Thin Blue Papist

I'm no longer going to be using Blogger. I very much dislike the editing and formatting functions and its not getting much exposure. I'm moving over to SubStack, so catch me over there thinbluepapist.substack.com Also, if you notice a vast lack of posting on my Instagram, it's because I'm doing St. Michael's Lent and am off Social Media (this doesn't count) until 9/29. In the words of Fr. Mike Schmitz, "I'm praying for you, please pray for me." -Thin Blue Papist

If you’re facing a dilemma today, you’re not alone. If you don’t normally abstain from meat on  Friday because you live somewhere where the local Episcopal Conference has replaced the traditional Friday observance with other penances, then this post doesn’t really matter. However, if you live somewhere or are a member of a community that or have personally taken on the traditional observance of no meat Fridays, then today could be confusing. Canon 1451 states, “Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.” Often 1451 is quoted with that quote ending after the first comma. So, what does this mean? Well, it could mean different things based on which calendar you follow. If you follow the old calendar, Friday in the week of Easter is treated as a 1st Class feast day. The modern calendar tre...

A review of "The Role of a Christian Father" by Keith Chappell, published by Catholic Truth Society. Another great booklet produced by CTS on a topic so important in today's society and climate. I first read this shortly after the birth of my first child, when I was really diving deeper into the faith and how to best live it out. This isn't a book on "how to be a dad," but how to live out your Christian faith as a father and head of the household. As it says right in the Intro, "It is not the purpose of this booklet to tell the reader how to be a father...but perhaps it will lead you to reflect on your role as a father and to become aware of the huge internal resources each father has which are given by the grace of the one Father we all look to." An important section of this booklet touches upon "work-life" balance. As a police officer, we're told in speeches that we'll miss birthday parties, holidays, life events, etc. Whi...

This a reflection on the Gospel reading for February 12, 2024 (Mark 1:40-45). How great is God's mercy? Greater than we could ever fathom. Often we can get caught up in our own downfalls and sinfullness and forget that, through it all, God loves us. A great point that was made in the homily at the Mass I attended was that some people stay away from Confession, Mass and the Eucharist, or the Church altogether because of their sinfullness. When asked "Why?" it can often be that "My sins are so bad, God could never forgive me." Now, we know that when we come before the Lord in true contrition to confession, truly desire to transform our lives away from that sin and do penance, our sins are forgiven. The point that was driven home in the homily, that God loves us unconditionally not because of who we are, but because of who He is. Often we get wrapped up in our side of things as it relates to our relationship with God, but we forget to think about the other ...

So, this all started with making a quick meme about something I felt passionate about and then quickly realized I could not summarize what I meant by it in a sentence or two.        I  remember listening to a sermon by Bishop Barron probably a few years ago now and was struck by the phrase, “No more dumbed-down Catholicism.”     While I don’t think living by this statement is by any means the solution to all of our problems, it should be the tip of the iceberg.       There is a trickle down effect here.    In an August 2023 interview with EWTN, Bishop Barron stated, “My generation got a dumbed-down Catholicism and it’s been a pastoral disaster.”     It’s true, once you start eroding any element of faith and/or Church teaching, the rot can set in.    Following this interview the National Catholic Reporter (a source I generally stay away from) was critical of the standpoint taken by Bp. Barron, ...

 Book Review: Freemasonry and the Christian Faith by Fr. Ashley Beck This booklet does a great job at giving you a history of the Church's position on Freemasonry over the years.  It also shows you how Freemasonry has evolved over the last few centuries.  Overall, as the tagline states it answers the question, "Is Freemasonry compatible with Catholicism?"   As you might have guessed, the answer of course is a resounding "No." This is one of many great booklets/pamphlets published through the Catholic Truth Society and can easily be read within a few short hours.  From the Table of Contents the booklet breaks down the overall topic into some of the following areas (this is not the complete Table): What is Freemasonry I think it is important that if you are going to be against something you should know what it is exactly that you are against.  This section covers how this secret society came to be, what its origin claims are and how it organizes itself today...

