THE LEGACY OF TRUMP

As bizarre as this sounds, there is a sizable number of Christians who regard Donald Trump as a messiah. They believe that he has been sent by God to protect a Christian nation, and that he is a savior, of sorts. Despite the fact that Trump's behaviors and policies are less Christian than any other politician on either side of the aisle at any time in history, his evangelical supporters are willing to excuse all of it. I don't think it would ever occur to me to write about politics were it not for this weird and astonishing circumstance.

I myself was planning on voting for Trump, until the Access Hollywood tapes came out and I heard him say those horrible things and how he grabs women "by the p---y" and that was IT for me. The more I learned about him, the more I could not imagine him as president, so, despite my antipathy toward Hillary Clinton, I voted for her.

It was blatantly obvious to me that Trump was creepy and dangerous, and I was just stunned when he was elected. Granted, he LOST the popular vote by several million people and was put in office by the auspices of the Electoral College (a mystifying and nonsensical peculiarity of American democracy) but it frightens me that so many Americans, after hearing his disgusting comments and watching his outlandish antics, would not only vote for him, but hotly defend every crackpot thing he has done and said since - against all rational sense.

Speaking as a woman who has a wicked case of PTSD , thanks to rapes and assaults, the idea that this guy is president makes me really uneasy. He promotes grabbing women by their genitals without so much as a 'by your leave"; there are more than a dozen women suing him for that very thing (he claims they are lying); the hearing for his appointment of would-be rapist Kavanaugh to the bench was a nightmare (complete with yet another assault on the impeccable character of his ersatz victim); and, with the name-calling and generally vulgar attitude he broadly and publicly displays toward women, in general, if it weren't for my meditation practice, I would be a certifiable basket case.

I have had many days, when Trump's misogyny and explicit prejudice against disabled people have flowed into my life from random strangers, like that grocery store employee who claimed he believed in "Trump's law" and that I was not disabled enough to suit him so, in his eyes, I did not deserve to use my handicap parking placard. On days like that, when the PTSD has been activated by Trump lovers, it has been impossible to maintain my typically cheerful self.

Trump has cost me friends and the support of some of my Catholic community where I live. A few have dropped me from Facebook and shunned me at church because of him. Pointing out the lies and misbehaviors of Trump is "hateful," according to them. In order to keep their friendship, I would have been required to stick to the fantasy script that he is the messiah come to save us from the gays, the immigrants, the blacks, the browns, and the poor . I do not respond well to emotional blackmail, and I will be damned if I will pretend that wrong is right and bad is good in order to stay in the good graces of people who ought to know better.

A small number of relatives, with whom I was not emotionally close, did likewise. None of them speak to me now because I have had the temerity to point out that which is readily apparent to the rest of us. I am not a perfect person, but at least I aspire to the core values of Christ. Trump doesn't.

The idea that these Trump supporters cannot see what is right in front of their eyes gives me chills up my spine - because he is such an extreme case of explicit corruption. This psychological drama is like the worst horror movie I've ever seen. I used to wonder how these people would cope when they finally realized the amount of danger to which we have been subjected because of their slavish devotion to Trump, but it is slowly sinking in that they never will. I have to accept that this is the way things will be for probably the rest of my life. They'll never be able to admit what they have done, especially to themselves.

Thankfully, most Americans (and most people all over the world) see him for what he is: a craven, mentally unbalanced, morally and ethically bankrupt con artist - a wastrel who, after being given millions of dollars by Daddy, spent his life taking advantage wherever he could, at the expense of innocent people, a man whose level of narcissism is malignant. I also suspect, and I have read the opinion of a host of psychiatrists and doctors who agree, that he may be entering into a phase of some sort of dementia, probably having to do with the progression of disease and/or old age. Some days, his language is such a hash of words that he appears to be barely lucid. Who knows if all the cheeseburgers have clogged his arteries and rotted his brain, or whether he just has some as-yet diagnosed illness? In any case, not only is he temperamentally 'unsuited' for the job of president (that word doesn't do it justice), he is positively dangerous. Saying this makes me "hateful" in the eyes of the Trump lovers.

