Catching Foxes

New Year’s Themes For myself For my co-host For the Church For Some Public Person For the Podcast To be a Servant of All, where there is no lower place left to fall. DONE. I need to not just start shit, but end it. New things are too tempting. Bilocation. Put all your effort into things. Retreat. Carve out more time for your spiritual walk to rejuvenate The Rhythm Method. Grace and Nature in a marriage to be in rhythm together. Let’s Get Physical. Discipleship cannot be institutional. It must be personal. Mr.-Carey’s-Call-You-Out-on-Your-BS-but-do-so-with-charity-and-love Taylor Swift on a Dating Fast. She needs a detox. Vulnerability and Humility over Popularity. Expansion! CF gets big...ger.Support Catching FoxesLinks:Donald J. Trump on Twitter: "North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food s… https://t.co/EvTgZxiji0" — North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!The Dating Detox — my affiliate link to Lisa Cotter's Dating Detox book for Taylor Swift.

We discuss family drama, Christmas fun, the legitimacy of depicting the dark side as moral instruction, and then the main topic on Christian forgiveness. Donate on Patreon.com/CF for 30 additional minutes of this show where we talk about Taylor Swift on Vinyl, her latest album, and some books we are reading. www.Patreon.com/CFSupport Catching FoxesLinks:Tommy Boy - I Killed My Sale! (1995) HD - YouTube — Tommy Boy, Movie CLIP - I Killed My Sale! (1995) HD Franciscan Alum Prob (@FUSAlumniProb) | Twitterzack morris is trash - YouTube

Greg Iwinski, a comedian, film reviewer (he gave Balboa 5 Stars), and podcaster, comes on the show to attack all those who think Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" should have serviced the fans' expectations more than made a great movie (minus the casino scene) and set up a world-class franchise for decades to come. Film, art, and culture are all explored. What does a corporation, or an artist, owe to the fans that support and love and even identify with someone's art? George Lucas gave us Star Wars, then tried to mess with it. As an artist, he's allowed to. But as a fan, I beg him not to mess with the originals (which he's said the original film footage is even lost). "Special Editions" should be just that, and not replacements for the originals that now connect to our cultural Zeitgeist. That said, our expectations of who Luke Skywalker is and is not is informed by decades of fan-fiction and the expanded universe of books and comics, setting the stage for the rage-monster nerd reaction against Rian Johnson's fantastic new film. So many people came to the movie expecting one thing and Rian Johnson wanted to give us something new. Insert conflict here. Even a rant about maintenance-mode Catholicism comes in to play! The frog-nuns are caretakers of a dead religion and are fussy when young blood is messing with the buildings. Luke wants to burn down the sacred Tree, but find that he cannot, until Pope Yoda does the thing himself. Yet! The sacred texts survive and endure. So with the Jedi. Fascinating.Special Guest: Greg Iwinski.Support Catching FoxesLinks:The Rotten Tomatoes score for "The Last Jedi" may be rigged — Quartz — The latest Star Wars film scored a 93% on the Tomatometer, which shows the share of critics who gave the movie positive reviews on the site, and a lowly 55% with audiences who submitted more than 116,000 user reviews since the film’s US release last week, as of the time of this writing. One angry, anti-Disney Star Wars fan is proudly claiming the credit for the disconnect. An anonymous individual who runs the Facebook page “Down With Disney’s Treatment of Franchises and its Fanboys” claims to have used bots to create fake Facebook accounts that logged into Rotten Tomatoes and posted negative reviews of the film to lower the audience score.‘The Last Jedi’ Subverts Some Of The Worst ‘Star Wars’ Tropes — I’ve become so inured to it that when a Last Jedi character fired up the Randy Quaid mobile to drive it straight into that gun barrel/alien gun/portal and incinerate himself to save the galaxy/rebellion/rec center (I’m keeping this vague to avoid the no spoiler Gestapo), I’d already prepared myself to accept this bit of momentarily lazy plotting. Like giant portals or the expanded universe, I thought suicidal characters were just something I would have to learn to accept in order to enjoy a blockbuster in 2017. But this time, just when the would-be Quaid mobile was about to save Earth (so to speak), another character swooped in and stopped Quaid, nearly suiciding to prevent a suicide. We could argue about hypocritical tactics, but Rian Johnson gave the Quaid stopper the perfect line, about how The Resistance is “about saving what we love, not destroying what we hate.” Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) - Alternate Ending : Alternate Ending — Indeed, I'd almost go so far as to say that The Last Jedi is only good when one of either Luke or Rey is in a scene, and it is always good when one of them is in a scene, though this ignores the setpieces that work with neither of them being involved.The Last Jedi Doesn't Care What You Think About Star Wars — Legends Bleed Mark Hamill famously disagreed with Johnson on the direction of Luke Skywalker when he first read the screenplay for The Last Jedi, and it’s clear why. Luke, the farm boy who became a war hero who became a warrior knight who became his father’s savior, has fallen into disgrace. While The Force Awakens featured a Han Solo falling back into his old scoundrel ways (a position of comfort for those worried about a watered-down take on a character who was at his best when he wasn’t playing nice), The Last Jedi features a Luke Skywalker that is unlike anything we’ve seen before – a broken shell of a man who believes that everything he fought for and achieved was for naught. By telling young Rey that none of this matters, he’s also telling the audience the same thing. The stuff you love? The details that have reshaped pop culture and created a geek language that everyone speaks? Yeah, they’re wonky. Or rather, they’re broken. Your faith was flawed.

