When is a charity not a charity?

AP: Britain investigates terror links to Pakistan charity
LONDON - British authorities investigating a plot to bomb trans-Atlantic jetliners focused Monday on any links between the suspects in custody and associates in Pakistan, with suspicions raised that an Islamic charity funneled money raised for earthquake relief to help finance the alleged plot...

The New York Times reported that money raised for victims of the earthquake was channeled to the plotters through the Pakistani-based charity Jamaat al-Dawat — a charge the charity denied.

The charity is not registered in Britain, but laws do not prevent British citizens from donating to or collecting for it.

And what exactly is Jamaat al-Dawat?

Roto-Reuters: Charity chief's arrest unrelated to U.K. plot: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - The decision to put the chief of an Islamic charity, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, under house arrest last week had nothing to do with an investigation into a conspiracy to blow up transatlantic airliners in mid-air, Pakistan said on Tuesday.

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, head of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, was placed under house arrest at his home in the eastern city of Lahore on Wednesday night...

Saeed, the founder and former head of Lashkar-e-Taiba, one of the most-feared jihadi groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, has been placed under house arrest for just a month, according to an aide in Jamaat-ud-Dawa.

The United States put Jamaat-ud-Dawa on its list of terrorist organizations earlier this year. Security analysts say it is little more than a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Though it banned Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2002, Pakistan has taken no action against the charity, despite pressure from both the United States and India.

"We don't have any evidence of Jamaat-ud-Dawa involvement in terrorist activities, nor has the United States shared any evidence with us," Aslam said.

The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Saeed was put under house arrest because of some statements he had made.

See how the protestant work ethic corrupts mohammedan-Americans!

AP: FBI: No terror groups in cell phone case

The FBI yesterday said it had no information to link three Texas men to any known terrorist group after their arrest Friday in Michigan on state terrorism-related charges after they were found in possession of 1,000 untraceable cellular phones.

Tuscola County, Mich., authorities had suggested the men, all Palestinian-Americans, had been targeting the five-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, a vital transportation route that connects Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas, and charged them with collecting or providing materials for terrorist acts and with surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes.

Prosecutor Mark E. Reene had described the "targeted issue in this case" as the Mackinac Bridge. Caro, Mich., Police Chief Ben Page, whose officers arrested the men after they purchased 80 prepaid wireless "TracFones" with cash at Wal-Mart, said the phones could have been used as detonators. Police were called when Wal-Mart employees became suspicious of the purchase.

Yesterday, Mr. Reene said his office and Caro police met Sunday with officials from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. attorney's office, and that all the agencies were working together on the investigation. He did not elaborate.

William Kowalski, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit field office, said authorities think concern about the bridge was connected to images of the Mackinac Bridge found on a digital camera belonging to the men. Mr. Kowalski said there was nothing illegal about buying cellular phones in bulk, but that profits from that kind of activity can be suspicious.

In a press release, the FBI said there was no imminent threat to the bridge and the bureau had no information tying the men to any known terrorist groups or to the plot to bomb trans-Atlantic jetliners that was foiled last week.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard increased patrols near the Mackinac Bridge "to deter, detect and allow for a more timely response to any possible threats made to the bridge."

Louai Abdelhamied Othman, 23, of Mesquite, Texas, along with his brother Adham Abdelhamid Othman, 22, of Dallas, and their cousin Maruan Awad Muhareb, 19, also of Mesquite, were arraigned Saturday in Caro, about 80 miles north of Detroit. No pleas were entered and bond was set at $750,000 each. The men were being held in the Tuscola County Jail. A pretrial hearing has been set for Friday.

Police found about 1,000 cellular phones in the men's rented minivan, most of which were prepaid TracFones, which terrorists often use because they are not traceable. Chief Page said the cellular phone packages had been cut open and the batteries removed -- "which doesn't make much sense."

This whole freedom, ambition, greed, and profit thingee is new to them, you see. And 21st century technology is a big problem for the Religion of the 7th Century.

Two Dearborn, Mich., men were arrested last week with a carload of prepaid cellular phones in Ohio.

When authorities in Britain disrupted what they called a plot to bomb more than 10 airplanes in flight, they said cellular phones and liquid explosives can be used to cause explosions. In 2004, cellular phones were used to detonate bombs that terrorists planted in backpacks aboard trains in Madrid, killing 191.

Louai Abdelhamied Othman said during his arraignment that their arrest was not the first time they had been questioned, adding that "we've been checked by the FBI before. They even gave us their card and everything."

His wife, Lina Odeh, 20, told the Associated Press that the men were buying the phones to sell them in Dallas for a profit of about $5 each. She said the case was based on the fact that the men are of Middle Eastern descent and because of the pictures in her husband's camera.

How many virgins does one get for $5?

"He just takes pictures of everything you see. It's not every day you see a bridge here in Mesquite," she said.

John 'Mutha' Murtha, call your office.

From Washington's other newspaper:

Lawmaker Apologizes To Marines For Remarks

A Republican congressman apologized yesterday to the Marines under investigation in the killings of two dozen civilians in Haditha, Iraq, last November, saying that statements he made about the case were taken out of context and that he did not mean to imply the Marines were guilty of wrongdoing.

Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) issued the apology as part of an agreement with lawyers for Marine Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, who alleged that Kline had damaged Wuterich's reputation.

Wuterich, through his lawyers, has denied any wrongdoing in the Haditha case. None of the Marines involved has been charged.

Wuterich took the unusual step earlier this month of filing a federal lawsuit against Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), alleging that statements Murtha made about the Haditha deaths were libelous. Murtha said after the lawsuit was filed that he did not mean to prejudge Wuterich, but the representative has not responded to a settlement offer that seeks a similar public apology, according to Wuterich's attorneys, Mark S. Zaid and Neal A. Puckett. The lawyers set last Friday as a deadline for Murtha's response.

Wuterich had threatened to sue Kline as well. But Zaid said yesterday that Kline responded to a settlement request within an hour of its arrival Aug. 4. Kline wrote that news outlets used incomplete statements that gave the false impression that he had concluded the Marines broke the law.

"I am, of course, very concerned regarding any allegations surrounding misconduct by U.S. troops in Iraq," Kline wrote in his statement. "Such allegations must be taken seriously, but we should never rush to judgment before all the facts are known and the military criminal justice process is completed."

Kline, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was briefed on Haditha by Marine Brig. Gen. John F. Kelly, the legislative assistant to the Marine commandant. At the time of the briefings, the official investigations were not complete, and Kline emphasized that "conclusions have not been reached."

"As a retired Colonel in the U.S. Marines, I am especially proud of the sacrifices our men and women make day in and day out, especially in combat situations," Kline wrote. "And as a Marine officer, I would never want to publicly insinuate, implicitly or explicitly, that I have prejudged what took place that day on the battlefield or afterwards."

What? Was insipidtrollwithoutalife.org taken?

AP: PETA activists go back to given names
The animal rights activist formerly known as Kentuckyfriedcruelty.com is now just plain, old Christopher Garnett.

Religion of Peace and Love and a Great Artistic Heritage Update.

Fox News/AP: Iran Unveils Holocaust Cartoon Exhibit

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

Boston Globe: Clinton Mentions Abstinence As an AIDS Preventer

...He'll be here all week, folks!

"The dresses of little fat girls with low self-esteem also prevent AIDS!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

He slays me!

Sodomites For Life Update. (Ha! Irony and double entendre!)

The bottom line, kiddies? Big Sodomy decrees homosexuals to be something less than human. They have no control over their lives because they are akin to the dumb beasts who are truly "born that way".

And they think we hate them...

Psychologists Disagree Over Therapy for Homosexuals

(CNSNews.com) - Protesters from pro-family groups and therapists who specialize in helping homosexuals change their sexual preference picketed the American Psychological Association convention in New Orleans Friday. They complain that the APA will not reconsider its opposition to what is known as "conversion therapy."

The association's stance is that such therapy is unproven, while those who practice it -- including many APA member psychologists -- argue that its success stories are proof of its validity.

Prior to the annual APA convention, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) sent APA President Gerald Koocher a petition signed by 75 licensee psychologists asking the association to reconsider its stance.

The signers, 67 of whom are current members of the APA, asked the organization to "affirm and promote client autonomy, self-determination and diversity in matters relating to human sexual adaptation."

"Further, we petition APA to support the individual's inalienable right to either claim a homosexual identity or to pursue change in sexual adaptation in accordance with the ethical principles of APA and consistent with an individual's expressed value system," the petition states.

"Finally, we petition APA to recognize, accept and provide opportunities for both gay affirming therapists and re-orientation therapists to express views and announce programs in [APA publications] and otherwise under APA's purview," it adds.

In a letter to Koocher, NARTH President Joseph Nicolosi and scientific advisory board chairman A. Dean Byrd, both psychologists, said the APA is disregarding what's best for homosexuals who do not want to be attracted to members of the same sex.

"The APA's neglect of this latter population, those individuals who wish to explore a course of change in their sexual adaptation, is," the pair wrote, "nothing short of shameful."

In a statement emailed to Cybercast News Service, APA Public Affairs Manager Pamela Willenz dismissed NARTH's complaints.

"For over three decades, the consensus of the mental health community has been that homosexuality is not an illness and therefore not in need of a cure," the APA response states.

"The APA's concern about the positions espoused by NARTH and so-called conversion therapy is that they are not supported by the science," the group claimed. "There is simply no sufficiently scientifically sound evidence that sexual orientation can be changed."

HA! Remember Fyodor's Rule # 7: There is no such thing as "born as".
(Corollary A: Our destinies are not determined.)

But Dr. Robert Spitzer -- the psychiatrist who led the effort in 1973 to remove homosexuality from the APA's list of psychological disorders -- has since changed his position, based on his research into successful conversion therapies.

"Like most psychiatrists, I thought that homosexual behavior could be resisted -- but that no one could really change their sexual orientation," Spitzer stated. I now believe that's untrue -- some people can and do change."

