Ars orandi: the Art and Beauty of Traditional Catholicism

Collect of the Day: Commemoration of Ss. Faustinus and Jovita

2012-02-15T00:01:00.003-05:00

Wedensday of Sexagesima Week

Arise, why sleepest Thou, O Lord? arise, and cast us not off to the end. Why turnest Thou Thy face away, and forgettest our trouble? Our belly hath cleaved to the earth: arise, O Lord, help us and deliver us.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Ps. 43. 23-26)

Collect of the Day

Deus, qui cónspicis quia ex nulla nostra actióne confídimus: concéde propítius; ut contra advérsa ómnia Doctóris Géntium protectióne muniámur. Per Dóminum....

O God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do: mercifully grant, that by the protection of the Doctor of the Gentiles we may be defended against all adversities. Through...

In the Collect, the Church expresses the confidence she puts in the prayers of the great apostle St. Paul, that zealous sower of the divine seed, who laboured more than other apostles in preaching the word to the Gentiles.
--Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

Epistle - 2 Corinthians, 11. 19-33; 12. 1-19 / Gospel - St. Luke, 8. 4-15

The Flood from The Noah's Ark Cycle by Kaspar Memberger the Elder, 1588

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Gueranger, O.S.B.

O god of infinite justice! we have sinned; we have abused the life Thou hast given us: and when we read, in Thy Scriptures, how Thine anger chastised the sinners of former days, we are forced to acknowledge, that we have deserved to be treated in like manner. We have the happiness to be Christians and children of Thy Church; the light of faith, and the power of Thy grace, have brought us once more into Thy friendship; but how can we forget that we were once Thy enemies? And are we so deeply rooted in virtue, that we can promise ourselves perseverance in it to the end? Pierce, O Lord! pierce my flesh with Thy fear. Man's heart is hard, and unless it fear Thy sovereign Majesty, it may again offend Thee.

We are penetrated with fear, when we remember that Thou didst bury the world and destroy mankind by the waters of the deluge; for we learn by this, how Thy patience and long-suffering may be changed into inexorable anger. Thou art just, O Lord! and who shall presume to take scandal, or to murmur, when Thy wrath is enkindled against sinners?

We have defied Thy justice, we have braved Thine anger; for, though Thou hast told us that Thou wilt never more destroy sinners by a deluge of water, yet we know that Thou hast created, in Thy hatred for sin, a fire, which shall eternally prey on them that depart this life without being first reconciled with Thy offended Majesty.

O wonderful dignity of our human nature! We cannot be indifferent towards that infinite Being that created us: we must be His friends or His enemies! It could not have been otherwise. He gave us understanding and free-will: we know what is good and what is evil, and we must choose the one or the other: we cannot remain neutral. If we choose good, God turns towards us and loves us; if evil, we separate from Him, who is our sovereign Good. But, whereas He bears most tender mercy towards this frail creature whom He created out of pure love, and because He wills that all men should be saved, He waits with patience for the sinner to return to Him, and, in countless ways, draws his heart to repentance.

But woe to him that obeys not the divine call, when that call is the last! Then justice takes the place of mercy, and revelation tells us how fearful a thin it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Let us, then, flee from the wrath to come, by making our peace with the God we have offended. If we be already restored to grace, let us walk in His fear, until love shall have grown strong enough in our hearts to make us run the way of the commandments.

The following prayer is from the Mosarabic breviary of the Gothic Church of Spain.

ORATIO
(In capite jejunii)

Averte faciem tuam a peccatis nostris, Domine, et omnes iniquitates nostras dele; remove ab oculis tuis malarum nostrarum facinus voluptatum, nostræque confessioni clementer tuum appone auditum. Miserere, quæsumus, rogantibus nobis, qui propitius respicis in adversus, et qui desperatis cor pœnitens tribuis ad confessionem gloriæ tuæ. Sed quia publicanus a longe stans et percutiens pectus suum, sola confessione purgatus est, similiter et nos peccatores exaudi; ut sicut illi meritos petitionis suæ fructus donasti, ita et nobis supplicantibus indignis servis tuis veniam digneris impendere peccatis. Amen.

Turn away thy face from our sins, O Lord, and lbot out all our iniquities. Take from thine eyes the guild of our sinful pleasures, and mercifully incline thine ear to our confession. Have mercy, we beseech thee, upon us thy suppliants, O thou that lookest pith pity on them that are in affliction, and givest to the disconsolate a penitent heart, that so they may praise thy name. The publican who stood afar off and struck his breast, found forgiveness by this alone, that he confessed his sin; do thou, in like manner, mercifully hear us sinners: and as thou didst give to him the fruit his prayer deserved, so also vouchsafe to grant unto us, thy suppliant unworthy servants, the pardon of our sins. Amen.

Noah Leaves the Ark and Looks Upon the Destruction from the Noah's Ark Cycle by Kaspar Memberger the Elder, 1588

From
The Roman Breviary
Genesis, 8. 15-22

And God spoke to Noe, saying: Go out of the ark, thou and thy wife, thy sons, and the wives of thy sons with thee. All livings things that are with thee of all flesh, as well in fowls as in beasts, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, bring out with thee, and go ye upon the earth: increase and multiply upon it. So Noe went out, he and his sons: his wife, and the wives of his sons with him. And all living things, and cattle, and creeping things that creep upon the earth, according to their kinds, went out of the ark.

And Noe built an altar unto the Lord: and taking of all cattle and fowls that were clean, offered holocausts upon the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and said: I will no more curse the earth for the sake of man: for the imagination and thought of man's heart are prone to evil from his youth: therefore I will no more destroy every living soul as I have done. All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, shall not cease.

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Commemoration of

Ss. Faustinus and Jovita
Martyrs

Collect

Deus, qui nos ánnua sanctórum Mártyrum tuórum Faustíni et Jovítæ solemnitáte lætíficas: concéde propítius; ut, quorum gaudémus méritis, accendámur exémplis. Per Dóminum...

O God, which makest us glad with the yearly festival of blessed Faustinus and Jovita, thy holy Martyrs: grant, we beseech thee, that as we do rejoice in their merits ; so we may be enkindled to follow them in all virtuous and godly living. Through...

The Crucifixion by Tintoretto, 1565

February 15.—STS. FAUSTINUS and JOVITA, Martyrs.

FAUSTINUS and Jovita were brothers, nobly born, and zealous professors of the Christian religion, which they preached without fear in their city of Brescia, while, the bishop of that place lay concealed during the persecution. Their remarkable zeal excited the fury of the heathens against them, and procured them a glorious death for their faith at Brescia in Lombardy, under the Emperor Adrian. Julian, a heathen lord, apprehended them: and the emperor himself, passing through Brescia, when neither threats nor torments could shake their constancy, commanded them to be beheaded. They seem to have suffered about the year 121. The city of Brescia honors them as its chief patrons, possesses their relics, and a very ancient church in that city bears their names.

Reflection.—The spirit of Christ is a spirit of martyrdom—at least of mortification and penance. It is always the spirit of the cross. The more we share in the suffering life of Christ, the greater share we inherit in His spirit, and in the fruit of His death. To souls mortified to their senses and disengaged from earthly things, God gives frequent foretastes of the sweetness of eternal life, and the most ardent desires of possessing Him in His glory. This is the spirit of martyrdom, which entitles a Christian to a happy resurrection and to the bliss of the life to come.

Collect of the Day: Commemoration of St. Valentine

2012-02-14T00:01:00.004-05:00

The Sanctuary of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Dunn, North Carolina

Tuesday in Sexagesima Week

Collect of the Day

In the Collect, the Church expresses the confidence she puts in the prayers of the great apostle St. Paul, that zealous sower of the divine seed, who laboured more than other apostles in preaching the word to the Gentiles.
--Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

Epistle - 2 Corinthians, 11. 19-33; 12. 1-19 / Gospel - St. Luke, 8. 4-15

Entering the Ark from the Noah's Ark Cycle by Kaspar Memberger the Elder, 1588

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

When we reflect upon the terrible events which happened in the first age of the world, we are lost in astonishment at the wickedness of man, and at the effrontery wherewith he sins against his God. How was it that the dread words of God, which were spoken against our first parents in Eden, could be so soon forgotten? How could the children of Adam see their father suffering and doing such endless penance, without humbling themselves and imitating this model of repentance? How was it that the promise of a Mediator, who was to reopen the gate of heaven for them, could be believed, and yet now awaken in their souls the desire of making themselves worthy to be His ancestors, and partakers of that grand regeneration, which He was to bring to mankind? And yet, the years which followed the death of Adam were years of crime and scandal; nay, he himself lived to see one of his own children become the murderer of a brother. But why be thus surprised at the wickedness of these our first brethren? The earth is now six thousand years old in the continued reception of divine blessings and chastisements; and are men less dull of heart, less ungrateful, less rebellious towards their Maker? For the generality of men--we mean, of those who deign to believe in the fall and chastisement of our first parents, and in the destruction of the world by the deluge--what are these great truths? Mere historical facts, which have never once inspired them with a fear of God's justice. More favoured than these early generations of the human race, they know that the Messias has been sent, that God has come down upon the earth, that He has been made Man, that He has broken Satan's rule, that the way to heaven has been made easy by the graces embodied by the Redeemer in the Sacraments: and yet, sin reigns and triumphs in the midst of Christianity. Undoubtedly, the just are more numerous than they were in the days of Noah; but then, what riches of grace has our Redeemer poured out on our degenerate race by the ministry of His bride the Church! Yes, there are faithful Christians to be found upon the earth, and the number of the elect is every day being added to; but the multitude are living at enmity with God, and their actions are in contradiction to their faith.

When, therefore, the holy Church reminds us of those times, wherein all flesh had corrupted its way, she is urging us to think about our own conversion. Her motive in relating to us the history of the sins committed at the beginning of the world, is to induce us to examine our own consciences. Why, too, does she read to us those pages of sacred Writ, which so vividly describe the flood-gates of heaven opening and deluging the guilty earth, if not that she would warn us against mocking that great God, who thus chastised the sins of His rebellious creatures? Last week we were called upon to consider the sad consequences of Adam's sin, a sin which we ourselves did not commit, but the effects of which lie so heavy upon us. This week we must reflect upon the sins we ourselves have committed. Though God has loaded us with favours, guided us by His light, redeemed us with His Blood, and strengthened us against all our enemies by His grace, yet have we corrupted our way, and caused our God to repent of having created us. Let us confess our wickedness, and humbly acknowledge that we owe it to the mercies of the Lord, that we have not been consumed.

The Ambrosian missal contains the following exhortation for this season of the year.

TRANSITORIUM
(Dominica in Septuagesima)

Convertimini onmnes simul ad Deum mundo corde et animo, in oratione, jejuniis et vigiliis multis. Fundite preces vestras cum lacrymis; ut deleatis chirographa peccatorum vestrorum, priusquam vobis repentinus superveniat interitus; antequam vos profundum mortis absorbeat; et cum Creator noster advenerit, paratos nos inveniat.

Be converted to God, all ye people, in purity of heart and soul, in prayer, fasting, and much watching. Pour out your prayers with tears; that the hand-writing of your sins may be blotted out, before sudden destruction come upon you, and before the deep flood of death engulf you. When our Creator comes, let him find us ready.

From
The Roman Breviary
(Divino Afflatu)

Genesis, 8. 1-9

And God remembered Noe, and all the living creatures, and all the cattle which were with him in the ark, and brought a wind upon the earth, and the waters were abated. The fountains also of the deep, and the flood gates of heaven were shut up, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters returned from off the earth going and coming: and they began to be abated after a hundred and fifty days. And the ark rested in the seventh month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia. And the waters were going and decreasing until the tenth month: for in the tenth month, the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared. And after that forty days were passed, Noe, opening the window of the ark which he had made, sent forth a raven: Which went forth and did not return, till the waters were dried up upon the earth. He sent forth also a dove after him, to see if the waters had now ceased upon the face of the earth. But she, not finding where her foot might rest, returned to him into the ark: for the waters were upon the whole earth: and he put forth his hand, and caught her, and brought her into the ark.

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St. Valentine Baptizing St. Lucilla by Jacopo Bassano, circa 1575

Commemoration of
St. Valentine
Priest, Martyr

Collect

Præsta, quæsumus, omnípotens, Deus: ut, qui beáti Valentíni Mártyris tui natalítia cólimus, a cunctis malis imminéntibus, ejus in tercessióne, liberémur. Per Dóminum...

Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that we, who celebrate the heavenly birthday of blessed Valentine, Thy Martyr, may by his intercession be delivered from all the evils that threaten us. Through...

From the Sermons of St Austin, Bishop of Hippo.

The illustrious day whereon the blessed Martyr Valentin conquered, doth this day come round to us again and as the Church doth rejoice with him in his glory, so doth she set before us his footsteps to be followed. For if we suffer, we shall also reign with him. In his glorious battle we have two things chiefly to consider the hardened cruelty of the tormentor, and the unconquered patience of the Martyr the cruelty of the tormentor, that we may abhor it; the patience of the Martyr, that we may imitate it. Hear what the Psalmist saith, complaining against sin: "Fret not thyself because of the evil-doers, for they shall soon dry up like the grass." But touching the patience which is to be shown against the evil-doers, hear the word wherewith the Apostle moveth us: Ye have need of patience, that ye may receive the promise.

-From the Roman Breviary (Tridentine, 1910 edition)

Collect of the Day: Monday in Sexagesima Week

2012-02-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

Monday in Sexagesima Week

Collect of the Day

In the Collect, the Church expresses the confidence she puts in the prayers of the great apostle St. Paul, that zealous sower of the divine seed, who laboured more than other apostles in preaching the word to the Gentiles.
--Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

Epistle - 2 Corinthians, 11. 19-33; 12. 1-19 / Gospel - St. Luke, 8. 4-15

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

All flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. The terrible lesson, then, which men had received by being driven out of paradise in the person of our first parents, had been without effect. Neither the certainty of death, when they would have to stand before the divine Judge, nor the humiliations which attend men's hearts, or brought them into submission to that sovereign Master whose hand lay thus heavy upon them. They had the divine promise that a Saviour should be given to them, and that this Redeemer (who was to be the Son of her that was to crush the serpent's head), would not only bring them salvation, but would moreover reinstate them in all the happiness and honours they had lost. But even this was not enough to make them rise above the base passions of corrupt nature. The example of Adam's nine hundred years' penance, and the admonitions he could so feelingly give who had received such proofs of God's love and anger, began to lose their influence upon his children; and when he at last descended into the grave, his posterity grew more and more heedless of what they owed to their Creator. The long life, which had been granted to man in this the first age of the world, was made but a fresh means of offending Him who gave it. When, finally, the sons of Seth took to themselves wives of the family of Cain, the human race reached the height of wickedness, rebelled against the Lord, and made their own passions their god.

Yet, all this while, they had had granted to them the power of resisting the evil propensities of their hearts, God had offered them His grace, whereby they were enabled to conquer pride and concupiscence. The merits of the Redeemer to come were even then present to divine justice, and the Lamb, slain, as St. John tells us, from the beginning of the world (Apoc. 13. 8), applied the merits of His Blood to this as to every generation which existed before the great Sacrifice was really immolated. Each individual of the human family might have been just, as Noah was, and, like him, have found favour with the Most High; but the thought of their heart was bent upon evil, and not upon good, and the earth became peopled with enemies of God. Then it was that it repented God that He had made man (Gen. 6. 6), as the sacred Scripture forcibly expresses it. He decreed that man's life on earth should be shortened, in order that the thought of death might be ever before us. He, moreover, resolved to destroy, by a universal deluge, the whole of this perverse generation, saving only one family. The world would thus be renewed, and man would learn from this awful chastisement to serve and love this his sovereign Lord and God.

We find the following liturgical formula in the Mozarabic missal. Nothing could be more appropriate to the season of Septuagesima.

MISSA
(Dominica ante carnes tollendas)

Ecce jam in proximo sunt dies illi salutis, in quibus revoluto anni circulo, per salutaris abstinentiæ opus, remedia cupimus suscipere pravorum actuum monstrorum. Etenim sicut ait apostolus: Hoc est acceptabile tempus, et hi sunt dies salutis, in quibus spiritualis medela exquirenti adveniat animæ, et mala dulcia scrabra peccaminum evellantur a mente; ut qui consuetudine noxia semper cogimur deorsum fluere, tandem divina nos erigente clementia, conemur sursum surgere, ut horum dierum votiva exhibentes susceptione, et malorum nostrorum levemur a crimine, et beatiduinis electorum mereamur compotes esse. Amen.

Behold, now are close at hand those days of salvation, which the cycle of the year brings round to us, and in which we desire, by the exercise of salutary abstinence, to apply a remedy to our evil doings. For, as the apostle says: This is the acceptable time, and, these are the days of salvation, wherein a spiritual cure is given to the soul that seeks it, and the evil delights of sin are rooted from the mind. Hereby, we, whose evil habits are ever forcing us to a downward tendency, are by the uplifting mercy of God, encouraged to rise above this earth; that thus, by the devout observance of what these days require, we may not only be delivered from the guilt of our sins, but may moreover deserve to be companions with the elect in eternal bliss. Amen

Building the Ark from the Noah's Ark Cycle by Kaspar Memberger the Elder, 1588

From the Roman Breviary
(Genesis, 7. 1-5, 10-12, 13-14, 17)

And the Lord said to him: Go in thou and all thy house into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation. Of all clean beasts take seven and seven, the male and female. But of the beasts that are unclean two and two, the male and female. Of the fowls also of the air seven and seven,the male and the female: that seed may be saved upon the face of the whole earth. For yet a while, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy every substance that I have made, from the face of the earth.

And Noe did all things which the Lord had commanded him. And after seven days were passed, the waters of the flood overflowed the earth. In the six hundreth year of the life of Noe in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the flood gates of heaven were open: And the rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.

In the selfsame day Noe, and Sem, and Cham, and Japheth his sons: his wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark: They and every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and every thing that moveth upon the earth according to its kind, and every fowl according to its kind, and every fowl according to its kind, all birds, and all that fly. And the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and lifted up the ark on high from earth.

Recipes for Lent: Red Snapper Marinière

2012-02-12T15:26:00.007-05:00

Red Snapper Marinière

Excellent for the main course of the day's principle meal on days of full abstinence.

(4 servings)

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 red snapper fillets, about 8 ounces each
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
A pinch of fresh thyme
3 shallots, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup dry white wine, more if needed
4 teaspoons butter
Finely chopped fresh chervil, as garnish

1. Heat the oil in a good-size skillet. Add the snapper fillets and cook over low-medium heat for 2 minutes. Turn the fillets over.

2. Add the parsley, thyme, shallots, salt, pepper, and the wine. Bring the liquid to a boil. Keep the low-medium heat, cover the skillet, and continue cooking for another 8 minutes. (If wine evaporates, add a few tablespoons extra to keep the moisture in the skillet.)

3. When the fillets are cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated, dot 1 teaspoon butter on the top of each fillet. Cover the skillet for a half minute. Serve immediately, accompanying each fillet with some of the sauce, and topping each with the finely chopped chervil.

Substitutes for Red Snapper: Grouper, Bass, or Rockfish.

Pairs well with coleslaw, steamed or sauteed green vegetables, light breads; Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc.

Table-side herbs as a substitute for table-side salt or pepper: a dash of fennel or paprika, respectively.

Collect of the Day: Sexagesima Sunday

2012-02-12T00:01:00.005-05:00

The Deluge by Francis Danby, 1840

Sexagesima Sunday

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

The Church offers to our consideration, during this week of Sexagesima, the history of Noah and the deluge. Man has not profited by the warnings already given him. God is obliged to punish him once more, and by a terrible chastisement. There is found out of the whole human race one just man; God makes a covenant with him, and with us through him. But, before He draws up this new alliance, He would show that He is the sovereign Master, and that man, and the earth whereon he lives, subsists solely by His power and permission.

As the ground-work of this week's instructions, we give a short passage from the Book of Genesis: it is read in the Office of this Sunday's Matins.

Genesis 6. 5-13

And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times. It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart. He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noe found grace before the Lord.

These are the generations of Noe: Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God. And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity. And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth). He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth.

This awful chastisement of the human race by the deluge was a fresh consequence of sin. This time, however, there was found one just man; and it was through him and his family that the world was restored. Having once more mercifully renewed His covenant with His creatures, God allows the earth to be repeopled, and makes the three sons of Noah become the fathers of the three great families of the human race.

This is the mystery of the Divine Office during the week of Sexagesima. The mystery expressed in today's Mass is of still greater importance, and the former is but a figure of it. The earth is deluged by sin and heresy. But the word of God, the seed of life, is ever producing a new generation: a race of men, who, like Noah, fear God. It is the word of God that produces those happy children, of whom the beloved disciple speaks, saying: "They are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." Let us endeavor to be of this family; or, if we are already numbered among its members, let us zealously maintain our glorious position. What we have to do, during these days of Septuagesima, is to escape from the deluge of worldliness, and take shelter in the Ark of salvation; we have to become that good soil, which yields a hundredfold from the heavenly seed. Let us flee from the wrath to come, lest we perish with the enemies of God: let us hunger after that word of God, which converteth and giveth life to souls.