SHOW NOTES: *This one has chapters! Use your podcast player to skip chapters. * John Boy and Billy BS is the official name of our opening segment. This is where people who loved our witty banter can indulge themselves, and those who don't can skip it. Think about it. What if our uptick in friends' side hustles is more than the economic downturn, but is, in fact, the relationship between our buying and our experience of buying. We demand "Always Low Prices" and hate the resulting experience surrounding it: the lack of customer care, big-box stores lack of community care, throw-away products, and more. At least with multi-level marketing, it's friends selling to friends in a (hopefully) friendly way. Hmmmmmmm? Sponsor Thanks: Videos.Church Check out: Guadalupe Roasters!Sponsored By:Videos.Church: Andy Lesnefsky, the genius behind #ShareJesus on YouTube and Facebook, has a new project called Videos.Church and it is great! The first course is for Catholic parents that helps you communicate the faith to your kids in a powerful way. Plus, Gomer's in it! Head over to Videos.Church and use the promo code "CF" for a 15% discount on your order. Promo Code: CFSupport Catching FoxesLinks:The Secret Lives of Sex in the Elderly | Psychology Today — The Secret Lives of Sex in the Elderly Hang-ups regarding elderly sexuality Posted Dec 09, 2009 Matt Fradd — Matt Fradd is a Catholic apologist who speaks to over 50,000 people every year on topics having to do with the Catholic faith. He is the author of “Atheism: 20 Questions,” as well as the creator of the podcast Pints With Aquinas. Matt lives with his wife and four children in Georgia.Star Wars: The Last Jedi — My Sexy staycation Star Wars theater (don't be creepy)!How Not to Do Multi-Level Marketing — How Not to Do Multi-Level Marketing Our Broken Economy, in One Simple Chart - The New York Times — Our Broken Economy, in One Simple Chart Catching Foxes (@cfoxespodcast) | Twitter — @cfoxespodcast Follows you Another podcast about faith and culture. Discussion over instruction.

Show Notes! We talk about Circadian Fasting, which is a thing Gomer is doing. NO, it's not a fad diet. He's just trying to impose some order in his life and join it to a fasting discipline. And no, it's not a life hack TIM FERRISS! Matt shares the joys of marriage when becoming a Free Agent and living the dream (and various levels of nightmare). A THING WE ARE DOING If you head over to www.Patreon.com/CF and donate at least $1 to us (Friday only), then Matt Fradd will personally call you in the next week or so and say "Thank You!" Special thanks to Videos.Church for sponsoring this episode. Use the coupon code "CF" for %15 off your purchase.Special Guest: Matt Fradd.Sponsored By:Videos.Church: Andy Lesnefsky, the genius behind #ShareJesus on YouTube and Facebook, has a new project called Videos.Church and it is great! The first course is for Catholic parents that helps you communicate the faith to your kids in a powerful way. Plus, Gomer's in it! Head over to Videos.Church and use the promo code "CF" for a 15% discount on your order. Promo Code: CFSupport Catching FoxesLinks:Love People Use Things — LOVE PEOPLE USE THINGS IS THE NEW PRO-LOVE/ANTI-PORN PODCAST FOR THOSE WHO ARE TIRED OF FANTASY AND ARE READY FOR REALITY. Pints with AquinasKen Henderson in Power Team with Triple Break. - YouTube — Ken Henderson in Power Team with Triple Break. Entering Moria LOTR 1.15 [HD 1080p] - YouTube — And they call it a "mine." BAH! A MINE?!Catholic Parenting 101 — It's here. Finally a course on Catholic Parenting that is created for you. Our Catholic Parenting Class is a one of a kind online educational tool for your family. We are so confident you are going to love this, it comes with a money back guarantee. BUY NOW Introducing “Zero,” a new app to help you fast – Kevin Rose – Medium — Introducing “Zero,” a new app to help you fast My interest in intermittent fasting (IF) started several years ago when I learned that Hugh Jackman used a daily 16-hour fast to lean up for his role in Wolverine. I knew this was a fun body hack to lose weight, but that doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you.

