David Ancell's Virtual Home

Finally, it looks like the HMS blog is posting real content again. I was getting worried about them ever since they tried to marry off Emily Stimpson. Speaking of Miss Stimpson, check out this piece about how she plans to write about how she fell in love with the Catholic Church.

Interesting article that says that only half of Americans like their jobs.

Three groups have file a citizen’s petition with the FDA requesting the recall of RU-486 on grounds that it is unsafe. Truthfully, someone dies every time this drug is used, so of course it is unsafe! I truly wish that this satanic concoction would be relegated to the Lake of Fire where it belongs before it takes a lot of lives and ruins a lot of souls.

The most sickening part of this entire RU-486 fiasco is that the drug was approved by an accelerated development and review process. This process allows needed drugs to be approved based on a “surrogate endpoint” (e.g. laboratory findings) instead of actually waiting for mobidity and mortality data. For example, several drugs to treat HIV were approved more quickly so that people didn’t die waiting for them to become available. They were needed medications for a life-threatening illness. I can hardly fathom such an urgent need for RU-486. The good news about it having been approved by accelerated development and review is that the drug still has to get full approval. Until that point, it can be more easily withdrawn from the market.

Although I’m not holding my breath for FDA action any more than for a dividend check from Enron, perhaps with prayer this evil can be defeated.

You just might be in violation of a site’s link policy. Seriously, the link on this post is a site named “Don’t Link to Us.” They search for sites with ridiculous linking policies saying that you have to get permission to link to them or that you can’t link to certain pages in the site. Then, they link to those pages.

I’d like to see these sites enforce their linking policies. Honestly, I liken these policies to a publisher suing someone for saying that they should look at page 58 of their book instead of reading the entire book.

By the way, I found this link on Overlawyered.com. Check this site out if you have a strong stomach and don’t have high blood pressure.

Hats of to the teachers who have more sense that to buy the NEA education curriculum that cites American intolerance as a reason for terrorist attacks. After all, it seems unlikely that some act of intolerance set off a surge of energy that jammed airplane controls and caused them to crash into the World Trade Center.

Let’s face it, it’s quite likely that one problem that these extremists have with Americans is what we do tolerate. I’m not saying that filthy movies are the reason for the terrorist attacks. Rather, I’m saying that there are so many things that we tolerate that they find evil that it is doubtful that intolerance is an issue for them.

Check out this Internet study group. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to post here, but I plan to be around for this. Some of my thoughts may also appear on this blog.

This morning I attended the Tridentine Mass (the old Latin Mass) at Blessed Sacrament Church in Memphis. If you haven’t been to a Tridentine Mass, it’s a worthwhile thing to do (just make sure it’s approved by the Church, as the one at Blessed Sacrament is). While I think I’ll go back on occasion, I don’t think it’s something I’d do every Sunday.

I’ve heard people say it’s a more reverent Mass. I didn’t think it was necessarily so, but I noticed a big difference in the reverence that the people showed compared to most places I’ve been. Even the children were exceptionally well-behaved. They could sit still better than I could. The people to whom I talked were very nice as well. I wish people were like this at all Catholic churches, regardless of the Mass used.

This being said, there are parts of the Mass where I prefer the older way of doing things. I think having the priest face the same way as the people during the Liturgy of the Eucharist is a beautiful symbol of our movement together towards God. It makes a much better show of unity (or even “community”) that the “church-in-the-round” structure in some modern churches which serves only as a symbol of a community that is closed in on itself.

During the Tridentine Mass, we also knelt at some kneelers (a make-shift communion rail?) for communion. Given that this is the Lord himself whom we are receiving, I can’t understand why we aren’t kneeling at every Mass when we receive him. It would be a great way to reinforce the dogma of the Real Presence.

It’s my understanding that both of these things that I’ve mentioned can be done at a Novus Ordo without violating a single rubric. My question is: Why don’t we?

It looks like there’s been a response from the Vatican saying that no decision has been made on the U.S. Bishops’ policy. In fact, it seems that some bishops are awaiting the decision from Rome before taking drastic action, wisely, in my opinion (which differs from the authors of the linked-to article that says that some bishops “have not yet lived up to that promise.”)

Catholic World News seems to have some information to suggest that the Vatican will send the U.S. Bishops back to the ol’ drawing board. Here’s another article on Catholic Exchange concerning not only this, but also the document on evangelization of Jews. I don’t know why that particular document was deemed necessary at this moment, and I admit I have not read it.

Anyway, as much as I dread seeing the nasty media backlash complete with full commentary by Frs. Richard McBrien and Andrew Greeley, I hope the “zero tolerance” policy comes back with a big red “X” on it. I find it less than Christian to depose priests who committed a single offense 25 years ago and have been penitent ever since. One might argue that we don’t know if they’ll ever abuse again, but the fact is that we don’t know for sure whether or not any priest will abuse someone, regardless of his past.

We need our Bishops to make their judgement, and then stand by it regardless of public opinion. This goes for teaching as well as judicial matters. How will this be accomplished? Well, remember that the apostles often misunderstood Jesus. When Jesus was lead off to be crucified, Peter denied him three times. All of the apostles except John made a run for it. However, after Jesus rose and ascended into Heaven, something happened that changed the apostles. They became bold preachers who (with one exception) were violently put to death for their faith. What was it that happened? The Holy Spirit descended upon them. This is what we need to pray for today, not just for our Bishops, but for all people in the Church.

I’m sure there are a some people visiting me for the first time. Mark Shea was kind enough to announce the existence of my blog on his yesterday. I’m also now part of the webring St. Blog’s Parish. Maybe it seems a bit self-serving, but what’s the point of me doing this if no one reads it?

Weekends give me a time to think and write more. I work a full-time job doing second shift, so my weekday stuff is often written quickly while I try to get to work or to bed. I do want to post one thing that may have easily gone unnoticed. In the midst of the “contest” to find Miss Emily Stimpson a suitor, it’s possible that this great reflection on Christian singleness got missed. I must admit that I do appreciate the time that I have, being a single, but I tend to think that I would learn be more self-giving in another vocation. I need to pray that God will grant me the clarity to know what he wants me to do, and the courage to do it.