Clinton Anderson, director of the APA Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns Office, told Cybercast News Service APA does not dispute that some people leave homosexuality. Their concern is how that change comes about.

"I don't think that anyone disagrees with the idea that people can change because we know that straight people become gays and lesbians," Anderson said, "so it seems totally reasonable that some gay and lesbian people would become straight."

The issue is not whether sexual orientation changes," he continued. "We know that the issue is whether therapy changes sexual orientation, which is what many of these people claim."

In 2001, Spitzer released research based on interviews with 200 former homosexuals who, after completing conversion therapy, had experienced "a significant shift from homosexual to heterosexual attraction which had lasted for at least five years."

Of the male participants who had "rarely or never" felt any attraction to members of the opposite-sex before conversion therapy, "[g]ood heterosexual functioning was reportedly achieved by 67 percent. Nearly all the subjects said they now feel more masculine (in the case of men) or more feminine (women)."

"Contrary to conventioned [sic] wisdom," Spitzer said in a statement, "some highly motivated individuals, using a variety of change efforts, can make substantial change in multiple indicators of sexual orientation."

Spitzer stressed that the evidence supports "a diminishing of homosexuality and an expansion of heterosexual potential that is exhibited in widely varying degrees," rather than a simplistic "either/or" choice between the two orientations. Complete cessation of all homosexual fantasies and attractions, he added, "is probably quite uncommon."

Anderson remains skeptical.

"People claim there is research that shows that therapy can change sexual orientation, but in fact, there has never been an adequate study for that purpose," Anderson added.

"Certainly, there have been studies that have interviewed people who say they have changed as a result of therapy, but that is not adequate evidence to say that it was the therapy that changed them, and that is really the issue," he said.

Nicolosi called such comments "doubletalk."

"If people change, they change through relationships and life experience, so why can't therapy -- which is about life experience and relationships -- change people?" asked Nicolosi.

"[The APA is] discouraging research and then saying there is no research," he added. "They are politically discouraging research, but in fact, in spite of their efforts, there is research. The APA is not being honest when they say there is no research."

The APA also expressed concern that "the positions espoused by NARTH and Focus on the Family create an environment in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish."

Spitzer specifically repudiated such reactions to his research when it was released but added, "[P]atients should have the right to explore their heterosexual potential."

Knock-me-over-with-a-feather Headline of the Day.

Many Worry About Country's Morality, Not Their Own
(CNSNews.com) - A majority of Americans are concerned about their country's morality, but not their own, according to a survey by the Barna Group released Monday. Full Story

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Holy Day of obligation.

Today's first reading for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Apocalypse 11:19; 12:1-6,10.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 45:10, 11, 12, 16.
Today's second reading is 1 Corinthians 15:20-27.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 1:39-56.


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.


Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."

Not just another...Kathy Ireland (Part Ten)

From the pages of The King Abdullah Gazette:

Super Bowl XL Champion Steelers Update.

I had to do it one more time because I have been hearing a lot of whining from Seahag fans lately.

Memo To The Losers: You lost.


From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Beginning for an end
Brett Keisel was employed regularly as one of the Steelers' situational substitutions along the defensive line a year ago, but the situations Keisel confronted rarely involved stuffing the run.

Big Ben ahead of last year's pace

Notebook: Pass replacing run close in

2006 Steelers training camp preview


Headlines

Latest NFL News

Resources Guide

2006 Schedule

Roster

Heinz Field

2005 Results

11th Annual Pilgrimage for Restoration: September 27 - September 30 in Auriesville, NY

The Eleventh Annual Pilgrimage for Restoration, brought to you by the Company of St. René Goupil with the National Coalition of Clergy and Laity is fast approaching.

Whether you can join the Pilgrimage for all four days or just on Saturday, it is well worth the effort.

This year's theme is Restoring True Devotion to Mary, Mother of Divine Love.

If you can make it to Auriesville, NY from Wednesday September 27 to Saturday September 30, please come and join other concerned Catholics in pilgrimage and prayer for the sake of His Church.

Pharisaical protestants Update.

In the middle of a weekend outing at the ol' Ballyard, two nearby box seat sections chock full of of generic schismatics (I know because they cheered when their "denominations" were mentioned on the message board.) engaged in a battle of lung power using the following bit of genius:

"We love Jesus, yes we do! We love Jesus, how about you?"

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Now, kiddies, you know I am hardly one to criticize public displays of religious faith (except for the C4-wearing kind) but I could not help thinking of those ol' hypocritical Pharisees of yore.

I wondered how many of those proud prods were still with their original spouses? How many wrap their genitals in latex or desiccate their wombs with chemicals? How many tithe?

I know none of them can at present receive the grace of God through His sacraments...

I think the good folks at Blogger are trying to Gaslight* me...

My idiot blogs looks normal from where I now sit. Yet back at the dacha, it was still shifted to the left.

And Blogger Help certainly isn't one. Their attitude was: "You modified the template. It serves you right!"

How can one not modify the template? It is changed even if one chooses to use a whiter shade of pale as a background color.

What do you want for free, eh kiddies?