Once someone decides to shield their eyes and ears from the blatant, obvious, in-your-face reality of Trump, that decision imprisons them.  In order to maintain the fairy tale of Messiah Trump, they can't watch any news program except Fox, or they will hear a truthful narrative from all the professional journalists.  They choose to believe Trump's preposterous claim that CNN and other traditional news outlets are in some kind of conspiracy against him and that publications with strict journalistic standards have all thrown away decades of integrity in order to conspire to spread the exact same lies about him. (I wonder where they MEET? Is there a giant video chat, or what? Do they vote on the lie of the week?)

True believers can't read any news except extremist right wing rags. They will listen to what Trump says about the Mueller Report before they will believe anything Mueller himself says about it, and they will not read the report which IS available. These people won't even take the direction of the POPE, calling instead for the Pope's expulsion from the church on the basis of heresy because his guidance disagrees with Trump's view of the world. The Pope as much as blatantly stated that Trump is not Christian, criticizing his stupid sea-to-sea wall. All of this sounds like a science fiction movie - but it's real.

Walter Cronkite is rolling in his grave.

As I have mentioned before, I know a few people who voted for Trump because he promised to nominate right wing judges - and he has done that. Trump doesn't appear to really care about the Supreme Court. I doubt he understands its role, given how little he appears to know or care about any of the functions of government or basic principles of jurisprudence. His handlers have given him the list from The Federalist Society (another nightmare topic) and he dutifully proposes only the people on that approved list. People in the pro-life community whose focus is making abortion a criminal act are willing to let the rest of government fall down around our ears in service to this one goal. They see some of the craziness of Trump but they don't care because they are getting the judges they want. I am pro-life, but I don't agree with this tragic compromise because it is endangering our democratic process and putting America in real peril from foreign enemies to whom Trump has cozied up and/or aggravated.

I feel, and I have been saying from the beginning, that Trump will do his best to get us embroiled in a war in order to both distract us from his crimes and to lengthen his time in office. As I also predicted, he is making a tremendous amount of money from foreign governments, pouring money into his businesses, as well as the American taxpayer who have been hosting his adult children and in-laws at Trump's luxury resorts for golf trips and "meetings" held at Trump's luxury properties. The partisan Attorney General that he placed at the head of the Department of Justice has engineered a change to the interpretation of the laws around the emoluments clause of the constitution, to the effect that the president should be allowed to receive unlimited amounts of money from foreign governments, as long as those payments are washed through businesses owned by the president. This is very convenient to Trump, whose fortunes were flagging before becoming president. The longer he can extend his presidency, the more money he can pull into his businesses, and the more regulations he can remove for businessmen like himself, ensuring his future further enrichment. Money is usually at the bottom of all corruption, and his administration is no different.

The MOST ironic thing about all this is that I originally became attracted to the Catholic faith, not only because of the mystics but because the values of Jesus Christ appealed to me. Now, I find myself part of a group of people, many of whom have abandoned these values for political expediency. It is heartbreaking for me, personally.

Between the huge sex abuse scandals and this wholehearted embrace of a toxic political administration that promotes unChristian values, the Catholic Church is getting a real hit, as far as reputation is concerned.

I realize that this post is somewhat rambling. This IS a diary, after all, but I should sum up my thoughts, and here it is:

I believe in the values of Jesus Christ and I won't abandon them, even if a large group of my fellow Catholics have traded them in for Republican talking points and have embraced the most unChristian of all politicians. I will not be dissuaded from trying, to the best of my ability, to follow the precepts of the church, and I will also throw myself into my meditation and prayer life with greater devotion. The only peace I get these days is from my meditation, formal and informal, where I tune in to the Divine and leave all the rest of this behind. I am sorry to be traveling this road alone, but I have been an accidental hermit for so long now that giving up the last shred of hope for community life or spiritual support is not such a stretch for me. The Lord does step in and assist me when necessary.

As I was writing this, two things happened. The first was a heated exchange between a reporter and one of Trump's people on the CBS Sunday Morning show in regard to Iran and its supposed attempt to blow up a ship in the Gulf of Hormuz. If he plays his cards right, Trump will get that war he has been wanting.

