Charbel, Pray for Us

Ironically or providentially, depending on your Weltanschauung, today is the feast of St. Charbel Makhluf (sometimes spelled Sharbel), one of the great saints of the Maronite Church of Lebanon, one of the Eastern Churches in communion with Rome. Charbel was a priest and monk who died in 1898 (Plenty more info here and here.)
We can join our prayers with his for peace in Lebanon, peace for Israel, and peace throughout the Middle East.

Haha, just kidding...but not really...

From Tom Toles, Washington Post, syndicated by UPI.

Awwwwww

St. Bernard's and a German Shepherd...

Thanks to Whispers for the photo.

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good

So I have to give a quick shout-out for a new initiative that started today in order to give voice to the fullness of Catholic moral teaching in the public spectrum. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good will be spending the next year trying to bring the values of their "Called to the Common Good" statement (below) into our public discourse. Plus, they've got a snazzy website with some clear starting points for bringing Christian values out of the classrooms and into the, um, streets?

Called to the Common Good

As faithful Catholics, we believe in the values Jesus taught and embodied: love of God and neighbor, justice, and concern for the poor. These tenets of our faith inspire us to remain committed to the common good in all aspects of our lives. Grounded in scripture and in tradition, we understand that our civic choices as Catholics must reflect the fullness of our faith and our commitment to the common good.

As faithful Catholics, we are troubled by a divisive national debate in which partisan agendas distract us from the Gospel message and urgent threats to the common good – threats that include increasing economic burdens on the American family, a war that seems to have no end, children who live in poverty within our own borders, lack of effective policies to build a culture of life, and the increasing threat of global climate change.

As faithful Catholics, we work for a society that respects the lives, dignity, and equality of all persons. We believe in government of integrity, in which public officials put the good of our nation ahead of private gain. We look forward to a day in which working families do not live in poverty and when parents in the middle class can provide health care for their children. We seek a culture that resists rampant greed and materialism in our corporate, political, and family spheres. We call for a nation that puts our cherished principles ahead of profiteering and political pandering.

As faithful Catholics living in this crucial time in our nation’s history, we understand that Americans of all faiths must unite to restore our democracy to its deepest values. As faithful Catholics we are called to promote justice and defend human dignity. As faithful Catholics, we are Called to the Common Good.

The Boschaton

Yes, bad pun. But given the fact that tunnels are falling, detours are changing, Mass. Ave. at Albany Street is flooded, the Red Sox are playing at Fenway, there's classical music on the Esplanade and -- no joke -- the Village People are playing City Hall Plaza at 7 pm, it does seem a bit like the end of days here...

Get all your traffic, detour, and poor policy decision information over at Mac Daniel's Starts and Stops blog.