The Theology of Cosplay

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. —Romans 13:14

CAPTION THIS: When Pope Met Prez

Obama: "Your Holiness, uh, I think that when all's said and done, uhhh, you'll see things my way. It's the right thing to do."
Francis: "I intend no disrespect, Mr. President, but to qualify for Sainthood, you have to be Catholic — and dead!"
(Full story here. Picture c/o: Vatican Radio English)

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our last caption contest! This one was really difficult to judge (stop being so talented, dammit — just stop it), but in the end, we had to pick a winner...

Quit Pretending You're Better Than Fred Phelps

I can totally feel God's love, you guys.

As all of you know by now, Fred Phelps is dead. He was most famously known for his and his family's protests at funerals — often but not always of U.S. soldiers — because, according to them, virtually every bad thing ever (and I mean everything, even tornadoes) was the direct result of America's tolerance of homosexuality. I say tolerance, not acceptance, because Phelps argued that sodomy should not only be illegal — it should be a capital offence. The Church was also a favourite target of the Phelps clan, who regularly picketed Catholic churches and other houses of worship; they even dedicated an entire Web site to attacking her, which I will not link here.

Predictably, many responses to his death welcomed it, with some reactions outright gleeful. The argument goes that since Phelps spent his life disrespecting the dead with hateful, vulgar protests, his death should be met in kind. Because... tolerance?

I'll cut to the chase: This post is not about Fred Phelps, despite its title. It's about you.

CAPTION THIS: When il Papa Met il Bambino

"Shhh... Don't cry, little one. I didn't outlaw the Traditional Latin Mass. Didn't your mother ever tell you Rorate Cæli is bad for you?" (Full story here. Picture c/o: L'Osservatore Romano/Reuters)

Thank you to everyone who participated in our last caption contest! We finally finished eating the chocolate Pope evaluating the entries, and the winner is...

Sue, who reminds us of the true meaning of Easter:

"Ehhhh, it's OK. But it's no Cadbury Creme Egg."

 An honourable mention is also awarded to Rachel Chamberlain, who kept her focus on Lent:

"Man, you get the feeling that they really want me to have a daily reminder that to dust I shall return."

Brava, ladies! Gentlemen, don't be such crybabies over your loss. You fought the good fight, and you can take up arms again by leaving your captions in the comments below!

The Great Magdalene

Praised Be Jesus!

I hope that everyone is having a fruitful beginning of Lent! And I pray that you are all strengthened to carry out your resolutions and through them, grow closer to Our Lord! One of my absolute favorite Saints is undoubtedly Mary Magdalene (so be ready for numerous articles about her and other favorites). But I have to confess that my image of the great Magdalene is informed more by her legend than actual fact. Yes, we know that Mary Magdalene was the woman from whom Jesus cast out several demons who became one of the foremost of Jesus' followers, But in my mind, much of her is still colored by the misinterpretation of her being the prostitute, the woman of ill repute, and the sinner who falls madly in love with the person of Jesus Christ. This is the Mary Magdalene I love and the one who colors my side of Catholic imagination.