Longtime Admirer

Today is a hard day for Marion Barry, and for his city.

This morning I wrote a letter to Mr. Barry.

Click HERE if you would like to read it.

Happy Days

God is good to me.

I say this not just because the Geogetown Hoyas are 5-0, having trounced the Mount last night, even more thoroughly than they did a year ago.

I say it not just because He makes the sun rise in the morning and the moon at night.

I say it not just because maybe some day I will be able to go to jail for refusing to let two grooms use our church hall for their “reception.”

(By the by, our old friend had the guts to vote against the madness today).

No. The reason I praise God is that He has brought together two events in my life in such a way that I could never have asked for something so wonderful.

For me, there are two kinds of days on the calendar. There is December 8, and then there are all the other days.

December 8 is the day when the Garden of Eden was restored to the earth, the day when the flower of mankind bloomed again.

I am the happy slave of the Lady conceived on December 8.

For me, the days leading up to December 8 are special holy days of prayer and closeness to the Immaculata.

It just so happens that during the Immaculate Conception Novena this year, Archbishop Wuerl is going to come to my church and renew my consecration as a priest, when he installs me as the parish pastor this Sunday.

I am unworthy of such good timing–to be able to give myself again to the priesthood during the days when I first gave myself to the Blessed Mother as a slave.

May our Lady make good use of me. She is a gentle mistress.

My Man! Plus, a vademecum to come

After a dozing former mayor-for-life woke up, a contentious debate ensued in the D.C. City Council chamber yesterday.

The question under discussion was: Should the District of Columbia recognize the “marriages” of a man with a man and a woman with a woman performed in states that permit this nonsense?

Only one man refused to jump on the “gay rights” bandwagon: Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry.

…Things are not looking good for no-defense Dirk and the Mavs. The Thuggets are dominating them…

…Recently I received this charming note from one of our young people, and I wanted to share it with you:

Dear Father White,

I loved the retreat. You helped out in so many different ways. I learned so much that I can’t remember it all.

Thank you!!

…This morning, the sports world is abuzz with the news that Brett Favre just might come out of retirement (again) to play for the Minnesota Vikings!

It is pretty clear that the man is petty. He would like to stick it in the Green Bay Packers’ eye. That would be the one motivator for his return to the rigors of professional football.

There has been general tsk-tsking over this. ‘He can’t be allowed to come back just to satisfy a personal vendetta. He would have to show full commitment to the team!’ etc.

Let’s take a step back from this.

Please do not moralize at me over football. Football is not a religion that requires ritual purity. Football is a game.

When the Lord said, “Forgive your enemies,” He was not talking about during a football game. Games are FOR vendettas. Games are for score-settling. You are supposed to want to kick your opponents butt, and it makes it more fun when it is personal.

This is my humble sports-blogger position: There is only one thing that would keep me from mocking Brett Favre for coming back from retirement yet again. That would be if he came back to settle the score with the Packers. (Who never did him any real wrong, by the way.) The pettiness and bitterness of sports is what makes them fun. Save the moralizing for serious things.

…Circumstances have arisen which have moved me to prepare a brief synthesis of facts regarding marriage. Hopefully this synthesis will serve to put at rest the minds of well-meaning people who do not want to be on the wrong side of the ‘struggle for civil rights.’

Barring any technical difficulties, I will publish the little vademecum in a few hours…