Tradicat

 + JMJ

 + JMJ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday

 + JMJ  I was sent a link to this on YouTube and thought it would be useful advice for grappling with the challenges of this life.     P^3          

 + JMJ I've 'bumped' into my share of Internet Trolls over the years and came across one YouTube video that made an excellent point. A female TV meteorologist posted a video on Trolls and said something that struck me. It turned out that one Troll she encountered had some developmental issues and came across as a Troll, but when the Troll started getting Trolled it was devastating. Thinking back, while some of the Trolls I encountered just had issues with language, I had never considered the simple fact that Trolls are people too. This makes it more difficult to deal with them. Unless of course the Troll is an AI ChatBot! P^3      

 + JMJ  The Harvard Business Review sent me this teaser article on LinkedIn and I think it is timely for a Lenten article. Surprise, the time has arrived when we can be addicted to an inanimate object ... the Smart Phone. Some might call it the Idiot Phone as parents of old used to call the Television. I think they may have been on  to something. So ... I think it is important to understand that the Smart Phone, like the internet and web-pages have links and we know what links are and even you don't click them they still cause distractions that ... like it or not ... suck up your bandwidth.   Flip though pages and click or 'shorts' to relax and you'll find yourself more drained than when you started. So give your soul and your brain a rest.  Set down you cell phone and get to know your family and friends. I'm sure their nice. P^3

 + JMJ The Truth is the reason for this blog, but having an engineering background I am curious about stats.  What follows are some of the stats and my thoughts / interpretations.  First we have the general stats such as number of followers (ie 1), posts (1967) and comments. How do I interpret these headline stats. Well, only one person finds my 'content' sufficiently interesting to actively follow the blog.   In the 10+ years since inception, I have posted 1967 articles - some original some just things I found of interest.  There have been 431 comments.  After I implemented screening, this slowed down to 1 comment every few years.  This doesn't bother me in the least since it took time to screen the comments for spam and comments inappropriate for a religious themed blog.  The 'big' number is over 600k views - which is about 60k per year.  Nothing compared to some, but I find it interesting.         The graph below s...

 + JMJ    I am still quite busy with other projects and responsibilities, so for now I'll put up an image from the past ... the test pattern. Wiki (link below) has a sample of other olders ones, but this is the one I saw as a kid on CBC.   P^3 Source: Wikipedia

 + JMJ In my opinion, for all his faults, with Summorum Pontificum (link) and Universae Ecclesiae (link) Benedict XVI, did more for the Church than any other post-conciliar pontiff.  Even as Pope Francis attempts to undo this work, we Catholics have a duty and obligation to pray that Benedict has a good death and for his salvation. P^3    Source: BBC News (and others)  Other references https://aleteia.org/2022/12/28/vatican-spokesman-benedicts-condition-has-worsened-in-last-few-hours/     By Paul Kirby BBC News Pope Francis has said former Pope Benedict XVI is very ill and he has asked pilgrims at the Vatican to pray for him. Benedict, 95, became the first leader of the Catholic Church to stand down in 600 years in 2013, citing advanced age. At the end of the Pope's final audience of the year, he asked people to "pray a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict". The Vatican then said the ex-Pope's health had worsened in recent hours. "The situation...

 + JMJ     Wishing you a Merry (or Happy) Christmas and a Happy and Holy New Year! P^3 P.S. I'll be on a blogging holiday for a while!

 + JMJ      By Jcart1534 - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7540462   Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919,[1] the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. In most countries, Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of First World War hostilities. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. ("At the 11th hour" refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.) The First World War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of ...

 + JMJ  Having conversations with people in a key social skill. As a Catholic speaking with others, how you present yourself and Catholicism matters. I love the fact that the presenter highlights "dogmatism" in discussions and the difference between fact and opinion. P^3    

 + JMJ    Photo by Michael Foran, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11785530 Do you remember where you were when you learned of the attacks on Sept 11, 2001?  I was in a training course when the organizer popped his head into the room to let us know.  We carried on with the training and yet knew that something significant had occurred. I remember my mother reminiscing about the assassination of President Kennedy.  In a similar way, I remember the Terrorist attacks.  I've read of people who go to great lengths to explain away the attacks as being the work of the US Government.  Every theory that I've read or watch was a simply garbage reasoning by people who either lacked the ability to think through the facts and gaps of information ... or should have been able to but didn't. This galvanized me in delving into critical thinking because if you can't think rationally, then you can be manipulated.   So - keep prayin...