* Huh? Look here.

Penguins Update.

Sports Illustrated: Russian team incensed by Malkin's defection

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russia's Metallurg Magnitogorsk will go to court to seek compensation from Pittsburgh Penguins after the sudden disappearance of their best player, Evgeni Malkin, the Superleague club's head said on Sunday.

"We're all in shock," Gennady Velichkin said after Malkin, Pittsburgh's No. 1 pick in 2004, secretly fled Metallurg's training camp in Finland on Saturday just days after agreeing a new contract with the club.

"The players, coaching staff are also very upset because for four days Malkin was training with the team and suddenly he is gone without saying a word to anyone," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Last week, Metallurg said that Malkin had annulled his previous contract with the club, which would have kept him in Magnitogorsk through April 2008. Instead, he had signed a new one-year deal after which he would become a free agent.

But the young Russian, who turned 20 two weeks ago, has always stated his desire to play in the National Hockey League (NHL), saying he wanted to prove himself at a higher level.

Velichkin blamed Malkin's American agents and his NHL club for stealing Russia's best players.

Sports terrorism

Eek!

"They all like to talk about democracy, the American way and then they shamelessly steal our best players. This is pure sports terrorism," said the Metallurg general director.

Come on, Gennady. You're threatening the Pens and Malkin with another precious feature of democracy: a lawsuit!

"Don't forget, Malkin is a young kid, he is still very naive and it was easy for them to get into his head all that stuff about the American dream and how great the NHL is," he added.

Compared to the Magnitogorsk Slagpiles, the Pens do look good. How's the land of Putin-tunity working out for you?

"The Pittsburgh owners are trying hard to sell the club, and the price would be totally different if they had Malkin.

Puh-leeze. Sidney Crosby is worth a whole formerly-collective farm of Russian centermen!

"But you can't just take our best players and expect to get away with it."

The talented center, who has been compared with Pittsburgh owner, the great Mario Lemieux, has been the most sought-after player by the NHL this year.

Pittsburgh drafted Malkin second overall in 2004 behind fellow Russian Alexander Ovechkin, who took the NHL by storm last season, winning the Calder Trophy as the best rookie.

Velichkin said the fact that Russia has refused to sign a transfer deal with the NHL would not prevent his club from going to court in the United States to seek compensation for Malkin.

Well, well, well...

Russia remained the only major hockey nation not to sign the deal, which was approved by the International Ice Hockey Federation in 2005.

...no sign-ee, no case-ee!

"We've put so much effort, resources and money into Malkin's development as a player. He was our gold diamond, our prize possession.

Hey, Stalinist stooge! невольничество не существует в России больше!

He had a contract with us, we were building the whole team around him and now he is gone," Velichkin said.

"But don't think we'll just sit there and do nothing. We'll go to court to get what we believe is proper compensation."

Under the transfer deal Magnitogorsk would have received a basic $200,000 fee for Malkin while Metallurg reportedly wanted at least 10 times more.

Velichkin declined to specify the sum he was seeking for Malkin, pointing to similar deals involving soccer players.

"In soccer, a fee for a player of Malkin's calibre would be into tens of millions of dollars," he said. "He is a franchise player and we won't be satisfied with anything less."

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Assumption.

Tomorrow, August 15, is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It is a Holy Day of obligation.

Entry # 1: "This one time, at goat rape camp...

AFP: Mahmoud's musings: Iran president begins to blog
Iranian President Mahmoud Hungadunga has started blogging, with the launch of his own Internet diary.

Hezbollah claims victory against Israel

From the AP:
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said Monday that his guerrillas achieved a "strategic, historic victory" against Israel — a declaration that prompted celebratory gunfire across the Lebanese capital.

Instant translation: Thank Kofi "Alack and" Annan my goat raping ass is still in one piece!

The disturbing yet fascinating world of Pearls Before Swine.

Not just another...Kathy Ireland (Part Nine)

From the pages of The King Abdullah Gazette:

Ack! Who picked up the surplus Rollerball unis?

Why must the NFL mess with the classic look of their referees' uniforms?


From TSN:

Making a fashion statement was not the primary motivation behind the decision to make the change, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. First was the desire for a lightweight, more efficient fabric that would be cooler in hot weather and warmer in cold weather.

"The material of our shirts was very heavy, so everybody wanted a different material," said 18-year-veteran referee Walt Coleman. "Everybody loves the material, and the shirts are really comfortable. I think everybody's just not totally sold on the style. My son said to me, `I can't believe you're changing your shirts."'

The second aim was to make the uniforms more easily accommodate the gear referees need to carry, Aiello said, which includes more layers of clothing in colder weather.

"The biggest reason we changed was to upgrade the performance quality of the uniform," he said. "The third reason was to give the uniforms a more modern, updated, distinctly NFL look."

Referees will wear the new shirts and the traditional white knickers for most games, and will switch in cold weather to black full-length pants that will allow more room for additional layers.

Not just another...Kathy Ireland (Part Eight)

From the pages of The King Abdullah Gazette:

Bob Thaves, Requiescat in pace.

