Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Slow Gherkin, "Shed Some Skin" from Shed Some Skin (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Reel Big Fish, "I Dare You to Break My Heart" from Candy Coated Fury (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"My latest dream girl,
My latest nightmare,
Could this be the start of another
Long, long hateful love affair?…

"I dare you to break my heart,
Come on and give it your best shot,
I dare you to break my heart,
It's gonna take more than you got…"

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCXXIV

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 1 (the "Mercury Seven"), Part II
Alan Bartlett Shepard Junior (18 November 1923-21 July 1998), Rear Admiral, United States Navy–The second man & first American in space aboard Mercury-Redstone 3 (Freedom 7, 1961), he was grounded with Ménière's disease & he served as Chief Astronaut (1963-1969, 1971-1974), then was CDR of Apollo 14 (Kitty Hawk & Antares, 1971); the fifth & oldest Moonwalker, & the first to golf.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: The Mercury Seven—Al Shepard
Paul Simon, "You Can Call Me Al" from Graceland (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Requiescat in pace.

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Reel Big Fish & Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, "Lyin' Ass Bitch" from Duet All Night Long (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Above, the photo she sent me that I told her looked super fake, but which she angrily insisted was legitimate. I pointed out that the image she sent was emblazoned with the words "New Face," but she claimed that was just a "Snapchat filter." Below, the photo she edited, which I was able to find after a full minute's internet image search. As of this writing, she has yet to respond to my calling her out on her deception, the lyin' ass bitch.

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

The Popish Plot
"The Bad Theology of 'Hello'—This Time the Lionel Richie One"

'Tis the Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Bonus! Song o' Flag Day

The University of Michigan Marching Band, "God Bless America/You're a Grand Old Flag" from Hurrah for the Yellow and Blue (Mike Papa Wolverine)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Reel Big Fish, "Your Girlfriend Sucks" from Candy Coated Fury (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"Nobody likes your girlfriend,
She's a beast from Hell, man,
Everybody hates your girlfriend,
Yes, it's true!
Nobody likes your girlfriend,
Sorry to have to break it to you, man,
Everybody hates your girlfriend
And I do, too…"

Saints + Scripture: XI Sunday in O.T. — Please Stand By

'Tis the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Bonus! Song o' Today: SKAfter Party

Sonntag, 13. Juni
Edna's Goldfish, "Veronica Sawyer" from The Elements of Transition (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

Friday night! You're not gonna get it,
Saturday! You try to give me one more,
Sunday morning! Just waiting for the afternoon so I can be a kid again…"

The R.B.D. Song o' the Lord's Day: XI Sunday in O.T.

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Rend Collective, "Build Your Kingdom Here" from Homemade Worship by Handmade People (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday: SKAfter Party

Samstag, 12. Juni
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra featuring Asian Kung Fu Generation, "Wake Up!" from Ska Me Forever (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Daughters of Mary, "To Jesus Heart All Burning" from De Profundis (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture: The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Popish Plot
"Catholic T-Shirt Club Unboxing: The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus"

'Tis the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus: Sacred Heart-link, Wikipedia-link Sacred Heart, & Wikipedia-link Feast.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Book of Hosea, chapter eleven, verses one, three, four, eight(c), & nine;
The Book of Isaiah (R/. chapter twelve, verse three), chapter twelve, verses two & three, four, & five & six;
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter three, verses eight thru twelve & fourteen thru nineteen;
The Gospel according to John, chapter nineteen, verses thirty-one thru thirty-seven.

Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, in today’s Gospel, John tells us that a Roman soldier, in order to verify that Jesus was dead, thrust a lance into the side of the crucified Christ, "and immediately blood and water flowed out." Physicians tell us that this is a credible account, given that the lance would have pierced the pericardium, the sac around the heart, which contains a watery substance.

What does this event mean? Theologians have speculated that the blood and water have a symbolic valence, evoking the sacraments of Eucharist and Baptism.

But which first-century Jew would have missed the most obvious interpretation? This was the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy that when Yahweh cleansed his temple, water would flow forth for the renewal of the world.

