A few preliminary words

When I started this blog, I intended it for theological reflections. As it turned out, I have very few of those, and the few I do have are largely incomprehensible, even to me. So I began writing about the church, its problems, my experiences in church, and even politics. Fortunately, perhaps, I was very sporadic in my postings then, too. My final gambit was following the church calendar and posting pictures, long quotations, and perhaps a word or two (never very many) of my own.

When I had just about stopped posting here, I began another blog. At the beginning I meant it to be therapeutic, rather like a journal, and private. Then vanity got the better of me, and I let people know about it. There are a few posts there that I'm not too ashamed to have written. My posting there was in short bursts, followed by prolonged silence. Which is funny, seeing what my description of it was.
I went back to it last fall and posted a particularly strong (some would say intemperate and mean-spirited) post about the pope and the direction in which the church was going. This got me in hot water with my beloved wife; actually, it only ramped up the temperature of the hot water I was already in. So I posted an apology and let the matter go.

Well, to demonstrate just how foolish I can be, I'm going to start another blog here. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that Word Press had given me such a revealing URL. I'll see what I can do about that. Anyway, over the last couple of years I've become increasingly distressed about the state of the Catholic Church. I have no one I can safely talk to about it, and besides, in discussions like that I have a tendency to become overbearing if my interlocutor lets me or overwrought if he or she does not. I'm sure it will not be to everyone's taste. Perhaps it will only be to mine. So consider yourselves warned. Don't click that link if you're not interested in stronger beer than your used to from me. Remember, I'm warning you.

If I can make it work, I'll use this blog for the more devotional/theological things I might be able to come up with. The second blog I'll use for general observations and more personal things. The third I'll use for polemics ecclesiastical, and maybe political too. I'd be happy if I could keep all three blogs going, but considering how awful I am at keeping one going, I'm not sanguine. But, hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I know I'm being a bit arch here, but I really can't help it. I'm going to try and keep my archery off this blog. But I can't say the same for the others.

This may not sound like much of a penitential exercise, but believe me, it is. I'd be grateful for your prayers.

"Let us begin again, for until now we have done nothing."

The words above were among the last spoken by St. Francis. There is a rebuke there, but also a certain comfort: We can begin again, and perhaps this time we'll be able to do something.

I'm pretty good at beginnings; at perseverance, not so much, as anyone who has read (why, I can't imagine) this blog certainly knows. Maybe this time it will be different. At any rate, I'm disposed to try, if only as a Lenten penance. So let us begin again.