Points to Ponder:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart: they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake:

Be glad and rejoice for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing anymore but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men.

You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house.

So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. [Matthew v,3-16]

Points to Ponder:

We must love the popes ... their counsels and even their wishes must be a command to us. My sons, regard as enemies of the faith those who belittle the pope's authority or who try to minimize the obedience and respect due to his teachings and directives. [St. John Bosco]

On the War:

Contrary to appearances in recent days (or weeks) I do have very strong views on the war. The problem perhaps is that I am not about to delude anyone - be it the readers or myself - that I can cover this subject as thoroughly as would do it justice. Therefore, I will send you the reader to where I go for quick and well-detailed/thought out war coverage

Lane Core Jr's BLOG from the Core

If you read everything since April 4th or so you will be well caught up. (Too much good information/commntary to pinpoint any one particular post or two.)

Bill Cork's Pro Deo et Patria BLOG

Basically Costello to Lane's Abbot, Hammerstein to Lane's Rogers, Jagger to Lane's Richards ... I think you get the idea. Bill really went full tilt on the war subject for a couple of weeks and has now taken a few day sabbatical. This will give you the reader the opportunity to read and digest his offerings from April 4th to the present - even more if you dig into his archives.

And George Harrison to Lane and Bill's Lennon/McCartney, Ed King to Lane and Bill's Allen Collins and Gary Rossington, Chico to Lane and Bill's Groucho and Harpo from the Catholic perspective would be John "Irish Chico" Betts' whose blog can be read here.

I would mention the JunkYard BLOG too but I plan to have a JYB department update soon and do not want to give the reader too much to look at at once.

While there are other sources I utilize, those listed above and JYB are my main blogs for war coverage information. So while I may comment on a stray point or so, my views on the war are at least from a macro aspect akin to the majority of those which Lane, Bill, John, and JYB put out.

Points to Ponder:

How can history, that is, words and deeds which are dead and gone, act as an effectual living decider of quarrels between living men? [Ven. John H. Newman (c. 1878)]

A good article on Newman and True Ecumenism can be read HERE.

Via the Mighty Barrister is the news a few days late (on my part) of the Vatican's New Lexicon of terms. Apparently certain predictable so-called "progressives" are not happy with some of its terms. See the Barrister's comments HERE for details.

Pope John Paul II will be releasing the encyclical letter on the Holy Eucharist that has been mentioned in the past year. The day and place he has chosen he has chosen to sign the encyclical: on Holy Thursday during the Mass of the Lord's Last Supper.

Did I mention that PFC Jessica Lynch deserves a medal of valor???

Mark Cameron deals well with the misunderstandings of CAItanic on the conversion of the Jews as Catholic Tradition has ever understood this to mean in the following links - courtesy of our friend John Pacheco's Catholic Legate apostolate:

The Fathers and the Return of the Jews (Part I)

The Fathers and the Return of the Jews (Part II)

The Fathers and the Return of the Jews (Part III)

My only criticism would be Mark's apparent belief that CAItanic handled the Dr. Scott Hahn subject "brilliantly". But in light of the tremendous service that Mark did in the above series, that is a minor bagatelle really.

"Rerum Novarum Has Finally Arrived" Dept.

We are part of a drinking game and that is the surest sign my friends ;-)

My good friend F. John Loughnan posted some excerpts from the mid twentieth century book on the liturgy Christian Life and Worship HERE. Self-styled "traditionalists" be warned: this will not make you comfortable...

Points to Ponder:

We must be convinced that Christianity can never accomplish its mission in the world unless it is catholic; that is, universal, not only in principle but also in actual fact. If one cannot be Catholic unless he gives up his own liturgy, hierarchy, patristic traditions, history, hymnography, art, language, culture, and spiritual heritage, and adopts the rites, philosophical and theological thought, religious poetry, liturgical language, culture, and spirituality of a particular group, be it the best, then the Church is not a great gift of God to the whole world but a faction, however numerous, and a human institution subservient to the interests of one group. Such a Church could not be the true Church of Christ. [Melkite Patriarch Maximos IV Saigh, Cardinal of the Roman Church]