Murray RundusThis week Brian McCall and I spoke about the LA Riots, the bill supporting assisted-suicide in NYC, Pope Leo XIV and (on Locals) RFK Jr.
Saints and Liturgy:
St. Basil, one of the last students of Athens, is one of the great Eastern Fathers, the crafter of the Liturgy of St. Basil (which you can often see at Ruthenian churches), but also a wonderful writer. My favorite text by him is in defense of pagan literature for Christian purposes. St. Basil, Address to young men on the right use of Greek literature. His feast day is traditionally on the 14th of June, but was moved during the liturgical revolution. This is tragic because this is the oldest day we know of for his feast day (matching with the date of his consecration) CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Basil the Great
We also mentioned on the show the removal of the Octave of Pentecost during the Revolution. Matthew Hazell posted a great resource showing this absurdity behind the thoughtlessness.
LA Riots:
Stephen Miller Leak: Stephen Miller Yells at ICE Agents About New Order to Ramp Up Arrests | The New Republic
“We are overwhelmed” quote: LAPD Chief: “We Are Overwhelmed” By Riots, “No Limit To What They’re Doing To Our Officers” | Video | RealClearPolitics
Palantir info: https://youtu.be/6N7PfzD7B8Y
No Kings Protest Map: No Kings
A few very important texts I mentioned to understand the backing in support of Trump ‘sending in the troops’
Hamilton’s 21st and 28th Federalist Papers: Federalist Nos. 21-30 – Federalist Papers: Primary Documents in American History – Research Guides at Library of Congress
Chris Ferrara’s Liberty the God that Failed from Angelico Press:
Assisted Suicide in New York
The legalized murder bill inches closer towards becoming law in NYC. NY State Senate Bill 2025-S138
Brian makes several good points in the video about how this really comes back to an improper view of suffering.
We’ve been covering the expansion of Euthanasia for a while now.
A good book that I think illustrates the brutality of euthanasia well is “Lord of the World”, a must read for Catholics.
Cultural Recommendations of the Week
Murray’s Recommendation: I like Wagner more than I do Verdi, but one simply has to listen to Verdi in order to grasp opera. Il Trovatore is a great place to start, the plot is ridiculous, the characters are over the top, and the dialogue comes close to being absurd. But the music is fantastic and achieves a true catharsis in the listener. My favorite recording is on RCA Living Stereo (I listen to most of my music on Vinyl, a story for another day). The engineers behind the Living Stereo pressings did a great job. The singing is also great, with Leontyne Price being a highlight.
Brian’s Recommendation: Romeo and Juliet. I don’t wish to speak for Brian but I can say personally this is a play that must be taken seriously, it is popular for a reason: It’s good theatre! The late Dr. David Allen White has a great lecture on the play here: Shakespeare and the Modern World | Conferences
Pope Leo XIV | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Rupnik’s images Removed
I think Eamonn Clark summed up how I feel on this quite well.
Eamonn’s work: GiveSendGo | Eamonn’s Weird Media Thing
I am glad that now victims of clerical abuse can safely look at the Vatican News website without being accosted by creepy new-age images created by Rupnik. We explain this disturbing case here: The Father Rupnik Case Explained – YouTube
Austen Ivereigh seems to be claiming victory, even though he fought against this in the past?
This kind of Orwellian doublethink is simply a characteristic of some in the modern Church. The Age of the Popesplainer – Catholic Family News
Sister Riva lectures the Pope
My issue here is not so much with the substance of the text, which I personally found to be well crafted as a whole. But with the optics of the issue. The Church does not need to continue the feminization of the hierarchy.
Some, on the other hand, have taken issue with the text: Pope Invites Nun to Preach Against “Sterile Traditionalism” – Gloria.tv
Read the full text in Italian (or just machine translate it) La meditazione di suor Maria Gloria Riva nell’Aula Paolo VI – Se lavoriamo per orizzonti brevi e mediocri, lavoriamo invano – L’Osservatore Romano
Brian Holdsworth recently made a post saying he has no problem with Sister lecturing the Pope (as opposed to preaching to the Pope), comparing it with St. Hildegard. I am not so sure of this analogy. I responded:
“It [speaking in such a setting] might in it of itself be fine (I would argue that is not a given) and much of the talk was beautiful, but the optics are inappropriate, imprudent and not what we need in the modern age. The way this is used by heretical groups is evidence of this”
Catholic Fundamentalism
“Catholic Fundamentalist” book: Boston College on X: “Theology Professor Liam Bergin presented Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) with a copy of “Catholic Fundamentalism in America,” written by his colleague Mark S. Massa, the @Boisi_Center Director. More on the book: https://t.co/1sIhsBxLKp https://t.co/RG052uFuRw” / X
Some of the talks, wherein the Jesuit lies, smears, and displays a complete lack of knowledge of the communities he seeks to attack in his terribly un-academic text:
Catholic Fundamentalism in America – YouTube
Catholic Fundamentalism in America – YouTube
My mention of the Curran center was primarily talking about the claims made in this article. Introibo Ad Altare Dei: Fundamentally Flawed: In Defense Of Traditionalists
I don’t think the assertions about Charles Curran are correct. It seems the center was named after a Francis and Ann Curran About the Curran Center | Fordham
One honorable mention for the Leo XIV story is this sermon. I think there has been a bit of an overreaction as it seems the Pope was speaking more to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Still, his condemnation of nationalistic elements is concerning. #iubilaeum2025 – Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Pentecost
Book Recommendation:
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RFK Jr and a Major Shakeup in the CDC
Due to talking about the vaccines, this is one story that is impossible for us to put on YouTube. For the full final story, access to the Father Fahey talks, premium articles, and the monthly PDF of the paper with early access, go over to https://catholicfamilynews.locals.com/ and become a subscriber for only $6 a month!
Michael Haynes
Thomas Colsy