Readers Reply – and They’re Angry!

I knew I would get some angry feedback after a recent column. But the vitriol turned out to be in response to a completely different topic.

Two weeks ago, I discussed people who bring so-called Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) onto airplanes. I opined that I did not think it was such a good idea to be forced to share a cramped row of seats with someone else’s pet alligator or Shetland pony. If a person needs a pet to feel comfortable, fine, but what about me, who now has become rather UNcomfortable as a Pit Bull sitting in the middle seat next to me is staring at my jugular vein and licking its chops?

So, I figured my rather flippant way of describing pets would cause many animal lovers to send me angry email notes. Well, I did get a lot of reader replies, but they were overwhelmingly in support of my point of view. One person said, “The only ESA I need to make me comfortable on a plane is some Emotional Support Alcohol.” Hmm, OK.

The only note I received in favor of animals on planes came from a gentleman who pointed out, “I’d rather fly on a plane full of 4-legged animals than the 2-legged [jerks] that are usually on the flight.”

That’s a good point. Comfort pets on planes rarely get drunk, argue with the flight attendants, smoke in the restroom, or spend 10 minutes trying to cram a duffle bag the size of a Ford Fiesta into the overhead compartment.  

It turns out the column that did produce angry feedback was printed in the newspaper three weeks ago. In it, I discussed my fear of driving in snow and I made a few snarky comments about TV weatherpersons who excitedly hype every snow flurry as if it were a life-threatening blizzard.

Speaking of blizzard, I received a blizzard of email notes, each and every one angrily denouncing the way local TV stations go into BREAKING NEWS EMERGENCY CRISIS MODE every time there might be a little snow. The reader responses castigated local TV stations in general, and one weather forecaster in particular, whose name may or may not rhyme with Zott Zaney.

People complained about schools being cancelled frequently based on faulty forecasts; about the way every molecule of bread and milk disappears from store shelves the day before a predicted storm; and the TV stations’ annoying habit of interrupting regular programming at a really crucial moment of “General Hospital” to give another breathless update that it might snow in 18 hours.

The most interesting note I received was from a fellow who used to own restaurants in Connecticut and cited TV weatherpeople as a major factor in his decision to shut down his business. He said there were countless Saturday nights when the majority of his customers called to cancel their dinner reservations because the weather forecast was so dire. And then it turned out to be some scattered flurries that didn’t even coat the roads.

This former restaurant owner mentioned one particular “Zaney” TV personality as the prime “weather terrorist,” and insisted that weather forecasters cause more damage to the economy than Al-Qaeda terrorists. I took his comments with a grain of salt, since he seemed especially agitated while typing his email note. I’m sure if he had a chance to calmly and rationally ponder this issue, he would back off a bit and agree that weather forecasters aren’t that bad, and they only impact the economy like a ten-day power outage.

Overall, there was a lot of anger filling my email inbox. I wish people would be more polite and less impulsive, you know, like our Commander in Chief.

Prodigal Father Loves the Sinner

This week’s gospel reading is the well-known parable of the Prodigal Son. As Jesus told the story, a young man demanded his inheritance from his father, took the money and traveled to his country’s version of Las Vegas. There he squandered the funds in record time on non-stop partying. In fact, the word “prodigal” is defined as meaning extravagant, excessive, profuse, and lavish. These terms describe exactly the way the son burned through his dad’s money.

One day the son woke up in a Dumpster with a wicked hangover, and realized all his cash and all his fair-weather friends were long gone. Soon he was on the verge of starvation and decided to return to his father’s estate. Upon arriving home, the son insisted that he no longer deserved to be called a son and asked his father to treat him as a hired worker. But the father ignored this request because he was so overjoyed his lost son had returned. He ordered a big banquet in his son’s honor, with the famous words, “Let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.”

I once read a commentary that suggested this parable should be called the “Prodigal Father.” After all, the father’s reaction to his wayward son was equally as extravagant, excessive, profuse, and lavish. He didn’t hesitate to shower his son with abundant forgiveness, mercy, and love.

