Picture/news item of the day XXVIII

After this, my picture/news item feature should be caught up.  I found this article while perusing CatholicOnline:  Worth More Than Money: Vatican Blocks 'Deconsecration' of Historic Catholic Church

Which reminded me of one of my all-time favorite BadCatholic posts:  In Defense of Covering Catholic Churches With All Sorts of Gold

I just really love beautiful (in the objective sense) churches.  We have lots of customers that come into our store, look at crucifixes, and I overhear them say, "Let's look at one that doesn't have gold on it.  Jesus was simpler than that."  Well, yes, but...you're missing the point!  The paradox of our store is that there's a whole wall covered in crucifixes--a man battered and nailed to a tree, naked, shameful--and yet people walk in and say, "Oh, what a beautiful store!"  The crucifix is a beautiful thing.  Adornment of that beautiful thing, as long as it still brings attention to our Lord, is proper. 

Picture/news item of the day XXVII

We have this statue of St. Michael at work.  It struck me recently.  Most of these images have satan face down, with St. Mike's foot on his head.  This one, interestingly enough, has him face up, with St. Mike crushing his fertility.  Not that satan is physical of course, but I thought it was interesting that the good is depicted as having the ability to crush the creative powers of evil, or that evil is not productive at all, only God, who is Love, is life-giving.  Cool, huh?

 I thought this was a really neat story covered by the National Catholic Register.  Good stuff!

Olympic Figure-Skating Star Hailed as Example for Catholics

Song recommendation of the day XXXIII

I just realized I'd let my "news item" feature slide by the wayside, and I need to catch up with it, but I've been kicking my music back old school a little bit lately, and just had to share a song I had on repeat today.