Collect of the Day

In the Collect, the Church expresses the confidence she puts in the prayers of the great apostle St. Paul, that zealous sower of the divine seed, who laboured more than other apostles in preaching the word to the Gentiles.
--Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

St. Paul by Domenico Beccafumi, 1515

Epistle - 2 Corinthians, 11. 19-33; 12. 1-19 / Gospel - St. Luke, 8. 4-15

From a Homily by St. Gregory the Great

Dearly beloved brethren, the passage from the Holy Gospel which ye have just heard, needeth not so much that I should explain it, as that I should seek to enforce its lesson. For what the Truth himself hath explained, human weakness may not presume to comment upon. But there is, in that very explanation by the Lord, something which we ought to consider carefully. For if we had told you that the seed is meant to signify the Word, ye might have doubted our understanding. Or if we had said that the field is the world ; and the birds, devils ; and the thorns, riches ; ye would perchance have denied the truth of our explanation. Therefore the Lord himself vouchsafed to give this explanation ; and that, not for this parable only, but that ye may know in what manner to interpret others, whereof he hath not given the meaning.

Beginning his explanation, the Lord saith that he speaketh in parable, that is he sheweth his language to be figurative. Hereby he giveth confidence to the preacher when, in spite of his incapacity, he must needs endeavour to lay open to you the hidden meaning of the Lord's words. If I spake of myself, who would believe me when I say that riches are thorns? Thorns prick, but riches lull to rest. And yet riches are indeed thorns, for the anxiety they bring is a ceaseless pricking to the minds of their owners. And, if they lead into sin, they are thorns which made us bleed with the wounds which they inflict. But we understand from the Evangelist Matthew that in this place the Lord speaketh, not of riches themselves, but of the deceitfulness of riches.

Those riches are deceitful riches, which can be ours only for a little while ; those riches are deceitful riches, which cannot relieve the poverty of our souls. They only are the true riches, which made us rich in virtues. If then, dearly beloved brethren, ye seek to be rich, earnestly desire the true riches. If ye would be truly honourable, strive after the kingdom of heaven. If ye love the bravery of titles, hasten to have your names written down at the Court of the heavenly King, where Angels are. Take to heart the Lord's words which your ear heareth. The food of the soul is the Word of God. When the stomach is sick it throweth up again the food which is put into it ; and so is the soul sick when a man heareth and digesteth not in his memory the Word of God. For if any man cannot keep his food, that man's life is in desperate case.

From the Roman Breviary

Collect of the Day: Our Lady of Lourdes

2012-02-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

Our Lady of Lourdes, stained glass window, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, Wyandotte, Michigan

The Apparition of the Immaculate Virgin Mary

I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Apoc. 21. 2)

Collect of the Day

Deus, qui per immaculátam Vírginis Conceptiónem dignum Fílio tuo habitáculum præparásti: súpplices a te quæsumus; ut ejúsdem Vírginis Apparitiónem celebrántes, salútem mentis et córporis consequámur. Per eúmdem Dóminum...

O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin Mary didst consecrate a dwelling-place meet for thy Son: we humbly pray thee; that we, observing the appearing of the same blessed Virgin, may obtain thy healing, both in body and soul. Through the same...

Lesson - Apocalypse, 11. 19; 12. 1, 10 / Gospel - St. Luke, 1. 26-38

And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

From the Roman Breviary

In the fourth year after the definition of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, the Virgin herself deigned to appear on several occasions to a certain very poor but pious and innocent girl named Bernadette, in a rock cavern overlooking the grotto of Massabielle, on the banks of the River Gave, near the town of Lourdes in the diocese of Tarbes in France. The Immaculate Virgin shewed herself as a young and gracious figure, robed in white, with a white veil and a blue girdle, and golden roses on her bare feet. At the first apparition on February 11, 1858, she taught the child to make the sign of the Cross correctly and devoutly, and, taking a chaplet from her own arm, encouraged her by example to say the holy Rosary ; this was also repeated in the subsequent apparitions. On the second day the girl, who feared some deceit of the devil, in all simplicity cast holy water at the Virgin, who smiled more graciously than before. At the third apparition, the girl was invited to repeat her visits to the grotto for fifteen days. During this time the Virgin conversed with her, exhorted her to pray for sinners, to kiss the ground and do penance ; and finally commanded her to tell the priests, that a chapel was to be built in that place, and that pilgrims should come to it solemnly in prayer. She was also told to drink and wash in the water from a spring, until then invisible, but which soon gushed out of the ground. On the feast of the Annunciation the girl earnestly begged the Virgin, who had so often visited her, to reveal her name, and, joining her hands and raising her eyes to heaven, she said : I am the Immaculate Conception.

Widespread reports of favours which the faithful were said to have received at the sacred grotto, in time increased the crowds of people, which the devotion of the place was calling to the grotto. Therefore the Bishop of Tarbes, who had been impressed by the report of the miracles and the sincerity of the girl, four years after these events, after a judicial inquiry, recognized the supernatural character of the apparition, and permitted the worship of the Immaculate Virgin to be held in the grotto. A chapel was soon built ; and since then, almost innumerable crowds of the faithful, because of vows and prayers, have come here every year from France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and all parts of Europe and the most remote parts of America, and the name of the Immaculate of Lourdes hath become famous in all countries. Water from the fountain, carried to all parts of the globe, hath restored health to the sick. And the Catholic world, mindful of so many benefits, hath built beautiful churches there. Countless banners, proofs of favours received, sent there by cities and nations, decorate the temple of the Virgin with a marvellous beauty. The Immaculate Virgin is constantly venerated, as if in her own palace. The days are filled with prayers, sacred singing, and other solemn ceremonies ; and the nights are sanctified by the pious supplications of almost countless people who walk in procession carrying lighted candles and torches, and singing the praises of the blessed Virgin.

It is evident to all that pilgrimages of this kind have revived faith in a world grown indifferent, have given inspiration to the profession of the Christian faith, and have wonderfully increased devotion to the Immaculate Virgin. The Christian people have priests as leaders in this wonderful profession of faith, who bring their flocks there. Even bishops frequently visit the holy spot, lead pilgrimages, and take part in the more solemn feasts. And it is not uncommon for the eminent Cardinals of the Roman Church themselves to be seen as humble pilgrims. The Roman Pontiffs themselves also have, out of their piety towards the Immaculate of Lourdes , showered many noble gifts upon the sacred temple. Pius IX enriched it with sacred indulgences, gave it the privilege of an Archconfraternity and the title of a minor basilica ; and delegated his apostolic legate in France to crown, with solemn rites, the statue of the Mother of God venerated in that place. Leo XIII also granted very many favours, jubilee indulgences on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Apparition, and promoted pilgrimages by his authority and suggestion, and ordained that the solemn dedication of the church, under the title of the Rosary, should be done in his name. Moreover he crowned all these favours by granting, at the request of many bishops, the celebration of a solemn feast under the title of the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate, with a proper Office and Mass. Finally Pius X, out of devotion to the Mother of God, granted the petition of many bishops that this feast should be extended to the Universal Church.

St. Bernadette, incorrupt

TradNews Roundup

2012-02-10T18:00:00.011-05:00

*Is the arrogant Bertone at the "end of his trajectory"?

*Read this before you buy those cookies.

*How do you say "BS" in Italian?

*Strange rumors about a plot to kill the pope.
___________________________
The Obama Administration's persecution of the Catholic Church.

*Obama's accommodation (announced today, 2/10/12) is an evil shell game. Will the American bishops fall for it?

*Mitt Romney blasts the Obama Administration's attack on "religious liberty", but the Gov has some anti-Catholic skeletons in his own closet.

*Obama's Pentagon silences Catholic Army Chaplains. It's a free speech issue a well as a religious liberty issue.

*It's easier to count the bishops who haven't spoken out against the persecution.

*Doug Kmiec demonstrates just how pathetic he is. The whole thing reminds me of Wormtongue's groveling, but I don't think Kmiec possesses the intestinal fortitude to muster up even the twisted rage that enabled Wormtongue to stab Saruman in the back.

*This should be the understatement of the year: "Obama could lose Catholic vote over HHS mandate."

*Thoughts from the Chaplain of the Confraternity of St. Peter.

*Santorum vows to call Obama Administration out.

*USA Today columnist takes Sebelius to task.

*USCCB calls the White House a pack of liars.

*USCCB's Five Things Everyone Should Know.

*How much are the bishops, themselves, to blame for what has happened? Presidential hopeful, and Catholic, Rick Santorum thinks they got what they deserved.

*Bipartisan effort underway in Congress to reverse HHS mandate.

*The Church has always been right about birth control, outsider admits.

*The silver lining: bishops and priests are finally teaching what the Church believes!

*Archbishop Francis Cardinal George of Chicago, IL.

Collect of the Day: St. Scholastica

2012-02-10T00:01:00.006-05:00

St. Scholastica
Virgin

My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my words to the King.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Ps. 44. 2)

Collect of the Day

Deus, qui ánimam beátæ Vírginis tuæ Scholásticæ, ad ostendéndam innocéntiæ viam, in colúmbæ spécie cælum penetráre fecísti: da nobis, ejus méritis et précibus, ita innocénter vívere; ut ad ætérna mereámur gáudia perveníre. Per Dóminum...

O God, who, to show us the way of innocence, didst cause the soul of Thy blessed Virgin Scholastica to enter heaven in the form of a dove: grant through her merits and prayers that we may live in an innocence that will win for us eternal joys. Through...

Epistle - 2 Corinthians, 10. 17-18; 11. 1-2 / Gospel - St. Matthew, 25. 1-13

February 10.—ST. SCHOLASTICA, Abbess.

OF this Saint but little is known on earth, save that she was the sister of the great patriarch St. Benedict, and that, under his direction, she founded and governed a numerous community near Monte Casino. St. Gregory sums up her life by saying that she devoted herself to God from her childhood, and that her pure soul went to God in the likeness of a dove, as if to show that her life had been enriched with the fullest gifts of the Holy Spirit. Her brother was accustomed to visit her every year, for "she could not be sated or wearied with the words of grace which flowed from his lips." On his last visit, after a day passed in spiritual converse, the Saint, knowing that her end was near, said, "My brother, leave me not, I pray you, this night, but discourse with me till dawn on the bliss of those who see God in heaven." St. Benedict would not, break his rule at the bidding of natural affection; and then the Saint bowed her head on her hands and prayed; and there arose a storm so violent that St. Benedict could not return to his monastery, and they passed the night in heavenly conversation. Three days later St. Benedict saw in a vision the soul of his sister going up in the likeness of a dove into heaven. Then he gave thanks to God for the graces He had given her, and for the glory which had crowned them. When she died, St. Benedict, her spiritual daughters, and the monks sent by St. Benedict mingled their tears and prayed, "Alas! alas! dearest mother, to whom dost thou leave us now? Pray for us to Jesus, to Whom thou art gone." They then devoutly celebrated holy Mass, "commending her soul to God;" and her body was borne to Monte Casino, and laid by her brother in the tomb he had prepared for himself." And they bewailed her many days;" and St. Benedict said, "Weep not, sisters and brothers; for assuredly Jesus has taken her before us to be our aid and defence against all our enemies, that we may stand in the evil day and be in all things perfect." She died about the year 543.

Reflection.--Our relatives must be loved in and for God; otherwise the purest affection becomes inordinate and is so much taken from Him.

The Death of St. Scholastica by Jean Restout II, 1730

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

The sister of the patriarch St. Benedict comes to us today, sweetly inviting us to follow her to heaven. Appolonia the martyr is succeeded by Scholastica, the fervent daughter of the cloister. Both of them are the brides of Jesus, both of them wear crowns, for both of them fought hard, and won the palm. Apollonia's battle was with cruel persecutors, and in those hard times when one had to die to conquer; Scholastica's combat was the lifelong struggle, whose only truce is the soldier's dying breath. The martyr and the nun are sisters now in the Heart of Him they both so bravely loved.

God, in His infinite wisdom, gave to St. Benedict a faithful co-operatrix, a sister of such angelic gentleness of character, that she would be a sort of counterpoise to the brother, whose vocation, as the legislator of monastic life, needed a certain dignity of grave and stern resolve. We continually meet with these contrasts in the lives of the saints; and they show us that there is a link, of which flesh and blood know nothing; a link which binds two souls together, gives them power, harmonizes their differences of character, and renders each complete. Thus it is in heaven with the several hierarchies of the angels; a mutual love, which is founded on God Himself, unites them together, and makes them live in the eternal happiness of the tenderest brotherly affection.

Scholastica's earthly pilgrimage was not a short one; and yet it has left us but the history of the dove, which told the brother, by its flight to heaven, that his sister had reached the eternal home before him. We have to thank St. Gregory the Great for even this much, which he tells us as a sequel to the holy dispute she had with Benedict, three days previous to her death. But how admirable is the portrait thus drawn in St. Gregory's best style! We seem to understand the whole character of Scholastica: -- an earnest simplicity, and a child-like eagerness for what was worth desiring; an affectionate and unshaken confidence in God; a winning persuasiveness, where there was opposition to God's will, which, when it met such an opponent as Benedict, called on God to interpose, and gained its cause. The old poets tell us strange things about the swan, how sweetly it can sing when dying; how lovely must have been the last notes of the dove of the Benedictine cloister, as she was soaring from earth to heaven!

But how came Scholastica, the humble retiring nun, by that energy, which could make her resist the will of her brother, whom she revered as her master and guide? What was it told her that her prayer was not a rash one, and that what she asked was a higher good than Benedict's unflinching fidelity to the rule he had written, and which it was his duty to teach by his own observance of it? Let us hear St. Gregory's answer: "It is not to be wondered at, that the sister, who wished to prolong her brother's stay, should have prevailed over him; for, whereas St. John tells us that God is charity, it happened, by a most just judgment, that she that had the stronger love had the stronger power."

Our season is appropriate for the beautiful lesson taught us by St. Scholastica, fraternal charity. Her example should excite us to the love of our neighbour, that love for which God bids us labour, now that we are intent on giving Him our undivided service, and our complete conversion. The Easter solemnity for which we are preparing, is to unite us all in the grand banquet, where we are all to feast on the one divine Victim of love. Let us have our nuptial garment ready: for He that invites us insists on our having union of heart when we dwell in His house.

The Church has inserted in her Office of this feast the account given by St. Gregory of the last interview between St. Scholastica and St. Benedict. It is as follows:

From the Second Book of the Dialogues of Pope St Gregory the Great.

The worshipful Scholastica, the sister of our Father Benedict, was hallowed unto the Lord Almighty from a child. Her custom was to come to see her brother once every year. And when she came, the man of God went down unto her, not far from the gate, but, as it were, within the borders of his monastery. And there was a day when she came, as her custom was, and her worshipful brother went down to her, and his disciples with him. Then they passed the whole day together, praising God, and speaking one to the other of spiritual things. And when the night came, they brake bread together. And while they were yet at table, and conversed together on spiritual things, the hour was late. Then the holy woman his sister besought him, saying Leave me not, I pray thee, this night, but let us speak even until morning of the gladness of the eternal life. He answered her: What is it that thou sayest, my sister? I can by no means remain out of my cell. Now the firmament was so clear that there were no clouds in the sky. Then the holy nun, when she had heard the words of her brother, that he would not abide with her, clasped her hands on the table, and laid her face on her hands, and besought the Lord Almighty. And it came to pass that when she lifted up her head from the table, there were great thunderings and lightnings, and a flood of rain, insomuch that neither the worshipful Benedict nor the brethren that were with him could move as much as a foot over the threshold of the place where they sat.

Now when the holy woman laid her head in her hands upon the table, she wept bitterly, and as she wept, the clearness of the sky was turned to a tempest. As she prayed, immediately the flood followed. And the time was so, that she lifted up her head when it thundered, and when she had lifted up her head, the rain came. When the man of God saw that he could not return to his monastery, because of the lightnings, and thunderings, and the great rain, he was sorrowful and grieved, saying Almighty God forgive thee, my sister; what is this that thou hast done? She answered him Behold, I besought thee, and thou wouldest not hear; I besought my God, and He hath heard me; if, therefore, thou wilt, go forth, leave me alone, and go thy way to thy monastery. But he could not, and so he tarried in the same place, not willingly, but of necessity. And so it came to pass that they slept not all that night, but fed one another with discourse on spiritual things.

And when the morning was come, the worshipful woman arose, and went unto her own cell, and the man of God went back to his monastery. And, behold, after three days he was sitting in his cell, and he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and saw the soul of his sister, delivered from the body, fly to heaven in a bodily shape like a dove. Wherefore he rejoiced because of the glory that was revealed in her, and gave thanks to Almighty God in hymns and praises, and made known to the brethren that she was dead. He commanded them also to go and take up her body, and bring it to his monastery, and lay it in the grave which he had made ready for himself. Whereby it came to pass that they twain who had ever been of one mind in the Lord, even in death were not divided.

[From the Roman Breviary, Divino Afflatu]

Dear bride of the Lamb! Innocent and simple dove! How rapid was thy flight to thy Jesus, when called home from thine exile! Thy brother's eye followed thee for an instant, and then heaven received thee, with a joyous welcome from the choirs of the angels and saints. Thou art now at the very source of that love, which here filled thy soul, and gained thee everything thou askedst of thy divine Master. Drink of this fount of life to thy heart's eternal content. Satiate the ambition taught thee by thy brother in his rule, when he says that we must "desire heaven with all the might of our spirit." Feed on that sovereign Beauty, who Himself feeds, as He tells us, among the lilies.

But forget not this lower world, which was to thee, what it is to us, a place of trial for winning heavenly honours. During thy sojourn here, thou wast the dove of the clefts of the rock, as the Canticle describes a soul like thine own; there was nothing on this earth which tempted thee to spread thy wings in its pursuit, there was nothing worthy of the love which God had put in thy heart. Timid before men, and simple as innocence ever is, thou knewest not that thou hadst wounded the Heart of the Spouse. Thy prayers were made to Him with all the humility and confidence of a soul that had never been disloyal; and He granted thee thy petitions with the promptness of tender love: so that thy brother, the venerable saint, who was accustomed to see nature obedient to his command, was overcome by thee in that contest, wherein thy simplicity was more penetrating than his profound wisdom.

And who was it, O Scholastica, that gave thee this sublime knowledge, and made thee, on that day of thy last visit, wiser than the great patriarch, who was raised up in the Church to be the living rule of them that are called to perfection? It was the same God, who chose Benedict to be one of the pillars of the religious state, but who wished to show that a holy and pure and tender charity is dearer to Him than the most scrupulous fidelity to rules, which are only made for leading men to what thou hadst already attained. Benedict, himself such a lover of God, knew all this; the subject so dear to thy heart was renewed, and brother and sister were soon lost in the contemplation of that infinite Beauty, who had just given such a proof that He would have thee neglect all else. Thou wast ripe for heaven, O Scholastica! Creatures could teach thee no more love of thy Creator; He would take thee to Himself. A few short hours more, and the divine Spouse would speak to thee those words of the ineffable Canticle, which the holy Spirit seems to have dictated for a soul like thine: "Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come! Show me thy face; let thy voice sound in mine ears; for thy voice is sweet, and comely is thy face."

Thou hast left us, O Scholastica! but do not forget us. Our souls have not the same beauty in the eyes of our God as thine, and yet they are called to the same heaven. It may be that years are still needed to fit them for the celestial abode, where we shall see thy grand glory. Thy prayer drew down a torrent of rain upon the earth; let it now be offered for us, and obtain for us tears of repentance. Thou couldst endure no conversation which had not eternity for its subject; give us a disgust for useless and dangerous talk, and a relish for hearing of God and of heaven. Thy heart had mastered the secret of fraternal charity, yea of that affectionate charity which is so well-pleasing to our Lord; soften our hearts to the love of our neighbour, banish from them all coldness and indifference, and make us love one another as God would have us love.

Dear dove of holy solitude! remember the tree, whose branches gave thee shelter here on earth. The Benedictine cloister venerates thee, not only as the sister, but also as the daughter of its sainted patriarch. Cast thine eye upon the remnants of that tree, which was once so vigorous in its beauty and its fruits, and under whose shadow the nations of the west found shelter for so many long ages. Alas! the hack and hew of impious persecutions have struck its root and branches. Every land of Europe, as well as our own, sits weeping over the ruins. And yet, root and branches, both must needs revive; for we know that it is the will of thy divine Spouse, O Scholastica, that the destinies of this venerable tree keep pace with those of the Church herself. Pray that its primitive vigor be soon restored; protect, with thy maternal care, the tender buds it is now giving forth; cover them from the storm; bless them; make them worthy of the confidence wherewith the Church deigns to honour them!