 Book Review: The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity by Matthew Kelly The real point of this book is not that it is about the "biggest lie in the history of Christianity" but that it can be overcome.  I'll admit, I thought this book was going to be completely different.  I assumed it would be about some "boogeyman" like lie or some giant glaring technical error that is never corrected.  I was far from the mark.  What this book delves into is a lie that has been propagated by society and even ourselves that ultimately separates us from being as close to God as he wants us to be and becoming the best versions of ourselves that God wants us to be.   Ultimately I read this book in a total of a few hours over two days.  It wasn't gripping in a sensational way but in a way that left me thirsting for more information on how to combat this lie, live a better life and change the world in the process.  I wouldn't say its a playbook on how to ch...

This is basically the post that pushed me over the edge to do the blog.  As I sat trying to compile something yesterday on fasting, since it was Friday, I realized an informative and succinct Instagram post wasn't going to cut it.  So here we are, and here's really the first intentional blog post.  If you like it and want me to keep it up, let me know.  If you think everything I've written is drivel, also let me know.  (I didn't proof read this after I wrote it, I scanned for red squiggly marks for obvious issues, fixed them, and moved on).  I want all of us to get to the kingdom together.

I was really struck by the Placeat (Prayer to the Blessed Trinity after Mass) today.  A main critique of the TLM is that the priest doesn’t face the people.  Read this prayer.  Who is it directed to?  The people, no.  The Trinity, yes. From the start, to the end, the priest’s prayers are directed to God, we pray with the priest, gazing upon the cross as the sacrifice of Calvary is re-presented on the Altar.  The Placeat is just one of the many prayers ripped from the Missal by the reformers.  It impoverished the Mass and forced the faithful to lose focus.  The numbers speak for themselves, scores of churches and schools closed, pews are empty and shrinking belief in the true presence.  Study your faith, know your faith, defend your faith. Picture 1 is taken from the Fr. Lasance Missal.  Picture 2 & 3 are excerpted from Mass of the Ages Episode II.

  A reflection on Acts 14:5-18 (1st Reading 5/8/23, Monday of the 5th Week of Easter) Who are we to stand against God’s plans?  Who are we to question God’s infinite wisdom?  As the psalmist says: As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he knows that we are dust. (Psalms 103:13-14) While me must acknowledge our lowliness compared to His majesty, we also rejoice in knowing that, “ God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him …” (Genesis 1:27).  While we must be humble servants of the Lord we must also be bold heralds of the Gospel.  In this passage of Acts we first hear of the crowd of both Jews and Gentiles that try to kill Paul and Barnabas by stoning them in Iconium.  Despite this, and other attacks, they continue spreading the Good News in Lystra and Derbe.  We read in this part of Acts of the man healed by Paul.  Paul sees the man’s faith and calls to him, “Stand u...

 The Catholic Church is full of a seemingly endless variety of traditions, devotions and sacramentals.  I'd like to take a moment to talk about one that seems to have fallen out of disuse, blessed or more properly, exorcised salt.  Salt is very important biblically and spiritually, there's even a "Salt in the Bible" Wikipedia page , go, check.   Salt goes back to being an ingredient in ritual prayer to our forefathers in faith, Leviticus 2:13 states, " You shall season all your cereal offerings with salt; you shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be lacking from your cereal offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt ."  Ezekiel, Exodus, Ezra, Numbers, Chronicles, Psalms and other Old Testament texts reference salt. The famous Salt & Light sermon in Matthew reads, "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out a...