LOS ANGELES — Bob Thaves, whose nationally syndicated comic strip "Frank & Ernest " amused newspaper readers for decades with its quirky observations on life, has died of respiratory failure. He was 81.

Thaves died Tuesday at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, Calif., said his daughter, Sara Thaves.

His long-running strip stars the happy-go-lucky punsters Frank and Ernest, who travel the universe and through time — and sometimes change shape — as they comment on everything from science to world politics.

The strip, which was syndicated in 1972, is distributed to 1,300 newspapers worldwide by Newspaper Enterprise Association and is read by more than 25 million people a day.

Thaves' son, Tom, has collaborated with his father on "Frank & Ernest" since 1997 and will continue to produce it, according to a statement from United Media, whose Newspaper Enterprise Association syndicates the strip.

Sara Thaves said her father's curiosity about the world made his comic strip unique.

"He was an avid reader. There are books and periodicals and newspapers stacked up all over the house," she said Wednesday in a telephone interview from Manhattan Beach, Calif. "That allowed him to be interested and engaged with the world in a way that was pretty unique and it consequently made him a really interesting person to be around."

Thaves, who held both bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology from the University of Minnesota, began cartooning as a child and was published in a college humor magazine at the University of Minnesota.

He went on to cartoon for various magazines and created "Frank & Ernest" while working as an industrial psychology consultant in Los Angeles. The strip wasn't syndicated until Thaves was 48, and he didn't quit his consulting job for several years.

"He knew the chances of being syndicated — you might as well try to be a professional athlete," his daughter said. "And then to be as successful as he was, it's even more lucky. ... He did not take that for granted."

"Frank & Ernest" went on to become one of the most popular comic strips in the world, as well as one of the most innovative. According to United Media, it was the first newspaper cartoon to run in a strip format, the first to use block lettering, the first to use comic book-style digital coloring for the Sunday pages and one of the first to have its own Web site, in 1997.

The Web site features interactive cartoons as a way to attract Internet readers without losing newspaper fans, Sara Thaves said.

Thaves was a three-time winner of the National Cartoonists Society's prestigious Reuben Award for best syndicated panel and won the Free Press Association's Mencken Award for best cartoon.

Besides his daughter and son, Thaves is survived by his wife of 52 years, Katie, and a son-in-law, Michael van Eckhardt. (Thanks to Fox News for this obituary.)

Mike Douglas, Requiescat in pace.

I used to watch his show every day after school...

NYT: Mike Douglas, TV Host and Pop Singer, Dies at 81

Mike Douglas, the genial television host whose afternoon talk show was a beacon of popular culture in the 1960’s and 70’s, died yesterday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. His death came on his birthday, a generation after his irony-free broadcast style began to pass from the screen. He was 81.

Everyone from Richard Nixon to the Rolling Stones showed up on “The Mike Douglas Show.” It had a run of more than two decades, beginning in 1961. At the height of its popularity, in the late 1960’s, it was one of the most watched shows on television.

About seven million people tuned in to the broadcast daily. They saw the pianists Liberace and Little Richard, Malcolm X and Barbra Streisand, and the Catskills comedian Totie Fields going goggled-eyed at the Kabuki-masked rocker Gene Simmons of Kiss. It was Robert Frost one day, Richard Pryor the next. The 60’s pop group the Turtles was seated next to Truman Capote.

And next to them sat Mr. Douglas, smiling and silver-tongued.

The show provided a stage for Bill Cosby and Jay Leno when they were up-and-coming performers. It always featured musicians, reflecting Mr. Douglas’s show business beginnings as a singer, and they ranged from Frank Sinatra to John Lennon.

Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono were Mr. Douglas’s guest hosts for one week in 1972, when viewers were treated to Mr. Douglas singing the Beatles tune “With a Little Help From My Friends,” interviews with radical leaders like Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party and Jerry Rubin of the Youth International Party, and Mr. Lennon playing his antiwar hymn “Imagine.”

The program also produced a pivotal moment in American political history: the creative mind behind the scenes at “The Mike Douglas Show” in the 1960’s, the producer Roger Ailes, became a crucial media adviser to Nixon in his successful run for president in 1968 after meeting him on the show. He went on to play a similar campaign role for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and is now chief executive of the Fox News Channel and chairman of Fox Television.

Mr. Douglas was not an interrogator like his television contemporary Mike Wallace, nor was he possessed of the cool of his late-night counterpart Johnny Carson. David Letterman, whose life as a daytime host was starting when Mr. Douglas’s was winding down, became in many respects the antithesis of Mr. Douglas.

Mr. Douglas usually served his guests soft questions, exuding good vibrations. Yet his program could make news. He offered Ralph Nader his first chance to question the safety of American automobiles on national television, and he let political figures from the far ends of the spectrum as well as the middle have their say.

His success was also a foreshadowing of the future: in an era before cable television, Mr. Douglas was not a creature of the networks. His show was a syndicated production of the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company and sold to about 200 local stations. It was the first syndicated television show to win an Emmy. Toward the end of his long run, Mr. Douglas was being paid $2 million a year, a salary probably exceeded on television at the time only by Carson.

