All Made Manifest

   In all honesty, I owe the essence of this post to another man's wisdom.  Be sure to visit Dominic Cassella's website:  http://thecatholicdormitory.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/a-gentlemens-manifesto/  Cassella has written many fabulous posts on Church history, morality, and other subjects.  The post and comments which led to this manifesto are here:  http://catholicgentleman.net/2013/11/23/a-catholic-gentlemans-manifesto/


However, here is my revision of the manifesto.

“We as Catholic laymen, expressing faith in the Triune God, loyalty to the Church of Christ, and the Bishop of Rome, resolve:
To live the life of Christ in all things: in obedience and in self-determination, in silence and in speech, in action and inaction, in prayer and in work, in foresight and in execution, in defense and in attack, in gentle and unyielding strength, in spreading the Gospel to all nations, and in suffering all things as He has done before us;
To defend His Bride, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church in all that is Her Doctrine, and to obey in all that is Her discipline;
To foster in our nation, wheresoever it be, a desire for truth, justice, unity, and faith;
To Honor all men as alter Christi;
To Defend all women as the daughters of Mary and Brides of the Holy Spirit;
And To work as Saint Joseph and the community of Saints: grateful to God for our success and responsible to Him for our failures, mindful of our weakness, our imminent death and judgment, yet ever-hopeful in the promise of His redeeming Blood.
Trusting in the Providence of Christ, and the Magnanimity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, We entrust this purpose, this desire to be Catholic Gentlemen of Faith, Integrity, and Honor to God, the Source of all that is Good.”

God be with you all. 

Dogwatches and Cat Tales

  They say that brevity is the soul of both humorous and intelligent wit. Such being the case, I cannot claim to be witty, simply because I talk too much. But pure silence is ineffectual because there's only one result, silence. Verbal fitness, for want of a better phrase, is far more valuable than an amputated tongue; so, I intend to keep the length of these posts short, and their meaning clear. But since this is a changing world, and an obscure epic shares a shelf with a lucid anecdote, do not be surprised if I fall long of this intention.  

  As for dogwatches and cat tales: I have always admired a witty title. It is a summary and an ornament―which further proves that art can both signify and beautify. (Pooh-pooh to you, utilitarians). It is the same with this one. Look up "dogwatch". It will be good for you. It's a nautical term and Catholics are supposed to be nautical people. 

  The cat tale is rather an odd one. I recommend Aelian's On the Nature of Animals to your reading list. While it is neither scientific, nor necessarily accurate, it contains a wealth of myths and morals, cures, superstitions about and descriptions of animal behavior. One of these tales struck me.  

  The lion, when attacking a herd of cattle, will breath on the herd before it takes its solitary victim. The lion's breath signals his ownership of the herd to all other predators. 

  This should ring cathedral-worthy bells to anyone who has read The Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan's breath is a sign of those set apart, chosen for life in the spirit. The king will choose his stewards and call them by name. And while the devil also prowls like a roaring lion―as many a banished upstart will―he shall only devour the persistent strays. He can mark no one out for himself, but must be content with thievery.

  The Lion of Judah dwarfs him in power and stature. No other king shall draw all people under his dominion. No other king could wander so far, yet never stray.  

  After all, he's not a tame Lion.