The other thing that happened as I was writing this: I was dropped by another ersatz "Catholic" who lives in my town. She defriended me on Facebook without a word, and when I questioned her about it, it was because of Donald Trump. This is how they keep the bubble small and the message consistent. God save them.



Silver Rose

WHAT I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT THE VICTIMS

When the news broke of the release of the report about the pedophile scandal in the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania, all hell broke loose on social media, and everyone seemed to be focused on lengthy discussions about how to punish the evildoers, and how to fix the Catholic Church so that this does not happen any more.

At first, I joined the conversations. As a convert, I was horrified by the revelations of the ever-widening scope of the pedophile ring. Then I realized that none of the posts I was reading made mention of the victims. The focus seemed entirely on the perpetrators, present and future. I found that odd.

After questioning many people about this remarkable lack of interest in the victims, and reading many weak and unconvincing arguments about why it was somehow 'right' to ignore them, I realized that there is STILL considerable squeamishness around this topic. WHY? Evidently, the fact that the victims were subjected to sexual abuse makes other people feel uncomfortable.

As a victim of several instances of childhood sexual abuse and rape, I am speaking out for the victims in the Catholic Church scandal. Rapes and assaults are not part of the "sexual history" of someone who has been assaulted, and there is no reason why anyone should be embarrassed about the fact that they have been victimized. Assault and rape are not "sex." They are crimes against innocent persons. Though my PTSD would flare dramatically if I was made to recount the details, I do not mind presenting my credentials as one of a huge group of people violated by adults when we were children.

I was sexually abused by my father when I was a toddler.

My first stepfather tried to rape me when I was 7 years old.

My second step father tried to strangle me when I was 11.

When I was 14, I was drugged, gang raped, and thrown into a river to die.

Instead of just jumping right into a vigorous discussion about how to punish the latest batch of perpetrators and their co-conspirators, I would ask, what would Jesus do? His first care would be for the victims, which is what I recommend.

Empathy, sympathy, kindness, emotional support, prayer vigils; these are all good things, but mostly I recommend that, instead of barging in and making pronouncements of the causes and cures of the pedophilia problem in the Catholic Church, we should first care for the victims.

While most of us will not have access to the actual victims of these specific crimes, neither do we have access to the movers and shakers in the curia. Our impact on the authorities at the top of the institutional hierarchy is no different than the impact we might have on the victims. There is really no good reason why we should be ignoring the victims and jumping on top of the "crime and punishment" aspect of the issue, nattering endlessly about what caused this and how to fix.

It is nearly hilarious the large number of people who behave as if their opinion about what the Church should do is very very important. Very. Never mind that none of us has any power over what the Vatican does! Their opinion is important, darn it! (Sarcasm.) There are fights breaking out. It is unnecessary, and I have the feeling that all the effort spent in arguing for one's personal opinion just rubs the emotional wounds raw. We are powerless in the grip of disturbing news about the government and about the church, and it is all too much.

Don't get me wrong. I have an opinion, but I'm not married to it. Basically, I think the cause of this widespread problem in the institution of the church is Satan. Satan loves to attack The Church. He infiltrates as a wolf among the sheep. He enters the seminaries. He rises in the ranks.

Putting aside the spiritual reality of the situation, I offer the observation that predators are attracted to any situation in which he or she will have access to their prey. You find them in the schools, in the support staff for team sports, in day care centers. Wherever there is easy access to the predator's preferred prey, they are there.

For instance, divorced mothers with young children are famously vulnerable to pedophiles who  move into the home and, at night when the wife is asleep, or when they are 'babysitting,' they assault the children. Scores of vulnerable women have been fooled into letting men into their home and trusting these virtual strangers to have access to their children, based upon nothing more substantial than a bunch of sweet sounding words, a few expensive dinners, and some gifts. The man did not become a pedophile AFTER he moved into the home. He was always a pedophile. He targeted that home and those children.

Many people are saying that "The Church" created predators. In their mind, it is because of celibacy or clericalism or the lack of female priests. Homosexuality gets the blame by some, who mistakenly believe that abuse of boys by men assumes that the perpetrator is homosexual. (Some ARE homosexual, but if they routinely violate children, they are pedophiles! Homosexuality and pedophilia are two separate things!)