________________________________

Collect of the Day: St. Cyril of Alexandria

2012-02-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

St. Cyril of Alexandria Triumphs Over the Heretic Nestorius by Frantisek Ingac Platzer, St. Nicholas Church, Prague, 1760

St. Cyril of Alexandria
Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

It is good to give praise to the Lord: and to sing to Thy Name, O Most High.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Ps. 91. 2)

Collect of the Day

Deus, qui beátum Cyríllum Confessórem tuum atque Pontíficem divínæ maternitátis beatíssimæ Vírginis Maríæ assertórem invíctum effecísti: concéde, ipso intercedénte; ut, qui vere eam Genitrícem Dei crédimus, matérna ejúsdem protectióne salvémur. Per eúmdem Dóminum...

O God, who didst make blessed Cyril, Thy Confessor and Bishop, the invincible champion of the divine Motherhood of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary: grant that by his intercession, we who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be saved by her motherly protection. Through...

Epistle - 2 Timothy, 4. 1-8 / Gospel - St. Matthew, 5. 13-19

St. Cyril of Alexandra by Anthony Visco, Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 2007

ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA.

ST. CYRIL became Patriarch of Alexandria in 412. Having at first thrown himself with ardor into the party politics of the place, God called him to a nobler conflict. In 428, Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, began to deny the unity of Person in Christ, and to refuse to the Blessed Virgin the title of "Mother of God." He was strongly supported by disciples and friends throughout the East. As the assertion of the divine maternity of Our Lady was necessary to the integrity of the doctrine of the Incarnation, so, with St. Cyril, devotion to the Mother was the necessary complement of his devotion to the Son. St. Cyril, after expostulating in vain, accused Nestorius to Pope Celestine. The Pope commanded retraction, under pain of separation from the Church, and intrusted St. Cyril with the conduct of the proceedings. The appointed day, June 7, 431, found Nestorius and Cyril at Ephesus, with over 200 bishops. After waiting twelve days in vain for the Syrian bishops, the council with Cyril tried Nestorius, and deposed him from his see. Upon this the Syrians and Nestorians excommunicated St. Cyril, and complained of him to the emperor as a peace-breaker. Imprisoned and threatened with banishment, the Saint rejoiced to confess Christ by suffering. In time it was recognized that St. Cyril was right, and with him the Church triumphed. Forgetting his wrongs, and careless of controversial punctilio, Cyril then reconciled himself with all who would consent to hold the doctrine of the Incarnation intact. He died in 444.

Reflection.—The Incarnation is the mystery of God's dwelling amongst us, and therefore should be the dearest object of our contemplation. It was the passion of St. Cyril's life; for it he underwent toil and persecution, and willingly sacrificed credit and friends.

On Criticizing the Bishops

2012-02-08T19:51:00.005-05:00

Please pray for your bishop and the rest of the American episcopate in this, their hour of need.

Criticism of the American bishops is starting surface concurrent to the battle they and the rest of the Catholic Church in America is now waging with the US Government over the HHS "contraception mandate".

Many Catholics think that such criticism is unfair and uncalled for, and that we now need to "stand with the bishops" instead of "standing against them". The bishops need our prayers, not our criticisms, is the standard position here. The egregious nature of the Obama Administration's frontal attack on the Church's doctrines regarding human sexuality and life, as well as its attack on religious liberty, needs to be the focus of our energy and argument. This is a valid and well taken point. Indeed, the US Government's contraception mandate is appalling, and our bishops' stand against it is commendable in its own right.

However, this does not change the fact that the bishops for the most part stood by and allowed the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care bill to pass and become the law of the land; this despite the fact that many Catholics and non-Catholics alike begged the bishops to vocally oppose the legislation. They argued that Obamacare would provide federal funding for abortions, which it did; they argued that it would force Americans to pay for the sexual promiscuity of others, which it did; they argued that it would lead to death-panels, which it will; and they argued that it would infringe on our liberty to oppose abortion and contraception on religious grounds, which, it is now obvious, it most definitely was designed to do. I was one of these Catholics, and I remember, quite vividly, being disappointed as countless Catholics publicly eased the passage of bill under the permissive eyes of their bishops.

Yes, the bishops now need our prayers. However, they also need charitable and good-intentioned criticism for their past lack of vigilance. As Catholics it is our duty to help the bishops by our prayers, action, and also by our good-intentioned criticism. If devout Catholics do not criticize the bishops in good faith, other people will criticize them in bad faith.

Collect of the Day: St. John of Matha

2012-02-08T00:01:00.005-05:00

The Mass of St. John of Matha by Juan Carreño de Miranda, 1666

St. John of Matha

Confessor

The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment: the law of his God is in his heart.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Ps. 36. 30, 31)

Collect of the Day

Deus, qui per sanctum Joánnem órdinem sanctíssimæ Trinitátis ad rediméndum de potestáte Saracenórum captívos cælitus institúere dignátus es: præsta, quæsumus; ut, ejus suffragántibus méritis, a captivitáte córporis et ánimæ, te adjuvánte, liberémur. Per Dóminum...

O God who through Saint John didst from heaven deign to institute the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for ransoming captives from the power of the Saracens: help us through his merits, we beseech Thee, to freedom from bondage of body and of soul. Through...

Lesson - Ecclesiasticus, 31. 8-11 / Gospel - St. Luke, 12. 35-40

February 8.—ST. JOHN OF MATHA.

THE life of St. John of Matha was one long course of self-sacrifice for the glory of God and the good of his neighbor. As a child, his chief delight was serving the poor; and he often told them he had come into the world for no other end but to wash their feet. He studied at Paris with such distinction that his professors advised him to become a priest, in order that his talents might render greater service to others; and, for this end, John gladly sacrificed his high rank and other worldly advantages. At his first Mass an angel appeared, clad in white, with a red and blue cross on his breast, and his hands reposing on the heads of a Christian and a Moorish captive. To ascertain what this signified, John repaired to St. Felix of Valois, a holy hermit living near Meaux, under whose direction he led a life of extreme penance. The angel again appeared, and they then set out for Rome, to learn the will of God from the lips of the Sovereign Pontiff, who told them to devote themselves to the redemption of captives. For this purpose they founded the Order of the Holy Trinity. The religious fasted every day, and gathering alms throughout Europe took them to Barbary, to redeem the Christian slaves. They devoted themselves also to the sick and prisoners in all countries. The charity of St. John in devoting his life to the redemption of captives was visibly blessed by God. On his second return from Tunis he brought back one hundred and twenty liberated slaves. But the Moors attacked him at sea, overpowered his vessel, and doomed it to destruction, with all on board, by taking away the rudder and sails, and leaving it to the mercy of the winds. St. John tied his cloak to the mast, and prayed, saying, "Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered. O Lord, Thou wilt save the humble, and wilt bring down the eyes of the proud." Suddenly the wind filled the small sail, and, without guidance, carried the ship safely in a few days to Ostia, the port of Rome, three hundred leagues from Tunis. Worn out by his heroic labors, John died in 1213, at the age of fifty-three.

Reflection.—Let us never forget that our blessed Lord, bade us love our neighbor not only as ourselves, but as He loved us, Who afterwards sacrificed Himself for us.

Christ in His Glory by Pietro Perugino, 1507

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

We were celebrating, not many days ago, the memory of Peter Nolasco, who was inspired, by the holy Mother of God, to found an Order for the ransoming of Christian captives from the infidels: today, we have to honour the generous saint, to whom this sublime work was first revealed. He established, under the name of the most holy Trinity, a body of religious men, who bound themselves to by vow to devote their energies, their privations, their liberty, nay, their very life, to the service of the poor slaves who were groaning under the Saracen yoke. The Order of the Trinitarians, and the Order of Mercy, though distinct, have the same end in view, and the result of their labours, during the six hundred years of their existence, has been the restoration to liberty and preservation from apostasy of upwards of a million slaves. John of Matha, assisted by his faithful co-operator, Felix of Valois (whose feast we shall keep at the close of the year), established the center of his grand work at Meaux, in France. We are preparing for Lent, when one of our great duties will have to be that of charity towards our suffering brethren: what finer model could we have than John of Matha, and his whole Order, which was called into existence for no other object than that of delivering from the horrors of slavery brethren who were utter strangers to their deliverers, but were in suffering and in bondage. Can we imagine any almsgiving, let it be ever so generous, which can bear comparison with this devotedness of men, who bind themselves by their rule, not only to traverse every Christian land begging alms for the ransom of slaves, but to change places with the poor captives, if their liberty cannot be otherwise obtained? Is it not, as far as human weakness permits, following to the very letter the example of the Son of God Himself, who came down from heaven that He might be our ransom and our Redeemer? We repeat it: with such models as these before us, we shall feel ourselves urged to follow the injunction we are shortly to receive from the Church, of exercising works of mercy towards our fellow-creatures, as being one of the essential elements of our lenten penance.

But it is time we should listen to the account given us by the liturgy of the virtues of this apostolic man, who has endeared himself, both to the Church and to mankind, by his heroism of charity.

John de la Mata, the founder of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the Ransom of Prisoners, was born at Faucon, in Provence, (upon Midsummer's Day, in the year 1169,) and was the child of parents equally distinguished for their rank and their godly life. He went for his education first to Aix and then to Paris. At the University of Paris, where he went through the course of Divinity and took the degree of Doctor, he became eminent for learning and virtue. For this reason the Bishop of Paris ordained him Priest, an honour from which his lowliness caused him to shrink, in the hope that he should induce him to remain at Paris, and be a bright example of wisdom and manners to the students who resorted thither. He offered up the Holy Sacrifice to God for the first time in the private Chapel of the Bishop, and in the presence of that Prelate and divers other persons. In the midst of the ceremony, a vision from God appeared to John. There appeared to him an angel, clad in raiment white and glistering; having sewn on his breast a cross of red and blue. His arms were crossed before him, and his hands were upon the heads of two slaves, one a Christian and the other a Moor. And immediately the man of God was in the spirit, and knew that he was called to the work of ransoming bondsmen from the power of the unbelievers.

That he might set himself with due forethought to the carrying out of his work, he withdrew into a certain desert, and there, by the will of God, he found Felix de Valois, who had already spent many years in that place. With him he joined company, and they passed three years together in continual prayer, meditation, and all spiritual exercises. It came to pass, one day, when they were sitting on the bank of a spring, that there came to them a stag having between his horns a cross of red and blue. Felix cried out in wonder at that sight, and John then told him of the vision that had appeared to him when he was saying his first Mass. Thenceforth they gave themselves with redoubled fervour to prayer, and, being three times warned in sleep, they determined to go to Rome, and pray the Pope to institute an Order for the ransom of prisoners. They arrived at the time of the election of Innocent III., who received them courteously, and entertained in his mind their petition. While he was in consideration, he went to the Lateran Cathedral, on the second Feast of St Agnes, and there, while Mass was being solemnly sung, at the moment of the elevation of the Sacred Host, there appeared to him an angel, clad in raiment white and glistering, having sewn on his breast a cross of red and blue, and making as though he would free prisoners. Thereupon the Pope founded the Order, commanding that it should be called the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the Ransom of prisoners, and that they who professed in it should be clad in white raiment, having sewn on their breasts a cross of red and blue.

The Order being thus established, the holy Founders returned into France, and built their first Convent at Cerfroid, in the diocese of Meaux. Felix remained in charge of this house, and John went back to Rome with several companions. To them Innocent gave the house, Church, and hospital of St Thomas de Formis on the Coelian Mount, with great endowments and property. Moreover he gave them a letter of introduction to Miramolin, King of Morocco, and they began with bright hopes the work of ransoming prisoners. John next betook himself to Spain, great part of which was then in the hands of the Saracens, and stirred up the hearts of the kings, princes, and all the faithful to have pity on slaves and the poor. He built Convents, founded Hospitals, and ransomed many bondsmen, to the great gain of souls. At last he returned to Rome, still busied in good works, but worn out by unceasing toil, and weakened by sickness. As he drew near the end of his earthly pilgrimage, his burning love for God and for his neighbour suffered no diminution. He called together his brethren, and earnestly exhorted them to go on with that work of ransom which had been pointed out to them from heaven, and then fell asleep in the Lord, on the 21st day of December, 1213. His body was buried with due honour in the Church of St Thomas de Formis.

[From the Roman Breviary, Divino Afflatu]

And now, generous-hearted saint, enjoy the fruits of thy devoted charity. Our blessed Redeemer recognizes thee as one of His most faithful imitators, and the whole court of heaven is witness of the recompense wherewith He loves to honour thy likeness to Himself. We must imitate thee; we must walk in thy footsteps; for we too hope to reach the same eternal resting-place. Fraternal charity will lead us to heaven, for the works it inspires us to do have the power of freeing the soul from sin, as our Lord assures us. Thy charity was formed on the model of that which is in the heart of God, who loves our soul yet disdains not to provide for the wants of our body. Seeing so many souls in danger of apostasy, thou didst run to their aid. and men were taught to love a religion which can produce heroes of charity like thee. Thy heart bled at hearing of the bodily sufferings of these captives, and thy hand broke the chains of their galling slavery. Teach us the secret of ardent charity. Is it possible that we can see a soul in danger of being lost, and remain indifferent? Have we forgotten the divine promise, told us by the apostle: "He that causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of his own sins"? Obtain for us, also, a tender compassion for such as are in bodily suffering and poverty, that so we may be generous in comforting them under these trials, which are but too often an occasion of their blaspheming Providence. Dear friend and liberator of slaves! pray, during this holy season, for those who groan under the captivity of sin and Satan; for those, especially, who, taken with the frenzy of earthly pleasures, feel not the weight of their chains, but sleep on peacefully through their slavery. Ransom them by thy prayers, convert them to the Lord their God, lead them back to the land of freedom. Pray for France which was thy country, and save her from infidelity. Protect the venerable remnants of thy Order, that so it may labour for the present wants of the Christian world, since the object for which thou didst institute it has ceased to require its devotedness.

St. John of Matha by Laurent de La Hire, circa 1650

Rick Santorum: "The bishops got what they deserved."

2012-02-07T17:48:00.001-05:00

Collect of the Day: St. Romuald

2012-02-07T00:01:00.006-05:00

St. Romuald by Guercino, 1641

St. Romuald
Abbot

The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom and his tongue shall speak judgment: the law of his God is in his heart.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Ps. 36. 30-31)

Collect of the Day

Intercéssio nos, quæsumus, Dómine, beáti Romuáldi Abbátis comméndet: ut, quod nostris méritis non valémus, ejus patrocínio assequámur. Per Dóminum...

May the intercession of blessed Romuald, the Abbot, commend us unto Thee, we beseech Thee, O Lord: so that what we cannot acquire by any merits of ours, we may obtain by his patronage. Through...

Lesson - Ecclesiasticus, 45. 1-6 / Gospel - St. Matthew, 19. 27-29

The Vision of St. Romuald by Andrea Sacchi, 1631

February 7.—ST. ROMUALD, Abbot.

IN 976, Sergius, a nobleman of Ravenna, quarrelled with a relative about an estate, and slew him in a duel. His son Romuald, horrified at his father's crime, entered the Benedictine monastery at Classe, to do a forty days’ penance for him. This penance ended in his own vocation to religion. After three years at Classe, Romuald went to live as a hermit near Venice, where he was joined by Peter Urseolus, Duke of Venice, and together they led a most austere life in the midst of assaults from the evil spirits. St. Romuald founded many monasteries, the chief of which was that at Camaldoli, a wild desert place, where he built a church, which he surrounded with a number of separate cells for the solitaries who lived under his rule. His disciples were hence called Camaldolese. He is said to have seen here a vision of a mystic ladder, and his white-clothed monks ascending by it to heaven. Among his first disciples were Sts. Adalbert and Boniface, apostles of Russia, and Sts. John and Benedict of Poland, martyrs for the faith. He was an intimate friend of the Emperor St. Henry, and was reverenced and consulted by many great men of his time. He once passed seven years in solitude and complete silence.

In his youth St. Romuald was much troubled by temptations of the flesh. To escape them he had recourse to hunting, and in the woods first conceived his love for solitude. His father's sin, as we have seen, first prompted him to undertake a forty days' penance in the monastery, which he forthwith made his home. Some bad example of his fellow monks induced him to leave them and adopt the solitary mode of life. The penance of Urseolus, who had obtained his power wrongfully, brought him his first disciple; the temptations of the devil compelled him to his severe life; and finally the persecutions of others were the occasion of his settlement at Camaldoli, and the foundation of his Order. He died, as he had foretold twenty years before, alone, in his monastery of Val Castro, on the 19th of June, 1027.

Reflection.—St. Romuald's life teaches us that, if we only follow the impulse of the Holy Spirit, we shall easily find good everywhere, even on the most unlikely occasions. Our own sins, the sins of others, their ill will against us, or our own mistakes and misfortunes, are equally capable of leading us, with softened hearts, to the feet of God's mercy and love.

Christ Enthroned, the Monastery at Cluny

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

The calendar's list of martyrs is interrupted for two days; the first of these is the feast of Romuald, the hero of penance, the saint of the forests of Camaldoli. He is a son of the great patriarch St. Benedict, and, like him, is the father of many children. The Benedictine family has a direct line from the commencement, even to this present time; but, from the trunk of this venerable tree there have issued four vigorous branches, to each of which the Holy Spirit has imparted the life and fruitfulness of the parent stem. These collateral branches of the Benedictine Order are: Camaldoli, founded by Romuald; Cluny, by Odo; Vallombrosa, by John Gualbert; and Citeaux, by Robert of Molesmes.

The saint of this seventh day of February is Romauld. The martyrs whom we meet with on our way to Lent, give us an important lesson by the contempt they had for this short life. But the teaching offered us by such holy penitents as the great abbot of Camaldoli is even more practical than that of the martyrs. "They that are Christ's", says the apostle, "have crucified their flesh, with its vices and concupiscences"; and in these words he tells us what is the distinguishing character of every true Christian. We repeat it: what a powerful encouragement we have in these models of mortification, who have sanctified the deserts by their lives of heroic penance! How they make us ashamed of our own cowardice, which can scarcely bring itself to do the little that must be done to satisfy God's justice and merit His grace! Let us take the lesson to heart, cheerfully offer our offended Lord the tribute of our repentance, and purify our souls by works of mortification.

The Office for St. Romuald's feast gives us the following sketch of his life.

The holy Abbat Romuald was the son of one Sergius, of a noble family of Ravenna. While he was still very young, he went to a neighbouring monastery at Classis to do penance. While he was there he heard a discourse by a monk, which stirred him up strongly to aim at godliness of living; and he had afterwards in the Church by night two visions in which the blessed servant of God Apollinaris foretold to him that he should become a monk himself. He accordingly did so; and soon afterwards betook himself to one Marinus, whose holy life and strict discipline were then much noised about in all the coasts of the Venetians, that he might by his teaching and guidance attain towards the hard and lofty point of perfection.

The more he was assailed by the wiles of Satan and the unkindness of men, the more did he exercise himself in lowliness, with continual fasting and prayer, and rejoice in thinking of heavenly things, with abundance of tears. And all the while he bore so bright a face as gladdened all who looked on him. He was held in great honour by princes and kings, and his counsel moved many to leave the blandishments of the world and withdraw to the desert. He had such a burning desire to obtain the crown of martyrdom that he set out for Pannonia on purpose to seek it, but, falling into sickness whenever he went forward though growing strong again whenever he drew back, he behoved to return home.

God worked miracles by him both during his life and after his death, and likewise gave him the gift of prophecy. Like the Patriarch Jacob, he saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven, and men in white garments ascending and descending upon it, in whom he marvellously knew were represented the monks of the Camaldolese Institute, of which he was the founder. At the age of 120 years, of which he had spent 100 in serving God in great hardness, he passed into His Presence, in the year of Salvation 1027. Five years after his death his body was found incorrupt, and laid in a magnificent grave in the Church of his order at Fabriano.

[From the Roman Breviary, Divino Afflatu]

Faithful servant and friend of God! how different was thy life from ours! We love the world and its distractions. We think we do wonders if we give, each day, a passing thought to our Creator, and make Him, at long intervals, the sole end of some one of our occupations. Yet we know how each hour is bringing us nearer to that moment, when we must stand before the divine tribunal, with our good and our evil works, to receive the irrevocable sentence we shall have merited. Thou, Romuald, didst not thus waste life away. It seemed to thee as though there were but one thought and one interest worth living for: how best to serve thy God. Lest anything should distract thee from this infinitely dear object, thou didst flee into the desert. There, under the rule of the great patriarch, St. Benedict, thou wagedst war against the flesh and the devil; thy tears washed away thy sins, though so light if compared with what we have committed; thy soul, invigorated by penance, was inflamed with the love of Jesus, for whose sake thou wouldst fain have shed thy blood. We love to recount these thy merits, for they belong to us in virtue of that communion which our Lord has so mercifully established between saints and sinners. Assist us, therefore, during the penitential season, which is soon to be upon us. The justice of God will not despise our feeble efforts, for He will see them beautified by the union He allows them to have with such glorious works as thine. When thou was living in the Eden of Camaldoli, thy amiable and sweet charity for men was such, that all who came near thee were filled with joy and consolation: what may we not expect from thee, now that thou art face to face with the God of love? Remember, too, the Order thou has founded; protect it, give it increase, and make it ever, to those who become its children, a ladder to lead them up to heaven.