At the height of his fame, Mr. Douglas said he was always thinking of how to make a housewife in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, happy. The secret of his success, he said, was simple: “I’m a square.”

Michael Delaney Dowd Jr. was born on Aug. 11, 1925 (some sources suggest earlier dates in the 1920’s) in Chicago, the son of a railway freight agent and a homemaker. He performed as a teenage crooner on a cruise ship that sailed the Great Lakes out of Chicago.

He moved to California after World War II and sang and recorded with the band of Kay Kyser, later appearing on “Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge,” a televised musical quiz show. (His was the lead voice on hits like “The Old Lamplighter” and “Ole Buttermilk Sky.”) He returned to Chicago as host of “Hi, Ladies,” a radio show aimed at housewives, but his career foundered in the 1950’s. He was singing in a piano bar when Westinghouse offered him his own television talk show in 1961.

“The Mike Douglas Show” began in Cleveland on a single station in December 1961. Within two years it was seen in Boston, Baltimore, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. The show moved to Philadelphia in 1965, making it easier to attract guests from New York.

Its fame increased. By 1967 it was the most popular show on daytime television; the 14 minutes of commercials on the 90-minute show produced about $10 million annually for its creators, and Mr. Douglas, his wife and their three daughters were living in a 30-room Tudor mansion on the Main Line outside Philadelphia. His ratings eventually declined in the 1970’s, and his long run ended in 1981.

In retirement Mr. Douglas wrote a memoir, “I’ll Be Right Back: Memories of TV’s Greatest Talk Show” (Simon & Schuster, 1999), and played golf. He fell ill from dehydration on a golf course a few weeks ago, his wife said. In addition to her, he is survived by their daughters Michele, Christine, and Kelly Anne, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

“Mike is the glue,” his producer, Mr. Ailes, said in 1967, the year the show won its first of five Emmy Awards. “Without him the show would fall apart.” Another of his producers, Larry Rosen, called Mr. Douglas “a piece of clay — you can do anything with him.” It was meant as a tribute to a man who displayed an adaptable affability five times a week for 21 years.

A special collection for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Biloxi.

On the weekend of August 26-27, there will be a special national collection for the Church's urgent recovery needs in the Arcdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Biloxi from last year's devastation from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

This special collection will assist the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Biloxi (both of which suffered millions of dollars in uninsured losses to buildings) in the financing of ministry and the rebuilding or repairing of parishes, schools, and other buildings.

Please be generous.

Those folks on the Gulf Coast are our neighbors. You know what to do.

First, last, and always, PRAY. Pray for the survivors. Pray for the repose of the souls of those who were killed. Pray for the families and friends. Pray for the relief workers, the cops, the firemen, the troops, and the technicians. Pray for the volunteers.

It is time to step up once again, kiddies. "Do unto others", "I was naked and you clothed me", et cetera.

As time passes, the memory of these disasters will fade for those of us fortunate enough to live outside the devastated areas, but recovery and restoration will take years.

Please, whatever you do, don't become a cynic. (I know, I know. But I just play one on the computer.) Of course there will be more horror stories like the abuse of the debit cards and that $250-odd billion federal package will produce insane amounts of corruption, but our fellow Americans will be suffering from Katrina for a long time.

True charity, (News Flash! Taxes ARE NOT charity.) like the money you donate to Catholic Charities will help the truly needy and will not foster dependency.


Catholic Charities USA is collecting financial donations to Catholic Charities agencies’ emergency and long-term recovery efforts in the wake of both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Catholic Charities USA is consistently ranked among the highest and most efficient organizations across the country. Approximately 96 percent of contributions made to the 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund will be used for emergency response and recovery efforts.


Mail Checks To:
Catholic Charities USA
2005 Hurricane Relief Fund
PO Box 25168
Alexandria, VA 22313-9788

Call: (800) 919-9338

Contribute Now Online


News
7/25/2006 — Catholic Charities Says Volunteers Still Desperately Needed to Clean Up Homes in Gulf Coast Post-Hurricane Katrina

A Nationwide Response: The Catholic Charities Network Jumps into Disaster Relief (Read this story)

Hard Hit by Katrina, Catholic Charities of New Orleans Never Lost Sight of its Mission (Read this story)

More news...

FAQs
FAQ - Donations
FAQ - Hurricane Relief

Agencies Impacted:
Catholic Charities of Miami
Catholic Charities of New Orleans
Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge
Catholic Social Services of Houma-Thibodaux
Catholic Social and Community Services of Biloxi, MS
Catholic Charities of Jackson, MS
Catholic Social Services of Mobile, AL

How you can help:
Unfortunately, Catholic Charities USA is unable to accept contributions of food, clothing, blankets and other relief supplies. Monetary donations will be used to provide for the emergency relief and long-term recovery of Katrina's and Rita's victims. Catholic Charities USA is consistently ranked among the highest and most efficient organizations across the country. Approximately 96 percent of contributions made to the 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund will be used for emergency response and recovery efforts.