The standard interpretation of this parable is that we are all prodigal sons and daughters, sinful and disobedient to our Father in Heaven. But no matter what we’ve done, no matter how sinful we’ve been, if we repent and return to the Father, He will forgive us and shower us with mercy and love.

However, let’s not forget the well-behaved older son. This son did not disobey his father. He did not go off to Las Vegas and squander a huge pile of dad’s money on non-stop partying.

When this son found out his younger brother had returned, and that his father was throwing a big party, he became angry and refused to join in. The father came out and pleaded with him. But the older son refused, consumed by bitterness.

Now, before we go any further, let’s go back and look at the very first sentence of this week’s gospel reading, the exchange that prompted Jesus to tell the parable in the first place: “Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”

The older son’s complaint was exactly like the Pharisees’ complaint. “Hey Dad!” he was saying, in effect, “How can you welcome that sinner and eat with him?!”

Just like the Pharisees, the older son was obedient, faithful, hard-working—and judgmental. He looked down his nose at anyone who did not measure up, especially his younger brother. Just like the Pharisees, the older son thought it was proper to hate the sin and HATE the sinner.

If this parable was set in the 21st century, the older son and the Pharisees would be people who go to church every Sunday; who put generous donations in the basket each week; who don’t go to Las Vegas and squander money on non-stop partying. And who hate the sin and HATE the sinner.

The key lesson in this week’s gospel reading is that God Almighty—represented by the loving father—hates sin, yes, but LOVES the sinner. Whenever a sinner repents and seeks forgiveness, God rejoices. We must do the same. We must pray for wayward people, and rejoice when they see the light and turn to the Lord. Otherwise, we’re no better than the older son, no better than the Pharisees.

Time to Retreat from Digital Technology

Recently I went on a weekend retreat with other men from my parish. It was a very interesting and spiritual experience, and I think the Holy Family monastery in West Hartford should have a new motto: “We feed you to within an inch of your life!”

I only gained five pounds in three days, but that’s because our retreat was during Lent. If we went there during a non-fasting time of year, I would’ve put on at least 10 pounds. Carnival Cruise Line has nothing on those Passionist priests.

Anyway, while on retreat I decided to take a much-needed break from the digital world. No TV, no streaming videos, no emails, and no Internet. I did turn on my smart phone twice each day just to make sure no emergency messages came in from my family, but then quickly turned it back off.

The prayers and meditation and discussion groups were designed to help us learn something important about ourselves. Here is the spiritual lesson I learned about myself: I am totally addicted to my cell phone.

All during the retreat I kept reaching into my pants pocket for my phone, and for that brief moment before I remembered the phone was stored away in my suitcase upstairs, I panicked and muttered, “Where’s my phone? Did I lose my phone?!” My hands quickly slapped at all of my pants and shirt pockets, desperately searching for the phone. I kind of looked like a guy doing the Macarena after 17 double espressos.

Then I remembered, “Oh yeah, no phone this weekend.” I would then sit down with a sad and lost feeling in the depths of my soul, which I’m pretty sure was not the feeling the retreat weekend was intended to produce.

Here is a list of the reasons why I regularly reached into my pocket for my phone: 

• Check the weather forecast.
• Check the Red Sox score.
• Check email.
• Check news app for latest headlines.
• Check the Red Sox score (again).
• Check Google Maps to see how far Denver, CO, is from Boulder, CO. (It came up in conversation during lunch and I suddenly just had to know.)
• Check UConn basketball score.
• Do Google search to see if Sean Connery is still alive. (It came up in conversation during dinner and I suddenly just had to know.)
  
