Ezra's Essays

Category: Catholicism

  • HOW COLOSSALY DUMB CAN YOU GET?

    I have never been a member of the Roman Catholic Church. In whatever is left in my life, I do not expect to ever become a member of that faith. The leader of that faith calls himself a pope When it comes to doctrine, I must cite my profound belief in principles. For example, I…

  • SUNDAY NIGHTS ON THE TUBE

    Sunday evenings were never meant to be enjoyable. People go to bed early after a weekend of eating drinking and other assorted activities. Monday mornings come soon enough. During the summer months, ESPN has Sunday baseball at 8PM Eastern Time. That is often a life saver in a desert of non-entertainment. As a general rule,…

  • S O D – O – M Y

    Once in a great while, the United States Supreme Court issues a decision that causes a good deal of public controversy. At the end of its 2002 – 2003 term in June, a six to three ruling was published having to do with sodomy. It ruled against a Texas statute barring sodomy. This essay is…

  • CELIBATE SEX

    My wife, Ms. Judith Chicka, says that the title of this piece is a non-sequitur. And she is a descendent of the Serbian royal family so she should know what she is talking about. On the other hand, it is my belief that the title is nothing more than an oxymoron. The Bishops of the…

  • COMPLETELY RANDOM THOUGHTS

    Those of you who have long memories may recall that there were a series of essays three or four years ago that were entitled “Random Thoughts While Shaving.” Now similar random thoughts continue to occupy my alleged mind. I had hoped that they would be transient in nature, but unless I record them, they will…

  • DIVINE PROVIDENCE

    Around the middle of October, the Roman Catholic Pope in the Vatican made a very surprising announcement. On that occasion he invited the Church of England, which had been separated for 478 years from the Catholic Church, to rejoin his flock. As an inducement, the Pope said that married preachers could remain married and, after…

  • A THOUGHT OR TWO ABOUT “THE GIFT OF CHASTITY”

    There are two or three thoughts that must be established before we proceed into this essay.  The first has to do with vows that Catholic priests embrace, saying that they will live a life of poverty, obedience, and chastity.  Secondly, your old essayist has never claimed to lead a life based on these three concepts. …

  • IS THE POPE NOW NEARING HIS DOTAGE?

    There are some observers who might regard the heading of this essay as a provocative statement.  However, to Pope watchers such as myself, the statement is justified by a sharp drop in the Pope’s voltage which may be due to a short circuit.  Two particular statements have led me to conclude that this octogenarian Pope…

  • IN PRAISE OF BRIGHT, INTELLIGENT PREACHERS

    There is an oxymoronic quality to this essay which I hope will meet with your favor.  The oxymoron has to do with a writer whose belief is in non-belief, who then publishes an essay in praise of preachers.  But that is what I intend to do in this essay about preachers. For more than 66…

  • DELICT

    Those of you who have followed my career know that I have spent my full time in study and in contemplation of the great theological works.  In spite of the fact that I have spent nearly 88 years in the study of theological works, I was astounded to find that there was a religious word…