The Church, like schools and day care centers and young mothers with underage children, represent opportunities in which predators hope to enjoy close access to prey. Access to prey doesn't CREATE the predators. Predators are the wolves. The Church is a pen that holds the lambs. The wolves do whatever they have to do to get access to the lambs.

But, whatever the cause of these crimes, I would suggest that everyone stop wasting their time trying to figure it out on Facebook. The public at large is not in possession of all the facts necessary to come to a proper conclusion, no matter how convinced we are of our accuracy in diagnosing the causes and cures of the problems the church currently faces. It is way beyond our pay grade.

So, what SHOULD we do? First, I recommend continual prayers for the victims and, if you have the ability, donate your time and your money to agencies that help with mental health concerns because people who have been assaulted by predators usually grow into adults with considerable emotional and psychological baggage. Some commit suicide. MANY go on to become abusers themselves, and that's a real tragedy. We should stay centered in love, care and concern for these souls who continue to suffer for the rest of their lives. The damage of abuse can be ameliorated, but it is never eliminated.

This is the jumping off point where research into the agencies that administer programs for adult survivors of abuse can be helpful. We do not have to find those specific people who suffered at the hands of these particular priests. Anyone who has been violated is in need of our prayers, and the community of sufferers in our society is huge.

There are many possible avenues of help, and this little blog is not meant to be exhaustive. I am just trying to get people to give some attention to the victims instead of pontificating about punishments.

It is worth noting, also, that many people are using this opportunity to trash Catholic moral teaching on sexual matters, wrongly claiming that celibacy is responsible for the assaults. There is absolutely NO evidence for that point of view whatsoever. Many religions advocate for the restraint of the sexual urges as a means of accessing higher mystical realms.

We can only have faith that, somehow, the institutional church will repair itself. Like everyone else, I have many ideas about how that might be accomplished, but it would be a waste of my time and yours to prattle on about it here.

I know several people who are leaving because of this scandal. My approach is to stay and fight Satan, but I understand some people do not feel strong enough to do it. They will learn, in future, that "The Catholic Church" did not create the predators and that Satan and his minions are everywhere. Perhaps the disaffected Catholics will return, once the overwhelming reality of the situation is demonstrated to them.

OF COURSE we should let our feelings be known and heard at the highest levels in the church hierarchy, but effective change will not be easily made, because this problem has been known for many many years, and the hierarchy is so clogged with perverts, little has been done.

But let us not forget to care for the victims. After all, when we happen upon a terrible accident on the highway, we take care of the injured first.

God save us all.

Silver Rose

LEARNING EVERY DAY

"Cake" of yarn that I made from a loose skein of commercial yarn,

an Amish yarn swift, and a hand-cranked yarn winder

ONE OF MANY LESSONS OF SELF SUFFICIENCY

Brothers and sisters:

I know how to live in humble circumstances;

I know also how to live with abundance.

In every circumstance and in all things

I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,

of living in abundance and of being in need.

I can do all things in him who strengthens me.

Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.

My God will fully supply whatever you need,

in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.

Philipians 4:12-14, 19-20

While I had intended to abandon this blog in favor of Facebook, I had so many unpleasant experiences on Facebook that I realized that it is not the venue for me. While I had hoped to make friends and experience some sort of community on it, I found, instead, that others are not so inclined.

On Facebook, there is an alarmingly large group of people who, though claiming to be "Catholic" strongly express anti-Catholic views. Some are just downright crazy, imagining all sorts of conspiracy theories around the Popes. There are a lot of men who call themselves "Father" and wear a Roman collar, but are actually members of weird little cults that copy Catholic rituals. Another group of very hostile "Catholics" are actually just rabid Trump supporters whose minds are submerged in a soup of bigoted, elitist, "alt right" philosophy, a philosophy that is completely contrary to the teachings of Christ. Another group is composed of hostile and unrepentant Catholics who cling to visionaries and defrocked priests who've been unmasked as dangerous fakes. Many people make "friends" on Facebook so they can tell you what to do and preach at you with their own brand of religion. They try desperately to set themselves up as a spiritual leader on Facebook, since they are obviously unable to get their ego needs met in "real" life. The only reason any of these people added me to their friend list was to use me as an audience or as a tool to disseminate their wacky ideas, demanding that I spread their wacky messages to all my other Facebook friends. It was really too much.

