Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on Sin and Penance
Also, Fulton Sheen on Penance “Woe to those who call evil goodand good evil,who put darkness for lightand light for darkness,who put bitter for sweetand sweet for bitter.“— Isa.5:20
Author: SDH
Email for this website: sthand@email.com
Stephen Hand, editor. Reporter, Assistant News Director and News Director for several radio stations in New York and Connecticut. Paralegal. PCA in Retirement. Contributor for various Catholic newspapers and publications.
When the Sick Were Expected to Rest When Ill or Broken
“We should strive to keep our hearts open to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people, and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion which is truly the spirit of God.” —Saint Vincent de Paul. March 2021. I have a close friend who recently was in surgery to have a shoulder… Read More When the Sick Were Expected to Rest When Ill or Broken
The Message of Mary to Saint Bernadette and Us
By Robert Milan. Every appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a vision and message of hope. Our Lady of Lourdes is no different. What occurred on the 11 February 1858 is comfort for the Church that had suffered persecution under the French Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. The apparitions at Lourdes, France to… Read More The Message of Mary to Saint Bernadette and Us
Malcolm Muggeridge: Reflections on Stalin
Malcolm Muggeridge, British journalist and author, travelled to Moscow in 1932-1933 where he was a correspondent for The Manchester Guardian. Muggeridge investigated reports of the Great Famine (HOLODOMOR) in Ukraine, travelling there without obtaining the permission of the Soviet authorities. His reports were sent back to The Manchester Guardian in British diplomatic bags, thus evading… Read More Malcolm Muggeridge: Reflections on Stalin
Socialism No. Labor Unions Yes.
Why Did Pope Leo Xiii Endorse Worker Collective Bargaining? Sportslaw blogger.com, April 20, 2024. Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, issued in 1891, emphasized the rights of workers to form unions and engage in peaceful strikes. He argued that employers should respect their workers’ right to organize and give in to their [just] demands. The first… Read More Socialism No. Labor Unions Yes.
The Metaphysics of Evolution
In his encyclical Humani Generis, Pope Pius XII stressed the importance of preserving the traditional Catholic approach to philosophy. In his work The Metaphysics of Evolution, Fr. ChadRipperger demonstrates that the theory of evolution is incompatible with the metaphysics of the Catholic tradition. See links and tags below for other, more in depth study of… Read More The Metaphysics of Evolution
JFK Founded USAID & Peace Corp to Draw World Away From Communism.
What Changed on November 22, 1963 Besides Everything? After JFK’s assassination USAID essentially became a money-laundering operation for new powers. “Records of the Agency for International Development (RG 286) “On November 3, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed the Foreign Assistance Act reorganizing the structure of U.S. foreign assistance programs. By executive order, he created… Read More JFK Founded USAID & Peace Corp to Draw World Away From Communism.
JFK’s Warnings On Dangers Then and Now
JFK is thought by some to have been a man of the Left. Nothing could be farther from the truth as his record shows. The fact is he was beyond the Left-Right binary. He was a shrewd critical thinker and refused all reductive simplicities. But he saw the big picture globally. And his warnings to… Read More JFK’s Warnings On Dangers Then and Now
Someone has said
Considering the untold numbers of fearful kinds of evils which have been unleashed into the world in our time and which we try to ignore, or at least not worry too much about — with doubtless many more evils to come — if we are not yet living in the age of the eschatological Antichrist*… Read More Someone has said
Seeing The First time
Day after day a million confused emotions ebbed and flowed and sometimes clashed within him. After a time, when he had come to feel particularly ill, and knew that he would soon be placing himself into Hospice, he wondered what he should do at last. It is said that there are two kinds of people:… Read More Seeing The First time
With our beauty at piano
Music is a gift for children. It boosts their brain development, nurtures creativity, and sharpens social interactions. Beyond that, it instills confidence, enhances memory, and aids in language skills. It’s also a mood-lifter, a tool for self-regulation, and a bridge to diverse cultures. Beyond mere entertainment, music plays a fundamental role in shaping a child’s… Read More With our beauty at piano
Ezra Pound Solitary Volcano
Excerpt from John Tytell’s Ezra Pound the Solitary Volcano. “The years before the outbreak of World War I were a period of brimming vitality for Pound. He was occupied with his poetry, with journalism, with his work as foreign editor of Poetry, a Chicago magazine that became a central organ for the new poets, and… Read More Ezra Pound Solitary Volcano
“The Whole Universe Together” and the Diversity of Creatures
According to St. Thomas Aquinas, God created the diversity of creatures because no single creature can adequately reflect the perfection of God: “We must say that the distinction and multitude of things come from the intention of the first agent, who is God.“For He brought things into being in order that His goodness might be… Read More “The Whole Universe Together” and the Diversity of Creatures
Boomers I love (but can’t let many teach me)
“Oh, I am a lonely painter –I live in a box of paints –I’m frightened by the devil –And I’m drawn to those that ain’t…”* “Everybody’s saying that hell’s the hippest way to go-Well I don’t think so-But I’m gonna take a look around it though…Blue, I love you” — Joni Mitchell A Case of… Read More Boomers I love (but can’t let many teach me)
Because Education Scarcely Exists Today There Comes The Ancient Dog.