Latin is NOT a Dead Language, According to this Scholar

2012-02-06T14:18:00.001-05:00

Collect of the Day: St. Titus

2012-02-06T00:01:00.001-05:00

St. Paul ordains St. Timothy Bishop of Ephesus by Ludwig Glötzle, 1915

St. Titus
Confessor, Bishop

The Lord made to him a covenant of peace, and made him a prince; that the dignity of the priesthood should be to him for ever.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Eccl. 45. 30)

Collect of the Day

Deus, qui beátum Titum Confessórem tuum atque Pontíficem apostólicis virtútibus decorásti: ejus méritis et intercessióne concéde; ut juste et pie vivéntes in hoc sæculo, ad cæléstem pátriam perveníre mereámur. Per Dóminum...

O God, Who didst adorn blessed Titus, Thy Confessor and Bishop, with apostolic virtues: grant by his merits and intercession that a life of duty and justice here below may win for us our heavenly home. Through...

Lesson - Eccl. 44. 16-27; 45. 3-20 / Gospel - St. Luke, 10. 1-9

St. Paul Preaching at Ephesus by Eustache Le Sueur, 1649

ST. TITUS, Bishop.

TITUS was a convert from heathenism, a disciple of St. Paul, one of the chosen companions of the Apostles in his journey to the Council of Jerusalem, and his fellow-laborers in many apostolic missions. From the Second Epistle which St. Paul sent by the hand of Titus to the Corinthians we gain an insight into his character and understand the, strong affection which his master bore him. Titus had been commissioned to carry out a twofold office needing much firmness, discretion, and charity. He was to be the bearer of a severe rebuke to the Corinthians, who were giving scandal and were wavering in their faith; and at the same time he was to put their charity to a further test by calling upon them for abundant alms for the church at Jerusalem. St. Paul meanwhile was anxiously awaiting the result. At Troas he writes, "I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus, my brother." He set sail to Macedonia. Here at last Titus brought the good news. His success had been complete. He reported the sorrow, the zeal, the generosity of the Christians, till the Apostle could not contain his joy, and sent back to them his faithful messenger with the letter of comfort from which we have quoted. Titus was finally left as a bishop in Crete, and here he, in turn, received the epistle which bears his name, and here at last he died in peace.

The mission of Titus to Corinth shows us how well the disciple caught the spirit of his master. He knew how to be firm and to inspire respect. The Corinthians, we are told, "received him with fear and trembling." He was patient and painstaking. St. Paul "gave thanks to God, Who had put such carefulness for them in the heart of Titus." And these gifts were enhanced by a quickness to detect and call out all that was good in others, and by a joyousness which overflowed upon the spirit of St. Paul himself, who "abundantly rejoiced in the joy of Titus."

Reflection.—Saints win their empire over the hearts of men by their wide and affectionate sympathy. This was the characteristic gift of St. Titus, as it was of St. Paul, St-Francis Xavier, and many others.

From the Desk of the Chaplain: The Persecution of the Church in the USA

2012-02-05T14:43:00.002-05:00

From the desk of the Chaplain of the Confraternity of St. Peter:

Dear Member of the Confraternity,

Well, there's nothing like a good-old persecution to wake up to! All of you who went to Catholic School and heard Sister say that you would all be persecuted, it looks like that time has come. If you have not yet heard, you will soon hear of the mandate from the Obama Administration that will prosecute Catholic Institutions out of existence unless they provide contraceptives such as sterilization, birth control pills, and abortion-inducing drugs in their health care plans.

While you have probably heard letters from your bishops at the pulpit today explaining what this means, let me tell it to you in English: If Catholics do not offer incense to the proverbial gods we will be persecuted. Institutions will be heavily prosecuted in the millions of dollars, many will lose their jobs, Catholic Hospitals and Institutions will be closed, society will be changed. This is not a joke.

So let us join together with our bishops in objecting to this outright persecution of the Catholic Church, and without wavering in our faith, we must stand for what we believe. This is the time to sleep with our boots on. This is the time to not even THINK to justify what we are asked to do. In the early Church our forefathers would not try to justify eating food offered to idols even if the idols are fake. They simply would prefer to die rather than defect from what they believe, even on the smallest level. Today, when it comes down to it, our Catholic Institutions are being asked to be pro choice, or cease to exist. We have tried to tell us we have a year to comply. We will not comply, not in a year, not ever.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. On the one hand you will have many non-Catholic people on the street commenting: "Oh, birth control pills are not that bad, not worth shutting down hospitals for." On the other hand many lax Catholics will be invigorated in their faith, fortified by the healthy dose of persecution that God is blessing us with. Will we be as strong as the Cristeros of not too long ago? Will we go down shouting: "Long live Christ the King"? May God grant us that grace, and may those and all the holy martyrs intercede for us in this day of holy battle!

Praying for you,
Rev. Fr. J. Fryar FSSP
English-speaking Chaplain of the CSP

Collect of the Day: Septuagesima Sunday

2012-02-05T00:01:00.003-05:00

The Expulsion of Adam and Eve by Aureliano Milani, 17th Century

Septuagesima Sunday

The sorrows of death surrounded me, the sorrows of hell encompassed me: and in my affliction I called upon the Lord, and He heard my voice from His holy temple.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Ps. 17. 5-7)

De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine, exaudi vocem meam.

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

The holy Church calls us together today in order that we may hear from her lips the sad hisotry of the fall of our first parents. This awful event implies the Passion and cruel Death of the Son of God made Man, who has mercifully taken upon Himself to expiate this and every subsequent sin committed by Adam and us his children. It is of the utmost importance that we should understand the greatness of the remedy; we must, therefore, consider the grievousness of the wound inflicted. For this purpose, we will spend the present week in meditating on the nature and consequences of the sin of our first parents.

Formerly, the Church used to read in her Matins of today that passage of the Book of Genesis, where Moses relates to all future generations, but in the words of most impressive and sublime simplicity, how the first sin was brought into the world. In the present form of the liturgy, the reading of this history of the fall is deferred till Wednesday, and the preceding days give us the account of the six days of creation. We will anticipate the great instruction, and begin it at once, inasmuch as it forms the basis of the whole week's teaching.

From the Book of Genesis, iii. 1-19

Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise? And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die. And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons.

And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise. And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: Where art thou? And he said: I heard thy voice in paradise; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself. And he said to him: And who hath told thee that thou wast naked, but that thou hast eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat? And Adam said: The woman, whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said to the woman: Why hast thou done this? And she answered: The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.

And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and the beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. To the woman also he said: I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy husband's power, and he shall have dominion over thee. And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou eat the herbs of the earth. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.

Oh! terrible page of man's history! It alone explains to us our present position on the earth. It tells us what we are in the eyes of God, and how humbly we should comport ourselves before His divine Majesty. We will make it the subject of this week's meditation. And now, let us prepare to profit by the liturgy of this Sunday, which we call Septuagesima.

The Holy Ghost with God the Father by Franz Anton Maulbertsch, 1758

Collect of the Day

Preces pópuli tui, quæsumus, Dómine, cleménter exáudi: ut, qui juste pro peccátis nostris afflígimur, pro tui nóminis glória misericórditer liberémur. Per Dóminum...

Graciously hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the prayers of Thy people, that we, who are justly afflicted for our sins, may for the glory of Thy Name be mercifully delivered. Through...

In the Collect, the Church acknowledges that her children justly suffer the chastisements which are the consequences of sin; but she beseeches her divine Lord to send them that mercy which will deliver them.
-Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

Epistle - 1 Corinthians, 9. 24-27; 10. 1-5

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

These stirring words of the apostle deepen the sentiments already produced in us by the sad recollections of which we are this day reminded. He tells us that this world is a race, wherein all must run; but that they alone win the prize, who run well. Let us, therefore, rid ourselves of everything that could impede us, and make us lose our crown. Let us not deceive ourselves: we are never sure, until we reach the goal. Is our conversion more solid than was St. Paul's? Are our good works better done, or more meritorious, than were his? Yet he assures us that he was not without the fear that he might perhaps be lost; for which cause he chastised his body, and kept it in subjection to the spirit. Man, in his present state, has not the same will for all that is right and just, which Adam had before he sinned, and which, notwithstanding, he abused to his own ruin. We have a bias which inclines us to evil; so that our only means of keeping our ground is to sacrifice the flesh to the spirit. To many this is very harsh doctrine; hence, they are sure to fail; they never can win the prize. Like the Israelites spoken of by our apostle, they will be left behind to die in the desert, and so lose the promised land. Yet they saw the same miracles that Josue and Caleb saw! So true is it that nothing can make a salutary impression on a heart which is obstinately bent on fixing all its happiness in the things of this present life; and though it is forced, each day, to own that they are vain, yet each day it returns to them, vainly but determinedly loving them.

The heart, on the contrary, that puts its trust in God, and mans itself to energy by the thought of the divine assistance being abundantly given to him that asks it, will not flag or faint in the race, and will win the heavenly prize. God's eye is unceasingly on all them that toil and suffer. These are the truths expressed in the Gradual.

A helper in due time, in tribulation: let them trust in thee, who know thee, for thou dost not forsake them that seek thee, O Lord.
V. For the poor man shall not be forgotten to the end; the patience of the poor man shall not perish forever: arise, O Lord, let not man prevail.

(The Gradual of the day's Mass, Ps. 9. 10, 11, 19, 20)

Gospel - St. Matthew, 20. 1-16

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

It is of importance that we should well understand this parable of the Gospel, and why the Church inserts it in today's liturgy. Firstly, then, let us recall to mind on what occasion our Saviour spoke this parable, and what instruction he intended to convey by it to the Jews. He wishes to warn them of the fast approach of the day when their Law is to give way to the Christian Law; and He would prepare their minds against the jealousy and prejudice which might arise in them, at the thought that God was about to form a Covenant with the Gentiles. The vineyard is the Church in its several periods, from the beginning of the world to the time when God Himself dwelt among men, and formed all true believers into one visible and permanent society. The morning is the time from Adam to Noah; the third hour begins with Noah and ends with Abraham; the sixth hour includes the period which elapsed between Abraham and Moses; and lastly, the ninth hour opens with the age of the prophets, and closes with the birth of the Saviour. The Messias came at the eleventh hour, when the world seemed to be at the decline of its day. Mercies unprecedented were reserved for this last period, during which salvation was to be given to the Gentiles by the preaching of the apostles. It is by this mystery of mercy that our Saviour rebukes the Jewish pride. By the selfish murmurings made against the master of the house by the early labourers, our Lord signifies the indignation which the scribes and pharisees would show at the Gentiles being adopted as God's children. Then He shows them how their jealousy would be chastised: Israel, that had laboured before us, shall be rejected for their obduracy of heart, and we Gentiles, the last comers, shall be made first, for we shall be made members of that Catholic Church, which is the bride of the Son of God.

This is the interpretation of our parable given by St. Augustine and St. Gregory the Great, and by the generality of the holy fathers. But it conveys a second instruction, as we are assured by the two holy doctors just named. It signifies the calling given by God to each of us individually, pressing us to labour, during this life, for the kingdom prepared for us. The morning is our childhood. The third hour, according to the division used by the ancients in counting their day, is sunrise; it is our youth. The sixth hour, by which name they called our midday, is manhood. The eleventh hour, which immediately preceded sunset, is old age. The Master of the house calls His labourers at all these various hours. They must go that very hour. They that are called in the morning may not put off their starting for the vineyard, under pretext of going afterwards, when the Master shall call them later on. Who has told them that they shall live to the eleventh hour? They that are called at the third hour may be dead at the sixth. God will call to the labours of the last hour such as shall be living when that hour comes; but, if we should die at midday, that last call will not avail us. Besides, God has not promised us a second call, if we excuse ourselves from the first.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard by Johann Christian Brand, 1769

From the Roman Breviary

From a Homily by Pope St. Gregory the Great

We hear that the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning, to hire labourers into his vineyard. Who indeed is more justly to be likened to an householder than our Maker, who is the head of the household of faith, bearing rule over them whom he hath made, and being Master of his chosen ones in the world, as a Master over those that are in his house? He it is that hath the Church for a vineyard, a vineyard that ceaseth not to bring forth branches of the True Vine, from righteous Abel to the last of the elect that shall be born into the world.

This householder, then, for the cultivation of his vineyard, goeth out early in the morning, and at the third hour, and the sixth hour, and the ninth hour, and the eleventh hour, to hire labourers into his vineyard. Thus the Lord, from the beginning to the end of the world, ceaseth not to gather together preachers for the instruction of his faithful people. The early morning of the world was from Adam until Noah ; the third hour from Noah until Abraham ; the sixth hour from Abraham until Moses ; the ninth hour from Moses until the coming of the Lord ; the eleventh hour from the coming of the Lord until the end of the world. At this eleventh hour are sent forth as preachers, the Holy Apostles, who have received full wages, albeit they be come in late.

For the cultivation of his vineyard (that is, the instruction of his people), the Lord hath never ceased to send into it labourers. First, by the Fathers, then, by the Prophets and Teachers of the Law, and lastly, by the Apostles. He hath dressed and tended the lives of his people, as the owner of a vineyard dresseth and tendeth it by means of workmen. Whoever in whatever degree joined to a right faith the teaching of righteousness, was so far one of God's labourers in God's vineyard. By the labourers at early morning, and at the third hour, and the sixth hour, and the ninth hour, may be understood God's ancient people, the Hebrews, who strove to worship him with a right faith in company with his chosen ones from the very beginning of the world, and thus continually laboured in his vineyard. And now, at the eleventh hour, it is said unto the Gentiles also : Why stand ye here all the day idle?

Guéranger: The Burying of the Alleluia

2012-02-04T16:18:00.010-05:00

Ecce Homo by Juan de Valdés Leal, 1659

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

SATURDAY BEFORE SEPTUAGESIMA

Suspension of the "Alleluia"

The calendar of the liturgical year will soon bring us to the commemoration of the Passion and Resurrection of our Redeemer; we are but nine weeks from these great solemnities. It is time for the Christian to be preparing his soul for a fresh visit from his Saviour; a visit even more sacred and more important than that He so mercifully paid us at His Birth.

Our holy mother the Church knows how necessary it is for her to rouse our hearts from their lethargy, and give them an active tendency towards the things of God. On this day, the eve of Septuagesima, she uses a powerful means for infusing her own spirit into the minds of her children. She takes the song of heaven away from us: she forbids our further uttering that Alleluia, which is so dear to us, as giving us a fellowship with the choirs of angels, who are for ever repeating it. How is it that we poor mortals, sinners, and exiles on earth, have dared to become so familiar with this hymn of a better land? It is true, our Emmanuel, who established peace between God and men, brought it us from heaven on the glad night of His Birth; and we have had the courage to repeat it after the angels, and shall chant it with renewed enthusiasm when we reach our Easter. But to sing the Alleluia worthily, we must have our hearts set on the country whence it came. It is not a mere word, nor a profane unmeaning melody; it is the song that recalls the land we are banished from, it is the sweet sigh of the soul longing to be at home.

The word Alleluia signifies praise of God: but it says much more than this, and says it as no other word or words could. The Church is not going to interrupt her giving praise to God during these nine weeks. She will replace this heaven-lent word by a formula also expressive of praise: Laus tibi, Domine, Rex æternæ gloriæ! Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory! But this is the language of earth; whereas Alleluia was sent us from heaven. "Alleluia," says the devout Abbot Rupert, "is like a stranger amidst our other words. Its mysterious beauty is as though a drop of heaven's overflowing joy had fallen down on our earth. The patriarchs and prophets relished it, and then the Holy Ghost put it on the lips of the apostles, from whom it flowed even to us. It signifies the eternal feast of the angels and saints, which consists in their endless praise of God, and in the ceaselessly singing their ever new admiration of the beauty of the God on whose Face they are to gaze for everlasting ages. This mortal life of ours can in no wise attain such bliss as this. But, to know where it is to be found, and to have a foretaste of it by the happiness of hope, and to hunger and thirst for what we thus taste, this is the perfection of saints here below. For this reason, the world Alleluia has not been translated; it has been left in its original Hebrew, as a stranger to tell us that there is a joy in his native land, which could not dwell in ours: he has come among us to signify, rather than to express that joy."

During this season of Septuagesima, we have to gain a clear knowledge of the miseries of our banishment, under pain of being left for ever in this tyrant Babylon. It was, therefore, necessary that we should be put on our guard against the allurements of our place of exile. It is with this view that the Church, taking pity on our blindness and our dangers, gives us this solemn warning. By taking from us our Alleluia, she virtually tells us that that our lips must first be cleansed, before they again be permitted to utter this word of the angels and saints; and that our hearts, defiled as they are by sin and attachment to earthly things, must be purified by repentance. She is going to put before our eyes the sad spectacle of the fall of our first parents, that dire event whence came all our woes, and our need of Redemption. This tender mother weeps over us, and would have us weep with her.

Let us, then, comply with the law she thus imposes upon us. If spiritual joy is thus taken away from us, what are we to think of the frivolous amusements of the world? And if vanities and follies are insults to the spirit of Septuagesima, would not sin be an intolerable outrage on that same spirit? We have been too long the slaves of this tyrant. Our Saviour is soon to appear, bearing His cross; and His sacrifice is to restore fallen man to all his rights. Surely, we can never allow that precious Blood to fall uselessly on our souls, as the morning dew that rains on the parched sands of the desert! Let us with humble hearts confess that we are sinners, and, like the publican of the Gospel, who dared not so much as to raise up his eyes, let us acknowledge that it is only right that we should be forbidden, at least for a few weeks, those divine songs of joy, with which our guilty lips had become too familiar; and that we should interrupt those sentiments of presumptuous confidence which prevented our hearts from having the holy fear of God.

That indifference for the liturgy of the Church, which is the strongest indication of a weak faith, and which now reigns so universally in the world, is the reason why so many, even practical Catholics, can witness this yearly suspension of the Alleluia, without profiting by the lesson it conveys. A passing remark, or a chance thought, is the most they give to it, for they care for no other devotions but such as are private; the spirit of the Church, in her various season, is quite beneath their notice. If these lines should meet their eye, we would beg of them to reflect for the moment that the Church is their mother; that her authority is the highest on earth; that her wisdom enables her to know what is best for her children. Why, then, keep aloof from her spirit, as though there were some other to be found, that could better lead them to their God? Why be indifferent in this present instance? Why deem of no interest to piety this suspension of the Alleluia, which she, the Church, considers as one of the principal and most solemn incidents in her liturgical year? Perhaps we shall be doing them a service, by showing them how keenly this interruption of the word of heavenly joy was felt by the Christians of those ages, when faith was the grand ruling principle, not only with society at large, but with each individual.

The farewell to Alleluia, in the Middle Ages, varied in the different Churches. Here, it was an affectionate enthusiasm, speaking the beauty of the celestial word; there, it was a heart-felt regret at the departure of the much-loved companion of all their prayers.

We begin with two antiphons, which would seem to be of Roman origin. We find them in the Antiphonarium of Saint Corenelius of Compiégne, published by Dom Denys de Sainte Marthe. They are a farewell to Alleluia made by our Catholic forefathers in the ninth century; they express, too, the hope of its coming back, as soon as the Resurrection of Jesus shall have brightened up the firmament of the Church.

ANT. Angelus Domini bonus comitetur tecum, Alleluia, et bene disponat itineri tuo, ut iterum cum gaudio revertaris ad nos, Alleluia, Alleluia.

ANT. May the good angel of the Lord accompany thee, Alleluia, and give thee a good journey, that thou mayst come back to us in joy, Alleluia, Alleluia.

ANT. Alleluia, mane apud nos hodie, et crastina proficisceris, Alleluia; et dum ortus fuerit dies, ambulabis vias tuas, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

ANT. Alleluia, abide with us to-day, and to-morrow thou shalt set forth, Alleluia; and when the day shall have risen, thou shalt proceed on thy way, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

The Gothic Church of Spain thus saluted the Alleluia, on the eve of its interruption. We merely make a selection from what is almost a complete Office.

Hymn

Alleluia piis edite laudibus,
Cives ætherei, psallite unanimiter
Alleluia perenne.
Hinc vos perpetui luminis accolæ,

Ad summum resonate hymniferis choris
Alleluia perenne.
Vos urbs eximia suscipiet Dei,
Quæ lætis resonans cantibus, excitat
Alleluia perenne.
Almum sidereæjam patriæ decus
Victores capite, quo canere possitis
Alleluia perenne.
Illic Regis honour vocibus inclytis

Jocundum reboat carmine perpetim
Alleluia perenne.
Hoc fessis requies, hoc cibus, hoc potus
Oblectans reduces, haustibus affluens
Alleluia perenne.

Te suavisonis Conditor affatim
Rerum carminibus, laudeque pangimus
Alleluia perenne.
Te Christe clebrat gloria vocibus
Nostris, omnipotens, ac tibi dicimus
Alleluia perenne:
Alleluia perenne. Amen.

Felici reditu guadia sumite,
Reddentes Domino glorificum melos,
Alleluia perenne.

Citizens of heaven! give forth Alleluia in your holy canticles; sing with one voice your eternal Alleluia.

