This interview with Cal Newport about his new book Digital Minimalism is really interesting. I really want to believe we are at a tipping point where people start to push back against the encroachment of digital technology in our lives.

He makes an interesting analogy between the tech world and …

Today, February 10, is the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint José Sánchez del Río. On this date in 1928, this 14 year old boy was killed by Mexican troops for refusing to renounce his Catholic faith during the Cristero War. The story of this period of Catholic persecution led by Mexican President Calles was told in the movie “For Greater Glory.” The young martyr was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on November 20, 2005, and later canonized by Pope Francis on October 16, 2016.

The Saint’s story is one with which few American Catholics are familiar. That is a tragedy in its own right. Though they might not know the Saint’s story, many Americans are no doubt familiar with his face. The picture, shown below, of the young boy with Cristeros fighters is one that is often seen hanging in Mexican restaurants, among other old photos. Probably not too many diners know that a Saint and fighter for religious freedom is looking down at them while they eat.

After José was captured by government forces fighting the Cristero, he was forced to witness the torture and execution of fellow Catholic countrymen, yet he never wavered in his faithful resolve. He was himself was tortured and urged to shout “Death to Christ the King” with the promise his suffering would be over. On the day of his torturous execution, the soldiers cut the soles of his feet and he was made to walk barefooted to the grave they had dug for him. He was repeatedly stabbed with bayonets as he made his way to the place of his martyrdom.

Even after he had been shot he continued to cry out “Viva Cristo Rey!” (“Long live Christ the King!”) The commander of the soldiers was so furious that he was able to resist the government barbarism, he finally shot the boy in the head. As he died he is said to have drawn a cross on the ground with his own blood as a final act of defiance.

During the Cristeros War many Catholics were killed by the Mexican government for their faith. This tragic part of recent history is pointedly ignored by the history books in both the United States and Mexico. It is a story that needs to be told and learned by all free people.

Saint José Sánchez del Río is truly a Saint for our times. His faithfulness in the face of torture and death should be a model for all of us. I pray we can be as strong when our own persecution comes.

Don’t try this at home. Or anywhere else.Have a responsible winter weekend.
[ This content originated at Musings Over a Barrel ]

Am I the only person that gets annoyed by the employees at Walgreens (and I think CVS does it too) shouting “Welcome to Walgreens” at you as you enter the store? I’m not a monster, so if somebody greets me I feel obligated to acknowledge them. And that means I …

During my hospital stay, I was reading Cigar Lounge Wisdom: Ruminations Inspired in a Cigar Bar, by Frank Borelli. The Kindle book’s description says, “…an anthology of essays written based on discussions held in a cigar bar.” While the cigar lo…

If you are younger than me you may have read this in school. I didn’t read it until last night. It’s a slim volume – only 110 pages. But it’s enough. When the author was 15 he was rounded up in Hungary and shipped off to Auschwitz.

These 110 pages are …

I’m not looking to make any major life changes. I mostly bought the book because Fell is entertaining, and since he has been entertaining me for free on his Facebook page for a couple of years, I figured buying his book was the least I could do.

The book is …

We watched the Netflix produced Frye Fest documentary over the weekend. I remember the blow up on the social media when guests started posting pictures of the grounds and accommodations as they arrived. I had zero awareness of the event prior to the social media explosion in 2017 when it …

I started my cardio rehab this past week. It’s the first step of many towards getting my life back and being able to resume normal activities. I was actually a little anxious about starting the exercise program, especially after signing the papers ackn…

Back in peak blog we had blog specific search engines, and Google tended to rate blogs very highly. For a few years anything I wrote would be on the first page of Google within hours. I once mentioned Britney Spears in a blog post, which combined with the “Disappointing people …