Our Hector - a very holy dog?

I would like to introduce you to Hector. We have had the pleasure of Hector's company since he was a few weeks old and he is now 6. He is a cross Old English Sheepdog/Collie, about 95%-5% in that order. He has his coat trimmed regularly, and his especial pride and joy has to be his magnificent bushy tail. Virtually everywhere my wife and I go, Hector goes too. We live near the sea and Hector enjoys a run on the clean, sandy beaches almost every day of the year, and in all weathers. He loves a ride in the car which to him is basically a second home, and our annual holiday is planned around Hector. We generally enjoy a weeks holiday touring the north of Scotland and staying in dog-friendly bed/breakfast accommodation. We have an undoubtedly prejudiced view that these establishments are often more 'people friendly' than the majority 'no-dogs allowed' places - re-inforcing my dear Mum's view that 'those who are kind to animals will be kind to people'. I'm sure that there are exceptions to this, but as a general rule- of- thumb I think it fairly accurate. Like his owners Hector is a 'traditional Catholic'!! He always comes with us to our Chapel of 'Our Lady of the Angels'- for Holy Mass every Sunday and Holiday of Obligation, also Benediction every Sunday afternoon and Rosary most evenings, and must surely be the most saintly dog for many a mile! Admittedly he doesn't actually come into Church with us but remains in the car quite contentedly, and if he were able to say his prayers I'm sure that he would do just that! As a puppy Hector suffered serious dietary problems, also he has a congenital condition known as 'essential hypothermia', which basically means that his cooling system does not work properly. His main diet is 'lamb and rice' and occasional fish treats. His visits to the beach enable him to enjoy a run followed by a quick dip in the sea - just what the doctor ordered! He is a great companion, loyal and faithful and a friend to everybody. If dogs could be canonised an halo would not look out of place, although just occasionally his halo does slip like the time he snaffled a cheese sandwich from a plate in the kitchen, but he paid the price and was rather sick shortly afterwards! Be sure your sins will find you out Hector, as they do for all of us. But we love you just as much Hector, and I'm sure that this is but a tiny, dim reflection of Our Blessed Lord's love for us at all times - particularly if we try to lead our life in accordance with His teachings. Hector does like a bit of fuss and attention -don't we all, and here are a few photographs for you to admire!!?? P.S. By the way, is there a St Hector?

Antonio Cardinal Bacci R.I.P

With reference to my previous post in which I recommend the Blogsite devoted to the Spiritual writings of Antonio Cardinal BACCI, I have just learnt that His Eminence Cardinal Bacci died in 1971 and that he wrote the 'Meditations for every day of the year' in 1959. Cardinal BACCI was the joint signatory with Cardinal OTTAVIANI, head of the Holy Office during the reign of Pius XIIth, of a letter to Pope Paul VIth in 1969, unequivocally condemning the 'Novus Ordo' Mass introduced as a result of Vatican 2, which was destined to replace the traditional Latin Mass promulgated by St Pius Vth in 1571 ( the 'Mass for all time'). An excellent source for details of the Ottaviani Intervention -as it was called, can be found on the website 'Internet Modern History Source Book' -strongly recommended!

Antonio Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day

Antonio Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day - I recently found this wonderful Blogsite which I strongly recommend. It comprises a series of meditations for each day of the year, explaining great spiritual truths in clear and straightforward language. The meditations cannot be read in one visit, indeed they are not meant to be, but I plan to visit regularly in order to benefit from the deep spirituality of the writer. Thank you Antonio Cardinal Bacci. 'Dominus vobiscum'

Peace to men of good-will

I am sad and angry at the moral demise of our once honourable and Christian country, a demise which must be attributed to a complete lack of religious faith and ethical values on the part of so many of our politicians and their advisers, by many in medicine, the media, commerce, education and law. Greed, ambition, and self-interest reign supreme.The 'politically correct', 'liberal', and 'Godless' laws drawn up by faceless civil servants and politicians, have created an anarchic society in which immorality and evil flourish, and good is mocked. Is it any wonder that murder, violence, drugs, pornography, sodomy, and other evils flourish, to which influences - our young in particular, are so vulnerable. Only when God's Laws, based on the 'Ten Commandments' and the teaching of the Church founded by Christ, become the corner-stone of our thinking and our laws, will Society start getting right those things that really matter. ' Peace to men of good-will' is the message of Christmas. Until Society returns to God there will be no peace.

Helen Waddell

Helen Waddell was born in 1889, the youngest of 10 children, of an Ulster Presbyterian minister, a pioneer missionary in Manchuria and Japan. She was an extremely intelligent and diligent child, attaining high academic standards at school, followed by equally high achievement at Queens University, Belfast, and Somerville College, Oxford. She chose writing as her career, showing a particular interest and talent for translating works written in the early centuries AD from the original Latin into English, with a unique scholarly sensitivity which guaranteed her immediate success. She became one of the best-selling authors of the 1920s and 1930s, with her novel 'Peter Abelard' eventually being re-printed over 30 times and being translated into 9 European languages. Among other books which brought her fame, were 'The Wandering Scholars', 'Mediaeval Latin Lyrics', 'The Desert Fathers', and 'Beasts and Saints'. Helen Waddell lived an extremely full and busy life both writing and lecturing. She remained unmarried but had a very wide circle of friends and acquaintances, particularly in the world of art and literature. She died in 1965 after a long illness. For those interested in her life I can recommend the following autobiography:- 'The Mark of the Maker - a Portrait of Helen Waddell' by Monica Blackett, published by Constable. I have been fortunate and able to obtain 2nd hand copies of 'The Desert Fathers' and'Beasts and Saints', both of which I thoroughly enjoyed and can fully recommend. 'The Desert Fathers' as the title implies, is a fascinating account based on contemporary sources, of incidents in the lives of many of the holy men who retired to the desert in order to live closer to God. 'Beasts and Saints' is particularly enjoyable as it contains numerous wood-cuts by Robert Gibbings, a superb artist. The following very short story, provides just a little taste of what to expect in 'Beasts and Saints'. THE UNSOCIABLE LION.-------- 'There was a certain old man, a solitary,who lived near the river Jordan: and going into a cave because of the heat, he found there a lion: and the lion began to gnash his teeth and roar. To whom the old man said, "What is annoying thee? There is enough room here to hold both me and thee. And if thou likest it not arise and go hence." But the lion, not taking it well, left and went outside." This little story is accompanied by a brilliant wood-cut of a rather bemused and puzzled lion walking away from the cave. Deo Gratias.

Henry Morse - Priest of the Plague

I have just finished reading an excellent book- 'Henry Morse, Priest of the Plague', a biography written by Philip Caraman, and first published by Longmans in 1957. Morse was a Jesuit priest working in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, a time of great persecution for Catholics. He was born in 1595 and died in 1645 when he was hanged at Tyburn - his 'crime' being that he was a Catholic priest. His priestly life was devoted to serving the suffering Catholics of England, also to serving all those of whatever faith suffering and dying from the Plague. Immediately prior to his execution Morse was allowed to address the people, at the end of which he concluded, "I will glory in nothing, all glory I ascribe to God. I pray that my death may be some kind of atonement for the sins of this kingdom. If I had as many lives as there are sands on the sea-shore,I should willingly lay them all down for this end and to testify to the truth of the Catholic religion. To this day it is the only faith confirmed by miracles, by which the blind see, the dumb speak and the dead are raised to life. Tell me Mr Sheriff, if you saw the dead return to life would you not believe? Would you not say that it was the true Church where all these things are done?"