Interacting with these people makes Facebook a hostile world - not the supportive community I had imagined, so I am back to the blog, to write an occasional entry. The majority of my attention has to be the writing of the book, of course, as well as my painting, but when I feel moved to write something here, I will.

In the four months or so that I have been away from this blog, I have learned from observation and experience, how to live with "abundance in every circumstance." Remaining connected with the Lord throughout all conditions of life, in being well fed and in going hungry, I've felt the continuity of spiritual experience that transcends the circumstances of earthly life.

In sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, my God will fully supply whatever I NEED.

Apparently, I need to have my car break down for the 3rd time in as many months. I don't pretend to know the lesson I need to learn from this. I feel I am already at one with the poor that Jesus loved so much.

Yesterday, I took my last 20 dollars, and another elderly neighbor, and got into the car to go to a local market to buy one or two simple things to stretch the food until the end of the month. When I tried to start the car, all I heard was clicking. The starter, once again, needs to be replaced. It is a very old car, at least 23 years old and, although a nice, dependable Toyota, it is on its last legs.

So, I am completely stranded. Let me explain why:

I am physically unable to ride buses, like MANY elderly people. I am not physically able to do stand and wait for them. The valves in the major vein of the left leg do not work, and my left leg goes completely numb and useless after 5 to 10 minutes of standing. My knees cannot get me up the steps. My scoliosis, when jostled by the buses typically bad shocks, causes my back to go into spasm after the first bump in the ride. By the time I get OFF the bus, I would have to call someone to come rescue me because I would be in extreme pain and completely bent over.

Also, buses, for vulnerable populations of elderly and/or disabled, are very dangerous. Any police officer will tell you that the bad guys target anyone who seems to be more vulnerable. Predators look for the sick member of the herd. Even apparently healthy men are sometimes the target of groups of predators here in Albuquerque. One of my neighbors, on his way to work, was beat up by several men who beat him for his wallet, which only contained $40. Imagined what they'd do to a disabled lady, traveling alone.

What will I do? Immediately speaking, a friend is bringing me the two items I'd gone out to get yesterday. Probably, I will borrow some money from one of the online loan sharks, add it to my food money for next month, and have the car towed to the local Pep Boys.  Blah Blah Blah. It is all so very annoying. While my mind wants to soar to the heavens, the disintegrating nature of this world keeps knocking at the door, insisting upon my attention.

While I had my momentary freakout yesterday, today I resumed my equilibrium, and was delighted to read the above Bible passage, which is the passage for today in the Catholic calendar. Something that we all have to learn is how to live in "abundance" while in need. My need is crushing, demanding, insistent, linked to basic survival issues that tickle the reptilian part of the brain. Directing the mind to the higher plane is made much more difficult in these circumstances. I think this may be the genius of poverty. While I would be just as glad to rejoice in abundance during times of good food and circumstances, I do appreciate the opportunity to practice abundance of mind in the midst of survival stress. Thanks be to God.

Silver Rose Margaret Parnell
All rights reserved.

THE EVIL OF ASSUMPTION

"Nothing is sweeter than to think

well of others."

Saint Therese of Lisieux

As mentioned previously, this blog is sporadic, due to the natural ebb and flow of American life for a disabled senior lady living in a low-income apartment in the Southwest. Just the process of the cooking, cleaning and suchlike exhaust my aging body.  Since I started this blog with a view in mind that my personal experiences may speak to the larger class of people to which I belong, I am sure you understand that this is an intensely personal collection of writings in which there is almost nothing of what you'd call a "professional" vibe.

San Felipe de Neri parish church

Old Town, Albuquerque

(Photo protected by copyright-

No use allowed.)

Father Dennis, at San Felipe de Neri parish church once told me that advocating for the vulnerable is the way that I can turn the injustices perpetrated against me to the benefit of others. 

Swami Swahananda also helped me come to terms with some of this with his stories and corny jokes! 

