Eleven Things You Need To Remember About 9/11

It's sad but true: As the years go by, September 11 will recede from memory.
People who were alive on 9/11/01 will pass away. And those born years from now will have to rely on the stories and recollections of others or whatever winds up in the history books.
Given that secondary recollections are not always reliable and considering that history books have been sanitized by political correctness, we all need to begin to embrace a core set of 9/11 truths now -- things that we need to remember and pass on to future generations.
With that in mind, here (in no particular order) are 11 things you need to remember about September 11:
1) September 11 is better termed an atrocity than a tragedy. When you hear people refer to the events of that day as "tragic," correct them. Tell them what happened was atrocious, unconscionable and unforgivable.
2) The attack of September 11 was an affront to all human sensibility. The attack was an act of pure evil. And yes -- there is evil in the world.
3) Those who attacked our nation on September 11 want to annihilate all of us and destroy our very way of life. They are still active and their goals have not changed.
4) Thanks in large part to the policies put in place and the actions taken by President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, there has been no direct attack on our nation since 9/11/01.
5) Those who attacked America were and are cowards. They hide from others; they operate in darkness or under disguise; they run and they plan their dastardly acts in secret.
6) The victims of September 11 are not martyrs. Rather, they are heroes. They were innocent people living everyday lives and pursuing everyday dreams. To the extent they were able to, they struggled to survive and reached out to help others.
7) The heroic first responders who rushed in to help on that day and beyond exemplify the pinnacle of bravery, honor and self sacrifice. They are patriots.
8) In the words of President Bush: "Whether we bring our enemies to justice or justice to our enemies, justice will be done." This must remain our goal and our mission from September 11, onward.
9) September 11 constituted the worst attack ever ever perpetrated on American soil by a foreign enemy. It was unprecedented.
10) The loss, the anguish, the horror of September 11 lives on among the survivors and among the families and friends of the victims. Lives were forever changed that day.
11) Spirituality was, is and will always be a part of our response as Americans to that infamous day. Your steadfast commitment to honor the solemn memory of September 11, to seek justice and to comfort those who still suffer must be accompanied by prayer and reflection. Remember. Reaffirm. Renew.

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Catholicism: It Isn't What You Think It Is

Click here  and also here for more information on the new book and video series entitled Catholicism: A Journey To The Heart Of The Faith.

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Denver Prelate Chaput In For Rigali In Philly

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver is expected to replace Cardinal Justin Rigali as the leader of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, according to various sources.
Pope Benedict XVI is expected to accept Cardinal Rigali's resignation as soon as tomorrow (Tuesday.) An announcement about Chaput's appointment is said to be imminent.
Chaput is a strong proponent of traditional Catholic teachings.
He speaks out regularly on controversial issues, and occasionally differs publicly from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Archbishop Chaput has even  taken a stance on the issue of whether Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, contrary to Church teaching, should be denied Communion.Chaput has written that while denying anyone the Eucharist is a "very grave matter" that should be used only in "extraordinary cases of public scandal," those who are "living in serious sin or who deny the teachings of the church" should voluntarily refrain from taking Communion
The New York Times in 2004 reported that Chaput took the position that it was sinful for Catholics to vote for John Kerry. His remarks noted Kerry's pro-choice views, amongst others. According to the Times, he said that those who intended to vote for him were "cooperating in evil" and needed "to go to confession."
Chaput criticized the New York Times' construal of his remarks and the Archdiocese of Denver criticized the Times' article as being "heavily truncated and framed."
He stopped responding to New York Times inquiries for six years in part because of his belief the paper had misrepresented him.

As reported by EWTN, Chaput has criticized what he views as a "spirit of adulation bordering on servility" that exists towards Barack Obama remarking, "in democracies, we elect public servants, not messiahs."
The archbishop said that Obama tries to mask his record on abortion and other issues with "rosy marketing about unity, hope, and change." Chaput also dismissed the notion that Obama was given a broad mandate reasoning he was elected to "fix an economic crisis" and not to "retool American culture on the issues of  marriage and the family, sexuality, bioethics, religion in public life, and abortion.
In his book Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life, Chaput exhorts Catholics to take a "more active, vocal, and morally consistent role" in the political process, arguing that private convictions cannot be separated from public actions without diminishing both. Rather than asking citizens to put aside their religious and moral beliefs for the sake of public policy, Chaput believes American democracy depends upon a fully engaged citizenry, including religious believers, to function properly.
According to his official biography, Chaput is as member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe , and the first Native American archbishop.