🕳️⛳ Here Where nothing is true one thing is as good as another. See also The Falls of Albert Camus Hitler and population (James Lindsay)
Good Fences, Shared Bounty
Love, Christians have always known, believes in both good fences as well as shared pastures. We do this by, as St. Thomas defined love, “willing the good of the other”. Peoples who do not think alike and who would not likely live well together can still share much to the benefit of all, the entire… Read More Good Fences, Shared Bounty
“I swear there ain’t no Heaven. But I pray there ain’t no Hell”
And When I Die, Blood, Sweat and Tears — Art and the passing troubadours do it again, delivering existential paradoxical honesty so often lacking in academic postmodernism.. ___ “I’m not scared of dying –And I don’t really care –If it’s peace you find in dying –Well then, let the time be near – If it’s peace… Read More “I swear there ain’t no Heaven. But I pray there ain’t no Hell”
The Binding Force of Tradition
Fr. Chad Ripperger writes, “The juridical concept of the deposit [of Faith] requires that it is not the property of the guardian. In other words, it is not the person who receives it that has ownership of it, but of the consigner who is handing it over to him to keep it in a safe… Read More The Binding Force of Tradition
Drowning in dangerous data
Even before our current beginnings in the world of artificial intelligence we mere humans were in grave danger of drowning in seas of data, much of it directed at our minds and wayward passions. Today the risks and perils are higher by several orders of magnitude as we are manipulated by both markets and innumerable… Read More Drowning in dangerous data
Jerusalem The Holy City
A beautiful rendition of this time honoured Christian hymn. The Holy City” is a religious Victorian ballad dating from 1892, with music by Michael Maybrick writing under the alias Stephen Adams, with lyrics by Frederic Weatherly. Its sheet music sales made it one of the most commercially successful songs in the UK and United States… Read More Jerusalem The Holy City
The Dark Side of AI
Biblical eschatology tells us history is going somewhere. Where is a settled matter for Christians . But how fast is an open question, be it near or still a ways off. We are told by The Lord to “Watch!” and to prepare not for utopia but for suffering, the Cross in our lives. DW: “Magical,… Read More The Dark Side of AI
At Rock Bottom
A slow, soulful Gospel Blues song about brokenness, humility, and redemption. Blending emotional blues guitar with heartfelt Christian lyrics, this song tells the story of finding grace at the lowest point in life. It reminds us that sometimes God meets us not at our highest moments — but at our deepest falls. Rooted in classic… Read More At Rock Bottom
Progressivist Theology. What it is.
“God is Dead; but given the way of men, there may still be caves for thousands of years in which his shadow will be shown. And we – we still have to vanquish his shadow, too. — Frederich Nietzsche, The Gay Science, 109. The Forerunners: 2015: For the Neo-modernist or Progressivist Catholic today, the traditional understanding… Read More Progressivist Theology. What it is.
The Ongoing Battle Over Proportionalism in Ethics
“If a type of action always destroys, damages or impedes some basic element of human good, then no ranking of proportional outcomes can make that action consistent with integral human flourishing. “ By E. Christian Brugger, Zenith Dispatch. Problem Lies in Idea of Maximizing Good. WASHINGTON, D.C., 27 JULY 2011 (ZENIT) Here is a question… Read More The Ongoing Battle Over Proportionalism in Ethics
Benedict XVI: The Church Links Pedophilia to the Error of Proportion-alism in Ethics.
BXVI: “We have to reflect on what was insufficient in our education, in our teaching in recent decades. There was, in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, the idea of proportionalism in ethics: It held that nothing is bad in itself, but only in proportion to others. With proportionalism, it was possible to think for some… Read More Benedict XVI: The Church Links Pedophilia to the Error of Proportion-alism in Ethics.
The Reason Gen Z Is Becoming Catholic
We just published a video, and I think it’s the most important one we’ve made. It’s about the surge in Gen Z Catholics. The average American diocese saw a 38% increase in people entering the Church at Easter this year, and Los Angeles saw 139%. But it’s not really a trend piece. The argument we… Read More The Reason Gen Z Is Becoming Catholic
Pope Leo on the Christian Foundations of Europe
By Bishop Robert Barron “Three cheers for Pope Leo’s comments regarding the Christian foundations of Europe and the defense of the unborn. Echoing the sentiments of Pope Benedict XVI, Leo reminded his audience that the essential structures of European society and Europe’s commitment to human rights are unthinkable apart from Christianity. And speaking before a… Read More Pope Leo on the Christian Foundations of Europe
“World Class Crisis,” WWI (one) Redux?