SHOW NOTES Whenever Taylor Swift breaks up with someone, we benefit from her awesome songs. Whenever Arleen breaks up with someone, we benefit from her awesome articles. Leah Darrow, on the show for her second time around, talks about her new book and we agree it is great. Gomer did his homework and plowed through 3/4ths of it in 24 hours. And, though the book was written for women, I loved it. Although, I have to admit that I would love the audiobook more if her husband was the narrator.Special Guests: Arleen Spenceley and Leah Darrow.Support Catching FoxesLinks:Audiobook: "The Other Side of Beauty" by Leah Darrow — Affiliate link to Leah Darrow's audiobook on Amazon.com"Do Something Beautiful" podcast by Leah DarrowAndy Stanley, "Are you who..." — When I meet the right person, everything will be all right. This way of thinking creates trouble in our dating lives and sets us up for trouble in marriage. In this message, Andy challenges us to ask ourselves Am I the person the person I'm looking for is looking for? And he previews God's list of behaviors that will lead to success in dating and marriage. Rage Against The Machine - No Shelter — Rage Against The Machine's official music video for 'No Shelter'. Click to listen to Rage Against The Machine on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/RATMSpotify?IQid=R... The Never List | Beautycounter — The Never List™ is made up of more than 1,500 questionable or harmful chemicals that we never use as ingredients in our products. This includes the over 1,400 chemicals banned or restricted in personal care products by the European Union, plus additional chemicals screened by Beautycounter and found to be of concern.Mascara Ads Will Never Not Feature False Eyelashes — In 2011, CoverGirl was forced to pull ads featuring Taylor Swift for their NatureLuxe Mousse mascara because her lashes were photoshopped after the fact – something Rimmel had done with a Kate Moss ad a few years prior. In 2007, L'Oreal got rid of an ad with Penelope Cruz because she was wearing false eyelashes. CoverGirl got in on this action again in 2011 in their True Volume ads. Other companies like Dior have gotten in trouble for their Natalie Portman ads, or Rimmel again with an ad featuring Georgia May Jagger. Wounded WarriorsGreen Beret Foundation — Our mission is to answer the call of the Green Berets and their families so that they can succeed in their next mission.

from their website, EdenInvitation.com: Eden Invitation celebrates ordered integration for young Catholics culturally defined as LGBT+. We invite people to encounter an authentically Catholic anthropology and equip disciples for resurrected life in Christ. ANNA CARTER Chronologically speaking, Anna loved books, exploring the outdoors, boys, Hanson, the Eucharist, girls, and, finally, an integrated life. After earning Theology & Catechetics degrees from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Anna spent seven years in active ministry with teens and young adults. She has led retreats across the United States with NET Ministries and speaks locally throughout the Midwest. Anna is an aspiring novelist, a lover of road trips, and a horrible cook. SHANNON OCHOA As a young girl, Shannon spent Sunday mornings in the pew eating contraband pretzels out of her dress pockets. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Social Welfare and Gender & Women's Studies. She has fallen for men and for women, but ultimately she fell for the beauty of Christ and His Church. Ever since Shannon has equipped college students for the new evangelization through her work with The Evangelical Catholic and Brew City Catholic. If you're looking for her, try the shore of the nearest body of water.Support Catching FoxesLinks:Eden Invitation | Donations — If you'd like to donate to their mission, click here!About Us | Eden Invitation — We’re human persons. Disciples. Dreamers. Wounded. Graced. Striving. We’re not experts, therapists, doctoral theologians, activists, or “bi.”  We’re just complicated people. Kind of like you. Eden Invitation is our project. Welcome to the adventure!Shannon's Story — A beautiful video of Shannon's story of integration and love. We all want to be seen for who are, but who are we? Eden Invitation is an outreach to Catholic Christians on the LGBT+ spectrum. Visit our website to learn more living integrated, authentic, resurrected lives in the midst of our human longing.George Orwell: Politics and the English Language — George Orwell, Politics and the English Language- "Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it."Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity — The New York Times bestselling author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything and Jesus: A Pilgrimage turns his attention to the relationship between LGBT Catholics and the Church in this loving, inclusive, and revolutionary book.Gay and Catholic: Accepting My Sexuality, Finding Community, Living My Faith — In this first book from an openly lesbian and celibate Catholic, widely published writer and blogger Eve Tushnet recounts her spiritual and intellectual journey from liberal atheism to faithful Catholicism and shows how gay Catholics can love and be loved while adhering to Church teaching.Pints With Aquinas: 73: Why I don't call myself Gay, With Daniel Mattson ... Also Fr. James Martin's new book — This is the second part of a two-part series we've done on homosexuality. Be sure to listen to last week's episode before this one. Today we talk about terminology—why Daniel doesn't call himself 'gay'. We also respond to Fr. James Martin's new book, Building A Bridge.The challenge of being both gay and Catholic - The Washington Post — I wish in his new book he had explored celibate witness more deeply, or reflected on scriptural models by which gay people could understand our longings for same-sex love and intimacy. If we are all the church together, LGBT laypeople who seek to live in obedience to the church have a place as well as those who dissent.Father James Martin on LGBT community: A bridge too far? — Courage understands and welcomes people with same sex attraction while remaining faithful to Catholic teaching. With his laudable desire to minister to people with same sex attraction, one wonders why Martin is silent about this dynamic, compassionate and respectful Catholic apostolate.

SHOW NOTES We discuss the myth of overwork, thinking that working hard and working a lot are the same thing. Read the links for some amazing content on everything we discussed today, including to the lyrics of some sweet songs. Gomer shares the disgust he has with himself for overbooking his October/November schedule, every weekend for 7 weekends in a row. Luke then talks about one of his heroes, Louis CK, and what it means for him in the wake of the accusations against him. What about the victims? What about the problem of empathy? What does these sexual assaults teach us about the cross of Christ?Support Catching FoxesLinks:How to Beat the Burnout Culture - Michael Hyatt — In today’s job world, burnout is a constant threat. Email and smartphones keep us constantly connected. Worse still, we lionize leaders who never rest. Famous CEOs tout 80-hour workweeks and we wear busyness like a badge of honor. Join us to discover the causes of our overwork obsession—and its cure. Elon Musk and the 100 Hour Error - Michael Hyatt — In an 2010 interview, Musk ...explained, “If other people are putting in 40-hour workweeks and you’re putting in 100-hour workweeks, then even if you’re doing the same thing … you will achieve in four months what it takes them a year to achieve.” That’s perfectly good advice. For a robot.Why do we work so hard? | 1843 — What is less clear to me, and to so many of my peers, is whether we should do so much of it. "The Employee Burnout Crisis: Study Reveals Big Workplace Challenge in 2017" — The biggest threat to building an engaged workforce in 2017 is employee burnout. The newest study in the Employee Engagement Series conducted by Kronos Incorporated and Future Workplace® found 95 percent of human resource leaders admit employee burnout is sabotaging workforce retention, yet there is no obvious solution on the horizon. 9 Millennials Share What Work-Life Balance Means To Them — "For me, it’s not so much about work-life balance as it is work-life integration. I’m not driven by the prospect of working hard for the next 30 years to retire one day. I’m building a lifestyle and a career that I’d be happy to maintain for the rest of my life. So earlier this month that meant working from my laptop in the mountains of Colombia.   Disarming Beauty: Essays on Faith, Truth, and Freedom — In 2005, Father Julián Carrón became the leader of the global ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation. Disarming Beauty is a collection of essays by one of the principal Catholic leaders and intellectuals in the world today...They present the content of his elaboration of the gospel message in light of the tradition of Fr. Giussani, the teachings of the popes, and the urgent needs of contemporary people.‘If you don’t think Francis is the cure, you don’t grasp the disease,’ CL head says - Articles — Although some Catholics, especially the more conservative sort, often find Pope Francis a bit of a shock to the system, the leader of the Church's influential Communion and Liberation movement says that if you don't think this pontiff is the cure, then you don't understand the nature of the disease we're facing in a post-modern, secular world. Blindside - "About A Burning Fire" — It hurts, That drops of fire would fall so precise, And how everything else would lose its meaning. What a beautiful, What a painful surprise. There is no peace outside if there is nothing within. It hurts, But like coming home, Once dried up. I guess this is what you get When a heart expands. Blindside - "Silence" — "They won't see the fire You have lit inside of me. They look up to the stars and wonder where You might be. They look up, without realizing they're standing in the palm of Your hand. I cannot explain or understand. I just love You."Professor gives TEDx Talk about why TED Talks don't work. — TED talks are plagued by oversimplification and hobbled