Inhabitants of light everlasting! make heaven reound, as ye sing to the great God, in your hymning choirs, the eternal Alleluia.

The glorious city of God will receive you, the city which echoes with songs of joy, and awakens the eternal Alleluia.

Ye have conquered; go, take the fair beauty of the starry land, wherein ye may chant the eternal Alleluia.

'Tis there the glory of the King is proclaimed with sweetest voices singing ever their joyous, their eternal Alleluia.

This is the rest to the wearied; this is the food and drink giving delight to exiles reaching home; and this is their cup of overflowing nectar: the eternal Alleluia.

We, too, O God, Creator of all things! in sweetest hymns we praise thee, singing our eternal Alleluia.

To thee, Jesus almighty! our voices give glory: to thee we say: Eternal Alleluia! Eternal Alleluia! Amen.

Be glad on the day of its happy return; and return to your Lord with your melody of glory, the eternal Alleluia.

Capitulum

Alleluia in cœlo perpetuarur, et in terra cantatur. Ibi conat jugiter: hic sauviter. Illic feliciter, hic concorditer: illic ineffabiliter, hic instanter. Illic sine syllabis: hic nodulis. Illic ab angelis, hic a populis, quam Christo Domino nascente in laude et confessione nimis ejus, non solum in cœlicolæ cecinerunt: dum gloriam in excelsis Deo, et pacem in terra bonæ voluntatis hominibus nuntiaverunt. Quæsumus ergo, Domine, ut quorum ministeria nitimur imitari laudando, eorum mereamur consortium beatæ vitæ vivendo.

Alleluia is in heaven and on earth. There, unceasingly; here, faithfully. There, everlastingly; here, sweetly. There, happily; here, concordantly. There, ineffably; here, heartily. There, it needs no syllables; here, it needs our melodies. there, it has angels for its chanters; here, it has men. When Christ our Lord was born, the heavenly host gave him exceeding praise and honour, singing Alleluia both in heaven and on earth, and proclaiming glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good-will. Therefore do we beseech thee, O Lord, that as we strive to imitate the angels in their ministry of praise, we may live in such manner as to deserve to be their companions in eternal life.

Anthem

Ibis, Alleluia. Prosperum iter habebis Alleluia; et iterum cum gaudio revertaris ad nos, Alleluia. In manibus enim suis portabunt te: ne unquam offendas ad lapidem pdem tuum. Et iterum cum gaudio revertaris ad nos, Alleluia.

Thou shalt go, Alleluia; thy journey shall be prosperous, Alleluia; and again come back to us with joy, Alleluia. For they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And again come back to us with joy, Alleluia.

Benediction

Alleluia, nomen pium, atque jocundum, dilatetur ad laudem Dei in ora omnium populorum.
R. Amen.

May Alleluia, that sacred and joyful word, resound to God's praise from the lips of all people.
R. Amen.

Sit in vocibus credentium clara, quæ in angelorum ostenditur concentibus gloriosa.
R. Amen.

May this word, which expresses glory as chanted by the choirs of angels, be sweet as sung by the voices of believers.
R. Amen.

Et, quæ in æternis civibus sine sonorum strepitu enitet, in vestris cordibus effectu planiore fructificet.
R. Amen.

And may that which noiselessly gleams in the citizens of heaven, yield fruit in your hearts by ever growing love.
R. Amen.

Angelus Domini bonus comitetur tecum, Alleluia; et omnia bona præparet itineri tuo. Et iterum cum gaudio revertaris ad nos. Alleluia.

May the Lord's good angel go with thee, Alleluia; and prepare all good things for thy journey. And again come back to us with joy, Alleluia.

The Churches of Germany, in the Middle Ages, expressed their farewell to the Alleluia in the following fine sequence, which is to be found in all their missals up to the fifteenth century.

Sequence

Cantemus cuncti melodum nunc Alleluia.
In laudibus æterni regis, hæc plebs resultet Alleluia.

Hoc denique cœlestes chori cantent in altum Alleluia.

Hoc beatorum per prata Paradisiaca psallat concentus Alleluia.

Quin et astrorum micantia luminaria jubilent altum Alleluia.

Nubium cursus, ventorum volatus, fulgurm coruscatio et tonitruum sonitus, dulce consonent simul Alleluia.

Fluctus et undæ, imber et procellæ, saltus, nemora, pangant Alleluia.

Hinc variæ volucres Cratorem laudibus concinite cum Alleluia.

Ast illic respondeant voces altæ diversarum bestiarum Alleluia

Istinc montium celsi vertices sonent Alleluia.

Hinc vallium porfunditates saltent Alleluia.

Tu quoque maris jubilans abysse, dic Alleluia.

Nunc omne genus humanum laudans exultet Alleluia.

Et Creatori grates frequentans consonet Alleluia.

Hoc denique nomen audire jugiter delectatur Alleluia.

Hoc etiam carmen cœleste comprobat ipse Christus Alleluia.

Nunc vos socii cantate lætantes: Alleluia.

Et vos pueruli respondete semper: Alleluia.

Nunc omnes canite simul, Alleluia Domino, Alleluia Christo, Pneumatique Alleluia.

Laus Trinitati æternæ in baptismo Domini quæ clarificatur: hinc canamus Alleluia.

Let us all now sing the melodious Alleluia.

In praise of the eternal King, let this assembly give forth Alleluia.

And let the heavenly choirs loudly chant Alleluia.

Let the choir of the blessed sing in the land of paradise, Alleluia.

Nay, let the bright stars hymn one loud Alleluia.

Fleet clouds, swift winds, flashing lightning, and pealing thunder, let all unite in a sweet Alleluia.

Waves and billows, showers and storms, tempest and calm, heat, cold, snow, frost woods and groves, let them tell their Alleluia.

And ye countless birds, sing the praises of your Maker with an Alleluia.

To which let the loud-voiced beasts respond another Alleluia.

Let the high mountain-tops ring with Alleluia.

And the deep valleys echo Alleluia.

Thou, too, deep jubilant sea, say Alleluia;

And thou, boundless earth, Alleluia!

Now let the whole race of men say its praiseful Alleluia,

And oft to its Creator give this canticle of thanks, Alleluia!

He loves to hear this word eternally repeated, Alleluia;

And Jesus too applauds the song, the heavenly Alleluia.

Do you, then, brethren, be glad, and sing: Alleluia!

And you, little children, never fail to respond: Alleluia!

Let all, then, sing together: Alleluia to the Lord; Alleluia to Christ; and to the Holy Ghost, Alleluia!

Praise be to the eternal Trinity, whose glory was declared at the baptism of our Lord! Sing we, then, Alleluia!

The Churches of France, in the thirteenth century, and long even after that, used to sing at Vespers of the Saturday before Septuagesmia the following beautiful hymn:

Hymn

Alleluia dulce carmen,
Vox perennis gaudii,

Alleluia laus suavis
Est choris cœlestibus,

Quam canut Dei manentes
In domo per sæcula.

Alleluia læta mater
Concivis Jerusalem:

Alleluia vox tuorum
Cvium gaudentium:

Exsules nos flere cogunt
Babylonis flumina.

Alleluia non meremur
In perenne psallere;

Alleluia vox reatus
Cogi intermittere;

Tempus instat quo peracta
Lugeamus crimina.

Unde laudando precamur
Te beata Trinitas,

Ut tuum nobis videre
Pascha des in æthere,

Quo tibi læti canamus
Alleluia perpetim.

Amen.

The sweet alleluia-song, the word of endless joy, is the melody of heaven's choir, chanted by them that dwell for ever in the house of God.

O joyful mother, O Jerusalem our city, Alleluia is the language of thy happy citizens. The rivers of Babylon, where we poor exiles live, force us to weep.

We are unworthy to sing a ceaseless Alleluia. Our sins bid us interrupt our Alleluia. The time is at hand when it behoves us to bewail our cirmes.

We, therefore, beseech thee whilst we praise thee, O blessed Trinity! that thou grant us to come to that Easter of heaven, where we shall sing to thee our joyful everlasting Alleluia.

Amen.

In the present form of the liturgy, the farewell to Alleluia is more simple. The Church, at the conclusion of today's Vespers, repeats the mysterious word four times:

Benedicamus Domino, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Deo gratias, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Let us bless the Lord, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Thanks be to God, Alleluia, Alleluia.

This song of heaven, then, is taken from us. It will return, when the triumph of Jesus' Resurrection is proclaimed upon our earth.

Guéranger: The Mystery of Septuagesima

2012-02-04T06:00:00.004-05:00

Super flumina Babylonis a8 (Philippe de Monte) and Quomodo cantabimus a8 (William Byrd), performed by the Cardinall's Musick (dir. Andrew Carwood and editions prepared by David Skinner), from The Byrd Edition 3: Early Latin Church Music, Propers for Epiphany, 1999

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

THE MYSTERY OF SEPTUAGESIMA

The season upon which we are now entering is expressive of several profound mysteries. But these mysteries belong not only to the three weeks which are preparatory to Lent: they continue throughout the whole period of time which separates us from the great feast of Easter.

The number seven is the basis of all these mysteries. We have already seen how the holy Church came to introduce the season of Septuagesima into her calendar. Let us now meditate on the doctrine hidden under the symbols of her liturgy. And first, let us listen to St. Augustine, who thus gives us the clue to the whole of our season's mysteries. "There are two times," says the holy Doctor: "one which is now, and is spent in the temptations and tribulations of this life; the other which shall be then, and shall be spent in eternal security and joy. In figure of these, we celebrate two periods: the time before Easter, and the time after Easter. That which is before Easter signifies the sorrow of this present life; that which is after Easter, the blessedness of our future state... Hence it is that we spend the first in fasting and prayer; and in the second we give up our fasting, and give ourselves to praise."

The Church, the interpreter of the sacred Scriptures, often speaks to us of two places, which correspond with these two times of St. Augustine. These two places are Babylon and Jerusalem. Babylon is the image of this world of sin, in the midst whereof the Christian has to spend his years of probation; Jerusalem is the heavenly country, where he is to repose after all his trials. The people of Israel, whose whole history is but one great type of the human race, was banished from Jerusalem and kept in bondage in Babylon.

Now, this captivity, which kept the Israelites exiles from Sion, lasted seventy years; and it is to express this mystery, as Alcuin, Amalarius, Ivo of Chartres, and all the great liturgists tell us, that the Church fixed the number of seventy for the days of expiation. It is true, there are but sixty-three days between Seputagesima and Easter; but the Church, according to the style so continually used in the sacred Scriptures, uses the round number instead of the literal and precise one.

The duration of the world itself, according to the ancient Christian tradition, is divided into seven ages. The human race must pass through seven ages before the dawning of the day of eternal life. The first age included the time from the creation of Adam to Noah; the second begins with Noah and the renovation of the earth by the deluge, and ends with the vocation of Abraham; the third opens with this formation of God's chosen people, and continues as far as Moses, through whom God gave the Law; the fourth consists of the period between Moses and David, in whom the house of Juda received the kingly power; the fifth is formed of the years which passed between David's reign and the captivity of Babylon, inclusively; the sixth dates from the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, and takes us on as far as the birth of our Saviour. Then, finally, comes the seventh age; it starts with the rising of this merciful Redeemer, the Sun of justice, and is to continue till the dread coming of the Judge of the living and the dead. These are the seven great divisions of time; after which, eternity.

In order to console us in the midst of the combats, which so thickly beset our path, the Church, like a beacon shining amidst the darkness of this our earthly abode, shows us another seven, which is to succeed the one we are now preparing to pass through. After the Septuagisma of mourning, we shall have the bright Easter with its seven weeks of gladness, foreshadowing the happiness and bliss of heaven. After having fasted with our Jesus, and suffered with Him, the day will come when we shall rise together with Him, and our hearts shall follow Him to the highest heavens; and then after a brief interval, we shall feel the Holy Ghost descending upon us, with His seven Gifts. The celebration of all these wondrous joys will take us seven weeks, as the great liturgists observe in their interpretation of the rites of the Church. The seven joyous weeks from Easter to Pentecost will not be too long for the future glad mysteries, which, after all, will be but figures of a still gladder future, the future of eternity.

Having heard these sweet whispers of hope, let us now bravely face the realities brought before us by our dear mother the Church. We are sojourners upon this earth; we are exiles and captives in Babylon, that city which plots our ruin. If we love our country, if we long to return to it, we must be proof against the lying allurements of this strange land, and refuse the cup she proffers us, and with which she maddens so many of our fellow captives. She invites us to join in her feasts and her songs; but we must unstring our harps, and hang them on the willows that grow on her river's bank, till the signal be given for our return to Jerusalem. She will ask us to sing to her the melodies of our dear Sion: but how shall we, who are so far from home, have heart to "sing the song of the Lord in a strange land"? No, there must be sign that we are content to be in bondage, or we shall deserve to be slaves for ever.

These are the sentiments wherewith the Church would inspire us during the penitential season which we are now beginning. She wishes us to reflect on the dangers that beset us; dangers which arise from ourselves and from creatures. During the rest of the year she loves to hear us chant the song of heaven, the sweet Alleluia; but now, she bids us close our lips to this word of joy, because we are in Babylon. We are pilgrims absent from our Lord: let us keep our glad hymn for the day of His return. We are sinners, and have but too often held fellowship with the world of God's enemies; let us become purified by repentance, for it is written that "praise is unseemly in the mouth of a sinner."

The leading features, then, of Septuagesima, is the total suspension of the Alleluia, which is not to be heard upon the earth until the arrival of that happy day, when, having suffered death with our Jesus, and having been buried together with Him, we shall rise again with Him to a new life.

The sweet hymn of the angels, Gloria in excelsis Deo, which we have sung every Sunday since the birth of our Saviour in Bethlehem, is also taken from us; it is only on the feasts of the saints which may be kept during the week that we shall be allowed to repeat it. The night Office of the Sunday is to lose also, from now till Easter, its magnificent Ambrosian hymn, the Te Deum; and at the end of the holy Sacrifice, the deacon will no longer dismiss the faithful with his solemn Ite, Missa est, but will simply invite them to continue their prayers in silence, and bless the Lord, the God mercy, who bears with us, notwithstanding all our sins.

After the Gradual of the Mass, instead of the thrice repeated Alleluia, which prepared our hearts to listen to the voice of God in the holy Gospel, we shall hear but a mournful and protracted chant, called, on that account, the Tract.

That the eye, too, may teach us that the season we are entering on is one of mourning, the Church will vest her ministers (both on Sundays and on the day during the week which are not feasts of saints) in the sombre purple. Until Ash Wednesday, however, she permits the deacon to wear his dalmatic, and the subdeacon his tunic; but from that day forward, they must lay aside these vestments of joy, for Lent will then have begun, and our holy mother will inspire us with the deep spirit of penance, by suppressing everything of that glad pomp, which she loves, at other seasons, to bring into the sanctuary of her God.

The Crucifixion by Simon Vouet, circa 1620

Collect of the Day: St. Andrew Corsini

2012-02-04T00:01:00.003-05:00

St. Andrew Corsini by Guido Reni, circa 1640

St. Andrew Corsini
Bishop, Confessor

The Lord made to him a covenant of peace, and made him a prince; that the dignity of priesthood should be to him for ever.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Eccles. 45. 30)

Collect of the Day

Deus, qui in Ecclésia tua, nova semper instáuras exémpla virtútum: da pópulo tuo beáti Andréæ Confessóris tui atque Pontíficis ita sequi vestígia; ut assequátur et præmia. Per Dóminum...

O God, who dost ever show forth in Thy Church new examples of virtue: grant that Thy people may so follow in the footsteps of blessed Andrew, The Confessor and Bishop, that they may obtain a like reward. Through...

Lesson - Ecclesiasticus 44. 16-27; 45. 3-20 / Gospel - St. Matthew, 25. 14-23

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

The saintly bishop, whose feast we keep to-day pressingly invites us, by his austere life and his burning zeal for the salvation of souls, to procure, at all costs, our own reconciliation with the divine justice. We are indebted for this feast to a member of the illustrious family of the Corsini, Pope Clement XII, who, however, was but the instrument used by divine Providence. The holy bishop of the little town of Fiesole ever sought to be unknown during his life, and God, who willed that he should be glorified by the whole Church, inspired the sovereign Pontiff to inscribe his name among the saints of the universal calendar. Andrew the saint was once a sinner; his example will encourage us in the work of our conversion.

Let us read the account of his virtues as given us by the Church.

This Andrew was born at Florence, of the noble family of Corsini. His birth was a special answer to prayer, and his parents vowed him to the Blessed Virgin. God foreshewed even before his birth what he was to be. While his mother was great with child she dreamt that she brought forth a wolf, which ran to the Carmelite Church and was changed into a lamb as soon as it reached the porch. The boy was brought up in godliness and learning becoming his rank, but turned to bad courses ; whereupon his mother often rebuked him. Nevertheless, when he knew how his parents had vowed him to the Maiden Mother of God, the love of God touched his heart, and the vision of his mother moving him, he betook himself to the Institute of the Carmelites. In that place the devil exercised him with many and divers temptations, but could not break him off from his determination to profess as a friar. He was soon after sent to Paris, where he finished his studies at the University, and took his degree ; after which he returned to his own country, and was set over the houses of his order in Tuscany.

The Bishop of Fiesole being dead, the Church in that place chose Andrew Corsini for his successor. He held himself altogether unworthy of that office, and for a long time lay hidden and unknown, till he was betrayed by the voice of a child marvellously speaking, and found outside the city. Then, lest he should seem to resist the Will of God, he took the Bishoprick. Being dignified with this office, he set himself to a more perfect exercise of the virtue of lowliness, whereof he was already a diligent practiser. He was eminent in watchfulness over the flock committed to his charge, joining thereto great tenderness and liberality towards the poor. He continued instant in prayer and watching. Thus was he so adorned with these and many other virtues, and even with the gift of prophecy, that the fame of his holy life was in the mouths of all men.

Urban V, moved by the fame of his godly conversation, sent him as his Legate to quiet disturbances at Bologna. He endured much in the discharge of this duty, calming with great wisdom the angry passions of the citizens, who had broken out into civil war, and when peace was restored, he returned home. Shortly after, he received from the Blessed Virgin a warning of his approaching death, and being worn out with his unceasing toil. and the rigour of his voluntary mortifications, he passed to the kingdom of heaven, in the year of our Lord 1373, and the 71st of his own age. His name became illustrious for many and great miracles, and Urban VIII enrolled him in the number of the Saints. His body resteth at Florence in the Church of his Order, and is looked on with great reverence by the citizens, to whom, even in these days, he hath more than once shewn himself a protéctor. [From the Roman Breviary]

Hear, O holy pontiff, our prayer: we are sinners, and would learn from thee how we are to return to the God we have offended. His mercy was poured out upon thee; obtain the same for us. Have pity on Christians throughout the world, for the grace of repentance is now being offered to all; pray for us, that we may be filled with the spirit of compunction. We have sinned; we sue for pardon; intercession like thine can win it for us. From wolves, change us into lambs. Strengthen us against our enemies; obtain for us an increase of the virtue of humility, which thou hadst in such perfection; and intercede for us with our Lord, that He crown our efforts with perseverance, as He did thine; that thus we may be enabled to unite with thee in singing, for ever, the praises of our Redeemer.

Ecce Homo by Guido Reni, 1640

TradNews Roundup

2012-02-03T18:00:00.005-05:00

The Obama Administration's persecution of the Catholic Church:

*Vatican Insider says the Vatican will keep its distance, but support the American Episcopate in its struggle against Obama.

*Patrick J. Buchanan: "Yet if the bishops will look upon this crisis of conscience, this insult, as an opportunity, they can effect its reversal and recapture a measure of the moral authority they have lately lost."

*Rubio to the rescue?

*Catholic Advocate starts initiative to mobilize Catholics across the country.

*Bishop Olmsted of Phoenix, AZ.

*Archbishop Gomez of Los Angeles, CA.

*Bishop Blair of Toledo, OH.

*Bishop Malone of Portland, OR.

*Archbishop Winski, Miami, FL.

*Archbishop Schnurr of Cincinnati, OH.

*Bishops Vann and Farrell, Fort Worth and Dallas respectively.

*Bishop Jugis of Charlotte and Bishop Burbridge of Raliegh, NC.

*Bishop Campbell of Columbus, OH.

*Bishop Lori of Bridgeport, CT.

________________________________

*Sermon from Bishop Fellay touches on the doctrinal dispute between the SSPX and the Roman authorities.

*Dici: Bishop Fellay's response to Cardinal Levada is being studied in Rome.

*Canada's health care austerity measures to limit C-sections, but not, of course, abortions.

*Belgian police continue investigating the bishops of Belgium.

*Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard under attack for being Catholic in Belgium.

*One of the legacies of the US invasion of Iraq is the destruction of Catholicism in Iraq. Of particular note, Kirkuk's Archbishop Louis Sako states that Iraqi has destabilized due to the US military pull out. Many thanks to you Neocon empire builders.

*Is Pope Benedict XVI a friend of Tradition, or Tradition's greatest enemy? Sandro Magister paints a portrait of a pope opposed to the traditionalist movement.

