A lovely little YouTube clip from a 50s show called "What's My Line". The blind-folded contestants try to guess the identity of a mystery celebrity, who is none other than our beloved Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. Note the lady at the end who genuflects and kisses the ring. How times have changed!

Today was a momentous day for Our Lordship. I actually decided to care about politics again. Yes, yes, I know; civic responsibility and all that, but to be honest, after the failure of the Ron Paul Revolution, I had such a hard time giving a damn for either Senator McCain or Obama that I was tempted to not vote.

Then came along this lady, the governor of that backwater state we call Alaska. When Senator McCain announced Governor Sarah Palin as his pick for Vice President, I saw she was cute, so I had to look her up. Well, I don't think I need to enumerate all the details for why I like her (maybe in another article), but the main reason is, of course, her solid pro-life stances (see this article for more info). She's led by personal example by having five children, including most recently a child with Down's syndrome that she chose not to abort. Other other things of note, she has a reputation for fighting corruption (like Harvey Dent, though hopefully without the Two-Face persona), she's a lifetime member of the NRA, has a son who's being deployed to Iraq next month, is young like Senator Obama, is female like Senator Clinton, and is even a former beauty pageant contestant. What's not to like?

And furthermore, on the question of experience: granted that Alaska is really like the Tatooine of America, Gov. Palin still has more experience in the executive branch of government than all the other three candidates combined. Though the Senate is on the national level, it's part of the legislative branch of government. Only Palin has the experience of being the actual head of government, enforcing the laws and taking the heat when the feces hit the ventilator.


I'm taking care of my voter's registration as soon as possible now. I'm indifferent no longer. I'm now.... excited.

Ladies and gentlemen, I've started school for another semester, survived the first week (cruised by it, actually, despite having 18 credit hours worth), and got into some semblance of a routine.

With this momentous occasion, I believe I'll actually start posting on a somewhat regular basis again. And if you don't believe I'm actually alive, here's a recent picture as proof:

I just found my baptism pictures after they've been lost for the longest time. Father Phillips, if you're reading, you should remember these!


I was baptized and confirmed at 11am on Christmas Eve, 2005, when I was 18, in my senior year of high school, after believing in Christ as a Catholic for about two years prior. It was a private ceremony with only my priest, my deacon, my godfather (who's my stepdad), and Joseph taking the pictures. The baptistery was being remodeled, so in the mean time, we had to do it in a corner of the church. It was on the gospel side of the church, between the altar rail and the crystal-goblet pulpit.

Two of the pics are without flash, so they're pretty ugly and I had to touch them up. But anyway....







And that's me and my godfather, after the ceremony.



The rite of Baptism from the Book of Divine Worship, which was used in my ceremony:

The Minister of Baptism is vested in alb and white stole, or surplice and white stole. He may wear a cope.

The Minister says to the Godparents:

Hath this Child (Person) been already baptized, or no?

If they answer, No: then shall the Minister proceed as followeth.

Dearly beloved, forasmuch as our Savior Christ saith, None can
enter into the kingdom of God, except he be regenerate and
born anew of Water and of the Holy Ghost; I beseech you to call
upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that of his
bounteous mercy he will grant to this Child (this Person) that
which by nature he cannot have; that he may be baptized with
Water and the Holy Ghost, and received into Christ’s holy
Church and be made a living member of the same.

Then shall the Minister say,

Let us pray.

Almighty and immortal God, the aid of all who need, the helper
of all who flee to thee for succor, the life of those who believe,
and the resurrection of the dead; We call upon thee for this Child
(this thy Servant), that he coming to thy holy Baptism, may
receive remission of sin, by spiritual regeneration. Receive him,
O Lord, as thou hast promised by thy well-beloved Son, saying,
Ask, and ye shall have; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you. So give now unto us who ask; let us
who seek, find; open the gate unto us who knock; that this Child
(this thy Servant) may enjoy the everlasting benediction of thy
heavenly washing, and may come to the eternal kingdom which
thou hast promised by Christ our Lord. Amen.