Video reflection by Jem Sullivan, Ph.D. (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor John Bergsma (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Daily Reflection.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"There is in the Sacred Heart the symbol & express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return."
—Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903, r. 1878-1903)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"Do not let the past disturb you—just leave everything in the Sacred Heart & begin again with joy."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Bonus! Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"People often ask me, 'You work to bring about peace, who don't you work to lessen war?' If we work for peace there will be fewer wars. But I won't mix our work with politics. War is the fruit of politics, & so I don't involve myself, that's all. If I get stuck in politics, I will stop loving, because I will have to stand by one, & not by all."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"The demands Jesus makes upon His followers are not empty rhetoric, & they do not change with the passing of time. He calls us to conversion, to reconciliation with God & one another. Jesus wishes us to hear the 'hard sayings' as well as the words of confidence & encouragement."
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today: SKAfter Party

Freitag, 11. Juni
Half Past Two, "Smile Like You Mean It" from the Camp Slushtone E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday: SKAfter Party

Donnerstag, 10. Juni
The Chinkees, "Another Angry Man, He Goes to War!" from Searching for a Brighter Future (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture

Better Late than Never, Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter three, verse fifteen thru chapter four, verse one & verses three thru six;
Psalm Eighty-five (R/. cf. ten[b]), verses nine(a/b) & ten, eleven & twelve, & thirteen & fourteen;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter five, verses twenty thru twenty-six.

Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, our Gospel for today is again taken from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has symbolically established himself as the new Moses, giving a law upon a mountain. His “you have heard that it was said… but I say…” has revealed that he has authority even over the Torah.

To be clear, the Law is not being abrogated here; it is being intensified. The Law was always meant to bring humanity into line with divinity. In the beginning, this alignment was at a fairly basic level. But now that the definitive Moses has appeared, the alignment is becoming absolute, radical, complete.

And so Jesus teaches, “You have heard it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” Killing is an action, but that action is rooted in a more fundamental dysfunction: a hateful attitude, a disordered soul, a basic misperception of reality. To be utterly like God, we obviously have to eliminate cruel and hateful actions; but we have to go deeper, eliminating cruel and hateful thoughts and attitudes. For God is love, right through.

Video reflection by Deacon Clarence McDavid (U.S. Conf. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Curtis Mitch (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Easter Reflection.

Papal Quote o' the Day

"The real Church is being born today in the faithfulness & boldness of the Spirit, in the unity of Christ's Body. We do not ask you to praise her a priori, but to give these positive facts the place they deserve. Like the Lord, we say to you: Come & see."
—Pope St. Paul VI (1897-1978, r. 1963-1978; feast: 29 May)

Bonus! Papal Quote o' the Day

"Certainly, the high road to truth & goodness is not a comfortable one. It challenges man. Nevertheless, retreat into self, however comfortable, does not redeem. The self withers away & becomes lost. But in ascending the heights of the good, man discovers more & more the beauty that lies in the arduousness of truth, which constitutes redemption for him."
—Pope Benedict XVI (b. 1927, r. 2005-2013)

Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day

"Try to put in the hearts of your children a love for home. Make them long to be with their families. So much sin could be avoided if only people really loved as family."
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)

Saint Quote o' the Day

"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Your Heart is a glowing furnace of love. You are my refuge & my sanctuary."
—St. Gertrude the Great, O.S.B. (1256-1302, feast:156 November)

Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day

"Foster devotion to the Spirit but, as the Holy Father said, be careful that you do not confuse the psychic & the spiritual. He was referring to this passage in Hebrews: 'For the word of God is alive & active. It cuts more keenly than any two–edged sword, piercing as far as the place where life & the spirit, joints & marrow divide.' In other words, the Word of God makes a very keen distinction between joints & marrow (& we know how closely they are united), between the spirit & the mind, the psychical—that's the word that's used—& the spiritual. The two can be very close. We can have psychical, emotional manifestations, but as the Holy Father warned, they may only be psychical. They may not be spiritual. So test the spirit."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCXXIII

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 50th Anniversary of Soyuz 11, Part I
6-28 June 1971: Soyuz 11 lifted off from the Kazakh S.S.R.'s Baikonur Cosmodrome, with CDR Georgy Dobrovolsky, Flight Engineer Vladislav Volkov, & Research Engineer Viktor Patsayev aboard a Soyuz 7K-OKS capsule atop a Soyuz rocket; the trio successfully docked with & boarded the Salyut 1 space station, & hosted daily "Cosmovision" T.V. broadcasts that made them famous in the U.S.S.R.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: Soyuz 11
The Phenomenauts, "Fly through the Sky" from the Electric Sheep E.P. (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Potshot, "New Tomorrow" from Potshot A Go Go (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

The Popish Plot
"The Quite Good Theology of 'Hello'"

'Tis the Optional Memorial of Saint Ephrem, Deacon & Doctor of the Church.

Operation ÖSTERREICH

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 346.2 lbs
This weigh-in: 352.8 lbs.
Difference: +6.6 lbs.

Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Fat" from Even Worse (Mike Papa Waffle)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Mustard Plug, "Life Is Too Short" from In Black and White (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"Life is too short,
You want to live that way?
Life is too short,
Don't throw your life away…"

Saints + Scripture

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

'Tis the Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Tuesday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time
The Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter one, verses eighteen thru twenty-two;
Psalm One Hundred Nineteen (R/. one hundred thirty-five[a]), verses one hundred twenty-nine, one hundred thirty, one hundred thirty-one, one hundred thirty-two, one hundred thirty-three, & one hundred thirty-five;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter five, verses thirteen thru sixteen.

Commentary: Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the images of salt and light to show how we are to bring salvation to the world. In our rather privatized and individualistic culture, we tend naturally to think of religion as something for ourselves designed to make our lives richer or better. Now there is a sense in which that is true, but on the biblical reading, religiosity is like salt, light, and an elevated city: it is meant not for oneself but for others.

Perhaps we can bring these two together by saying that we find salvation for ourselves precisely in the measure that we bring God’s life to others. The point is that we followers of Jesus are meant to be salt, which effectively preserves and enhances what is best in the society around us. We effectively undermine what is dysfunctional in the surrounding culture.

We are also light by which people around us come to see what is worth seeing. By the very quality and integrity of our lives, we shed light, illuminating what is beautiful and revealing what is ugly. The clear implication is that, without vibrant Christians, the world is a much worse place.

Video reflection by Father Conrad Stachowiak (U. S. C. of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Rob Corzine (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.

Video reflection by Doctor Tim Gray (Augustine Institute/Formed.org): Easter Reflection.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Save Ferris, "Angry Situation" from Modified (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

The Loose Ties, "Semi-Charmed Life" (live) from Live from the Machine Shop (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Stars My Destination: Gemini IX-A

It took Tom Stafford six attempts to launch into space twice (6:2). The original Gemini VI launch attempt was scrubbed when its Agena Target Vehicle exploded before reaching orbit; the first attempt to launch the redesignated Gemini VI-A was aborted due to an almost catastrophic engine malfunction; the third time was the charm. The original Gemini IX launch attempt was ascrubbed when its Agena Target Vehicle failed to achieve orbit, though less explosively than Gemini VI's; the first attempt to launch the redesignated Gemini IX-A was scrubbed due to a computer-communications malfunction that caused them to miss their launch window; the third time was the charm. Six times Stafford was strapped into his two Gemini capsules, leading to the nickname, the "Mayor of Pad 19." Gemini VI-A & Gemini IX-A were the only two flights in the Mercury, Gemini, & Apollo programs to be so redesignated.

Gene Cernan's spacewalk troubles were the first sign of more E.V.A. difficulties ahead. Ed White's E.V.A. on Gemini IV was a triumph, but it also created false impressions about the ease of extravehicular activity. Significant as that first spacewalk was, it was solely a demonstration that an astronaut could survive in the E.V.A. environment. For the upcoming Moon landings, astronauts would be required to accomplish real work in the vacuum of space, exposed to extremes of heat & cold. Cernan's exertion, battling against the stiffness of his spacesuit & the lack of handsholds & footholds, resulted in a superbly fit astronaut having a dangerously high heart rate; he overheated, completely overwhelming his suit's air cooling system, resuting in the perilous fogging of his visor. For Apollo, the spacesuits would all be water cooled, resulting in no issues of astronauts—including Cernan himself—overheating despite significant workloads & physical exertion.

Ad astra per aspera—variously translated as "To the stars through difficulties/hardships" or "A rough road leads to the stars." Thus the "struggle" theme of the Gemini IX-A Bonus! Songs o' the Day.

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time (Tempus per annum, "time through the year"): Wikipedia-link.

The Explorers' Club, № DCCCXXII

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 55th Anniversary of Gemini IX-A, Part II
6 June 1966: Cernan conducted America's second E.V.A., the first intended to accomplish useful work, including flying the U.S.A.F.'s Astronaut Maneuvering Unit; there were inadequate handholds & footholds for the tasks required & Cernan's pulse soared; his visor fogged over, a genuine peril, & the E.V.A. was ended early; they splashed down in the Atlantic & were recovered by the U.S.S. Wasp.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Gemini IX-A
William Shatner, "Struggle" from Seeking Major Tom (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

Saints + Scripture: Corpus Christi — Please Stand By

'Tis the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).

The R.B.D. Songs o' the Lord's Day: Corpus Christi

The Daughters of Mary, "O Salutaris Hostia" from De Profundis (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

&

The Daughters of Mary, "Tantum Ergo" from De Profundis (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Save Ferris, "Come On Eileen" from It Means Everything (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Gemini IX-A

MU330, "The Struggle of Helen" from Crab Rangoon (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saints + Scripture — Please Stand By

'Tis the First Saturday o' the month: Wikipedia-link First Saturdays.

'Tis the Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop & Martyr.