One of his jokes deals with the difference between an optimist and a pessimist. When an optimist is thrown into a cell in which there is a large pile of horse dung, she crows with delight and starts digging through it, exclaiming "I just know there is a pony in here somewhere!" This describes the job I am doing with my blog just perfectly. Giving you all a glimpse into my personal experiences and how they relate to my quest for holiness (and sometimes just plain old survival).

I have some stories to tell you from my life, with all the above in mind.

Swami Swahananda

Something happened recently that has made me want to talk about the damaging aspect of assumptions, but it's a big topic, so I will focus in on a previous time in my life when this issue was particularly prevalent and personally ruinous.

One of the primary reasons I left the Hindu convent was my inability to deal with the constant gossiping lies of the other nuns. It was wrong of me to assume that these women should be better than any other group of ordinary women, but I was naïve about this. I should have realized that, just because one is a nun is no guarantee that one is ethical and immune from temptations. [Personally, I suspect that the tendency of women to gossip and tear one another down is the reason why men are in charge of the world to begin with, which is another issue I'd love to research one day.] At any rate, I experienced constant shocks when I ran up against this unattractive and unexpected state of affairs.

I  used to frequently catch one particular nun hesitating on the back stairs, with her head cocked in the particular way one does when listening in on conversations of others. Later, she would share these nuggets of information, though not always in their original form. Invariably, she would mishear or misconstrue something. It was comical, as I look back on it now, catching her poised on the stairs like that, but at the time, I felt the atmosphere in this place to be toxic, instead of spiritually helpful, because I was often the target of unkind speculation and gossip. The swami used to say they were jealous of me but I never understood why that would be the case.  

(I even woke up once to see my bedroom door cracked very slightly open, and this nun with her ear placed against the sliver of light that came through, which I thought was exceedingly bizarre. Was she listening to me snoring? I never could figure it out, and I was having enough problems with those people without calling her out on something she'd likely deny anyway.)

At that time, chocolate candies kept disappearing quickly from the snack cupboard, and several of the nuns assumed I was the culprit. I MUST have been, in their minds, because I was the chubby one. Without verifying their suspicions, they passed this rumor to residents of the ashram. 

The thing is - I wasn't the one gobbling up all the candies. I am not overly fond of chocolate.

The nun I used to catch eavesdropping in the stairwell went on vacation, and while she was gone, the chocolates remained in the cupboard.  It wasn't until she returned, and the chocolates began to regularly disappear once again, that the other nuns realized their error. Meanwhile, they'd spread their meanness all over the neighborhood, making me the butt of jokes. There is no way to suck this sort of thing back into the gossip machine once it's been spread everywhere. However, this experience did not keep them from continuing to spread lies - lies that live in the minds of others, even to this day.

When I first joined them, they spread rumors that I was lesbian, but by the time I had left, the same people were saying I'd been carrying on an affair with one of the ashram's male devotees while I was in the convent! Apparently, they couldn't make up their minds about what sort of sexual sins of which I was guilty! Horrible. Just horrible.

The physical work enjoined on the less senior nuns, which included me, was much more than my body's congenital deformations could tolerate. My back gave out and I was in a wheelchair for a short time. One of the senior nuns went to the swami and claimed I was "faking." He knew this was a lie and he immediately reported to me what she had said. I accosted her in the kitchen when she was preparing herself a nice tea tray and questioned her about it. Unused to the direct, honest approach, rather than the typical passive-aggressive rumor mill, she was nonplussed and hemmed and hawed. I called her to account for herself and she could not.

YEARS later, when I visited the swami to celebrate our arrangements for my taking sannyas, the back injury I had sustained in the convent had blossomed into a full-on disability that was largely responsible for my having to stop working outside the home, but because the nuns in the convent had spread the rumor, years previously, the devotee with whom I had coordinated part of my visit refused to park in the handicapped parking spot and made me walk a considerable distance to every location we visited while we were there. I was completely at her mercy and she flatly refused to use the handicap placard I brought with me. At the end of this visit, I was in terrible physical pain because of this woman's cruelty.

Another devotee tried to force me to move from a spot where she wanted to sit, even after I explained I was disabled and needed to remain where I was.