*Starbucks officially supports gay "marriage". Time for a boycott.

*Immigration reform rhetoric and lack of concern for Life and family issues could cripple the GOP's chances with Hispanics. (By yours truly.)

*A secular and godless humanist in Ireland attacks the Church, and thus proves the bishop's point.

*Rick Santorum is Pro-Life in action.

*Switzerland needs to return to Tradition before they have no priests left.

Septuagesima: Three Weeks of Preparation for the Lenten Fast

2012-02-03T06:53:00.000-05:00

The Fall of Man by Cornelis van Haarlem, 1592

The three Sundays preceding Ash Wednesday are called Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima, meaning seventieth, sixtieth and fiftieth, respectively. They correspond to the name of Lent (Quadragesima, which in Latin means fortieth).

The season that begins with Septuagesima has unfortunately been eliminated from the new calendar, but at great expense to the Church. The meaning and symbolism of these three weeks preceding the great fast of Lent presents to the Christian soul the very reason for the Lenten fast. There is a natural flow to the old liturgical calendar that we follow in connection to the Traditional Latin Mass. From the humble joy and rejoicing of Christmas, through the season of awe and wonderment of Epiphany and the season following, we now come to the recognition of our condition that necessitated the purpose of the Incarnation, namely the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the God/Man.

In the Roman Breviary, Matins from Septuagesima provides these words from St. Augustine:

"By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” In this sentence, by the word “world”, the Apostle signifieth all mankind. Thus then did the matter stand―All of doomed humanity lay in misery, (or rather was blundering on, and plunging from bad to worse), together with that part of the Angels which had sinned, until both together should suffer the condign punishment of their vile treason.

Septuagesima teaches us something very important about our exile and the reasons for it that properly prepares us for Lent. Septuagesima teaches us to fully realize our “vile treason” and invites us to reflect on human misery, suffering and anguish. All these things are very real, very poignant, and often the catalyst for religious seeking. The problem of suffering looms large on the horizon of human experience.

These three weeks provide a traditional focus for this problem of suffering, the problem of our fall and exile. As the collect for Septuagesima makes clear, we “are justly afflicted for our sins.” And the collect goes on to express that only through God’s mercy can we be delivered. The collect for Sexagesima makes this latter point even clearer: “O God, Who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do”. The exhortation of the these three weeks is to distrust the self, and trust in God alone, who gives us the strength to endure trial, tribulation, tragedy and all the pains of this veil of tears. We know that it is our treason that brought about this condition, and we know it is only the mercy of God that can release us from the bonds of our sins.

These three weeks prepare us to make a true Christian fast, one that depends on the graces from God because we realize that on our own we can accomplish nothing. This is lost in the new calendar, unfortunately. Modern Catholics enter into the Lenten fast unprepared, and as a result enter it with the impression that the fast is a human act, one that can mend the soul from human ability alone. This Pelagian attitude is rampant in the Church today. It diminishes the role of grace, the absolute Sovereignty of Christ, and ultimately, it diminishes the Divinity of Our Blessed Lord. Only He can enrich our Lenten fast. Only He, the Absolute Monarch, can release us from our exile in hoc lacrymarum valle. Only He, Jesus Christ, can save us.

Christ Taking Leave of His Mother by Lorenzo Lotto, 1521

____________________

It is also at this time that we "bury" the alleluia. It will not be heard again until Easter. The word alleluia means, "All hail to Him Who Is". This sweet and wonderful word, that has inspired the greatest Mass setting of all time is "buried" not because we fail to recognize Him Who Is, or that we fail to give Him fitting praise. It is put aside for awhile because, as Ecclesiastes states, "all things have their season." The alleluia belongs to seasons of joy and triumph. We now enter into a solemn season "when our tears of sorrow must flow."

This tenth century hymn, courtesy Fisheaters, explains it well:

Alleluia, song of sweetness,
voice of joy that cannot die;
alleluia is the anthem
ever raised by choirs on high;
in the house of God abiding
thus they sing eternally.

Alleluia thou resoundest,
true Jerusalem and free;
alleluia, joyful mother,
all thy children sing with thee;
but by Babylon's sad waters
mourning exiles now are we.

Alleluia cannot always
be our song while here below;
alleluia our transgressions
make us for awhile forgo;
for the solemn time is coming
when our tears for sin must flow.

Therefore in our hymns we pray Thee,
grant us, blessed Trinity,
at the last to keep Thine Easter,
in our home beyond the sky,
there to Thee for ever singing
alleluia joyfully.

Collect of the Day: St. Blaise

2012-02-03T00:01:00.005-05:00

Commemoration of
St. Blaise
Bishop and Martyr

Ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord: O ye holy and humble of heart, praise God.
All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Daniel 3. 84, 87, 57)

Collect of the Day

Deus, qui nos beáti Blásii Mártyris tui atque Pontíficis ánnua solemnitáte lætíficas: concéde propítius; ut, cujus natalítia cólimus, de ejúsdem étiam protectióne gaudeámus. Per Dóminum...

O God, who dost gladden us by the annual feast of blessed Blaise, Thy Martyr and Bishop: mercifully grant that we, who celebrate his heavenly birthday, may also rejoice in his protection. Through...

Epistle - 2 Corinthians, 1. 3-7 / Gospel - St. Matthew, 16. 24-27

February 3.—ST. BLASE, Bishop and Martyr.

ST. BLASE devoted the earlier years of his life to the study of philosophy, and afterwards became a physician. In the practice of his profession he saw so much of the miseries of life and the hollowness of worldly pleasures, that he resolved to spend the rest of his days in the service of God, and from being a healer of bodily ailments to become a physician of souls. The Bishop of Sebaste, in Armenia, having died, our Saint, much to the gratification of the inhabitants of that city, was appointed to succeed him. St. Blase at once began to instruct his people as much by his example as by his words, and the great virtues and sanctity of this servant of God were attested by many miracles. From all parts the people came flocking to him for the cure of bodily and spiritual ills. Agricolaus, Governor of Cappadocia and the Lesser Armenia, having begun a persecution by order of the Emperor Licinius, our Saint was seized and hurried off to prison. While on his way there, a distracted mother, whose only child was dying of a throat disease, threw herself at the feet of St. Blase and implored his intercession. Touched at her grief, the Saint offered up his prayers, and the child was cured; and since that time his aid has often been effectually solicited in cases of a similar disease. Refusing to worship the false gods of the heathens, St. Blase was first scourged; his body was then torn with hooks, and finally he was beheaded in the year 316.

Reflection.—There is no sacrifice which, by the aid of grace, human nature is not capable of accomplishing. When St. Paul complained to God of the violence of the temptation, God answered, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for power is made perfect in infirmity."

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

Now that the Church has closed the joyous period of her forty days of Christmas, and is putting us through a course of meditations on subjects which are to excite a spirit of penance within us, each of the saints' feasts must produce an impression, which shall be in accordance with that spirit. From this day till Easter, we will study the saints, as they come to us, in this special light: how much they laboured and suffered during their pilgrimage of life, and what was the plan they took for conquering the world and the flesh. "They went," says the psalmist, "and wept, casting their seeds: but coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves." It shall be the same with us; and at the end of our lenten labours, our risen Jesus will hail us as His living, regenerated children.

The calendar of this portion of the year abounds with martyrs; and, at the very outset, we meet with one of the most celebrated of these glorious champions of Christ. The scene of his pastoral virtues and of his martyrdom was Sebaste, a city of Armenia, the same that will give us forty martyred soldiers on a single day, most fervently kept up in the east, especially in Armenia. The western Churches soon began to love and honour his memory, and so universally, that we might call him one of the most popular of our saints. His feast, however, with us is only a simple, and the Church of Rome has given only one lesson on his life.

This Blase was chosen Bishop of the city of Sebaste in Armenia, in which place he enjoyed a great reputation for virtue. When Diocletian began to make the Christians the objects of his insatiable cruelty, the Saint hid himself in a cave on Mount Argasus, where he lay till he was found by some of the soldiers of Agricolaus the President, who were out hunting. He was brought before the President, who commanded him to be thrown into irons. While he was in prison, Blase healed many of the sick, who were brought to him on account of his reputation of saintliness, and among others a boy who had been despaired of by the physicians, and who was at the point of death, from a thorn which had become fixed in his throat. Blase appeared twice before the President, but neither cajolements nor threats could induce him to sacrifice to the gods. He was first beaten with rods, and afterwards put on the rack, where his flesh was mangled with iron combs. At last his head was cut off, whereby he finished a noble testimony to the faith which is in Christ our Lord. He bore witness on the 3rd day of February, (in the year of salvation 316). [From The Roman Breviary (Divino Afflatu)]

Accept, O glorious martyr, the praise which we, too, offer thee in union with that given thee by the whole Church. In return for this homage of our veneration, look down upon the Christian people, who are now preparing to enter on the season of penance, and to be converted to the Lord their God by holy compunction and tears. We ask it of thee by thine own combat: assist us in the one for which we are preparing. When duty required thee to undergo tortures and death, it found thee ready and brave; our duty is expiation by penance, and thy prayers must get us courage. Our enemies are not more cruel than thine, but they are more treacherous, and if we spare them we are lost. Obtain for us that heavenly assistance, which enabled thee to conquer. We are children of the martyrs; God forbid we should be degenerate! Pray, too, O holy pontiff, for the country thou didst water with thy blood. Armenia lost the faith for which thou didst lay down thy life. Intercede for her, that she may be restored to the Church, and let her conversion bring consolation to the few that have remained orthodox and faithful.

Collect of the Day: Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2012-02-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

Madonna with the Christ Child by Sassoferrato, circa 1638

The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Candlemas Day

We have received Thy mercy, O God, in the midst of Thy temple; according to Thy Name, O God, so also is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth: Thy right hand is full of justice.
(From the introit of the day's Mass, Ps. 47. 10, 11)

Collect of the Day

Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, majestátem tuam súpplices exorámus: ut, sicut unigénitus Fílius tuus hodiérna die cum nostræ carnis substántia in templo est præsentátus; ita nos fácias purificátis tibi méntibus præsentári. Per eúmdem Dóminum...

Almighty and everlasting God, we humbly beseech Thy Majesty, that as Thine only begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in substance of our flesh, so Thou wouldst cause us too with purified hearts to be presented unto Thee. Through...

In the Collect, the Church prays that her children may be presented, as Jesus was, to the Eternal Father; but, in order that they may meet with a favourable reception, she asks him to give them purity of heart.
--Dom Guéranger, O.S.B

Lesson - Malachias, 3. 1-4

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

All the Mysteries of the Man-God have for their object the purifying of our hearts. He sends his Angel, that is, his Precursor, before his face, that he may prepare his way; and we have heard this holy Prophet crying out to us, in the wilderness: Be humbled, O ye hills! and ye valleys, be ye filled up! At length, he that is the Angel of the Testament comes in person to seal the alliance with us. He comes to his Temple, and this temple is our heart. But he is like a refining fire, that takes away the dross of metals. He wishes to renew us, by purifying us; that thus we may be worthy to be offered to him, and with him, by a perfect sacrifice. We must therefore take care, and not be satisfied with admiring these sublime mysteries. We must hold as a principle of our spiritual life, that the mysteries brought before us, feast after feast, are intended to work in us the destruction of the old, and the creation of the new man. We have been spending Christmas; we ought to have been born together with Jesus; this new Birth is now at its fortieth day. Today, we must be offered by Mary, who is also our Mother, to the Divine Majesty, as Jesus was. The moment is come for our offering, for it is the hour of the Great Sacrifice; let us redouble the fervour of our preparation.

Presentation in the Temple by Simon Vouet, 1640

Gospel - St. Luke, 2. 22-32

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

The Holy Spirit has led us to the Temple, as he did Simeon. There we see the Virgin-Mother offering at the Altar her Son, who is the Son of God. We are filled with admiration at this fidelity of the Child and his Mother to the Law; and we feel in our hearts a desire also to be presented to our Creator, who will accept our homage as he accepted that offered him by his Divine Son. Let us at once put ourselves in those same holy dispositions, which filled the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The salvation of the world has this day gained ground; let the work of our individual sanctification also advance. From this feast forward, the mystery of the Infant-God will no longer be put before us by the Church as the special object of our devotion; the sweet season of Christmas will, in a few hours, have left us, and we shall have to follow Jesus in his combats against our enemies. Let us keep close to our dear King. Let us ever keep Simeon's spirit, and follow our Redeemer, walking in his footsteps, who is our Light. Let us love this Light, and merit, by our fidelity in using it, that it may unceasingly shine upon us.

February 2.—THE PURIFICATION, COMMONLY CALLED CANDLEMAS-DAY.

THE law of God, given by Moses to the Jews, ordained that a woman, after childbirth, should continue for a certain time in a state which that law calls unclean, during which she was not to appear in public, nor presume to touch anything consecrated to God. This term was of forty days upon the birth of a son, and double that time for a daughter. On the expiration of the term, the mother was to bring to the door of the tabernacle, or Temple, a lamb and a young pigeon, or turtle-dove, as an offering to God. These being sacrificed to Almighty God by the priest, the woman was cleansed of the legal impurity and reinstated in her former privileges.

A young pigeon, or turtle-dove, by way of a sin-offering, was required of all, whether rich or poor; but as the expense of a lamb might be too great for persons in poor circumstances, they were allowed to substitute for it a second dove.

Our Saviour having been conceived by the Holy Ghost, and His blessed Mother remaining always a spotless virgin, it is evident that she did not come under the law; but as the world was, as yet, ignorant of her miraculous conception, she submitted with great punctuality and exactness to every humbling circumstance which the law required. Devotion and mal to honor God, by every observance prescribed by His law, prompted Mary to perform this act of religion, though evidently exempt from the precept. Being poor herself, she made the offering appointed for the poor; but; however mean in itself, it was made with a perfect heart, which is what God chiefly regards in all that is offered to Him. Besides the law which obliged the mother to purify herself, there was another which ordered that the first-born son should be offered to God, and that, after its presentation, the child should be ransomed with a certain sum of money, and peculiar sacrifices offered on the occasion.

Mary complies exactly with all these ordinances. She obeys not only in the essential points of the law, but has strict regard to all the circumstances. She remains forty days at home; she denies herself, all this time, the liberty of entering the Temple; she partakes not of things sacred; and on the day of her purification she walks several miles to Jerusalem, with the world's Redeemer in her arms. She waits for the priest at the gate of the Temple, makes her offerings of thanksgiving and expiation, presents her divine Son by the hands of the priest to His Eternal Father, with the most profound humility, adoration, and thanksgiving. She then redeems Him with five shekels, as the law appoints, and receives Him back again as a sacred charge committed to her special care, till the Father shall again demand Him for the full accomplishment of man's redemption.

The ceremony of this day was closed by a third mystery—the meeting in the Temple of the holy persons Simeon and Anne with Jesus and His parents. Holy Simeon, on that occasion, received into his arms the object of all his desires and sighs, and praised God for being blessed with the happiness of beholding the so-much-longed-for Messias. He foretold to Mary her martyrdom of sorrow, and that Jesus brought redemption to those who would accept of it on the terms it was offered them; but a heavy judgment on all infidels who should obstinately reject it, and on Christians, also, whose lives were a contradiction to His holy maxims and example. Mary, hearing this terrible prediction, did not answer one word, felt no agitation of mind from the present, no dread for the future; but courageously and sweetly committed all to God's holy will. Anne, also, the prophetess, who in her widowhood served God with great fervor, had the happiness to acknowledge and adore in this great mystery the Redeemer of the world. Simeon, having beheld Our Saviour, exclaimed: "Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word, because my eyes have seen Thy salvation."

This feast is called CANDLEMAS, because the Church blesses the candles to be borne in the procession of the day.

Reflection.—Let us strive to imitate the humility of the ever-blessed Mother of God, remembering that humility is the path which leads to abiding peace and brings us near to the consolations of God.

From the Desk of the Chaplain: Epiphany

2012-01-29T14:28:00.001-05:00

From the monthly email circular of the English-speaking Chaplain of the Confranterity of St. Peter, Rev. Fr. J. Fryar FSSP:

Dear Member of the Confraternity,

It has been a while since I was able to send out an email. This is the time of year that I travel to the corners of the vast boundaries of the FSSP apostolate in Florida to bless the homes of our parishioners with the Epiphany Blessing.

The Epiphany Blessing is truly inspiring and definitely one of the greatest protections we can provide for our homes. On the evening before Epiphany, the priest will spend 45 minutes blessing special Holy Water, that can only be blessed on that day, with a prolonged public chanted exorcism. Then incense and chalk is blessed with specific blessings.

After, the custom varies from parish to parish. Some priests, because of the distance and quantity of homes, bless them all at once from the church. But for those who are fortunate to have the priest come to their home, the ceremony is quite impressive. The priest arrives, begins to recite the Magnificat and the Antiphon from the Divine Office of the Feast of the Epiphany. Then he proceeds to douse the house with the specially exercised Holy Water, and spread incense throughout the house. That incense will linger in the house and can often be smelt several days later.

Then the prayers continue. What is beautiful about the blessing is that it is no longer asking to rid the home of evil spirits, as that was done when the Holy Water was blessed, but rather to fill the home with so many good petitions: health, chastity, the victory of virtue, humility, goodness, meekness. It asked God to grant that the Commandments be always followed, and that the blessing remain in the home forever.

Then the chalk is used to write an inscription on the door post, so that the home can be distinguished like the blood on the doorposts of the homes of the Israelites. This distinguishing mark is the initials of the Three Kings - Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, framed with the year: 20+C+M+B+12. With a play on Latin words, the inscription can also read Christus Mansionem Benedicat - May Christ bless this home.

Finally a prayer may be included that is such a beautiful prayer: "May the door of this home be wide enough to receive all who need charity and companionship... narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and strife... May its threshold be no stumbling block to children nor to straying feet... may it be rugged and strong enough to turn back the Tempter's power."

Our home is the sanctuary where we spend most of the time preparing for our future home, God willing, in Heaven. It is here that we learn virtue. It is here where we are tempted. It is here where we study our faith. It is here where we waste our time. The home is a sanctuary where the world should find no admittance, and where the angels and saints should be welcomed to teach us and guide us to our Heavenly Home. People invest in good locks to secure their home and alarm systems to protect from potential theft or violent intruders. But our homes should also be secured by blessing from the attacks of the Enemy who will break in to our home to steal our souls from Everlasting Life. The Enemy spends a lot of time in homes. In an occasional home he will haunt and make noise. But that is so rare that it's almost just a thing from the movies. Far more often he will be hidden in the home, not making noise, but seeding discontent, rebellion, hatred, anger, impurities, disobedience, pride, and the list goes on. If he makes noise we immediately panic. But we let him live under our roof tempting us at full volume and don't even notice, nor do we care.

I know, I should have sent this email before the Feast of the Epiphany, not after the fact. But if you have not had your house blessed, ever, maybe you should just give up locking your doors or something! Because the greatest Enemy of your family is finding himself quite welcome and comfortable. Or better, ask your priest, when he is able, to come and bless your home. There are other blessings beside the Epiphany Blessing that can be given to the home throughout the year, to protect you and make your home the sanctuary where your family can grow in the path to holiness and prepare for their true home in Heaven.

In the next few months I will be traveling to give conferences on the Confraternity of St. Peter. I will be in Atlanta GA, at the FSSP parish of St. Francis de Sales, on Sunday February 12th. Then on Saturday, March 31st I will be giving a Recollection at Our Lady of Fatima Chapel in Pequannock NJ. We will announce others as they are planned. If there are enough people in your area and you would like for me to come and give a Recollection or a Mission, ask your pastor if he will consider inviting me. I will be happy to come.

Walk For Life, San Francisco 2012

2012-01-28T07:51:00.002-05:00

TradNews Roundup

2012-01-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

*Obama is an antichrist.

*But, Archbishop, we've all been betrayed by the Obamanation of Desolation. Maybe the next time the bishops will listen to the traditionalists when they say someone "is not the Antichrist, but he's definitely a Antichrist."

*Obama's personal attack on the Catholic Church has even the dissenters in a tizzy.

*Bishop Sample to President Obama: "We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law."

*Bishop Zubik: "On January 20, 2012, the Obama administration answered you and me. The response was very simple: 'To Hell with You.'"

*Archbishop Gregory Aymond calls the Obama Anti-Catholic mandate an "outrage".

*Bishop Jenky calls the Anti-Catholic mandate a "bigoted and blatant" attack on the First Amendment rights of Catholics.

*Archbishop Dolan's Wall Street Journal Op-Ed on the Obama Administration's direct and blatant attack on Catholics.

*Daily TLM started up on Greenville, South Carolina. Deo gratias!

*Rorati Cæli reports a practical approval of the Neo-Cat Way liturgical messes. Dóminus miserére nobis! However, Fr. John Zuhlsdorf strongly disagrees. At any rate, the whole thing is indicative of the modern Magisterium's impotence in dealing with liturgical and doctrinal dissent.

*Holy Father says America is "increasingly hostile to Christianity". His strong words are in response to the Obama Administration's contraceptive mandate that threatens to push Catholic institutions underground.