About the Disaster Response Office
Catholic Charities USA, which has been commissioned by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to represent the Catholic community in times of domestic disaster, responds with emergency and long-term assistance as needed. Its Disaster Response Office connects the Church's social service agencies and disaster planning offices across the nation.

And, as always, give generously to the special collections for hurricance disaster relief in your local parish.

Meanwhile, back in Sri Lanka...

...or, How's that cease-fire thingee working out for you guys?

AP: Sri Lanka bombing kills 43 schoolgirls

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Fighting in Sri Lanka's north and east, and a bombing in the capital, left at least 50 people dead Monday, including 43 schoolgirls killed in what the Tamil Tigers charged was a government air raid on a children's home in rebel territory.

The government denied attacking a children's home, instead insisting it was a rebel base and blaming the insurgents for the bombing in Colombo.

The clashes along the frontiers dividing government and rebel territory in the north and east, and the blast in Colombo appeared to dash what little hope was left for a quick end to fighting that has steadily worsened over the past four weeks, undermining an already shaky cease-fire.

The 2002 truce was intended to halt more than two decades of bloodshed between the government, dominated by Sri Lanka's 14 million Sinhalese, and the rebels, who have been fighting since 1983 for an independent homeland for the country's 3.2 million Tamils.

While it remains officially in effect, months of shootings and bombings already had left it in tatters before the latest round of clashes.

In fighting Monday, Sri Lankan air force jets bombed the northeastern Mullaitivu district, deep inside rebel territory, hitting a children's home and killing 43 schoolgirls who were there taking a first aid course, the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site reported.

Another 60 girls were wounded in the morning air raid on the home, TamilNet said, citing officials from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as the rebels are formally known.

But Air Force spokesman Group Capt. Ajantha Silva said, "we have proof that this place is an LTTE base."

An official from a Nordic cease-fire monitoring team said the site was an orphanage and those killed were between 17 and 20 years old and appeared to be students. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.

Hours later in Colombo, an auto rickshaw packed with explosives blew up as a car carrying Pakistan's high commissioner, Basir Ali Mohmand, passed along a crowded road. At least seven people were killed, including four army commandos guarding the envoy, said defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella. Another 10 people were wounded in the bombing less than a kilometer (mile) from the residence of President Mahinda Rajapakse.

But the diplomat, who was believed to be the target of the blast, escaped unhurt, he said, blaming the Tigers for the attack. Pakistan is a major supplier of arms to Sri Lanka's military.

Tamil Tiger officials were not immediately available to comment, although in recent months they have often kept quiet after such attacks, neither confirming nor denying involvement.

Pakistani officials said it was the first attack on any of their diplomats in Sri Lanka.

A day earlier, at least 15 people died in fighting around the St. Philip Neri Church in Allaiiddy, a predominantly Tamil village located on an island just west of the Jaffna Peninsula. The island, like the peninsula, is held by the government.

Pray for them, St. Philip.

TamilNet said the dead were civilians killed when government artillery and rocket fire hit the church, where they were sheltering. While TamilNet stopped short of saying government forces intentionally targeted the church, it alleged that no help was sent to the wounded for hours after the attack.

But the military countered that guerrillas in the church fired on troops as they tried to enter the building, and that the civilians were killed in the fighting.

The latest round of fighting began in late July over a rebel-controlled water supply near the eastern port of Trincomalee, and had in recent days spread to other parts of the east and the Jaffna Peninsula, the scene of intense fighting during Sri Lanka's two decade-long civil war.

Attempts to restart peace talks and end the fighting have so far failed. The rebels on Saturday said the clashes made a government offer to resume peace talks impossible.

"The Sri Lankan government's offensive attacks make peace talks and the implementation of the cease-fire agreement impossible," Seevarathnam Puleedevan, a senior rebel official, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from rebel territory.

Government and rebel estimates of the death toll in the fighting since July vary wildly, but scores have been killed, including 17 Sri Lankans working for the Paris-based aid group Action Against Hunger. All but one of the aid workers was Tamil.

St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, pray for us.

Second of three sons born to a poor but pious Catholic family in Russian occupied Poland. His parents, both Franciscan lay tertiaries, worked at home as weavers. His father, Julius, later ran a religious book store, then enlisted in Pilsudski's army, fought for Polish independence from Russia, and was hanged by the Russians as a traitor in 1914. His mother, Marianne Dabrowska, later became a Benedictine nun. His brother Alphonse became a priest.

Raymond was known as a mischievous child, sometimes considered wild, and a trial to his parents. However, in 1906 at Pabianice, at age twelve and around the time of his first Communion, he received a vision of the Virgin Mary that changed his life.

I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The
white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both. - Saint Maximilian

He entered the Franciscan junior seminary in Lwow, Poland in 1907 where he excelled in mathematics and physics. For a while he wanted to abandon the priesthood for the military, but eventually relented to the call to religious life, and on 4 September 1910 he became a novice in the Conventual Franciscan Order at age 16. He took the name Maximilian, made his first vows on 5 September 1911, his final vows on 1 November 1914.