When Baptism takes place at Mass, it follows the Homily and the following Gospel
reading is omitted.

Hear the words of the Gospel, written by Saint Mark, in the
tenth Chapter, at the thirteenth Verse.
They brought young children to Christ, that he should touch
them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But
when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said, Suff er the
little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such
is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall
not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not
enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands
upon them, and blessed them.

Or this:

Hear the words of the Gospel, written by Saint John, in the
third Chapter, at the first Verse.
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of
the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him,
Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no
man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with
him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when
he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb,
and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not
that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst
not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one
that is born of the Spirit.

For Adults

When the Office is used for Adults, the Minister shall address them on this wise, the
Persons to be baptized answering the questions for themselves.

Well-beloved, you have come hither desiring to receive holy
Baptism. We have prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ would
vouchsafe to receive you, to release you from sin, to sanctify you
with the holy Ghost, to give you the kingdom of heaven, and
everlasting life.

Dost thou renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp
and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same,
and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that thou wilt not follow,
nor be led by them?

Answer I renounce them all; and, by God’s help, will endeavor
not to follow, nor be led by them.

Minister Dost thou believe in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the
living God?

Answer I do.

Minister Dost thou accept him, and desire to follow him as thy
Savior and Lord?

Answer I do.

Minister Dost thou believe all the Articles of the Christian
Faith, as contained in the Apostles’ Creed?

Answer I do.

Minister Wilt thou be baptized in this Faith?

Answer That is my desire.

Minister Wilt thou then obediently keep God’s holy will and
commandments, and walk in the same all the days of
thy life?

Answer I will, by God’s help.

Then shall the Minister say,

O merciful God, grant that like as Christ died and rose again, so
this Child (this thy Servant) may die to sin and rise to newness of
life. Amen.

Grant that all sinful affections may die in him, and that all things
belonging to the Spirit may live and grow in him. Amen.

Grant that he may have power and strength to have victory, and
to triumph, against the devil, the world, and the flesh. Amen.

Grant that whosoever is here dedicated to thee by our office and
ministry, may also be endued with heavenly virtues, and
everlastingly rewarded, through thy mercy, O blessed Lord God,
who dost live, and govern all things, world without end. Amen.

Minister The Lord be with you,
Answer And with thy spirit.
Minister Lift up your hearts.
Answer We lift them up unto the Lord.
Minister Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.
Answer It is meet and right so to do.

Then the Minister shall say,

It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should give
thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting
God, for that thy dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ, for the
forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of his most precious side
both water and blood; and gave commandment to his disciples,
that they should go teach all nations, and baptize them In the
Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Regard, we beseech thee, the supplications of thy congregation;
sanctify this water to the mystical washing away of sin; and
grant that this Child (this thy Servant), now to be baptized
therein, may receive the fullness of thy grace, and ever remain in
the number of thy faithful children; through the same Jesus
Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and evermore. Amen.

Then the Minister shall take the Child into his arms, and shall say to the Godfathers
and Godmothers,

Name this Child.

And then, naming the Child after them, he shall dip him in the Water discretely, or
shall pour Water upon him, saying,

N., I baptize thee in the Name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

But Note. That if the Person to be baptized be an Adult, the Minister shall take him
by the hand, and shall ask the Witnesses the Name; and then shall dip him in the
Water, or pour Water upon him, using the same form of words.

Then the Minister shall say,

We receive this Child (Person) into the congregation of Christ’s
flock; and do

Here the Minister shall make a Cross upon the Child’s (or Person’s) forehead.

sign him with the sign of the Cross, in token that hereafter he
shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and
manfully to fight under his banner, against sin, the world, and
the devil; and to continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant
unto his life’s end. Amen.