World Class Crisis, WWI (one) Redux? With their guest Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell nod and say we might be “steamrolling” toward it, in part due to the world configuration of nations and diffusion of power which Internationalists like he and Alastair reject. Alastair and Stewart are joined by Historian Odd Arne Westad to discuss… Read More “World Class Crisis,” WWI (one) Redux?
Arroyo and Company on Leo XIV.
Will Leo become another embarrassment or will he guide the Church to reconnect with the Sacred Tradition? “Raymond Arroyo, Fr. Gerald Murray, and Robert Royal examine major developments shaping the Church, from Pope Leo’s decision to expand bishops’ authority over autonomous monasteries to ongoing debates over synodality, Church governance, and Catholic identity. The Posse also… Read More Arroyo and Company on Leo XIV.
The Cross and the Machine
Paul Kingsnorth, First Things Magazine. We must have been fifteen or sixteen when we discovered the church visitor’s book. It was an old church, maybe medieval, and I would pass it with my school friends on our way to the town center. I’m not sure what possessed us to go in; it might have been my… Read More The Cross and the Machine
AI, The Pope and Tony Blair
“…it’s blowing my mind in its implications… Companies and countries will rise or fall on the back of it. ” Blair said. Damien McElroy is London bureau chief at The National “… the former British leader’s far-reaching summary: “Developments in artificial intelligence … will change everything. I mean everything. There is no point in debating… Read More AI, The Pope and Tony Blair
Leo XIII on American Church – State Accomodation
“Pope Leo XIII to the Archbishops and Bishops of the United States, and dated Jan. 6, 1895. “For the Church amongst you, unopposed by the Constitution and government of your nation, fettered by no hostile legislation(1), protected against violence by the common laws and the impartiality of the tribunals, is free to live and act… Read More Leo XIII on American Church – State Accomodation
Canada’s mass-graves scam reveals the high price of media bias
By Daniel McCarthy, NY Post. A hoax costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and incites arson attacks against dozens of churches. This time, however, it’s not the latest headline out of Minnesota — look a little further north. In 2021, at a time when media throughout the western world were still in a state… Read More Canada’s mass-graves scam reveals the high price of media bias
The Herd of Independent Minds — and their Hair Buns
Everywhere I look I see rising stacks —of hair buns. What can possibly be the meaning of it? And it seems to have spontaneously arisen here in Massachusetts. Especially in the last two years. I see these mostly on women, but not only women. Nay nay. Not even on women pushing their ridiculously pampered and… Read More The Herd of Independent Minds — and their Hair Buns
“It is a big idea” –G.H.W. Bush
Interrupted by President Trump, Western world thinkers have hardly given up on steadily rebuilding a hegemonic New World Order piece by piece, the globalist long-dreamed of a federalist One World Government with each nation ceding most of its national sovereignty to the United Nations. First the monarchies were toppled, then the democracies. NATO appeared to… Read More “It is a big idea” –G.H.W. Bush
Sinatra. Time Out.
“Where words fail music speaks“—Hans Christian Andersen.. “You will be my music“. Francis Albert Sinatra (/sɪˈnɑːtrə/; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the “Chairman of the Board” and “Ol’ Blue Eyes“, he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century.[1] Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra… Read More Sinatra. Time Out.
Blessed Day
“Ain’t every day been easy… but I woke up to another one. “Thank God, I’m Still Breathing” is a grateful, soul-deep Delta King’s Blues tune about surviving hard times, carrying scars, and appreciating every sunrise that still finds you here. Ain’t asking for an easy road… A warm, weathered acoustic guitar moves slow and steady… Read More Blessed Day
Michael Bennett’s Heartbreak and AI
Devastating performance of “After I’m Gone” by the incredibly talented Michael Bennett. This 8-minute emotional journey showcases the raw power and vulnerability that made Michael Bennett a household name, delivering a performance that will stay long after the video ends. Many parents have experienced this devastating kind of heartbreak. Someone understands this. Is there a… Read More Michael Bennett’s Heartbreak and AI
William F. Buckley and Malcolm Muggeridge Discuss Cold War Pacifism. Feb. 1984.
Muggeridge’s perspective on the world is, as always, provocatively expressed. One sample: “The pacifism in the sense of saying that we will get rid of all our weapons-well, yes, if you are prepared to have no authority in the world, no importance in the world, no influence in the world, to wind up your role… Read More William F. Buckley and Malcolm Muggeridge Discuss Cold War Pacifism. Feb. 1984.
No One to Blame. We Cannot Outrun Time.
Nina Simone (/ˈniːnə sɪˈmoʊn/ NEE-nə sim-OHN;[1] born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American composer concert pianist, singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Simone’s bearing and stage presence earned her the title the High Priestess of Soul. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and… Read More No One to Blame. We Cannot Outrun Time.
