Friday, November 30, 2007

Tasteless joke alert!!!

If you've seen this and seen this lady's response to it along the lines of
you could probably teach a cat to bark, L. Cat's are sooooooooo smart. I bet you couldn't teach a dog to miow.

Teaching a dog to miaow is easy. Take your dog. Tie him to the back of your Ferrari or other high speed vehicle and then hit the accelerator - Miiiaaaaoooowww!

Teaching a cat to go "woof" is a little more difficult. Take your cat. Tie him/her/it up. Pour lighter fluid all over and then apply a lighted match. Result: Woof!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Summorum Pontificum

Well we got our long awaited motu proprio which gives us very wide scope for TLMs at the drop of a hat. Or maybe not ... Various Irish Dioceses seem to be adopting a cautious wait and see approach. Some are trying to introduce restrictive regulations, like Cloyne but as ever there is a solution. If you have asked (respectfully and charitably) and you have been refused, you can always appeal to Rome. Damian Thompson of the Daily Torygraph's Holy Smoke blog recommends writing "in measured language". The inimitable Fr Z (spelled ZED but pronounce ZEE, go figure) goes a little further. He gives the following summary of his own excellent advice: "Be brief, send evidence, leave out the obvious, don’t vent". He also gives an address
His Eminence
Dario Card. Castrillon Hoyos
President of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei"
Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio
00120 VATICAN CITY


So remember, just because you're (justifiably) angry or miffed or whatever, prudence, temperance and charity are still obligatory. Think carefully about what you need to say and follow Fr Zuhldorf's advice.