While the hosting devotee had offered to "put me up" she had instead placed me with her sister, above the garage, with a long set of stairs and no bathroom. When I asked to switch with someone who was NOT disabled, the sister coldly refused. She and the other guest looked down their noses at me. The lies of the nuns, from many years ago, had come to roost. (The next day, the sister drove me to an event. On the way, we stopped for an errand and I saw her use her dead mother's handicap parking placard so that she could park in a convenient spot for herself. Rumor mongers are often hypocrites.)

These are just a small portion of how I have experienced, first hand, the destructive power of assumptions, lies and gossip.

"Gossip can also kill, because it kills the

reputation of the person! It is so terrible

to gossip! At first it may seem like a nice

thing, even amusing, like enjoying a candy.

But in the end, it fills the heart with bitternesss,

and even poisons us."

~ Pope Francis

While I was a nun in that Vedanta convent, I started reading about Christianity, and was struck by the kindness and love of Christ. I had no experience with Christianity or Christians, but I really warmed to the Catholic mystics. I naively imagined that the Christians would be kinder, more gentle, less prone to gossip and rumor. But when I left the convent to investigate further, I discovered that people are the same everywhere. I had no problem making friends, but as soon as Trump came on the scene and I began to object to his misogyny, xenophobia, racism and bigotry, all but a handful of the Catholic friends turned their backs on me because they love Trump and were mad that I did not share their enthusiasm for him. His policies, words and actions are the antithesis of Christianity, yet many Christians are almost slavish in their devotion to him.

"He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding

to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies,

he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the

father of lies."

~ Jesus in John 8:44

This week, I have come to hear of yet another assumption about myself that led to gossip in the apartment complex where I live. It is a complete lie.  I have come to the point in life where it no longer surprises me. I have seen it SO many times. After all, I've been lied about by experts. I DO worry about the souls of the people who are spreading lies, though.

A Christian would say that Satan loves assumptions because they lead to gossip that is based on lies. Generating lies and promoting their dissemination is dangerous to the soul of the liar because the dark one is the father of all lies.

"I would rather you make mistakes in kindness

than work miracles in unkindness."

~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta

For the love of God, save your souls and the souls of your fellow Christians by avoiding making ASSUMPTIONS about people that lead to gossip. When you hear something derogatory about someone, don't spread it to others. You don't know if it is true or not, and you don't want to be linked with Satan.

Remember what Therese of Lisieux said about how pleasing it is to think well of others.

THINK WELL OF OTHERS and be blessed!

Blessings
Silver Rose

CATCH ME ON FACEBOOK

Silver Rose Parnell

Facebook profile

Any of my readers who would like to continue with a more interactive format, please catch me on Facebook.

THIS LINK should take you to my page. If you aren't a member of Facebook, they'll ask you to sign up. If you prefer not to become a member of Facebook, you can still see what I post publicly. You just won't be able to respond, comment, and interact. If you do become a member, feel free to ask to join my friend list.

I have gotten a lot out of Facebook, personally. I have learned a lot in this medium and have made some contacts that have become spiritually uplifting for me. I would like to share it with you, particularly now that I have limited my blogging.

My daily routine is to post:

• Saints of the day information and pictures
• Mass readings for the day
• "3 good things"
• Posts similar to my blog posts here, but shorter
• Inspiring quotes from the Bible, the saints, and the Pope
• Beautiful religious art and photographs
• Limited commentary on news of the day
• Links to edifying Catholic programming and articles
• Feast of the day information, explanations and paintings

The Facebook format is easier for me to navigate with my disabilities, and it takes much less time than Blogger. This arrangement will give me greater freedom for prayers, study and creative endeavors, while at the same time supporting the spiritual life of other semi-hermits, mystics and contemplatives throughout the world.

I hope to see you there!

God bless us all.

Silver Rose Parnell

OPINION AS KING

Mr. Fuzzy Pants, king of the house and ruler of all he surveys.

His opinion, which he expresses QUITE loudly, is law....or

so he tells me.