 + JMJ   Just a short note to celebrate 10 years since the inauguration of this blog.  I started this blog after about a year of arguing with 'Resistors', being banned and realizing that my work would quickly get lost. So ... I started blogging and periodically cross-posting my articles on forums. All in all it has been a great experience and an outlet to work through issues that are important to me and I hope other Catholics. P^3  

 + JMJ ***  Updated August 20, 2022 *** Since I turned off 'anonymous comments' the comm box has been quiet. No spam (periodically the blog gets targeted) and no unhinged comments.  It is sad that I needed to resort to this action as there are many good people who read, some of whom comment this blog. I invite good discussions and I may setup an email address. *** End Note ***  So ... an unhinged poster (maybe more than one) has been filling the comment box with drivel and not taken a hint that I: Will not follow them down rabbit holes,  want cogent rationally set out arguments, don't take kindly to name calling. In addition, I can't tell if there is one or more posters.  So ... As a result of the below rants, I am making changes to the blog settings.  Anonymous posting will be disabled.    If you want to post, then be brave and get a google account.  I have also taken the time to delete the offending / useless posts. P^3 +++ ...

 + JMJ  As noted some time ago, I've been through an intense period with working two jobs in the regular work week, and preparing for SLE (link) exams.  I have finally completed all three exams (Reading Comprehension, Written Expression and Oral) and presently am waiting for the results from the last two.   With God's grace, I hope that I succeeded in getting the levels I need for my new position.  These tests are, suffice to say, stressful. Not as stressful as the GMAT, but still the process of studying is incredibly humiliating. As is my wont, I have made a number of promises for Masses for help in getting my certs to the Souls in Purgatory.  To this I was inspired  by his possession of the gift of tongues to add Masses in Thanksgiving to St. Francis Xavier ... and three (3) articles posted here on Tradicat.  I have started to do research and look to have the published in the near future. My pandemic role is winding down, so I have hopes o...

 + JMJ  A short note for the visitors to this blog. Time continues to be a scarce commodity as I continue to have responsibilities for my Mother and need to study for a job-related language certification. So ... it will be some time before I can published articles at the same rate as last year. In your generosity, please pray that I pass my tests and achieve the needed certification levels! P^3  

 + JMJ NTS: This is a first draft that I am posting so I can see the errors and fix them later. I will remove this noticed after a week or so.  P^3    NTS Oct 15, 2022: Well it has been months since I posted this article and I finally reviewed and polished it up a bit :-). I will reblog on Oct 17, 2022  P^3 By Royal Canadian Mint (via Wikpedia), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35281220 Intro Decades ago I was introduced to a financial manager and agreed to sit down and look at my finances. We met in my one bedroom apartment and his first question was:  "How are you managing your debt?" My answer caught him by surprised: "Aggressively!!!" He was so impressed by this response that he passed it on to your colleagues back at the office. He then asked if I had a budget and I produced a Hilroy 20.3 x 12.7cm accounting ledger and we went through my budget. He noticed that my budget came up in the red and I explained that I was paid weekly and ...

 + JMJ     Church of the Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem. Lithograph by Louis Haghe from an original by David Roberts      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/The_Holy_Sepulchre_by_Louis_Haghe.jpg

 + JMJ  I just learned of a diocesan priest who is in a crisis. He has already made some bad decisions and is need of prayers, and Holy Week is a time of great grace. Priests leaving the priesthood is not a new phenomenon, it was happening before the Second Vatican council and continued post-Council.  What is new is the heights of systemic attrition from the religious life on the part of priests, monks, brothers and nuns.  It even happens in the SSPX.  Some priests go into monasteries, others leave to join an Ecclesia Dei congregation or a diocese. Others join the 'resistance' and sedevacantists. These remain faithful to their call and ordination. There there's another group. Those that abandon their vocation. This is not unique to priests, but I would wager it is a heavier cost for the Church than the thousands of brothers, monks, sisters and nuns who are unfaithful to their vows. In this group we find those who lose the faith in toto, join the protestants or o...

 + JMJ  This seemed worthy of a  quick note given the detractions made against Pope Pius XII.  P^3  Courtesy of FSSPX.News Pius XII and the Jews: The Archives Reveal Their Secrets February 10, 2022 Source: fsspx.news Pope Pius XII personally saved more than 15,000 Jews during the Second World War. This is the latest finding of the in-depth study carried out by a German historian on unpublished documents from the Vatican archives, inaccessible until recently. The black legend of a silent and complicit pope has definitely had its day. The chief archivist of the Bundestag (German parliament), Michael Feldkamp, ​​spent part of his life trying to gain some clarity about the attitude of the Catholic Church towards the Jews during the Second World War, making him a recognized expert in the field. Having recently gained access to unpublished docu...