Love Over Hate, Mercy Over Revenge

Nothing brings out self-righteous anger quite like people killing each other, amiright? A few months ago, when white police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed black teenager Michael Brown, we all exploded with condemnation for whichever party we thought was guilty, and praise for the person we decided was innocent. The city of Ferguson, Missouri, where this shooting took place, flooded with protestors, then looters. Everyone, from the lowly bloggers up to the President himself, used this horrible situation as a platform to decry racism in modern America. Finally, after a few weeks, everything seemed to calm down, until a grand jury decided to not indict Officer Wilson, and now, the fires of our fury have rekindled. The protestors again descended on Ferguson, and some protests quickly turned violent, resulting in multiple businesses being looted and even burned. In the streets and on the Internet, we have again divided ourselves into factions, some of us calling Michael Brown a martyr and hero and Officer Wilson a thug, and some of us proclaiming the opposite. We spout off vicious rhetoric and beg for whatever "justice" we deem most just. We're all angry — dangerously angry — and all very quick to condemn whoever we think is the "bad guy" in this scenario. 

Christians, wrath like this isn't the answer. Mercy is. 

SAINTATHON 2014: Day 6 - Saint Isidore of Seville

Has Internet access: «bored, bored, bored...»

In our Internet age, so much of what we do on a daily basis involves Web access, from learning to leisure to social activity. It's fitting that the Internet have a patron Saint — perhaps you've seen him before. The bookish fellow in the Unpleasant Accents Facebook avatar, as well as in our sidebar, is also the patron of this blog: Saint Isidore.

SAINTATHON 2014: Day 5 - Saint Joan of Arc

Praised Be Jesus!

I hope this post finds everyone well and that God is blessing you through the intercession of all His holy ones this week! A few weeks ago, Pope Francis got some heat after a homily he gave after the preliminary meeting for the Synod on the Family, about how God is a God of "surprises", and he gave some examples of how God has surprised His people throughout history. Today, we turn to focus on one of my favorite Saints, Saint Joan of Arc (also the favorite Saint of my Patron Saint, Thérèse of Lisieux), or as I like to call her, "The Saint who was God's surprise."

SAINTATHON 2014: Day 4 - Saint Quiteria

Day Four of the Saintathon is upon us, and to your great shock, I've been drinking it away. Don't you look at me like that — all of these Saints probably drank more in a day than I did in my lifetime, 'cause you know most of them were born in a time when alcohol was more sanitary than drinking water. Today, I'm going to tell you about one of the most badass Saints in history: Saint Quiteria, a Virgin Martyr.

SAINTATHON 2014: Day 3 - Saint Philip Neri

Hey, guys! It’s day three of our slog through the Saints, and you've already heard about some compelling characters! But today, I’m going to introduce y’all to my patron, a man with such awesome titles as "prophet of joy" and "second Apostle of Rome." So, who is this guy?

SAINTATHON 2014: Day 1 - Saint Josephine Bakhita

Welcome, one and all, to Unpleasant Accents' first annual Saintathon! To commemorate our anniversary, which falls on All Saints Day, our team is posting about their favourite Saints throughout the week. We begin with Saint Josephine Bakhita:

Saint Josephine Bakhita is not exactly a household name when it comes to Catholic Saints, and that's a shame. Bakhita's story is one of courage, forgiveness and renewal, and it deserves to be told.