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Dolan: Will Next Step Be Multiple-Partner Marriage?

Excerpt from a column by New York Archbishop Dolan:

The Church has always stood-up for marriage — one man and one woman, united in lifelong and faithful love, leading to new life in children – whenever and wherever it was in danger.  Veterans my age and over can remember sixty years ago when we fought widespread, no-fault divorce, convinced it would lead to a cheapening of the marriage bond and harm our kids (as, of course, scholarly studies now report has, indeed, happened).  Recall how the Church resisted the “contraceptive mentality,” fearing it would rupture the sacred bond between love and the procreation of children.  Then, remember how the Church sounded the alarm over rising rates of promiscuity, adultery, pre-marital sex, and cohabitation prior to or instead of marriage. 

And now we ring the steeple bell again at this latest dilution of the authentic understanding of marriage, worried that the next step will be another redefinition to justify multiple partners and infidelity.  If you think I’m exaggerating, within days of the passage of this bill, one major newspaper ran a flattering profile of a proponent of what was called “nonmonogamy.” Apparently, “nonmonogamy” is the idea that society is unrealistic to think that one man and one woman should remain faithful in marriage, and that openness to some infidelity should be the norm!

 Click here to read the entire column.

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A Real-Story, Worth Sharing

People with diverse backgrounds share details about their everyday lives and their deep commitment to their faith. Click here for more videos.

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Jesuits Undermine Catholic Teaching On Life/Death

The Society of Jesus (The Jesuits) have long been viewed as one of the most far-left (and disruptive) orders of Catholic clergy.
And since The Jesuits run many universities and secondary schools, they get to influence young minds -- not always favorably.
Now comes word from the Cardinal Newman Society that advocates of assisted suicide are teaching at Jesuit universities despite the U.S. Catholic bishops’ opposition to the practice. It seems to be just another part of "Catholic light" -- the erosion of Catholic teaching and abandonment of a sense of moral responsibility at American "Catholic" universities where binge drinking, hooking up and even co-ed dorms sometimes seem to be all the rage.

Here's more from The Cardinal Newman Society:

Advocates of assisted suicide are teaching at Jesuit universities despite the U.S. Catholic bishops’ opposition to the immoral practice, according to a new report from The Cardinal Newman Society.

Recently, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued “To Live Each Day with Dignity: A Statement on Physician-Assisted Suicide” and cautioned about an “aggressive nationwide campaign” of “assisted suicide proponents.”

But in a special report published today in Crisis Magazine, Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick J. Reilly uncovers scandalous associations between the assisted suicide movement and current and recent professors at four major Jesuit universities: Georgetown University, Marquette University, Santa Clara University and Boston College.

Reilly notes that it was a “particular irony” that the assisted suicide statement should be released simultaneously with the U.S. bishops’ ongoing 2011 review of Catholic colleges’ implementation of Vatican guidelines for Catholic higher education in the 1990 constitution Ex corde Ecclesiae.

Writes Reilly: “[These professors] have done more than betray the Catholic Church when they advocated assisted suicide from their platforms at Jesuit universities. Their primary credentials are (or were) as Jesuit university professors. Their participation in academic societies and symposia and journals has depended on their teaching and research positions at major universities. When dealing with ethical issues, no doubt their affiliation with Catholic universities has opened many doors.

“In no small way, then, Catholic universities are partly responsible for such professors’ influence by virtue of their employment. Academic freedom protects professors’ rights to seek truth according to the methods of their discipline. But when professors deny the truths of faith and disregard the common good—especially of those whose lives are snuffed out prematurely—they violate the mission of a Catholic university.”

The special report “Bishops Betrayed on Assisted Suicide” is published at Crisis Magazine.

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The Freedom We Don't Exercise Enough

At sometime during this Fourth of July weekend, you'll hear these words from the Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

We're all inclined to focus on the "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," but if you do, you may something important.

It relates directly to the Freedom we Americans don't exercise enough.

"They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights."