*Any Distrubitists or Trads out there still sympathetic to the "Occupy Movement"? The "Occupy Movement" once again reveals itself for the liberal thuggery that it is.

*Bishop Joseph McFadden of Harrisburg states that the public school system in America is the model system desired by totalitarian dictators such as Hitler and Mussolini.

Warren Buffet Is Anti-Catholic, by Bill Donohue

2012-01-27T14:47:00.003-05:00

This is from The Catholic League website. I'm reproducing it here in its entirety because it is critically important to get this information out.

Warren Buffet is probably one of the most powerful men in the United States, and during the Obama Administration he has become more and more cavalier in flaunting the influence he wields over the government in the USA and other governments worldwide.

Many people admire Buffet, they call him brilliant, savvy, extraordinary. However, what few people know is how radically pro-abortion and anti-Catholic he is, and how ruthless and diabolical are his tactics. I strongly suspect that he is the architect of many of the attacks on the Catholic Church from the Obama Administration and other politicians, the secular media, political action groups, and even organizations that call themselves Catholic.

Buffet's primary goal is not to make money, as many have quipped. His primary goal is to consolidate money and power in order to advance his anti-Catholic, anti-Life, Satanic agenda.

Why Warren Buffet Is Anti-Catholic
Written by: William Donohue

January 25, 2012

Warren Buffett’s comment that the rich should pay higher taxes, now enshrined by President Barack Obama as the “Buffett Rule,” is drawing much applause. What is not being discussed is the billionaire’s support for anti-Catholicism. First some background information.

Over several decades, Buffett has spent a fortune funding radical abortion organizations like NARAL and Planned Parenthood; he has lavishly given money to train a new generation of abortion physicians; he has spent millions to help RU-486 (the abortion-inducing drug) to win FDA approval; and he gave his pro-abortion, population-control friends at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation nearly $31 billion in 2006 for more of the same. There’s nothing anti-Catholic about any of this, but when he intentionally seeks to subvert Catholicism by dishonestly funding pro-abortion organizations that have hijacked the Catholic name, that’s another story.

To be specific, Buffett has given hundreds of millions over the years to anti-Catholic front groups like Catholics for Choice (formerly Catholics for a Free Choice) and its sister organization in Latin America, Catholics for the Right to Decide. In 2010, the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation alone gave $759,822 to the former, and almost $1.7 million to the latter. These letter-head organizations wouldn’t exist if they depended on donations from members—they don’t have any—they exist because of the likes of Warren Buffett.

If Buffett, or someone like him, were to throw millions upon millions funding Jews for Jesus, what would the Jewish community call him? Now you know why Warren Buffett has earned the tag anti-Catholic.

The Anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the Republican Primary

2012-01-22T17:06:00.010-05:00

Notice: Comments are disabled for this post because I knew what the tone and tenor of the comments would be. I haven't been disappointed, as a number of people have left comments about this blog entry elsewhere, and almost every single one was disrespectful and rude both to me and to a man who has passed away! While comments are disabled here, if you use Facebook, you can comment on the Ars Orandi page.
________________________________

It is not my intention here to discuss politics, but there's one particular issue connected with the Republican primary race in the United States that has finally gotten on my last nerve. I would like to highlight something for my fellow American traditional Catholics on the 39th anniversary of the devastating Roe v. Wade decision. Many of you may disagree, and most of my closest friends, I know, definitely will disagree, but I have to in good conscience say what I have to say.

It seems to me that other agendas have gotten in the way of clear thinking on the Pro-Life and social issues in traditional Catholic circles, and this is extremely troubling to me. In the traditional Catholic world one Republican candidate seems to have gotten as close to an endorsement as a candidate can get, but I honestly believe for all the wrong reasons.

In regards to this candidate I have this to say: A Pro-Life, social conservative DOES NOT leave the abortion issue up to the state legislatures; DOES NOT support gay marriage as a personal choice; DOES NOT support the legalization of illegal narcotics. At the very heart of a civilization swept away by all manner of perversity, sensuality, immorality, and immodesty, are traditional Catholics really supporting a man who would leave the rule of law up to individual choice instead of the natural and divine law? Libertarianism is opposed to traditional Catholic social and moral teaching. How can traditional Catholics endorse Libertarianism when never before have individuals had such ill-informed consciences? Whatever agenda that you might think this candidate endorses, that agenda pales in comparison to the millions of innocent children that have been killed in the worst holocaust in human history.

Traditional Catholics do not have a candidate in this race. It's sad, but it's true. Therefore, we must set our priorities straight. There is only one issue that should take precedence in the voting booth for the traditional Catholic... and it isn't the Fed or foreign policy or the economy or some fantasy that a Libertarian will insure our little enclaves a measure of autonomy. We have to take a stand in this election for an end to legalized abortion, the safe-guarding of traditional marriage, and the rule of law. To do this we have to sacrifice other agendas and fears.

Morality can not be legislated; that is true. However, the government must legislate in such a way that is moral. Can we trust a Libertarian to do that? Will he legislate morally? or legislate as a libertine?

Joe Paterno

2012-01-22T14:03:00.006-05:00

Update: If you want to comment about the Penn State sex scandal, please go here, read the entry, and then you are welcome to post your comments there. This, however, is not the place for that subject.

Comments for the blog entry, The Anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the Republican Primary are disabled for a reason, so please do not comment about that subject here.

Despite the fact that I'm a lifelong Ohio State fan, I've always had the highest regard and respect for Mr. Joseph Vincent Paterno, a devout Roman Catholic, a World War II veteran, a faithful husband and father, and a successful football coach who always pursued the good of those put in his charge. For me and for most other sports fans of my generation the name, Joe Paterno, means respectability and nobility in sports, character, grit and honor.

He was also a thoughtful conservative and a caring person. His character and leadership is unquestioned among those who played for him, but his views and the manner in which he carried himself and coached was formed by the realities of nature as explicated by sport. It is amazing how all the ideological dogmas that are shoved down our throat by the liberal media, politicians and university professors disappear on the athletic field. In athletics there is no such thing as absolute egalitarianism; rather, unequal talents and abilities raise some to leadership and drive others to greater effort, just as nature intended. There is no strength in diversity; rather, strength comes from becoming a team, by putting the goals of the team and school before self-interest. No player is entitled to a place on the team or a win; rather, everything must be won by hard work, blood, sweat and tears. Joe Paterno understood this, understood its implications on and off the football field, and articulated it with intelligence and wit like few others have been capable.

Thankfully, for those of us who admired him from afar, Joe Paterno conveyed these principles to the wider world. I suppose most will look at his winning career and reduce his achievements to what he did on the field of play. These achievements, certainly, are laudable, but winning coaches come and go. For many of us, the greater share of Joe Paterno's legacy will be for what he stood for beyond the field of play, and for this I am thankful.

Réquiem ætérnam dona ei Dómine;
et lux perpétua lúceat ei. Requiéscat in pace. Amen.

Christ the King Cathedral Exterior

2012-01-21T21:33:00.002-05:00

Some exterior photos of Christ the King Cathedral, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Enjoy!

Christ the King Cathedral

2012-01-21T08:43:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of photos of one of the beautiful portals of Christ the King Cathedral in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Note the words "Christus Regnat" (Christ Reigns) near the handles. This beautiful cathedral was dedicated in 1933.

TradNews Roundup

2012-01-20T18:00:00.004-05:00

*Is government enforced homosexual "marriage" coming to your parish hall?

*The editorial staff of Si Si No No responds to Fr. Cavalcoli's shrill and unreasonable attack.

*Pontifical Solemn Mass in the Archdiocese of Miami for Candlemas.

*New Hampshire votes to de-fund Planned Parenthood and exposes the Obama administration's Planned Parenthood related corruption.

*Corapi drops off the radar. He is no more.

The Purpose of the Reform of the Reform

2012-01-19T20:52:00.001-05:00

Roberto de Mattei on the "Reform of the Reform":

The "Reform of the Reform" which is mentioned makes sense and is worthy only as a "transition" of the "novus ordo" towards the traditional rite, and not as a pretext for the abandonment of the latter, that must be kept in its integrity and purity.

Well said.

A Reasonable Criticism of "About this Blog"

2012-01-15T21:51:00.002-05:00

I received an email recently that had this say:

Thanks for your blog. It really is beautiful and spiritually enriching. I love the holy images, and I really enjoy reading the reflections from Dom Gueranger. However, I'm not sure your "About this Blog" page answers clearly and succinctly the question "what is this blog all about?"

I think the article on that page is very good, but I'm afraid that a drive-by visitor will be a bit overwhelmed by it, and probably won't read it. I didn't actually read the whole thesis until recently, and I've been visiting your blog for over a year. While you should definitely keep the thesis up, it might be good to put at the very top of that page a one-sentence explanation of the raison d'etre for the blog.

After giving this criticism some thought, I had to admit this seems like a pretty reasonable suggestion. Therefore, I added at the very top of the page the following:

In a nutshell, this blog is dedicated to rediscovering a traditional Catholic liturgical piety by fostering a greater knowledge and love for the traditional liturgical year and renewing an appreciation for methods of hearing the Mass.

I think that should do it.

I really appreciate all the help and support, and well intentioned criticisms, I receive from readers. I especially appreciate all those who send me edits.

TradNews Roundup

2012-01-13T18:30:00.010-05:00

*Fr. Alain Lorans of the SSPX gives some insight into the SSPX objections to the Doctrinal Preamble. As suspected, the difficulties were summed up by the response of Fr. Jean-Michel Gleize to Msgr. Fernando Ocariz's article that was published L’Osservatore Romano. Essentially the problems are in the "new doctrines" of the Second Vatican Council.

*Fr. Giovanni Cavalcoli, O.P. fires off a shrill attack on Italian traditionalists, and the SSPX in particular. Cavolcoli claims that the "new doctrines" of Vatican II are infallible (despite the fact that the reigning Pontiff at the close of the Council stated they were not). The councilarists, it appears, are circling the wagons.

*Pope says that gay marriage is a threat to "the future of humanity".

*The story of Ian Verrier, a seminarian for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.

*Yet another leftist bishop is at the center of a sex scandal.

*Catholics are welcome in the Obama Administration as long as they are Catholic in name only. This is a form of anti-Catholic bigotry.

*SCOTUS upholds ministerial exception despite pressure from the Obama Administration to allow the government to intervene in the internal affairs of religious organizations. (PDF of the full text of the SCOTUS decision)

*Rick Santorum's tax policy would reward marriage and large families.

*Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta is accused of defending a "pedophile priest". (The article actually admits that the priest was not a pedophile, but a homosexual who liked teen age boys... but why let things like the truth get in the way? The point in Frisco is to condemn the Catholic Church, not implicate active homosexuals as the depraved perverts they are.)

*Reason 411,987 to homeschool.

*The antichrist European Union will bend all its diabolical power on Hungary to purge its new constitution of any Christian values.

*Make'm pay!

Live Stream of Confraternity Monthly Recollection Tonight

2012-01-13T08:59:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder that tonight (Friday, January 13th) Fr. Fryar will stream live the monthly recollection for the Confraternity of St. Peter.

The live stream will begin at 6:30 PM EST. Please see the link for LiveMass.net in the side bar to the right.

Banality on the heels of displacing the Epiphany

2012-01-06T23:47:00.001-05:00

The calendar for the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the novus ordo, is replete with mediocrity, but at least twice a year this mediocrity is brought to a crescendo: at the feasts of the Ascension of Our Blessed Lord and the Epiphany. Lost from the mentality and spiritual life of the average mainstream, novus ordo Catholic is the notion that Christmastide is a twelve day affair.

The lost notion of the twelve days of Christmas only helps to displace the whole season. The Protestants, along with the pagan secular world, feigning Christian symbolism and heritage, have already moved the celebration of Christmas to the time before December 25th. Most novus ordo Catholics are as ready as the pagans and Protestants to jettison the whole notion of Advent as a penitential season, and have already tossed their spent Christmas trees to the curb to be picked up by the garbage men. The denuding of the Christmas season by moving Epiphany to the Sunday nearest January 6th has done nothing but help facilitate this process among Catholics. Rushing the season away for some "pastoral" effort to make things easy has utterly failed to fix the Church's new liturgical calendar into the lives and daily habits of the faithful. Mainstream Catholics have no connection to a calendar, even the woefully inadequate novus ordo calendar, and thus have been denied that very fruitful and uniquely Catholic structure of a deeply spiritual life. The resulting banality is only too apparent.

I attend Mass at a mission apostolate of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, which means we share our parish with the novus ordo establishment. The bigger share, currently, belongs to this novus ordo establishment, thus we are often met each Sunday by the mundane, banal imagery of that iniquitous shadow of Catholicism on the cover of the parish bulletin. The cover for this Sunday's parish bulletin was the usual hodgepodge of amateurish impressionism, complete with stick figure wise men, and a background that strangely resembles something from an Aztec ziggurat.

The pastoral imprudence of making things easier translates into an immature spirituality that is reflected by this childish imagery that possesses only a marketing appeal devoid of any real effort or depth of thought. It's a commercial for the Epiphany, rather than something meant to inspire and raise the mind beyond the mundane. Forgotten is the rich heritage of Western Catholic art. The mindset of the modern mainstream, novus ordo establishment simply can not grasp an aesthetic principle that goes beyond sloganeering commercialism with subtle hints of ancient paganism.

This reality is corroding what is left of the Catholic foundations of the novus ordo edifice. Once the the last tethers of authentic Catholicism is corroded beyond repair, the novus ordo establishment will careen into the oblivion of Protestantism and secularism. It isn't a matter of "if", but "when". This is bad news for Western society that rests on the shoulders of the Church that built it.

However, in the wake of the novus ordo establishment are the ever growing Traditional Latin Mass communities. These communities are already working as the last lifelines for a Western world on the brink of slipping into complete cultural senility. However, these Traditional Latin Mass communities must constantly strive to incorporate the traditional calendar into the daily lives of the faithful. Let us pray that it is not too late.

TradNews Roundup

2012-01-06T18:00:00.000-05:00

*The Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is established for the United States.

Epiphany rite of blessing for the house

2012-01-05T19:00:00.001-05:00

A common tradition for the feast day of the Epiphany is to bless your house with Epiphany water. Below is a short rite of blessing for the Epiphany from the ever helpful and informative Fisheaters website:

At today's Mass, there will be a blessing of gold, frankincense, myrrh, Epiphany Water, and, after Communion, a blessing of chalk. Bring small special items of gold to have with you during the Mass, and they will be blessed if they are exposed as you sit in your pew with them (wedding rings, rosaries, an heirloom piece of gold jewelry, for example).

When Mass is over, you will take some of the blessed chalk, frankincense, myrrh, and Epiphany Water home with you, so it's good to bring a container to transport Holy Water and one to put some grains of incense and a piece of chalk into. (Note: if you can, take and keep 5 pieces of blessed incense for your Paschal Candle this Easter.)

When you get home, sprinkle some Epiphany water (otherwise and afterwards used as regular Holy Water) in the rooms of your house to protect it and bring blessings. This Holy Water recalls the waters of the Jordan, and is a visible reminder of Christ's Divinity, of Jesus' revealing Himself as God at His Baptism, when were heard the words from the Father: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." This rite of blessing the home -- led by a priest, if possible, or the father of the house if no priest is available -- goes like this:

Upon entering the house:

Priest/Father: Peace be to this house.

All:And to all who dwell herein.

Priest:From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

During the Magnificat, the room is sprinkled with holy water and incensed.

All:My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He hath regarded the humility of His handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His Name. And His Mercy is from generation unto generations upon them that fear Him. He hath shewed might in His arm, He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel, His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our Fathers, Abraham and His seed forever.

After this is completed:

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

Priest: Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead and lead us not into temptation.
All: But deliver us from evil.

Priest: All they from Saba shall come

All: Bringing gold and frankincense.

Priest: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come unto Thee.

Priest: Let us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst on this day manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith may also attain the vision of Thy glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Priest: Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee-- Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

All: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings in the splendor of thy rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.

Priest: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

After the prayers of the blessing are recited, walk through the house and bless each room by sprinkling with Epiphany water and incensing it. Take the blessed chalk and first write the initials of the three Wise Men, connected with Crosses, over the inside of your front door (on the lintel, if possible). Then write the year, breaking up the numbers and the year so that they fall on both sides of the initials. It should look like this, for ex.:

20 C+M+B 12

with the "20 "being the millennium and century, the "C" standing for the first Wise Man, Caspar, the "M" standing for Melchior, the "B" standing for Balthasar, and the "12" standing for the decade and year. It is also popularly believed that the Kings' initials also stand for "Christus mansionem benedicat" ("Christ bless this house").

Fisheaters offers this in downloadable form here.

Guéranger: New Years Eve, Thougts of Mortality and Gratitude

2011-12-31T14:49:00.004-05:00

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

The Civil Year ends today. At Midnight, a New Year will begin, as the world counts time, and the present one will sink into the abyss of eternity. It is one step further on in our lives, and brings us nearer to that end of all things, which St. Peter says is at hand.

The Liturgy, which begins a new ecclesiastical year on the First Sunday of Advent, has no special prayers, in the Roman Church, for the beginning of the year on the First of January; but her spirit, which takes an interest in everything affecting the well-being of individuals or of society at large--her spirit is that we should, sometime in the course of this last day of the year, make a fervent act of thanksgiving to God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us during the past twelve months.

I would personally like to thank all those who visit and read Ars Orandi on a regular basis, and I especially thank you for your prayers and support during this past year. You are greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much, and may you have a blessed and happy New Year!

"The family is the first school of prayer..."

2011-12-31T11:31:00.003-05:00

The Holy Family by Juan Simón Gutiérrez, circa 1700

From the General Audience of Pope Benedict XVI on December 28th, 2011:

The house of Nazareth is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to meditate, to penetrate the deepest meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Mary is the peerless model for the contemplation of Christ. [She] lived with her eyes on Christ and treasured His every word... Luke the Evangelist makes Mary's heart known to us, her faith, her hope, her obedience, her interior life and prayer, her free adherence to Christ. All of these came from the gift of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon her just as it descended upon the Apostles according to Christ's promise. This image of Mary makes her a model for all believers. Mary's capacity to live by gazing upon God is contagious. The first to experience this was St. Joseph...

... With Mary, and later with Jesus, he began a new rapport with God, he began to accept Him into his life, to enter into His plan of salvation, to do His will. His is a silent but faithful presence, constant and active... Joseph fulfilled his paternal role in all aspects... Thus, in the rhythm of the days spent in Nazareth, between Joseph's humble dwelling and his workshop, Jesus learned to alternate pray and work, also offering up to God the fatigue by which they earned the bread the family needed...

The Holy Family is an icon of the domestic Church, which is called to pray together. The family is the first school of prayer where, from their infancy, children learn to perceive God thanks to the teaching and example of their parents. An authentically Christian education cannot neglect the experience of prayer. If we do not learn to pray in the family, it will be difficult to fill this gap later. I would, then, like to invite people to rediscover the beauty of praying together as a family, following the school of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

SSPX Response to Msgr. Ocariz

2011-12-30T19:08:00.002-05:00

Dici has published a response to the editorial of Monsignor Ocáriz that appeared in the L’Osservatore Romano on December 2nd, 2011. Most in the traditional Catholic blogosphere and in traditional Catholic communities consider Ocáriz's editorial as an attack on the traditional critique of the Second Vatican Council, and specifically as an attack on the SSPX.

I think there is some merit to these perceptions, but there are some interesting points that Ocáriz makes that opens the door for a greater understanding of the traditional critique, especially his admission that the Second Vatican Council introduced, in his words, certain "innovations" that have caused "controversy"

These reservations, notwithstanding, the SSPX response to Ocáriz bears a careful and considerate reading, especially in regards to the philosophical differences between the Vatican establishment and traditionalists.

TradNews Roundup

2011-12-30T18:00:00.010-05:00

*Scientists conclude that the supernatural event that left the Holy Image of Christ on the Shroud of Turin could not have been faked.

*Vatican Insider blows the lid off the growing Dutch Church scandal. Only the most liberal corners of the Church seem to have the greatest problems.

*Christmas is a time for art without meaning? Well... it could mean that modern Catholicism has been emptied of meaning... in an abstract way, of course.

*Cardinal George likens the gay-pride movement to the KKK. It's a good analogy. The Ku Klux Klan was a liberal organization subsidized by the Democratic Party at its inception, just like the gay-pride movement; it was perverted and demented from its very inception, just like the gay-pride movement; it hated the Catholic Church for speaking the truth about human dignity, just like the gay-pride movement. Perhaps we should just refer to the perverts as the Ku Klux Gay?

*Washington boy the subject of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha miracle. Blessed Kateri, pray for us.

*Local Cincinnati newspaper distorts story of the firing of a Catholic school teacher for violating her employment contract.

*More CofE defectors expected to swim the Tiber in 2012.

*The Violent Liberal of the Week Award goes to... Mark Pederson. Congratulations, Mark! and congratulations to the local mob you participate in.

*Speaking of the mob. Occupy schemes to disrupt the lawful process of the electoral process in Iowa. They should be arrested now for conspiring domestic terrorism.