• Check weather radar.
• Check Red Sox score (again).
• Check email (again).
• Do Google search to find out how many metric tons of bananas are eaten in America each year. (It came up in conversation during breakfast and I suddenly just had to know.)
• Check UConn basketball score (again).
• Check Red Sox score (again).
• Play an E-flat on a keyboard phone app. (I was sitting in the chapel before a prayer service, and while looking at the first song we were scheduled to sing, I thought, “Hmm, I know this tune. The first note is an E-flat. Maybe I can hum it if I can hear the first note. But with no phone I couldn’t do it — a major blessing for the guys nearby.)
  

The retreat occurred in early March. This means the Red Sox games in question were meaningless spring training games. The UConn basketball game in question was a contest between the Lady Huskies and East Carolina, which meant UConn was going to win by at least 30 points even if Geno ordered his team to play in flip-flops. So, there really was no reason for me to reach repeatedly for my phone.

This is the spiritual lesson I learned that weekend: the next time I go on retreat, instead of giving up my phone for the whole weekend, I’ll give up something much easier, like breathing.

Jesus Says Repentance Is Important

Here’s a concept that will shock you: Satan, the devil himself, knows more correct theology about God than even the most brilliant saints in Church history. It’s true! Satan, after all, is a supernatural being with an intellect far greater than mere mortals. He is a powerful angel who was in the very presence of God until he rebelled because of pride and then was cast out of Heaven. Satan has seen God in action—from the inside—and he knows exactly what God is like. So, he knows more about God than even St. Thomas Aquinas or Saint John Paul II.

However, the difference between Satan and a devout Christian is that Satan would never, ever consider repenting.

It’s not enough merely to know about God or to believe in God. St. James wrote in his epistle in the Bible, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder” (James 2:19).

In this week’s gospel reading at Mass, Jesus declares a very bold statement, and then for emphasis He repeats it. He says, “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish!”

Repentance is so important. It was the primary message of countless Old Testament prophets. It was the message preached by John the Baptist as he called people back into a relationship with God. It is the message Jesus is proclaiming to us this week.

If we don’t repent, we cannot be forgiven. If we’re not forgiven, then we’re still stuck in our sins. And if we’re still stuck in our sins, then we can’t enter into Heaven. So as Jesus said—twice—if we do not repent, the end result is that we will perish. Repentance is that important.

Unfortunately, in our modern society it is very difficult to repent—and not because we have nothing to repent of. On the contrary, our society just might be committing more sins per minute per person than any other culture in human history. If you don’t think so, just consider the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, anger, lust, greed, envy, gluttony, and sloth. In bygone generations people were taught to avoid these seven attitudes that invariably lead to sin. In our modern generation, these seven attitudes are encouraged, celebrated, and even rewarded. The result is a multitude of sin just exploding all over society.

It’s certainly not a lack of sin that makes it hard for us to repent. The problem is that we refuse to acknowledge that sin is sin anymore. We are now steeped in moral relativism, which insists that people can define right and wrong for themselves. Nowadays, the only real sin is to claim that sin is real.

But there’s one big problem here. Jesus says if we don’t repent, we will perish. I suspect Jesus said the same thing to Satan back when the devil was throwing his prideful hissy-fit in Heaven. At that moment, when Satan possibly still could have repented and been forgiven for his rebellious arrogance, he instead defiantly proclaimed that he had done nothing wrong except stand up for his right to make his own choices and define right and wrong for himself.

As a result, Satan was cast from Heaven because of his sin and his lack of repentance. He now prowls the world in a seething rage of agony, looking for unsuspecting souls to deceive and devour. (See: 1 Peter 5:8.) He is apparently having a bloody field day in our modern world.

What a crying shame that we find it so hard to repent. It is, as Jesus said—twice—absolutely necessary to keep from perishing. Without repentance, even great theological knowledge about God is not good enough. Without repentance, we’re no better than the devil.

An Explosion of ‘Comfort Pets’ on Planes

It’s been quite a while since I’ve received a lot of hate mail. (Who can forget the historic Bagpipes Debacle of 2018?) So, I thought it might be time to write about a topic that is sure to anger many people. This topic was suggested to me by a reader, after I wrote two columns last month about my vacation trip to Florida. I focused mainly on the trials and tribulations of traveling nowadays on commercial airlines, and when those essays appeared in the newspaper, the email note said, “You didn’t mention the most annoying aspect of air travel — the explosion of comfort pets on airplanes.”