The Founding Fathers were Deists. They believed in a power greater than themselves. A God that gave them unalienable rights, rights that no earthly power - not even the government - could take them away.

Our ancestors risked their lives crossing the Atlantic Ocean to come here, solely so they could worship as they wished. Our nation was founded on the belief that God entitled them to be free and happy, and not even the mighty King of England could change that.

The Democracy we enjoy was founded on our Freedom of Religion; today we give that precious right away without thinking about it.

We're told that we don't need to rely on our Creator that has endowed us with these unalienable rights. Unless it's Christmas, or a High Holy Day, our places are worship aren't as full as they should be. The Ten Commandments are taken off of the front of courthouses. People would rather sleep in or watch football than spend an hour in worship. "In God We Trust" may be on the dollar bill, but the words are meaningless to many.

This "Me First" Godless attitude is really starting to fray the fabric on which America was made. You really have to shake your head on some of the things we see happening in the news.

But it's not too late. And Independence Day is a great time to start. On America's Birthday, look up to the heavens and thank your Creator for your unalienable rights and living in the greatest country in the world. Do it however you'd like. After all, your Free to Worship however you'd like. This is America.

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Is Obama Losing Groud With Jewish Dems?

Could President Obama be losing ground with traditionally Democrat Jews?
For decades the Democrat Party has pretty much taken the Jewish vote for granted. And, why not? Jews have pretty much consistently supported the liberal line and voted Democrat. They were one of the keys to Obama's victory in 2008.
True, George W. Bush made some inroads with Jews in 2000 and 2004 and Karl Rove charted what appeared to be the first stages of a sound strategy to peel off thin slices of the Jewish vote -- just enough to begin to make a difference.
While many Jewish voters preferred Hillary in 2008, they fell in line behind Obama despite their doubts about his position on Israel. The economy played a key role in '08 and there was the ever-present factor of liberal guilt as Obama sought to be the first African-American president.
But now, some Jewish voters (enough to give Dems concern) are expressing misgivings and even threatening to bolt.
Here are some excerpts from a story at Politico:

“There’s an inclination in the community to not trust this president’s gut feel on Israel and every time he sets out on a path that’s troubling you do get this ‘ouch’ reaction from the Jewish Community because they’re distrustful of him,” said the president of a major national Jewish organization, who declined to be quoted by name to avoid endangering his ties to the White House. . .
When Obama was running, there was a lot of concern among the guys in my group at shul, who are all late-30s to mid-40s, who I hang out with and daven with and go to dinner with, about Obama,” recalled Scott Matasar, a Cleveland lawyer who’s active in Jewish organizations.Matasar remembers his friends’ worries over whether Obama was “going to be OK for Israel.”. . .
Now Matasar says he’s appalled by Obama’s “rookie mistakes and bumbling” and the reported marginalization of a veteran peace negotiator, Dennis Ross, in favor of aides who back a tougher line on Netanyahu.. . .
“He’d been very ham-handed in the way he presented [the 1967 border announcement] and the way he sprung this on Netanyahu,” Matasar said.

Click here to read more.

BTW: The president is in Philadelphia today for a Big Fundraiser and word is it's getting harder and harder to convince major Jewish allies to write big checks for Obama's campaign. Will any of this make a real difference in the end? Stay tuned.

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NY Bishops 'Deeply Disappointed, Troubled'

The following is a statement from Archbishop Timothy Dolan and the bishops of New York State: 

The passage by the Legislature of a bill to alter radically and forever humanity’s historic understanding of marriage leaves us deeply disappointed and troubled.
We strongly uphold the Catholic Church’s clear teaching that we always treat our homosexual brothers and sisters with respect, dignity and love. But we just as strongly affirm that marriage is the joining of one man and one woman in a lifelong, loving union that is open to children, ordered for the good of those children and the spouses themselves. This definition cannot change, though we realize that our beliefs about the nature of marriage will continue to be ridiculed, and that some will even now attempt to enact government sanctions against churches and religious organizations that preach these timeless truths.
We worry that both marriage and the family will be undermined by this tragic presumption of government in passing this legislation that attempts to redefine these cornerstones of civilization.
Our society must regain what it appears to have lost – a true understanding of the meaning and the place of marriage, as revealed by God, grounded in nature, and respected by America’s foundational principles.”

