Musings of an Old Curmudgeon

14 February 2026

Saturday, the Glorious Mysteries, in Latin with Cardinal Burke.

Succession Scandals that Changed History Forever

From bastard princes to baby-swapping conspiracies, history is full of scandals that shook empires and reorganized the lines of succession. Today, we’re diving into six of the most impactful legitimacy scandals from history that didn’t just raise eyebrows - they rocked the throne. 0:00 Baby Swapping - James Francis Edward Stuart 2:36 Nepotism - Cesare Borgia 5:26 William the Conqueror FKA the Bastard 7:59 Princes in the Tower & Perkin Warbeck 10:52 The Mayerling Mystery 14:20 Little Louis (Children of Louis XIV)

Introduction to Moral Theology: 5. Moral Absolutes

With John Haas, PhD, STL, MDiv, John Cardinal Krol Professor of Moral Theology, St Charles Borromeo Seminary.

St Valentine's Day and Giving Anonymous Gifts to the Poor

St Valentine, whose Feast is today, was honoured during the Middle Ages by secret almsgiving on his Feast. An excellent custom to revive!

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

During the Middle Ages, St. Valentine's Day was celebrated by giving anonymous gifts to the poor.

While Valentine's Day has become a day to express your love to someone special in your life, it originally included a tradition of giving anonymous gifts to the poor.

The American Ecclesiastical Review in the early 20th century relates this tradition.

In medieval times, it appears to have been the special occasion for making anonymous gifts to the poor and to friends generally.

This tradition is also recorded in The Christian Work, where it states, "Saint Valentine was a good bishop ... who was beheaded way back in the third century, who was noted for his love and charity and whose life was commemorated by anonymous gifts."

Little has been written about this tradition, but is likely inspired by the life of St. Valentine, who was known for his charitable works and care for the poor.

If you are looking for an alternative way to commemorate Valentine's Day and don't want to give-in to the materialism that now surrounds it, consider this unique tradition of giving gifts to the poor.

When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
Matthew 6:2-4

Faithful Catholics Plead With The Pope For Help Against Wicked Bishop

Good luck!

Christians Must Defend Holy Matrimony | Pope Leo XIII

What Happens When You Put Meat Into Honey Like Medieval Peasants Did

From Medieval Way

You probably see honey as something you drizzle on toast or stir into tea. A luxury sweetener. A nice treat when you're feeling fancy. You might even think of it as expensive compared to regular sugar. But for a 14th-century English peasant, honey wasn't a treat. It was a weapon. A biological defence system that could keep meat from rotting for an entire year without refrigeration, without electricity, without anything modern science would recognise as preservation. In 1390, the master cooks of King Richard II wrote down a recipe called Egredouce, sweet and sour pork. But this wasn't just about flavour. They were submerging meat in honey and vinegar because they understood something we've completely forgotten. That amber liquid sitting in your pantry can mummify bacteria, produce its own antiseptic chemicals, and create an environment so hostile to decay that meat stored inside it stays edible longer than the stuff in your fridge.

Traditional Catholic Morning Prayers in English | February

Traditional Catholic morning prayers -- an excellent way to start your day off strong! The month of February is devoted to the Holy Family -- Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph. It is my hope that these prayers increase your devotion to Our Lord and His Holy Family. Begin each day with morning prayer! This video is a compilation of many traditional morning prayers Catholics say, and should not be considered a replacement for those who have an obligation to pray the Divine Office morning prayers.

This 3000-Year-Old Priestly Practice Shatters Sola Scriptura

From Totus Catholica

This 3000-Year-Old Priestly Law Just Broke Sola Scriptura Deuteronomy 17:8-13 records God's solution for disputes: "Bring the hard case to the Levitical priests and the judge... according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside... The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest shall die." Israel had the written Torah, yet God commanded them to obey the priest's interpretation or die - disobedience wasn't debatable. Sola Scriptura (Bible alone) offers no mechanism to settle disputes when sincere believers disagree on essentials like baptism or salvation, which is why we have thousands of denominations today. 📌 The Point: God never designed revelation to work as "Scripture alone" - He always paired the written Word with a living, binding teaching authority to preserve unity and truth. 📖 Core Sources Scripture: Deuteronomy 17:8-13 - "If a case is too difficult for you... come to the Levitical priests and to the judge... according to the instructions they give you, you shall do." Penalty for disobedience: death Malachi 2:7 - "The lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts" 2 Timothy 3:16 - Scripture is inspired and profitable, but sufficiency for equipping doesn't settle who authoritatively interprets disputes (just as Israel had sufficient Torah but still needed the Levitical court) Early Church & Councils: St. Irenaeus (2nd Century) - Appealed to public apostolic succession (bishops in an unbroken line) to refute Gnostics who claimed secret interpretations; bishops guarded the deposit of faith just as Israel's priests guarded the Law Council of Trent (1546) - Gospel truth is contained in written books and unwritten traditions preserved in continuous succession Vatican II (Dei Verbum 10) - Scripture, tradition, and magisterium are so linked that one cannot stand without the others; magisterium is not above the Word of God but serves it Catholic Teaching: CCC 85 - "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God... has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone" (bishops in communion with the successor of Peter) CCC 86 - "Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it" CCC 74-87 - Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the Word of God The Problem with Sola Scriptura: The Westminster Confession admits councils can err, leaving Scripture as the supreme judge - but Scripture has no table of contents (canon was discerned by the Church) and cannot interpret itself when sincere believers reach contradictory conclusions on essentials 📺 Chapters 0:00 - The Problem: Sola Scriptura Offers No Mechanism to Settle Disputes 2:17 - Deuteronomy 17: God's Solution Was a Living Authority, Not Just a Book 3:35 - Early Church: Irenaeus & Apostolic Succession Match the OT Pattern 4:06 - Catholic Teaching: Scripture + Tradition + Magisterium (CCC 85) 5:51 - Objections: "2 Timothy 3 Says Scripture is Sufficient," "Traditions of Men" 7:17 - Conclusion: Authority Is the Condition for Unity 🌐 Connect 📿 https://totuscatholica.org/rosary 🌍 https://totuscatholica.org/ ✉️ https://totuscatholica.org/contact 🔍 https://catholicexaminationofconscien...

