The Dog Ate My Homework

"Bad blogger... baaad blogger!"

I am told, by those who know these things, that the cardinal sin of blogging is to deviate from one's regular routine of posting; such that a longer-than-normal gap between posts may create the impression that the blogger has abandoned his blog altogether.

I haven't.  I've just been too bloody busy.  I have about three half-written posts which - by now - are no longer timely.  I refuse to post stuff that I don't think anyone would read, if in fact anyone is reading this page at all, and so they have been deleted.  But I had a few moments after dinner on St. Patrick's Day and decided to share a few thoughts (lucky you!)

Anyway, I did resolve to eschew posting on politics and so forth during Lent, so this is not a post about political matters.  But if you are the type of person to read The Archlaic's blog you will probably find these links interesting:

• Why does the Census need to know my "race"?  And why is - to name one - "Pakistani" a "race"?  Mark Krikorian has an interesting suggestion for action on National Review Online.  "Ich bein ein American!"
• What is one to do if the Democrats in Congress succeed in "passing" the present "Health Care Reform" bill via extra-legislative tricks of dubious constitutionality?  Should one refuse to comply?  Quite a few people think so, and some of them have started a Facebook page.

OK, enough civil disobedience for now.  How about a few comments on the MSM?

• In the past week there have been headlines all over the world: "Pope Linked to Sex Abuse Case".  No need to let the facts get in the way of an opportunity to bash the Church.
• Let me get this straight - when a number of lawyers who've spent the previous eight years representing terrorists - pro bono - are hired by the Obama Administration to work in the D.O.J., the MSM is nowhere to be seen.  When Attorney General (for now) Eric Holder stonewalls on releasing their names, the MSM remains asleep at the switch.  When it becomes apparent that A.G. Holder was himself one of those lawyers, the MSM emits a collective yawn.  No conflicts, there, no sir-ee!  Not like there are when the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is reported to have started a "Tea Party group, which The L.A. Times fears will threaten the impartiality of the Supreme Court(!)

But there is a little bit of good news: we are not required to abstain from flesh meat this Friday as it is the Solemnity of St. Joseph!  Since there always seems to be confusion whenever any kind of a significant feast day falls on a Friday it might be useful to bookmark Canon 1251 in the 1983 C.I.C which reads:

Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Also of note is the bit about "all Fridays" - many people believe that Friday abstinence was abolished by Vatican II but that's not so.  Pope Paul VI's 1966 Apostolic Constitution Paenitemini permitted national episcopal conferences to substitute "other forms of penitence and especially works of charity and the exercises of piety", that change is further codified in Canon 1253.  However, when was the last time you heard of the U.S.C.C.B. - or an individual bishop - reminding the faithful of this obligation or defining what "other forms of penitence" might be appropriate?  And how many Catholics do you think are aware that Friday penitence - if not abstinence - still binds?  A little something to consider while you're enjoying your cheeseburger this Friday!  Also, don't forget to say a prayer to St. Joseph, Patron of the Church, for the Pope and the Church...