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'The Pope Is Infallible.' What Does That Mean?

Soon you can discover the rich heritage of the Catholic Church in an epic media experience.
Word on Fire Catholic Ministries offers a vision of the Catholic Faith, which has never before been seen.
Above is an excerpt of episode six of the groundbreaking series.
This vision seeks to explore, through a global journey, the living culture of the Catholic Church. From the lands of the Bible, to the great shrines of Europe, to the shores and heartland of America, to the mysteries of Asia, to the rich landscapes of Latin America, to the beating heart of Africa - and beyond, witness the passion and glory of the faith that claims over a billion of the earth’s people as its own. Now in production. Ten part series for TV and DVD: Production to be released Fall of 2011.
This magnificent television event is hosted by Father Robert Barron.
For the first time, in breathtaking, high-definition cinematography, the beauty, goodness and truth of the Catholic Faith are illustrated in a rich, multimedia experience. Journey to more than 50 locations throughout 15 countries. Be illuminated by the spiritual and artistic treasures of this global culture that claims more than one billion of the earth’s people. 
 From the sacred lands of Israel to the beating heart of Uganda...from the glorious shrines of Italy, France, and Spain, to the streets of Mexico, Kolkata, and New York City, the fullness of CATHOLICISM is revealed. Journey deep into the Faith as you watch each episode.

Mike Leonard, a veteran NBC Today Show correspondent and acclaimed filmmaker, is the Executive Producer of this groundbreaking series.
Click here to learn how to be part of this major event.

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The Values Of A Simple, Pastoral Life

While we were touring the Berkshires we visited a place that turned back the clock to a simpler, more pastoral time -- the Hancock Shaker Village.
Hancock Shaker Village is a National Historic Landmark that preserves and presents the legacy of the Shakers' at their community in Hancock, Massachusetts. Hancock opened as a living history museum in 1961 and is the largest Shaker museum in the East. It features 20 historic buildings, extensive gardens, and a significant collection of Shaker artifacts. In addition, the village includes Shaker craft demonstrations, historic breeds of livestock, and its restored 19th-century water system.
The Shakers got their name because of the unusual shaking movements they made when in intense, collective prayer.
They were a religious order that believed in pacifism, celibacy, communal living and gender equality.

After reaching peak membership in the 1840s, the Shaker movement gradually dwindled, partially due to the urban migration that accompanied the Industrial Revolution, and by the westward migration of New England's youth.
By the early twentieth century, the population of the village had fallen to around 50, most of whom were children. The remaining Shakers sold off their excess land, and many buildings were destroyed.
But much of the village still remains and it is preserved and open to the public as a living museum. It's a great place to visit and contemplate a simpler time.
^{Photos copyright 2011 by Dan Cirucci.}

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Church Sex Abuse Scandal: Vatican Fails Again

Here is an excerpt from a New York Times editorial on the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal and the failure of the Vatican to adequately address the problem:

The Vatican’s long overdue guidelines for fighting sexual abuse of children are, unfortunately, just that — flimsy guidelines for a global problem that requires an unequivocal mandate for church officials to work with secular authorities in prosecuting rogue priests.
Instead, the Vatican has issued nonbinding guidance that punts the scandal back to the authority of local bishops, who still will not face firm oversight or punishment for cover-ups that recycled hundreds of abusive priests.
The directive came two days before a new study of the abuse problem that cites the sexual and social turmoil of the 1960s as a possible factor in priests’ crimes. This is a rather bizarre stab at sociological rationalization and, in any case, beside the point that church officials went into denial and protected abusers.

Click here to read the full editorial

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Thirty Eight Years Ago Today . . . . .

A special message from Brian Birch at CatholicVote.org:

Today marks the 30th anniversary of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II.

Mehmet Ali Agca, a trained sniper from Turkey, shot four bullets into the Holy Father's body from point-blank range. One bullet missed the Pope's main abdominal artery by a fraction of an inch.

The Holy Father credited Our Lady of Fatima for re-directing the bullets and saving his life. He would later say: “One hand fired, another guided the bullet.”