Then shall the Minister anoint the baptized on the crown of the head saying,

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
regenerated thee by Water and the Holy Ghost, and hath given
unto thee remission of all thy sins, vouchsafe to anoint thee
with the Unction of his Holy Spirit, and bring thee to the
inheritance of everlasting life. Amen.

Then shall the Minister say,

Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this Child (this Person)
is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ’s Church, let
us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits; and with
one accord make our prayers unto him, that this Child (this
Person) may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning.

Then shall be said,

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed by thy Name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Then shall the Minister say:

We yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath
pleased thee to regenerate this Child (this thy Servant) with thy
Holy Spirit, to receive him for thine own Child, and to
incorporate him into thy holy Church. And humbly we beseech
thee to grant, that he, being dead unto sin, may live unto
righteousness, and being buried with Christ in his death, may
also be partaker of his resurrection; so that finally, with the
residue of thy holy Church, he may be an inheritor of thine
everlasting kingdom; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then the Minister shall add:

The Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of
whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named; Grant
you to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner
man; that, Christ dwelling in your hearts by faith, ye may be
filled with all the fullness of God. Amen.

I was called by someone/something with an 11-digit phone number just now. Weird.

I very recently saw The Dark Knight in theaters, and I was just blown away. My mind.... officially blown.

There are a million and one reviews out there on the Interwebs, so I don't feel a need to write another one here. But I do want to write out a thought that came to me at the end of the movie. The following is a spoiler, so don't read if you haven't yet seen it.


As I left the theater, I was disappointed at first about how Harvey Dent was given a hero's funeral and Batman took the blame for his sins. It seemed contrary to Dent's, Batman's, and Commissioner Gordon's sense of justice that such a killing spree, although short-lived, would be covered up by them. But when you think about it for a while, what Batman did at the end was very Christian.

In the New Testament, Christ achieved atonement for the sins of mankind by taking them upon Himself; that is, by becoming the sacrificial scapegoat, offering His life in place of ours. The Old Testament's Book of Isaiah uses this language to describe the Messias:

Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed. (Isaias 53:3-5)

In The Dark Knight, as Commissioner Gordon and the Batman looked over Harvey's dead body, Gordon said, "We'll have to hunt you." Gordon, as head of the Gotham police, represents the mob. The mob, of course, always needs a victim to be satisfied. In the gospel, the mob mentality is clearly illustrated by how the mob outside Pilate's mansion chose between Barabbas and Christ. Of course, though it appeared to them that Christ was nothing more than a beaten criminal, it was He who allowed Himself to be chosen as a victim, in place of true criminals like Barabbas.

In the same way, Batman responded to Gordon saying, "You'll hunt me. You'll condemn me, you'll set the dogs on me. But that's what has to happen."And by doing that, Batman sacrificed his reputation and honor in order for Gotham to have its hero, its "white knight" in shining armor, Harvey Dent.


With that said, it doesn't matter whether Dent deserved to have a hero's funeral or not. But now, I believe he did. Harvey is probably the most tragic character of the film. He was a victim of the Joker's little game to try to prove that he could bring anyone down to his level of madness. Though his body half-way survived the explosion, his mind did not. Harvey was my favorite character in this movie. Perhaps it's because he represents what I want to be in the future: a District Attorney who receives death threats daily thanks to his crusade against crime.


And finally, though it should be obvious, the Joker represents Satan. One of the theological questions I asked as a kid was, "why is Satan still fighting against God when he knows he's going to lose in the end and be cast into the lake of fire?" Regarding the Joker, Bruce asked Alfred why the Joker did what he does, and Alfred replied with a story about a rebel he pursued in Burma a long time ago, who stole jewels but just threw them away. At the end, Alfred said, "Because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." And of course, that's really all that Satan's motive is now for being the devil. You can't bribe him with repentance and salvation. He just wants to watch the world burn by taking as many people to hell with him as he can.

Lord James is back in town, and open for business.