by their reliance on factors like a presenter's likability. He says that TED talks are "making our best and brightest waste their time—and the audience's time—dancing like infomercial hosts." Louis CK in the New York Times: "These Stories Are True" :: Comedy :: News :: Louis CK :: Paste — I want to address the stories told to The New York Times by five women named Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia who felt able to name themselves and one who did not. These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was O.K. because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly. I have been remorseful of my actions. And I’ve tried to learn from them. And run from them. Sarah Silverman Speaks on Louis C.K.: ‘Can You Love Someone Who Did Bad Things?’ - The New York Times — “I love Louie,” she said, “but Louie did these things. Both of those statements are true. So, I just keep asking myself, can you love someone who did bad things? Can you still love them? I can mull that over later, certainly, because the only people that matter right now are the victims. They are victims, and they’re victims because of something he did.” On the Problem of Empathy: The Collected Works of Edith Stein (3rd Volume): Edith Stein, Waltraut Stein: 9780935216110: Amazon.com: Books — Early in Edith Stein's philosophical output stands her doctoral dissertation defended in 1916 at Freiburg-im-Breisgau. On the Problem of Empathy is the fruit of several years' work with the founder of phenomenology and the director of the dissertation itself, Edmund Husserl."Magical, Mystical Negro Stereotype" Yale Bulletin and Calendar — But this new image is just a reincarnation of "the same old" stereotype or caricature of African Americans as the "noble savage" or the "happy slave" that has been presented in film and on television for decades, contended Lee...Noting that "The Legend of Bagger Vance" takes place in Depression-era Georgia, a time when lynching of blacks in the South was commonplace, Lee stated, incredulously, "Blacks are getting lynched left and right, and [Bagger Vance is] more concerned about improving Matt Damon's golf swing!Magical Negro Fight - Key and Peele | Comedy Central — KEY AND PEELE MAGICAL NEGRO FIGHT ClipSeason 1 Ep 52/28/2012 Two wise black men butt heads when it becomes apparent that they're both offering advice to the same white guy.

I'm happy we can bring you this episode with my friend David Garcia. He was married to Katie, a buddy from my ol' FUS days and a friend of my wife's for years. When she died, the light in the world got a bit dimmer, but her work wasn't done. From high school sweethearts to 10 years of marriage with 4 kids, a failed fight with cancer, and life without her, David shares all. Obituary of Katie Garcia Katherine Lorine Garcia was born January 10, 1983, to Paul and Tina Hoffman. Kate was the second of three children along with her older brother, Joseph Hoffman and younger sister, Lisa Loftice. The family grew up going to the lake, and Kate loved the lake best of all places. It was for her a refuge, a retreat, and a second home. Weekends and summers at the lake were mandatory, for it was there that she could truly relax and simply enjoy time with her family. On August 11, 2007, she married David Thomas Garcia, her high school sweetheart. In 2010, they welcomed their first-born, John David, followed in 2011 by Lilia Marie, Thomas James in 2013, and Andrew Paul in 2014. In February 2016, Kate was diagnosed with appendiceal cancer, and after a brief remission in the fall was diagnosed with stage IV in December. On April 5, 2017, while holding David’s hand, she entered into her heavenly rest. Kate loved Jesus and his Church with a passion that could be felt by all who knew her. In public, she could be the life of the party or a quiet confidant, often switching from one to the other at will. Despite her gregarious nature and ability to befriend anyone she met, she was strongly introverted and maintained a healthy balance of time with friends and time alone at home with just her children and David. She loved watching TV and movies, and would often spend nights at home, snuggled on the couch with David, enjoying a show. She loved to write and kept a daily journal for most of her life. Katie took her vocation to marriage and family life seriously, and worked tirelessly for her marriage and children. For Katie and David, marriage was like a garden: beautiful to see in bloom. And like a garden, it took work to keep it pruned, to pull out weeds, to water, and feed. Kate was always reading and researching ways to be the best mother she could be for their four children, and she was an incredible mother: kind but firm, gentle even when disciplining, and purposeful in decision making. Throughout her illness, Katie wrote and shared her thoughts and reflections online, touching hundreds, even thousands of hearts and drawing them closer to Jesus. That was always her driving force - to bring others closer to God. While at Franciscan University, Kate joined a sisterhood of faithful women - Stella Mariae. Their household greeting, though short, seems fitting as she departs us for her final reward: “It is the deepest desire of my heart to see you in heaven.”Support Catching FoxesLinks:Katie Garcia — This is my last blog post here.  