Many people were surprised the Pope so easily forgave the man that wanted him dead. Just days after the shooting, he said:

“I pray for that brother of ours who shot me, and whom I have sincerely pardoned. United with Christ, Priest and Victim, I offer my sufferings for the Church and for the world. To you, Mary, I repeat: 'Totus tuus ergo sum.'" (I am all yours).

For John Paul II, it was no coincidence that his life was saved on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima.

Our Lady had appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal on May 13, 1917. She warned the children about a world at war and asked them to: “Pray the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world!”

Today our world is scarred by abortion, war, terrorism, political unrest and much more.

Our Lady of Fatima's call to pray the Rosary for peace is as urgent today as it was 94 years ago.

She thwarted the plans of John Paul II's assassin. Surely she will come to our aid in redirecting the many bullets aimed at destroying peace in our world.

We hope you will join us in praying the Rosary, today if possible, for peace in our world, peace in our nation, and for peace in the womb.

 

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Video Preview: Beatification Of Pope John Paul II

Renowned theologian, Father Robert Barron, will offer commentary on all NBC Network News programming during Pope John Paul II’s beatification on May 1. Barron was selected for his in-depth knowledge of Pope John Paul II and will be in Rome covering the event.
On May 1, Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate the Solemn Mass and Beatification before hundreds of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and for millions of television viewers around the world. This is the first time a pope has beatified his immediate predecessor.
Over three million people journeyed to Rome for Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005, at which the crowds chanted “Santo Subito” meaning “sainthood now” in Italian. Predictions are at least that many people, and possibly more, will make the pilgrimage for the Mass and Beatification. More than 400,000 pilgrims are expected from John Paul’s native Poland alone.
The choice of May 1, the first Sunday after Easter, is also significant. John Paul II declared the first Sunday after Easter to be “Divine Mercy Sunday” in the year 2000. This date is also associated with totalitarian communist regimes as “May Day.” Pope John Paul II worked tirelessly to advance the cause of human rights for those who suffered under the oppression of Communist dictatorships, both in his native Poland and around the world.
Father Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, a global, non-profit media group. He is an acclaimed author, theologian, and the Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago.
Ordained in 1986, Fr. Barron has published numerous books, essays and DVD programs. He is a frequent commentator on faith and culture for The Chicago Tribune, NBC Nightly News, FOX News, Our Sunday Visitor, The Catholic Herald in London, the Washington Post, CNN and the Catholic New World. He lectures extensively in the United States and abroad, including the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas In Rome. Fr. Barron received his Master’s Degree in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America and a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Institut Catholique de Paris. Cardinal Francis George calls Father Barron “one of the Church’s best messengers.”
Word on Fire (http://www.WordonFire.org) reaches millions of people through its weekly programs on Relevant Radio, EWTN, the popular Word on Fire YouTube Channel, and the Word on Fire website, which offers daily blogs, articles, commentaries and over ten years of weekly sermon podcasts.
MSNBC will start live coverage of the Beatification Mass at 4:00 AM Eastern on Sunday, May 1.

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Politics Slips Into Obama Easter Worship

Reuters has an interesting story about the Obama family making a rare Sunday church appearance yesterday in Washington.
Here's an excerpt:

. . . the Obamas chose Shiloh Baptist Church — one of the oldest African-American congregations in the city, according to the White House — for their Easter service, drawing applause from members decked out in Sunday suits and fancy dresses.
The president declined the pastor’s invitation to speak, but a little bit of politics did slip in: the man who led the church in prayers, when mentioning the Obama family, said: “Lord, they’re going to need you for the next six year[s].”
Shouts of “Oh yeah” followed that intercession.

Click here to read the full story.

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Chinese Arrest Christians Worshiping On Easter

The French News Agency (AFP) reports that Christians have been arrested in China after trying to hold Easter services yesterday.
Here's an excerpt:

Up to 30 members of a Chinese evangelical church were arrested on Sunday for trying to hold an Easter service in defiance of the officially atheist government, a member of the clergy said.
A large number of police began to gather early Sunday in the Zhongguancun area of Beijing where the Shouwang Church had said it would hold an outdoor service to mark the holiest day of the Christian calendar.
"Between 20 and 30 followers were taken away by police," senior pastor Jin Tianming told AFP by telephone from his home, where he is under house arrest. He said there were several police officers posted outside the building.
He added that the members of the congregation who were arrested had been taken to different police stations and that none had so far been released.
Jin had said before the planned gathering that the church considered Easter an important occasion and would stick to its decision to hold a service.