Well, if comfort pets are indeed exploding on airplanes, that would be very annoying, not to mention a real challenge for the cleaning crew once the plane landed. But I think the reader was using the word “explosion” to mean the “proliferation” of comfort pets on airliners. (Unless I just missed the news story about dog, cat, and cockatiel bits being splattered all over the cabin.)

During my recent trip to Florida, I observed a few comfort pets, mostly small dogs inside nylon bags, out of which they occasionally popped their furry little heads to startle people like me, who assumed the bags were filled with non-living items, like underwear. I suppose these dogs provided comfort for the humans carrying them, but I don’t know if anyone asked the dogs if their travel ordeal was all that comfortable.

If you do a Google search for the phrase “comfort pets on airplanes,” you’ll get many links to news stories with titles such as, “Following peacock fiasco, United Airlines tightens policy for comfort animals,” and, “Is that dog (or pig) on your flight really a service animal?” and, “Comfort pets do not belong in an aircraft cabin, regulators say.”

Here is a quote from one news story, published in Forbes Magazine: “Many passengers traveling with ESAs (Emotional Support Animals) are not ‘disabled’ at all….The passengers’ motivations are obvious: they want their animal to travel in cabin rather than in the cargo hold. They also want to avoid paying the airline a pet fee.”

And a few paragraphs later we read this: “In June 2017, a window-seat passenger was trapped and mauled by a 40- to 50-pound pit bull traveling as an ESA. The passenger required 28 stitches to suture facial injuries. Recently, an ESA bit a child on the forehead before the plane even left the gate.”

I don’t want to come across as an unsympathetic ogre (are ogres allow onboard as ESAs?), because I suppose there are some people who need to travel with a comfort pet to avoid an anxiety attack. But it sure seems to me, and let me see if I can phrase this gently, that a lot of selfish bozos are scamming the system. And in the process, I bet they’re making it more difficult for those who really need an ESA.

I admit I don’t have a lot of knowledge about this topic, other than reading a handful of online news stories. Of course, offering my opinion without a lot of knowledge is kind of my thing — just ask the bagpipes folks.

So, I would appreciate some feedback from my loyal readers (all seven of you). Do people really need to bring emotional service animals on airplanes, or is it just a big scam to save money when someone wants to bring a pet on vacation?

Personally, if I had to choose between sitting on a plane next to someone holding either a dog or a set of bagpipes, I would choose the bagpipes. I could not find a single news story online about bagpipes biting people.

Envy is the Joyless Deadly Sin

We don’t hear much about the Seven Deadly Sins these days. Well, actually, we hear a lot about these seven sinful attitudes, but just not by that old-fashioned title.

Rather than avoiding these destructive behaviors, our modern culture now embraces pride, anger, covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, and sloth. Just watch TV for a while. The primetime shows are filled with lust; the commercials are filled with covetousness and gluttony; and the cable news talk shows are overflowing with anger.

Of the seven deadly sins, envy is the most joyless. At least with the other six, a person will get a brief feeling of satisfaction—before all the negative aspects overwhelm him. But with envy, there is no satisfaction at all. Medical researchers tell us that envy is one of the leading causes of unhappiness.

And in my view, one of the most powerful sources of envy—and therefore a major source of unhappiness—is Facebook. Do a Google search for the phrase, “Facebook leads to depression.” You’ll get a mere 145 million search results, many of which link to articles describing the undeniable connection between Facebook usage and unhappiness.

What exactly is envy, anyway? Well, the dictionary defines it as “a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.”

The key with envy is making comparisons. And I hate to admit it, but I know about this first-hand. As someone who is well into my middle-age years, and as someone who has very little retirement savings set aside right now, I keep hearing about old schoolmates who went to work for the government, and now in their late 50s or early 60s, they’ve retired with a guaranteed, lifetime pension that often pays them more each year than I currently earn. And they will receive this steady income for as long as they live.