I don’t know if I can express how much this blog has meant to me, and how much it  meant to Kate.  As I think back to when we decided to start a blog, it was more about survival than trying to reach people.  When she was first diagnosed in Feb 2016, our phones were buzzing non-stop with friends and family wanting updates.  I figured that it’d be easier to type it once and publish it than to answer dozens of calls and texts every hour.  Of course, this turned into so much more.  Your prayers and support have been truly humbling, and the stories you tell of people’s lives being touched by our story are inspiring.  Thank you for being a part of our lives, and for your continued prayers and support. Katie Garcia: Nearing the End — God, in His infinite mercy, will likely bring my sweet Katie home sometime very soon. A priest was by this morning to hear her confession, give her anointing, and pray the prayers for the dying. Please pray for her peace as she prepares to look on Him who is the deepest longing of our hearts face to face. Be assured of His goodness and of her intercession.  I look forward to reading your comments here when I can, but please respect the family's privacy during this time. She is only seeing immediate family, and not able to respond to texts or answer calls.  God bless you! The past few days have been hard, and I imagine the next few will be even harder.  Kate is still with us.  Those who have experience in these things tell me that it may still be a few days yet - maybe more, but maybe not.  There's no way to know.

Show Notes We talk Pope Francis, poorly. Prophets make messes, but no one doubted that Jeremiah was a prophet and not a mess himself. We're not saying Pope Francis is teaching heresy or promoting immorality, but there sure is a lot of, PERHAPS, intended ambiguity. Why? No idea. Maybe to make it easier to lay the ground for further future nudges in one direction or another. One thing we hate is the hyper-American-Politcalization of Pope Francis. We try our darnedest to get around it, or address it for what it is, but we can't help but remember JP2 more fondly.Support Catching FoxesLinks:In Amoris Laetitia, who is admonishing whom? – Catholic World Report — The burden of the Pope’s final discussion on marital problems—such as divorce, living together, and unfaithfulness—is to picture the Church, not as a judge or bureaucratic organization, but as a compassionate mother willing to listen and to stay with someone through his trials. It would be difficult to know what else to call this section but an exercise in sophisticated casuistry. Every effort is made to excuse or understand how one who is in such a situation is not really responsible for it. There was ignorance, or passion, or confusion. We are admonished not to judge anyone. And we are to welcome anyone and make every effort to make him feel at home in Church and as a neighbor. Attention is paid to victims of divorce who are treated unfairly, and especially children. But the prime interest is in mercy and compassion. God already forgives everything and so should we. The intellectual precision that the Holy Father uses to excuse or lessen guilt is cause for some reflection. The law cannot change but the “gradual” leading up to understanding this failure to observe the law takes time and patience. Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy explains his critical letter to Pope Francis – Catholic World Report — First, I decided to write Pope Francis a letter, which I intended then to publish unless he adequately addressed the issues I raised.  Almost two months after having received my letter, I did receive an acknowledgement from Vatican Secretariat of State informing me that the letter had been received.  This was simply an acknowledgement and not a response to my concerns.  Second, I find it significant that not only did the Lord fulfill my demand for a sign, but also did so in, what I believe, a very significant manner.  He accomplished it through an archbishop.  By utilizing an archbishop, I believe, that Jesus’ fulfillment of my request took on an apostolic mandate.U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President on Dialogue Within the Church — "The departure today of Fr. Thomas Weinandy, O.F.M., Cap., as a consultant to the Committee on Doctrine and the publication of his letter to Pope Francis gives us an opportunity to reflect on the nature of dialogue within the Church.  Throughout the history of the Church, ministers, theologians and the laity all have debated and have held personal opinions on a variety of theological and pastoral issues. In more recent times, these debates have made their way into the popular press. That is to be expected and is often good.  However, these reports are often expressed in terms of opposition, as political – conservative vs. liberal, left vs. right, pre-Vatican II vs Vatican II.  These distinctions are not always very helpful.