I wish I hadn't read Facebook today.  The political season of crazy has begun.  The worse of it are the lies that are foisted off as a "difference of opinion."  Large numbers of people have LENGTHY "opinions" and will fight vociferously for their position.  The only problem is, in the course of championing their cause, they spew lies right and left.  I call them lies because, well, that's what they are.

So, with Christian charity, I initially assume that these lies are just a product of a lack of education, so I provide definitive sources that prove that what they've said is not true...and they continue to defend the lie and say that it is true.  For these people, their opinion holds more weight than facts.

So it is with Satan.  He, the father of lies, presents the lies as Truth and the Truth as lies.

There is a very good reason why "Thou shalt not lie" is one of the 10 commandments.  You have to admit that 10 is not a big number, right?  Every one of those 10 items is crucially important for our spiritual well being.  Even some Christians don't seem to take it seriously, though.  I have been very surprised by this phenomena, since becoming a Catholic.

Some months ago, I caught one woman telling multiple lies on the telephone in order to manipulate someone into doing something she wanted.  When I questioned her, she said, "It's not a lie.  It's just a story."  When I explained that I was concerned about her immortal soul, she said, "Oh, don't you worry about me, little girl.  I'm just fine.  I'll be going to heaven, don't you worry about it."

Well, first of all, she was younger than me, so I suppose the "little girl" comment was an attempt to discount me.  This person was so wedded to her opinion that she wasn't going to let facts get in the way of what she wanted to do.  In her exalted opinion, it is alright to tell lies if you call them "stories."

I know our God is a loving God, but he also expects that, if we love him we will do what he says to do.  If we don't, then we don't go to heaven.  Don't find fault with me for repeating Christ's position on this.  Take it up with Him if you disagree.

Still, this rainbows and lollipops and unicorns Jesus is all the rage among people who just do not want to make any effort to "become perfect as your father in heaven is perfect."  I am not talking about the people who aspire to holiness and fail now and again.  That's a different circumstance.

I had to block two people from my Facebook list today because they defended lies about the church that were obviously intended to manipulate people into choosing one political party over another. Even when faced with proof from the American bishops that they were lies, they staunchly defended their lies.  Their opinion could not be touched or changed by truth or facts.  Their opinion is king.  God save the poor wretches.  They need our prayers.

When we do not defer to God, but instead rely upon on our opinion, we are in big trouble.  I rather think the road to hell is paved with these self-referential opinions.  After all, that's how Satan ended up there.  In his opinion, he was as good as God, and look where it got him.

Silver "Rose" Parnell
(c) 2015

LYING IS STILL A SIN

Saints in heaven

I am becoming alarmed that increasing numbers of people are lying and spreading rumors and defending the lies when they are found out.  They don't even have the good sense to be ashamed of it!

This is ever more true on Facebook which can be, at times, a scary ride.  Today a Facebook contact posted a story that has been making the rounds on Facebook for a long time.  Supposedly, a pastor, poses as a homeless man to see how his new congregation will treat him.  This "news" item is a hoax.  The events detailed never happened.  The picture that is provided is said to be that of Pastor Jeremiah Steepek (a fictitious name.)  In fact, the photo is one taken in 1970 on the streets of London, England.  The man pictured has no relation to the story whatsoever.  By including his photograph, the "news" item is geared to mislead people into believing that the story actually happened and that the characters are real.  The whole purpose of the story is to slam Christians for, supposedly, being hypocrites when confronted with the poor, which is ironic because most of the efforts to care for the poor throughout the world are conducted by Christian, and especially Catholic organizations.

Homeless man on a London Street

whose picture was used in the hoax.

He was falsely identified as "Pastor

Jeremiah Steepek"

When I offered the snopes.com link that exposed the hoax, the person posting the item defended it, saying that it was heart warming and insinuating that I was a scrooge.  According to the poster, I was offering "bah humbug."  The Facebook poster extolled the "beautiful message" that was contained in the bogus news item.  (See that item on the snopes.com website by searching for the name "Jeremiah Steepek.")

What is really sad is that the person posting this lie and defending it considers themselves a highly spiritual person with big credentials.  I wish I could say that I had never seen this kind of disconnect between what people claim to believe and what they actually defend.  More and more, I am seeing the deification of personal opinion at the expense of religion and sp