St Valentine and the Catholic Origins of February 14

Today is the Feast of St Valentine. He is the Patron of affianced couples, beekeepers, happy marriages, love, and against plague, fainting, and epilepsy.

From Aleteia

By Bret Thoman, OFS

In the Italian city of Terni, Catholics look forward to February 14 as the feast day of St. Valentine, their city’s patron saint.

February 14 is known throughout the world as the day dedicated to flowers and chocolates, red hearts and candies, chubby cherubs and arrows. Young couples eagerly look forward to a night out or otherwise romantic getaway on that special day.

And yet the day has its roots in Catholicism and, more specifically, in a much more profound concept of love.

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St. Valentine, patron saint of Terni, Italy

In the Italian city of Terni, Catholics look forward to February 14 as the feast day of St. Valentine, their city’s patron saint, whose relics are interred in their city’s cathedral.
According to the ancient hagiographical legends, St. Valentine lived between 175 and 245.He is one of numerous bishop-evangelizers from that era who heroically devoted themselves to the faith during a period of intense persecutions against Christians.
St. Valentine came from a noble family and committed himself to the study of the faith from an early age. He was ordained bishop of Terni in 197 by St. Felician, the bishop of Foligno. Valentine was known for his concern and devotion toward the needy. He is also known for working miracles and healing the sick.
Eventually, he was jailed for refusing to deny Christ under the Roman emperor. He was sentenced to death.Some believe he acquired his name due to the strength he showed during his martyrdom (the Latin wordvalensmeans “strong and vigorous”).The martyrdom took place on February 14.
Two ancient inscriptions, written in Latin, attest to his martyrdom. One reads: “In Terni, St. Valentine, after having been beaten for a long time, was imprisoned and being unable to overcome his resistance, finally at midnight, he was secretly dragged out of prison, and beheaded by order of the Prefect of Rome, Placidus.”

Devotion to St. Valentine becomes widespread

After his death, Valentine was buried along the Via Flaminia in Terni, outside the city walls, near the present cathedral. By the 5th century, his tomb had become a pilgrimage destination. Later, Benedictine monks took over custody of the sanctuary and the faithful began coming in droves to Terni every year.By the early Middle Ages, devotion to St. Valentine was widespread throughout Europe due to the Benedictines.
By then, his name was associated with love. Numerous engaged couples or young married couples sought the intercession of St. Valentine through prayer or at his tomb in Terni.

How St. Valentine came to be associated with love

How did this come about? How did an early heroic Christian saint and martyr come to be associated with romantic love?
According to some accounts, St. Valentine was secretly marrying young Christian couples so the men would not be conscripted into obligatory military service.
Another legend recounts the Rose of Reconciliation. Accordingly, Valentine overheard a young couple bickering while passing beyond the hedge of his garden. He came out to meet them holding a rose. The aging man’s gray hair and smiling face had the grace of calming the quarreling spouses. He then held out the rose and asked the two to receive it. He instructed them to grasp the stem carefully, as a couple, so as not to prick one another. With that, he taught the two to have “cor unum” (one heart), and their love returned as before.
Perhaps the most well-known legend of St. Valentine involves a young couple named Sabino and Serapia. Sabino was a Roman centurion who was pagan, and Serapia was a beautiful Christian girl from Terni. He asked Serapia’s father for her hand in marriage, but was refused since he was pagan. Serapia suggested that Sabino go to their bishop, Valentine, to receive Christian instruction and convert. Unfortunately, just as the celebrations for his baptism and their future wedding were being prepared, Serapia fell deathly ill. While Valentine was at her bedside, Sabino begged him not to be separated from his beloved. Bishop Valentine baptized the young man, presided over their marriage rite, and when he raised his hands to heaven for the blessing, a beatific sleep overcame the two for all eternity.
Some say that St. Valentine’s Day supplanted an ancient pagan festival dedicated to the Roman god of fertility called Faunalia, that was observed on February 13.Still others attribute the feast’s association with renewal and birth to the seasons, in that by the middle of February the first buds begin blossoming and birds begin to mate.
In any case, both the ancient pagan concept of love and the modern secular notion of romance have little in common with the authentic Christian witness embodied by the real bishop and martyr, St. Valentine. The sacrificial charity he witnessed to through his extraordinary life is an example to all of us – especially the heroic virtues required today by Christian couples bound in matrimony.