In my case, if I retire right now, I can live very comfortably—for about seven months. After that, I’m in big trouble.

So, when I compare my situation to these retired state employees, especially when I consider that I could have gone to work for the government back in the early 1980s, I get frustrated and sad, and most of all, envious.

Envy, of course, is not limited to financial comparisons and personal possessions. People are envious of other folks’ good looks, their youth, or their musical talent. Any particular aspect of a person’s life can be the source of envy in another person. The possibilities are unlimited.

The thing about envy—and again, this is from first-hand experience—is that when a person is comparing himself to someone else, and resentfully longing for what that other person has, he is not focusing on his own blessings.

For example, when I think about a particular former classmate who is now collecting his big government pension and playing golf every day, I have lost sight of the all the good things in my life, such as: I have a job that I really enjoy. Even if I could afford to retire, I probably wouldn’t right now. Also, I’m relatively healthy, I have loving family and friends, no mortgage on the house, and many other wonderful things.

Our culture encourages us to be envious, often with the relentless political demand for “fairness!” But as a result, we have become a very unhappy society. We must stop the constant comparisons we make with others. It just makes us miserable. Instead, we need to count our blessings. Literally. Go make a list of all the good things in your life. And number one on that list should be this: God loves you and offers you eternal life in Heaven through faith in His Son Jesus. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Then the next thing to do is delete your Facebook account. No, really. Do it today. You’ll be amazed at the major reduction in that terrible deadly sin: envy.

Driving in the Snow, Part 2

Last week I wrote about my fear of driving in snow. It’s not just a fear of driving IN snow, it’s serious trepidation about driving whenever the forecast calls for “possible flurries,” even if nothing has yet to fall from the sky. It seems to me this feeling of unease began when I turned 50. Before that age, I viewed snow like a Siberian Husky views snow: something to get excited about and frolic in, even if I occasionally sideswiped a mailbox or two while zig-zagging in my car on slippery roads. (I’m referring, of course, only to those Siberian Huskies who have their drivers licenses and who own rear-wheel-drive Oldsmobiles.)

However, a reader sent me an email and suggested my fear of driving in snow is not due to my age, but rather it is because of Scot Haney. The TV weatherpersons, the reader explained, have scared the bejeezus out of everyone. (I’m hoping bejeezus is not a blasphemous word; if so, sorry.)

The TV weatherfolks, it seems, treat every instance of “possible flurries” as if it’s another Blizzard of ’78. And even if you weren’t alive or living in Connecticut in 1978, you certainly know about that cataclysmic event because every time we’re faced with a possible snowstorm, all the local TV stations replay that classic grainy video of then-governor Ella Grasso famously riding on the back of a Siberian Husky as she delivered food to stranded citizens. (OK, that may not be exactly what Governor Grasso did, but the story has become somewhat of a Paul Bunyanesque tale, with another layer of exaggeration added every time it’s told.)

It is true that TV weather forecasters get a bit excited whenever snow is expected. (I am using, of course, the definition of the phrase “a bit excited” that means: screaming hysterically at the top of their lungs and tearfully pleading with viewers never to go outside again for the rest of their lives, because if they do so, they will surely suffer a painful and horrible frost-bitten death.)

The reader also mentioned that the over-the-top hype by TV weather personalities is the reason school superintendents cancel classes so frequently, even if the predicted flurries never materialize. I disagree. I think school superintendents are not influenced so much by histrionic weather forecasters as they are by calm and cool trial lawyers, who quietly growl in a perfect Clint Eastwood voice, “You wanna risk having a school bus slide into a telephone pole? Go ahead, make my day.”