Click here to read more on this story.

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Pasqua Felice All'Intero Mondo!

Buona Pasqua, the beautiful Italian Easter greeting proclaims "Happy Easter" to all.
May your day be filled with peace, joy, la famiglia and the blessings of this season of renewal and rejoicing.
This is a day to proclaim salvation and to give thanks for our faith; regaling in the hope of eternal life, the promise of the Trinity.
In Italy, Easter remains a day that celebrates life. And no group of people celebrates life as well as the Italians.
Although Italians do not decorate hard–boiled eggs nor have chocolate bunnies or pastel marshmallow chicks, the biggest Easter displays in bars, pastry shops, supermarkets, and especially at chocolatiers are brightly wrapped uova di Pasqua—chocolate Easter eggs—in sizes that range from 10 grams (1/3 ounce) to 8 kilos (nearly 18 pounds). Most of them are made of milk chocolate in a mid–range, 10–ounce size by industrial chocolate makers.
Some producers distinguish between their chocolate eggs for children (sales numbers are a closely guarded secret, but the market for these standard quality eggs is said to be shrinking with Italy's birthrate) and expensive "adult" versions. All except the tiniest eggs contain a surprise. Grown–ups often find their eggs contain little silver picture frames or gold–dipped costume jewelry.
The very best eggs are handmade by artisans of chocolate, who offer the service of inserting a surprise supplied by the purchaser. Car keys, engagement rings, and watches are some of the high–end gifts that have been tucked into Italian chocolate eggs in Italy.
My favorite Easter treats: chocolate coconut cream eggs (sinfully sweet), chocolate covered marshmallows, jelly beans of every color and flavor, sweet Italian Easter bread, hot cross buns and Peeps. 
Buona Pasqua!

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A Late Easter This Year?

Lent and Easter are exceptionally late this year.
Now, you may ask: compared to what?
Well, the answer is compared to the range of dates that can accommodate Easter under the Easter dating method devised by Pope Gregory XIII and his astronomers and mathematicians.
According to the Gregorian calendar Easter is always one of the 35 dates between March 22 and April 25. The canonical rule is that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the 14th day of the lunar month (the nominal full moon) that falls on or after March 21 (nominally the day of the vernal equinox). So, this year Easter is almost as late as it can be. In 2009, Easter was exceptionally early and pretty much coincided with the first day of spring. Last year, it fell on April 12 -- just about where you might expect it.
One would also expect that this would be a warmer Easter this year -- certainly warmer than 2009.
But I actually remember balmy Easters in March and chilly Easters in April. And there have even been years when it has snowed on Easter Sunday, regardless of the date.
Why is the date of Christmas fixed while the date of Easter changes each year?
That's a question for another time.

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Good Friday And Caravaggio's Deposition

Of all of the great paintings and representations of the events of Good Friday, none is more inspiring, more compelling or more overwhelming than Caravaggio's Deposition From The Cross.
This magnificent painting is part of the Vatican collection.
This masterpiece measures nearly 10 feet by 7 feet and it totally envelopes you with its majesty, poignancy, spirituality and deep sense of humanity.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio did not really portray the Burial or the Deposition in the traditional way, inasmuch as Christ is not shown at the moment when he is laid in the tomb, but rather when, in the presence of the holy women, he is laid by Nicodemus and John on the Anointing Stone, that is the stone with which the sepulchre will be closed. Around the body of Christ are the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, John, Nicodemus and Mary of Cleophas, who raises her arms and eyes to heaven in a gesture of high dramatic tension.
Caravaggio, who arrived in Rome in 1592, was the protagonist of a real artistic revolution regarding the way of treating subjects and the use of color and light, and was certainly the most important personage of the "realist" trend of seventeenth century painting.
If you have never seen this treasured work of art, you owe it to yourself to be in its presence.
I was, and I was transformed by it.

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The Cowboy's Ten Commandments

From the Cross Trails Cowboy Church in Fairlee Texas, here are the Cowboy's Ten Commandments:
(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa. 
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Y'all git all that?
 Lord, keep Your arm around my shoulder and Your hand over my mouth.

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