Missed the first half of the "investigation" because Mrs. Fric and I were watching Lost episodes. What can I say?

What I did see was pure crap. The sane people (those that contend Pope Joan is a lie) pointed to things like no gap in the Papal record and Papal coins with correct dates and dated documents signed by a Pope that should not have been Pope if Joan were true.

The Joan proponents made vague allegations about Papal coverups and distortions and the hatred of and suppression of women. They even tied Joan to the celibacy and the all-male priesthood. Apparently Christ didn't institute these. Joan caused them.

Right.

OK.

Nothing but male bovine excrement.

Tonight on ABC Diane Sawyer will host a special on the infamous and non-existent “Pope Joan”. This so-called Pope was supposed to have lived in the early part of the ninth century during a time when the Church was still united. The story goes that Joan had long disguised herself as a man and entered the priesthood, eventually rising to the Papacy. Her identity was only discovered when she went into labor and gave birth while making her way somewhere (I forget the destination) in Rome. The crowds supposedly killed her on the spot.

Almost as sensational as the Duh Vinci Code, huh?

Too bad it’s not anywhere near the truth.

Too bad for the anti-Catholics that is. As the brief article at World Net Daily points out, the story of Pope Joan didn’t even appear until some 400 years AFTER her supposed Papacy. There have been plenty of books and articles debunking this myth over the years, but it still rears it’s ugly head.

I first encountered it when I was doing research for a paper while studying at Bellarmine College (now Bellarmine University) in Louisville, KY back in the mid 80’s. I went to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to look up some resources they had. Most of the local colleges and universities in Louisville have an agreement about making such resources available to each school’s students. While there I came across an old book containing a listing of the Popes and in it was Pope Joan listed as fact. No mention was made of the controversy surrounding this mythical figure. Being non-Catholic at the time, I had no reason to doubt it.

Now, after doing lots of research and reading about the Church, I realize how much hooey it is. Shame on anyone who presents this either as fact or as something that even COULD be true. It’s been debunked over and over and over. It’s pure and simply anti-Catholic trash put out there as fact or at least as plausible theory.

Those not secure in their faith, those looking for an excuse and those who already dissent from Church teaching will find in this a reason to leave, protest or cry hypocrisy. Those who already hate the Church will point to it as proof of the Church as the Whore of Babylon that lies about its past and makes things up as it goes along.

Some will say that this could simply be an investigation into the myth with the purpose of debunking. However, given that the promotions are treating it as a serious subject whose authenticity could be verified and the MSM’s long history of bias against the Church, I will not hold my breath waiting for that debunking.

However, if I am wrong, I will post here tomorrow my sincere apology.

Somehow I don’t really think it will be necessary though.

Found this over at Jimmy Akin's Blog...

It's a story about a company that takes unconsecrated communion hosts and sells them as SNACK FOOD. They are marketed as hosts/communion wafers and referred to as such in the accompanying article.

The telling quote is this though...

These paper-thin morsels made from flour and water hark back to Quebec's churchgoing days and the sacred rite of receiving holy communion.

But in today's secular Quebec, the wafers and bread are packaged like peanuts and popcorn - and sold as a distinctly profane snack.

Sold as a distinctly profane snack.

Oy...

OK. The snacks are not the Body of Christ. I get that. But as a commenter on Jimmy's site said, "Would you sell wine as Jesus Juice?" I get that it is flour and water. But all this does is help confuse people who are unsure of their beleive in the Real Presence. Few enough beleive as it is. This is a sure path to the erosion of faith in the Eucharist for those (who are weak in their faith or have doubts) that come into regular contact with it, much less eat it.

Just read an article at Christianity Today in their Leadership Journal called Leader's Insight: Mary Moments. It was a pretty good piece on how sometimes God will ask you to do something BIG and TOTALLY outside what you had planned, something that has huge implications for you, others and possibly the world.

I was pretty excited to see the Blessed Mother get mentioned. After all, CT is not a Catholic site. It's run by Protestants. Though it is an excellent resource for a lot of things.

I agree that there are Mary Moments that God calls us to do things. But I think they happen way more than the writer realizes. Mary Moments to me are more embodied by the Miracle at Cana. The Blessed Mother's last recorded words in the Gospels are "Do whatever HE tells you."

That is the Mary Moment that we are all called to live. Each and every day. 24/7/365 with no exceptions. Mary Moments are not just for the big things God calls us to do. Mary Moments are all about our daily struggle to follow Christ and to do His will. That's what the Blessed Mother always does. She shows us the way to her Son and Lord.

OK... Added SiteMeter today so I could finally track the comings and goings and see who sends me visitors and who links me, etc. etc.

So I look a minute ago and see that I had my first visitor. It was someone in Massachusets and they came here from Google.

Cool.

Then I look to see what they Googled.

"Catholic blogs" voice of the faithful

They found a post from June 2004 about Catholic blogs titled "How Do You Like Your Dox... Hetero or Ortho?"

Heh. Since they only visited one page, I can only presume they moved on quickly.

You'd think in MA all they'd have to do is ask practically anyone. From the positive coverage in the press, one would think everyone in MA is already a member.

Maybe they just moved to town?

Who knows. Just thought it was funny.

If you've been following along on the blog (and what troopers THAT would make you!), you've noticed the updated colors and layout recently...

Well, I have finally done more and added several links and blogs to the list on the right. I also plan on adding some more pages that contain links to Catholic documents, topics, articles and a bunch of other stuff.

Hopefully I can shame the other Maniacs into posting here soon. :) Would like to see us hit at least 2 posts a day. Keep an eye out... We will be way more active than the last year or so. More to come on that too.

Later!

Tomorrow is the big day of course and the children are waiting with baited breath.

Which if you think about it is probably one of the reasons those precious gifts from God can be so darn annoying at this time of year. Who want to go around with worm/cricket breath or be around that?

To quote Peter David: But I Digress...

What used to be such a time of joy for me has really become a trial in recent years. I have come to dread and despise the "Holiday Season" in the US. While the secularists and multi-culturalists are busy taking God and especially Christ out of the public life, they are at the same time trying to substitute something else. Outside the holidays it is generally an earth worship thing it seems, while during the holidays, it becomes the god of consumerism.

It's this last one that I hate the most. It makes the time of year we should be reflecting on the coming Holy Day into nothing more than an orgasmic expression of what's in it for me? Sure we go out and buy LOTS of gifts for others, but now we also have the new thing of buying something special for ourselves for some people. We try to out do last year's gifts. We try to be a better giver than last year. We try to overcompensate for the puny gift we gave Aunt Marge with something bigger.

The giving just isn't about charity anymore. Faith, Hope and Love (or charity if you please) are the three great theological virtues. Of these St. Paul tells us that Love (charity) is the greatest and that the other two without it are nothing. We are nothing.

Mrs. Fric and I have resolved to make Christmas different from now on. We aren't sure how we are going to do it or how to transition the children on it, but I do not want to spend another year feeling guilty about participating in the consumerism run amok. We want our family to experience a true Advent season and a true Christmas season. While I believe that Easter is the most important Holy Day, Christmas is right up there. We need to be grateful and remember how awesome it is that God Himself would humble... Nay... Humiliate Himself to become one of US. Only His Divine Love for us is cause for it. We certainly aren't worthy of it. Yet He did it anyway.

Let's all try to remember this every day, but especially this time of year.