Abbey-Roads2

I read with joy that the Holy Father’s cause is progressing well. He was like a shooting star, having reigned for only a month. He humbly combined his predecessor’s names to become the first pope in history with a double name. By this act he demonstrated to the world and the Church that the Vatican Council was indeed an authentic council and the papacy would continue the reforms initiated there. John Paul II proved likewise.

Such a short reign, marked by extraordinary humility and charity - you see this in his face. Pray for us John Paul I as we prepare for the anniversary of your death, pray for unity within the Church. (JPI’s anniversary of death is September 28 - he died in 1978.)

Here is the article:

“Rome, Sep. 25 (CWNews.com) - The diocesan investigation into the cause for beatification of Pope John Paul I is nearing its conclusion, 28 years after the death of “the smiling Pope.”

Thursday, September 28 will mark the anniversary of the sudden death of Pope John Paul I, who had succeeded Pope Paul VI just 33 days earlier. According to an official responsible for the cause, the diocesan inquiry will come to an end within a few more weeks.

Ordinarily, the local investigation of a cause for beatification begins in the diocese where the candidate died. But in this case, for a variety of reasons– including the fact that Pope John Paul I had spent so little time as Bishop of Rome– the inquiry was begun in the Belluno diocese, where Albino Luciani was born in 1912. According to Msgr. Giorgio Lise, a vice-postulator for the cause, the diocesan inquiry is likely to conclude by the feast of St. Martin, the patron of the Belluno diocese, on November 11.” [snip] continued

Liza Minnelli - LOL!

I don’t believe there has been anyone more amusing since Tammy Faye Baker.

The judge in the civil case brought against Liza by her soon to be ex-husband David Gest, with his claims of spousal abuse - naming Minnelli as the perpetrator, has now ruled in Liza’s favor. He threw the case out. The divorce may now proceed.

Michael Jackson introduced the two, and he and Elizabeth Taylor were maids of honor at their wedding. It so should be made into a movie or something.

Go here if you’re at all interested.

Monk and mystic - friend of animals.

My favorite saint from the Russian calendar. He founded, if my memory serves me, the famous Monastery of the Holy Trinity near Moscow, along with a couple of others as well. He had frequent apparitions of the Mother of God, lived the ascetic life most perfectly, and had the animals of the forest, including bears, eating out of his hands. He is like the St. Francis of the Russian Orthodox Church. September 25 is his feast day. He died in 1392.

Viit here for details on his life.

I thought of that quote from Reagan after reading about Mel Gibson’s criticism of the war in Iraq. A war no one wants, or likes, but is connected to the war on terrorism, just as much as the war against Nazi Germany and Japan were connected in the mid 20th century.

I find it curious that Mel is so vocal about the “human sacrifice” our Country is committing by sending our young men to fight in Iraq, and connecting that to the Mayan cult of human sacrifice. This country has been committing human sacrifice for decades with the legalization of abortion. Gibson knows that. I did not see it mentioned in the news reports I read of him promoting this new movie of his, nor in his calling for a new movie against the war.

One just cannot help but wonder, now that Disney will release his film, “Apocalypto,” if Mel isn’t doing some PR work on his own to overcome the scandal in a teapot he created with his drunken remarks about Jews a few months back. Hollywood is overwhelmingly against Bush and the war, is he playing into their hands looking for reconciliation? Or is he just promoting his film? Here is a snip of the article concerning his latest statements:

“LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mel Gibson has returned to the spotlight to promote his upcoming movie “Apocalypto,” and to criticize the war in Iraq, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Almost two months after he railed against Jews when he was arrested for driving drunk in Malibu, the actor made a surprise appearance Friday at Fantastic Fest, an event in Austin, Texas, devoted to new science fiction, horror and fantasy films, the trade paper said in its Monday edition.

He presented a work-in-progress screening of his Mayan adventure tale, and then took questions. About one-third of the full house gathered for the film gave him a standing ovation. The film is scheduled for a December 8 release via Disney.

In describing its portrait of a civilization in decline, Gibson said, “The precursors to a civilization that’s going under are the same, time and time again,” drawing parallels between the Mayan civilization on the brink of collapse and America’s present situation. “What’s human sacrifice,” he asked, “if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?”" [snip]

Never trust Hollywood. Perhaps one other sign of our decline is that the public is so willing to esteem the opinion of entertainers over those more qualified voices who have long warned of ‘the death of the West’. It should be obvious to every thinking person that our civilization has been in decline for quite some time, since the legalization of abortion, to be sure. The war is less a sign of the decline as it is an effort to salvage, and maybe protect what is left. The signs of our decline are manifold; first and foremost is the acceptance and promotion of infanticide/abortion, child pornography, along with the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, our open-ended consideration of euthanasia, rape, murder, drug and alcohol abuse, prescription drugs for the depression epidemic in our country, divorce, illegitimate children, domestic abuse, homosexuality, and so on. The list is a long one. Not to mention the trash that comes out of Hollywood - some of it Gibson’s.

Katherine Hepburn said it best when in an interview, after being asked what she thought of the Hollywood film community, “Pigs. They are all pigs.”