 This post was born out of a comment I was originally going to make on @cool_catholic 's reel regarding the purpose and meaning of the Mass.  Using the funeral example, sadly I think we see the most secular incursions on the Holy Mass happening at funerals.  There's not enough emphasis put on the fact that at a funeral Mass we are praying for the repose of the departed's soul.  We're not "celebrating life," and we don't "know X is among the angels."  Consciously of subconsciously there is a tendency to make the funerals about and for the grieving, not the deceased. I blame most of this on bad catechesis and a poor grasping of theology by the laity, and its not their fault.  But there's also little Christian charity exercised by those who do know and understand with those who don't.  I'll admit, I'm guilty of it too, but I strive to be better. I recall a story of a priest who, having the option of purple or white for funeral Masses...

I started what I’ve now deemed a “Meme Based Apostolate” in early January of this year. Something told me, “just do it,” so I did, and here I am, a little more than 6 months later. My first Instagram post said, “Just a Catholic cop trying to get to heaven and help others on the road there. We’ll see where the Holy Spirit takes this journey. God bless and stay safe!” I’ve had a few good thoughts since then, had more than a few positive reactions and interactions and intend to keep going. Unfortunately Instagram holds you back from putting a lot of text info out there and some of the things I want to talk about require more than just a meme and a couple of small paragraphs. I’ve done some longer form writing over the years without an outlet beyond a teahcer, priest or spiritual advisor. This will be able to give me, hopefully, a bigger audience and a wider sounding board for my thoughts, ideas, opinions and the like. Thanks for being here, and thanks for coming on this journey with me...

You will never be alone.  We know that God is omnipresent, and that nowhere in His creation can we escape Him.  “ The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good ,” (Proverbs 15:3).  From the start of creation, God’s presence is in everything as its creator, we can marvel at the wonders of the world at how God has graced us with such beauty and splendor.  So much, even beyond our own world that we know, all created by God shows us the reach and expanse of His creation.  With all the knowledge we have in the present day, the heavens above us are still an endless marvel we know so little about.  “ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have established ,” (Psalms 8:3).  Just think at how similarly man has sat in awe looking at the night sky in its expanse for age upon age and yet God’s brilliance in that one mere aspect of creation continues to draw us in.  ...

Authority is service to one another for the good of the other.  A good authority has the best interests and well being of those they have authority over as their primary concern.  Whether elected, appointed or anointed, authority is a call to service.  Authority can be defined as, “the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.”  In Matthew’s Gospel, Christ is asked by local authority figures, “By what authority are you doing these things?  And who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23).  An interesting internal dialogue among the chief priests and elders ensues weighing their options of response to Jesus’ rebuttal.  Ultimately they admit that they do not know.  This questioning of authority, particularly of Jesus, during his ministry was not uncommon.  Questioning authority existed before Christ and exists up through the present day.  Accountability of authorities to the governed or ruled or most importantl...

We as followers of Christ know in our hearts what we believe as Christians, and the faith that has been passed on to us over the last two millennia.  It has been easier to know faith in your heart than it has been to articulate in through a formal means.  So great has the difficulty been, that it took nearly three centuries after Christ’s resurrection to put it in to words for the first time.  The venerable bishops of the early church convened at the behest of Constantine I in Nicea in the year 325.  From this council, came the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, known simply as the Nicene Creed.  While its deeper origins are up to debate, its truths came from the heart of our early church fathers, guided by the teachings of Jesus passed down by the Apostles and guided by the Holy Spirit.  Its text would be altered over time, even within short time of its inception, and as recently as this very century, but the message remains true.  This creed is such a ...

Our reasons are a lie.  We act on impulses and instinct with a false sense of purpose.  We believe we act for ourselves, for our families, for our neighbors or for our fellow man.  We believe we act for people.  We believe we act to please individual human beings to make them proud, to show them respect, or for reward.  To act on these reasons is not the truth behind our human actions.  We act for God. We have all been given this precious gift of life not so that we may please one another and leave behind a lasting presence, but so that we may leave this life knowing that we have pleased our creator.  Our purpose is in God’s trust and confidence in us as his children.  We are all stewards of this creation and God gives us the gift of free will to make better both this gift of the earth, but also this gift of life.  All of God’s children receive different callings in our lifetimes.  Though two may be called to the same profession or v...