year old Dutch girl, out skating one day, when she fell and broke one[…]Continue reading→

The Glorious Martyrdoms of Martin and Maximus

As we enter into Eastertide, we recall on this 13th of April Pope Saint Martin I (+655), one of the noblest, if most tragic, of the successors of Saint Peter. Born in Umbria, Italy, he was of noble lineage, with great intelligence combined with charity and love of the poor and the Church. While still[…]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→

Saint Gemma Galgani

On this April 11th, in 1903 – the same year that the Italian Guiseppe Sarto was elected Pope later that summer as Pius X – a lovely, young Italian woman died, by the name of Gemma Galgani. She lived a brief life of 24 years, as did a number of other young saints, including Pier[…]Continue reading→

An Ideological and Improper Translation

I noticed something odd with the psalm reading at Mass the other day. Our bishops’ conference here in Canada has decreed that the Mass in English – Novus Ordo – use the ‘NRSV’, the ‘New Revised Standard Version’, an ‘updated’ translation of the original RSV, first published in 1952. This ‘new translation’ has the tendency[…]Continue reading→

Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle: A Teacher for Teachers

Jean-Baptiste de la Salle (1651 – 1719), a French nobleman, ordained a priest, founded the first order in the Church’s history entirely without priests, and this came about almost by accident. I say ‘almost’, for, of course, there are no accidents with God. Destined for ordination from an early age, Jean-Baptiste never looked back, even[…]Continue reading→