Well, I appreciate all the feedback and analysis from that reader, not to mention from Governor Grasso, Clint Eastwood, and the Siberian Husky behind the wheel of his Delta-88. But the fact is, my unease with driving in snow nowadays is caused by something entirely different. You see, driving in snow often means traveling no more than 15 MPH on a 45 MPH state highway. This means it will take a lot longer to drive by a McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, or other place with a public restroom. This was not a problem back when I was 30, as I could wait hours, sometimes even days, it seemed, between bathroom breaks. But now? Forget it. So, my reluctance to drive in snow nowadays is not caused by a fear of having an accident, it is instead caused by a fear of, um, having an accident, if you get my drift.

If you do get caught out in the snow, have no fear: Governor Lamont will ride to your rescue on the back of a Siberian Husky. At least that’s what he promised during his campaign, and we all know he would never break a campaign promise.

Church Has Lost Moral Authority

Last week I mentioned that the Catholic Church has lost her moral authority in our culture. There was a time in recent memory when the Church was a beacon of morality in American society. Those days are long gone.

There are a couple of reasons for this. First, the ongoing clergy sex abuse scandal keeps getting worse and worse. There’s nothing more infuriating than powerful prelates living sinful lives in secret and then proclaiming moral standards that everyone else should live by. Nothing crushes credibility more than hypocrisy.

The other reason the Church has lost her moral authority is the fact the Catholic Church is one of the few institutions that still holds to the traditional, biblical view on two contentious topics: abortion and same-sex marriage. These issues have become the litmus test for whether a person or organization is considered acceptable in the popular culture nowadays. Whoever refuses to embrace the progressive, secular viewpoint on these two sexual revolution topics becomes an instant outcast.

This was made very clear during recent judicial hearings. Judge Brian Buescher was nominated for the U.S. District Court in Nebraska, and during confirmation hearings, two U.S. senators attacked Buescher because he’s a member of a sinister organization known as—wait for it—the Knights of Columbus.

Just check out the wording here. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) stated that “the Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions” regarding same-sex marriage. Extreme? In other words, the K of C holds the exact position the entire civilized world has held for the past 5,000 years of recorded human history—including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton up until about ten years ago. Sen. Hirono then went on to ask Buescher if he would quit the Knights of Columbus, “to avoid any appearance of bias.”

Next, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) asked Buescher if he was aware when he joined the Knights of Columbus that the group was an “all-male society” that opposed “a woman’s right to choose” and “marriage equality.”

(Let’s rephrase that: “Judge Buescher, are you aware the K of C is a fraternal service organization that frowns on the murder of innocent babies and prefers the 5000-year-old traditional definition of marriage?” There, I fixed it for you, Senator.)

Just pause for a minute here and think about how wacky this is. These U.S. senators are acting as if the good ol’ Knights of Columbus organization is an extremist hate group, no different than, say, the Ku Klux Klan. The only thing “extreme” about the Knights are those feathery Captain Crunch hats they wear during parades and other ceremonies.

What exactly is going on? It’s actually rather simple: the Catholic Church has lost her moral authority, and as a result, it is now open season on anyone who holds to the Church’s doctrines, especially regarding sexual revolution issues. Or as TheMediaReport.com website so eloquently put it: “Liberals get angrier and angrier that the Church keeps resisting their demands to accede to the latest fads in human sexuality.” The behavior of those two U.S. senators clearly demonstrates that this is true.

So, how can we Catholics regain our moral authority? First, by BEING moral. When the behavior of the average Catholic is no different than that of the average self-centered atheist, our hypocrisy is obvious to all. And Catholic hypocrisy is not just a clerical problem.

Second, we must always proclaim the truth in love. Catholics do not hold traditional moral values in order to win arguments and dominate other people. We hold these values because they were handed down by Jesus Himself, and therefore they are true and good and beautiful.

This week is the start of Lent, which is a great opportunity to practice humble penance. The season of Lent is not just about avoiding cheeseburgers on Friday. It’s a time to renew our commitment to holiness and biblical morality.

Who knows, maybe someday the Catholic Church will regain her cultural authority and once again be considered a beacon of morality. But in the meantime, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.