Studied philosophy at the Jesuit Gregorian College in Rome from 1912 to 1915, and theology at the Franciscan Collegio Serafico in Rome from 1915 to 1919. On 16 October 1917, while still in seminary, he and six friends founded the Immaculata Movement (Militia Immaculatae, Crusade of Mary Immaculate) devoted to the conversion of sinners, opposition to freemasonry (which was extremely anti-Catholic at the time), spread of the Miraculous Medal (which they wore as their habit), and devotion to Our Lady and the path to Christ. Stricken with tuberculosis which nearly killed him, and left him in frail in health the rest of his life. Ordained on 28 April 1918 in Rome at age 24. Received his Doctor of Theology on 22 July 1922; his insights into Marian theology echo today through their influence on Vatican II.

Maximilian returned to Poland on 29 July 1919 to teach history in the Crakow seminary. He had to take a medical leave from 10 August 1920 to 28 April 1921 to be treated for tuberculosis at the hospital at Zakpane in the Tatra Mountains. In January 1922 he began publication of the magazine Knight of the Immaculate to fight religious apathy; by 1927 the magazine had a press run of 70,000 issues. He was forced to take another medical leave from 18 September 1926 to 13 April 1927, but the work continued. The friaries from which he had worked were not large enough for his work, and in 1927 Polish Prince Jan Drucko-Lubecki gave him land at Teresin near Warsaw. There he founded a new monastery of Niepokalanow, the City of the Immaculate which was consecrated on 8 December 1927. At its peak the Knight of the Immaculate had a press run of 750,000 copies a month. A junior seminary was started on the grounds in 1929. In 1935 the house began printing a daily Catholic newspaper, The Little Daily with a press run of 137,000 on work days, 225,000 on Sundays and holy days.

Not content with his work in Poland, Maximilian and four brothers left for Japan in 1930. Within a month of their arrival, penniless and knowing no Japanese, Maximilian was printing a Japanese version of the Knight; the magazine, Seibo no Kishi grew to a circulation of 65,000 by 1936. In 1931 he founded a monastery in Nagasaki, Japan comparable to Niepokalanow. It survived the war, including the nuclear bombing, and serves today as a center of Franciscan work in Japan.

In mid-1932 he left Japan for Malabar, India where he founded a third Niepokalanow house. However, due to a lack of manpower, it did not survive.

Poor health forced him to curtail his missionary work and return to Poland in 1936. On 8 December 1938 the monastery started its own radio station. By 1939 the monastery housed a religious community of nearly 800 men, the largest in the world in its day, and was completely self-sufficient including medical facilities and a fire brigade staffed by the religious brothers.

Arrested with several of his brothers on 19 September 1939 following the Nazi invasion of Poland. Others at the monastery were briefly exiled, but the prisoners were released on 8 December 1939, and the men returned to their work. Back at Niepokalanow he continued his priestly ministry, The brothers housed 3,000 Polish refugees, two-thirds of whom were Jewish, and continued their publication work, including materials considered anti-Nazi. For this work the presses were shut down, the congregation suppressed, the brothers dispersed, and Maximilian was imprisoned in Pawiak prison, Warsaw, Poland on 17 February 1941.

On 28 May 1941 he was transferred to Auschwitz and branded as prisoner 16670. He was assigned to a special work group staffed by priests and supervised by especially vicious and abusive guards. His calm dedication to the faith brought him the worst jobs available, and more beatings than anyone else. At one point he was beaten, lashed, and left for dead. The prisoners managed to smuggle him into the camp hospital where he spent his recovery time hearing confessions. When he returned to the camp, Maximilian ministered to other prisoners, including conducting Mass and delivering communion using smuggled bread and wine.

In July 1941 there was an escape from the camp. Camp protocol, designed to make the prisoners guard each other, required that ten men be slaughtered in retribution for each escaped prisoner. Francis Gajowniczek, a married man with young children was chosen to die for the escape. Maximilian volunteered to take his place, and died as he had always wished - in service.


Born
7 January 1894 at Zdunska Wola, Poland as Raymond Kolbe

Died
14 August 1941 by lethal carbonic acid injection after three weeks of starvation and dehydration at Auschwitz; body burned in the ovens and ashes scattered

Beatified
17 October 1971 by Pope Paul VI; his beatification miracles include the July 1948 cure of intestinal tuberculosis of Angela Testoni, and August 1950 cure of calcification of the arteries/sclerosis of Francis Ranier

Canonized
10 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II; declared a martyr of charity

Patronage
drug addiction, drug addicts, families, imprisoned people, journalists, political prisoners, prisoners, pro-life movement

Images
Gallery of 12 images (246 kb) related to Saint Maximilian

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest and martyr. He was also known as Auschwitz prisoner number 16670 when he volunteered to die in place of another man. I'll bet $20 the Nazi guards thought he was the dumbest man they had ever seen. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading for the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe is Ezechiel 1:2-5, 24-28.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 148:1-2, 11-12, 12-14, 14.
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 17:22-27.


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.


Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."