Mark P. Shea's Blog, page 1290

Jeff Hendrix, RIP

Several folks have written me to say that Jeff, for whom we have all been praying, died this morning.  May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  And may his grieving wife, children, and friends find grace, strength, consolation and peace  through Christ our Lord.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Charisms Don't Make You a Saint

In which we noodle the distinction between charismatic gifts and sanctifying gifts of the Holy Spirit--and discover what the New Testament does and does not mean by "fruits of the Spirit."

On a related note, here's a little piece I wrote on Prophets and Priests--and how our Tradition wisely relies more on the latter than the former in its day to day life.

And that's it for today. Still got a pile of work!

If only there were some way to trim the budget

Meet the New Boss, Suckers
HT: Caelum et Terra

Any resemblance to current ecclesial events

is purely coincidental.

Urgent Prayer Request

A reader writes:

Could you post a prayer request this night? The daughter of the best friend of my sister-in-law is struggling to survive. She was born with a heart problem, and is now 18 years old. She had to undergo surgery a couple nights ago. While it looked promising at first, things have taken a downward turn. Her heart stopped earlier today, but they were able to revive her. Right now she is hooked up to machines keeping her alive. It could come down to a heart transplant, but they have to get her stable. Her name is Rachel. Her parents and family and friends are all praying and obviously in need of their own prayers. If you could pass this along it would be appreciated. Thanks!

Father, hear our prayer for this young woman that she would be granted a miracle of healing through the intercession of St. Jude, St. Rita, St. Luke and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Give skill to her caregivers and grace, strength, peace and consolation to all who love her. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Still swamped...

And I'm heading up to Edmonton, AB this Thursday for this:

June 30-July 2 Familiaris Consortio Conference, Lac Sainte Anne, Edmonton, Alberta. Topic: Family as Icon of the Trinity, 101 Reasons Not to Be Catholic, and Friendship Evangelism. Contact: Maurice Beier

So I'm under the gun to get a lot of work done. Consequently, little or no blogging this week.

Beans, Noses. You know the drill.

Everything is Fine in America

"Paul Allen, 55, a former mortgage CEO who defrauded lenders of over $3 billion... got... a 40-month prison sentence," reports Abby Zimet, while "Roy Brown, 54, a hungry homeless man who robbed a Louisiana bank of $100 - the teller gave him more but he handed the rest back [- and who] felt bad the next day and surrendered to police... got 15 years" — Justice In America: A Tale Of Two Crimes.

HT: Western Confucian

Looking for work?

Handy with a blue pencil? Ascension Press is looking for an editorial director.

Max Lindenman...

...cracks me up. The dude can write.

Between the 40s and today

it is as though, not decades, but centuries have intervened (warning, a little crude language):