*The Traditional Latin Mass in China. Deo gratias!

*The failure of the Vatican II Church slaps them in the face every day. This is the very epitome of perfidious.

*Another Pope Benedict XVI appointee promotes the married priesthood and calls women ordination "theologically difficult". Just another example of how, despite the rhetoric, this papacy gives us a lot more "hermeneutic" than it gives us "continuity".

*SNAP's shrill calls for transparency from the Church doesn't match its complete lack of transparency when it comes to how it does business. The answer, Jimmy, is YES! Those people always have been.

I wonder if they even realize how hypocritical they are.

2011-12-30T13:22:00.010-05:00

We have this from Tom Roberts over at the heretical National Catholic Reporter about the origin of the new translation of the novus ordo:

But those who know the story in its fullest details know that the "new" translation, a reform of the reform, was actually commandeered by a group of men who met secretly and, in a matter of days, undid a process that had occurred under two popes and with the wide participation of bishops and professionals in the English-speaking world.

I really am of the "Whatever" crowd concerning this new translation of the novus ordo Mass. It means relatively little in the grand scheme of things since the novus ordo's problems are inherent in the Latin prayers, themselves. Yes the English translation was poor, but the Semi-Pelagianism that was planted by the Modernists is present in the Latin texts; the innovations that lead to wild liturgical abuses was planted by the Modernists in the General Instruction, itself; the creation of the cult of man was put into the heart of the novus ordo by the very structure of the new Mass. These things, which are the root of the problem, have nothing, in the end, to do with translation.

However, there is no end to the consternation of the liberals over the new translation, and the spirit of this festive season certainly isn't tempering that consternation. I really could have chosen any number of negative commentaries at the National Catholic Reporter to highlight the liberal disgust at what is in essence a simple endeavor to make more clear what Bugnini, the consummate liberal and Modernist himself, intended to convey. This quote from Roberts, though, makes clear how absolutely hypocritical these liberals are.

This reform of the reform was "commandeered by a group of men who met secretly" to undo a process that had taken place under two popes? That's this guy's complaint??

What about the cabal of men in the 1960s that met secretly to undo a process that had taken place under over 200 popes over the course of two millenia ?? That secret cabal brought us the novus ordo missae.

You would think liberals like Roberts would love secret cabals. Well, not all secret cabals, it turns out. They apparently only like secret cabals if the men meeting secretly agree with their liberal agenda and are interested in commandeering centuries old traditions and customs.

Roberts' dishonesty is clear when he makes the rather hyperbolic accusation that the secret cabal changed in a "matter of days" the English translation. Rather, Mr. Roberts, anyone who knows anything about this process, and you don't have to be a sacred liturgist to know this, knows that this translation was in the making for nearly ten years, and that the now lame-duck ICEL translation was considered merely temporary from the very beginning. What is Roberts trying to get across by being so blatantly dishonest?

It should be obvious to everyone. The point of Roberts' criticism isn't exclusively focused on the translation. The heart of his conviction is his belief that Vatican II created a new church, with a new kind of worship, and this ought to take the place of what came before. In Roberts new church there is no such thing as a distinction between priest and people. Everyone in the pew is now their own priest. To follow Roberts' logic, we must conclude that He Who before Vatican II was the same yesterday, today and forever, is now someone very different. And Tom Roberts likes it that way, and wants to call it Catholicism.

Hypocrisy and dishonesty is the only way to promote his new religion, and he knows it. So did Bugnini.

Wassail for the Octave of Christmas!

2011-12-30T11:34:00.004-05:00

The Christmas Home Altar

For traditional Catholics, the celebration of Christmas is still in full swing, and really doesn't come to an end until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. The decorations will still be hung and greatly appreciated until at least the 6th. We will keep our Christmas home altars and nativities throughout the whole season of Epiphany, until February 1st (the Feast of St. Ignatius), the day before the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As superstition has it, it is bad luck to have Christmas decorations still out on February 2nd. I've been told by some old-timers, that for each Christmas decoration still out on February 2nd, an equal number of goblins will play havoc on the home throughout the year, so it is very important to look into every corner, into every nook and cranny of the home, to make sure there aren't some neglected decoration or piece of tinsel left behind.

Until then, however, we celebrate the Birth of our Saviour, who has come to set us free. This is truly a time of great celebration. This weekend we will celebrate the Octave of the Nativity. The crowning of the Christmas Octave is especially a time to spend with family and friends, spreading good cheer and the warmth of this blessed and wonderful season.

Nothing helps more in spreading the good cheer and warmth of the season like the Wassailing Bowl. Here's a very good recipe for Wassail that has brought me a lot of good cheer and a lot of warmth for many a Christmas Season. Enjoy!

Wassail:

In a large crock pot mix:
-4 quarts apple cider
-2 cups pinapple juice
-1 cup honey
Float on top:
-6 sticks cinnamon
-4 whole cloves
-2 unpeeled oranges, sliced into rings

Cook on low for 4 hours (or on high for 2 hours). When cooked, remove oranges, cloves and cinnamon sticks, strain, and then return to crock pot to keep warm on low. Keep the lid on the crock pot.

In a good wassailing glass or mug, pour one and a half ounces of brandy, and pour wassail in over the brandy. Garnish with a cinnamon stick (optional).

(One need not use brandy. It still tastes great without it.)

(For an extra treat, take the rinds of the oranges you don't use, a handful of pine needles from under the Christmas tree, a couple of cloves, some powered cinnamon or an extra cinnamon stick, a pinch of nutmeg, a drop each of vanilla, mint and lemon extract in a pot. Fill up with water, and simmer on the stove as a holiday potpourri.)

May the rest of your Christmastide be filled with the grace and love that comes only from Jesus Christ.

TradNews Roundup

2011-12-23T18:00:00.002-05:00

*The things of this world are passing away. Why worry yourself?

Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas

Christmas Greetings 2011

2011-12-20T20:23:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is sending and receiving Christmas cards. With the blog going strong, I’ve gotten some Christmas greetings from some unexpected and new friends, and I thought it would be nice to share with you some of the Christmas (and Holiday) greetings I’ve gotten this year. (Actually that’s not true at all… but, oh well; I hope this helps to brighten your season, nonetheless.)

Pope Benedict XVI: “Please interpret this Christmas Season with the hermeneutic of reform in continuity, or you may consult an approved theologian or George Weigel, if he’s available. Thanks.”

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf: “Merry [from the Old English myrige, meaning ‘pleasing or agreeable’, it has nothing at all to do with wymyn priests] Christmas [the day we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ; and no, National Catholic Fishwrap, it is not OK to drop the ‘Christmas’!]”

Roger Cardinal Mahoney: “May the Spirit of this Christmas Season liturgically dance its way into your heart.”

Michele Bachmann: “Have a very Merry Christmas and a very closed border.”

Mitt Romney: “Just because I’m not Christian doesn’t mean that I can’t be conservative or enjoy the Holidays too!”

Glenn Beck: “This is HUGE news. This quite possibly changes everything. (Pat: ‘yeah, big, big game changer, Glenn’) and you are going to hear it from me first… December 25th is Christmas Day! (Pat: ‘wow’)”

Jeffrey Tucker: “May this time of unbridled free market capitalism fill your heart with joy!”

“Diogenes” (from CatholicCulture.org, formerly Catholic World News): “Merry Christmas… Yes, I’m still around; it’s just that I’m presently out of sardonic remarks about the bishops.”

(Former Father) John Corapi: “The BlackSheepDog says: There’s more than one way to say ‘Merry Christmas’!”

Christopher Hitchens: “If you are reading this Christmas card from me, it means that I’m dead.”

President Barack Obama: “Redistribute the Seasonal Cheer this year!” (I thought that was pretty clever… the teleprompter must have come up with it.)

Some were, well… more negative than usual…

Michael Dimond: “You may NOT have a merry Christmas unless you read our website and agree with everything we say about Christmas.”

Bishop Williamson: “How can you have a merry Christmas if you think 2+2=5??”

Ron Paul: “Just because Jesus was born in modern day Palestine doesn’t mean we have to get involved over there.”

Bill Maher: “I hate your blog. I hate Christmas. I hate Christians. And I especially hate Catholics.”

Bill Donohue: “I hate everybody that hates Christmas and Catholics.”

Phil Lawler: “We’re trying to have a Merry Christmas in Boston, but it’s hard given the present Church leadership.”

Mark Shea: “Have a better Christmas than John Corapi, my little sycophants!”

Newt Gingrich: “Go get a job right after you take a bath… and have yourself a merry little Christmas then!”

I have to admit, these Christmas wishes seemed more like shameless self-promotions to me…

Laura Ingraham: “Brighten this Christmas Season by giving your friends and family copies of my new book, Of Thee I Zing!”

Raymond Arroyo: “What Laura said! And while you’re at it, buy them the book I wrote about Mother Angelica too!”

Bishop Taylor of Little Rock: “I hate your blog, but I don’t think that should stop you from buying a glossy of me. Why deny your home my charming smile? By the way, I speak Spanish.”

Jeff Mirus: “You can’t comment on this Christmas card unless you give me some money.”

Rod Blagojevich: “All I want for Christmas is my… third trial. Come on people? What did I do to get on the naughty list??”

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming: “Celebrate Christmas this year with Mystic Monk Coffee.” (That was actually a real Christmas greeting from the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Wyoming.)

And finally this little gem:

Bishop Fellay: “Don’t worry… we rejected it.”

TradNews Roundup

2011-12-17T19:08:00.003-05:00

*Only one news story bears mention this week, and it is the truth about Fr. Laurent Demets, FSSP, whose good name has been ran through the mud by an out of control, hateful man who happens to be a bishop.

Please hop over to The Remnant Newspaper to read what really happened to this good and holy priest, how the bishop not only railroaded Fr. Demets, but also the parents of and the child at the center of the controversy.

Bishop Taylor certainly has earned himself the title: Most Despicable Bishop of the Month (I may make that a regular post on Ars Orandi!)

What Sedevacantists have in common with Neo-Catholic Conservatives

2011-12-12T20:47:00.007-05:00

Please take a few moments to read Fr. Gherardini's response to Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz Braña' article in L’Osservatore Romano.

Of particular note is his explanation of how modern's have "absolutized" the Magisterium of the Church:

One thing, nevertheless, is indisputable: nothing in the world, the container of created things, has the gift of absoluteness. Everything is in flux, in a circuit of reciprocal interdependencies, and therefore everything is contingent, everything has a beginning and will have an end: “Mutantur enim,” the great Augustine used to say, “ergo creata sunt.” [“For they change, and therefore they are created.”] The Church is no exception, not her Tradition, not her Magisterium. It is a matter of sublime realities at the top of the scale of all creaturely values, endowed with dizzying qualities, but always penultimate realities. The eschaton, the final reality, is God and Him alone.

Immersed in the Trinitarian moment of her design, the Church exists and operates in time as the sacrament of salvation. The theandric character that makes her a mysterious continuation of Christ is not disputed, nor her constitutive properties (unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity), nor her structure and service, but all this is still within a this-worldly reality that is enabled to mediate the divine presence sacramentally, but always as a reality of this world, which by definition, therefore, excludes the absolute.

It must be said first of all that the Magisterium is not a super-Church that imposes judgments and guidelines on the Church itself; nor is it a privileged caste above the people of God, a sort of powerful authority that you have to obey and that’s that. It is a service, a diakonia. But also a task to be carried out, a munus, specifically the munus docendi [teaching office] that cannot and must not place itself above the Church from which and through which it comes into existence and operates. From the subjective point of view, it coincides with the teaching Church, the pope and the bishops united with the pope, insofar as she officially proposes the Faith. From the operative point of view, it is the instrument with which this function is carried out.

Here, I think, is where the Neo-Catholic Conservatives and the sedevacantists are surprisingly similar to each other. Both fall into the same error of making the Church's Magisterium into an absolute. Whatever the Magisterium says must be accepted, no matter the nature of the pronouncements.

The sedevacantist rightly sees the obvious contradictions between the modern Magisterium and the previous Magisterium and concludes that the seat is vacant and there are no validly ordained bishops. Because the sedevacantist insists that the Church's Magisterium is an absolute reality that is incapable of contradicting itself, they conclude it must no longer exist.

On the other hand, the Neo-Catholic Conservatives also notice the obvious contradictions, but unlike the sedevacantists, they refuse to deny the reality that is right before them, namely, that there is, in fact, a pope and bishops. In this way, their position is more reasonable. However, they also make the Magisterium into an absolute reality that must be obeyed down to the smallest letter, even in the face of the obvious contradictions. In order to reconcile the contradictions, the Neo-Catholic Conservative must rely on endlessly interpreting both the former Magisterium and the present Magisterium. The faith is, at best, reduced to doctrinal syllogisms, all the more ludicrous because these syllogisms completely ignore the law of non-contradiction. At worst, the faith is reduced to meaningless rhetorical sophistry, and there are many examples of this in the modern Church.

The traditionalist critique rightly avoids turning the Church's Magisterium into something it is not. In this way traditionalists avoid the pitfall occupied by both the Neo-Catholic Conservatives and the sedevacantists.

A Purgative Method of Hearing Mass During Advent

2011-12-12T12:05:00.000-05:00

A Purgative Method of Hearing Mass During Advent

To be used as a means of preparing for the Feast of Christmas in conjunction with the practice of frequent Confession.

Before Mass

Prepare for Mass by studying and praying the Propers for the day. Use whatever prayers you are accustomed to use in order to prepare for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. However, now add to your usual preparations an examination of conscience. Examine your conscience to discover a particular sin, fault or weakness that you would like to conquer by means of hearing the Mass with devotion.

Place yourself, momentarily, on the banks of the river Jordan. St. John the Baptist looks at you and commands you: "Prepare the way of the Lord!"

When the Lord comes, do you want Him to find you wallowing in this sin, fault or weakness? Will you want this stain on your soul when your Master comes to take an accounting of your soul? It is time to rid yourself of this fault or weakness! Firmly resolve to be rid of it, for the Lord is near!

The Sign of the Cross and the prayers at the foot of the altar

Meditate on the longings of the patriarchs and prophets for the Advent of the Messiah. The world in which they lived was a constant flux toward and away from the keeping of God’s commandments. How lost would the Israelites have been if they could not look forward to the coming of the Messiah that would set aright their understanding of those holy Commandments and impart to them the power to live them in such a way as to be pleasing to God.

You, like them, must now find hope in looking forward to the Advent of Christ in your heart, so that He can heal your troubled conscience, and give you rest from your labors. Pray that Christ might reign in your heart, and thereby conquer the fault or weakness that troubles you. Beg mercy and forgiveness from God along with the priest and the other ministers at the altar.

The Priest ascends to the altar and the Kyrie

Meditate on your own weakness. Beg God to grant you a complete and honest distrust of yourself and your natural powers. By your own natural powers, have you been able to overcome this fault or weakness? Why after struggling with it do you return to it, like the dog that returns to its own vomit? How many times have you received the sacraments, but to no avail in this struggle? It is because of your secret pride. You still trust in your own powers. This will never do. You will never advance far in virtue or in this particular struggle if you stubbornly cling to your own methods and your own devises. Beg God to grant you a complete and honest distrust of yourself and your natural powers.

The Epistle, Gradual and Gospel

Meditate on the infinite power and majesty of God. He is capable of affecting anything and everything for you if you only ask. How deep and inscrutable is the wisdom of God. How unlimited is His love for His children. Jesus, Our Blessed and Adorable Lord, came as the Babe of Bethlehem to live as our Good Shepherd for thirty-three years. How He sought through all those thorn strewn ways for His lost sheep, even to the shedding the very last drop of His Precious Blood! What will this infinitely powerful and indelibly loving Lord not do for you if you at this moment cry out to Him for help? Will He not lift you up on His shoulders and carry you back to the flock? Pray that God might grant you an unquestioning trust in Him, and in Him alone.

The Offertory

So weak and small are you in your own devises, you can’t even hear this Mass without fruit or benefit if God should withhold His grace from you. But this God came to you as a mere Babe. He was a Child in His mother’s arms, a most adorable and lovely Child, mild, sweet, and kind. He who considered equality with God something not to be grasped at, now at this moment is about to stoop down again. He does so to visit you, and He does so to grant your desires. Having complete distrust in yourself, but total confidence in this all-powerful, yet loving, Lord, offer to Him the weakness or fault that troubles you. At His first coming, He came as a gentle Child, so as to draw all men of good will and humble heart to Him. Now He comes to you in the Mass as a gentle physician to make you whole.

The Sanctus and Canon

The night sky has not yet broken open with the joyous chorus of the angelic voices, nor has Gabriel visited the shepherds who keep their lonely watch in silence and sorrow. As the ringing of the sanctuary bells fades, and the last echo of the chanted Sanctus diminishes, this same silence, endured by the shepherds, now falls on your soul. How poor and destitute you are as you wait and watch. In your heart cry out for deliverance; cry out for your Messiah, just as the poor shepherds frequently did in their own hearts as they kept their silent watch.

At the Consecrations

Christ is born in the humble stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger filled with straw. The straw represents His coming sufferings on Calvary. Your Lord has come, pricked first by the straw in a manger, then later by the nails of the Cross, to deliver you! To heal you! To make you a son of God! What a gift this is! Adore Him under the appearances of bread and wine. Worship Him Who has come to you at this very moment. Is there any mercy He will hold back from you when He has given you His very own Flesh and Blood?

The Líbera nos and fraction and the commingling of the Sacred Body and Blood

The moment is quickly approaching for you to take the medicine of eternal life. Christ Our Lord has made of Himself a perfect offering for you and for your deliverance from what troubles you. Meditate on the price He paid. Think about the scourging, His crown of thorns, the nails that pierced His precious flesh, and the agony He endured for three hours on the Cross. He suffered for your salvation, and He suffered that you might live in Him and with Him.

The Agnus Dei

The divine plan was not completed in Our Blessed Lord’s first Advent. Rather the divine plan will be completed definitively at the end of time, when on that last and dreadful day Jesus Christ will return like the lightening that flashes from one end of the sky to the other. He will come in might and power, and His coming will bring joy for the elect, but dread for those who have forsaken Christ, ignored Christ, and disowned His gift of sanctifying and actual grace.

Christ comes to you now as a gentle and kind physician, and He will heal you of this weakness or fault if you but have total confidence in Him and distrust of yourself. However, man’s secret pride is always a force to be reckoned with. It insinuates itself, tricks the soul, and causes despair after it succeeds in leading you back into sin. You are about to receive the heavenly medicine for your soul, but stoke a fiery fear in your heart of returning once more to trust of self, and thereby fall again into this weakness or fault.

At Communion

Ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to lend you her Immaculate Heart, and then beg her to pray that you might be filled with the Holy Ghost. Receive the Lord actually or spiritually, and quiet your mind. It is Christ that acts in you so that you might be pleasing to God. He will shape your will and conscience. Allow Him to do so in peace. Place yourself before the manager, the manager from which you have fed on the Bread of Life, and listen to the Babe of Bethlehem.

The Prayers during the Ablutions

You now possess in your heart the Lord of the Universe who has come to you with all the power of the infinite God and all the love of the Good Shepherd. Beg Him to keep you in His graces, to open your mind and heart to the teachings of Holy Mother Church, and to order your life and circumstances to afford you a victory over this particular sin, fault or weakness.

The Dismissal, Blessing and Last Gospel

The combat is not now over. It will not be over until you breathe your last breath. However, that is not the end. There is an eternal reward for those who have fought well and eternal damnation for those who were cowards in the spiritual combat. If you have asked earnestly, God has certainly given you the graces necessary to be victorious. However, you must still cooperate with Him, and God endeavors to perfect you by trying you like gold is tried by fire.

Do not be discouraged if you should fall or give into weakness. God permits man to fall in proportion to his pride. If you commit this fault or fall into this weakness again, immediately probe your consciousness, entreat the Lord to enlighten you and encourage your distrust of self and increase your dependence on Him. God has allowed you to fall so that you might discover your hidden pride. Do not trouble yourself, but quickly and peacefully return to your former practice, seek the consolation of forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession, and return with ardor and devotion to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The first Advent of Christ was preceded by long wanderings in the desert, wars, dissension, and exiles. Why should you consider yourself entitled to anything else? Prepare yourself by the sustaining graces afforded to you by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and frequent Confession. By steadily endeavoring on this path, walking it in unity with the sufferings of Christ, Who leads us by His own example, you will attain the victory.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

2011-12-12T03:00:00.001-05:00

Advent Embertide: Winter Ember Days

2011-12-11T18:00:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of this week are the Advent Ember Days. Ember Days are days of fasting and partial abstinence, now voluntary under the new code of canon law. I urge you to read this excellent presentation and explanation of Ember Days.

Ember Days are great ways to mark the change of the natural seasons, and to thank God for all that He has done for us, for the plenty of the earth, and the beauty of the world He created. It seems like everyone around us is so concerned about the earth, the ecosystem, the environment, and "going green", but so few even try to appreciate the Creator. It is a shame that Ember Days are now all but abandoned by the faithful. They provide the opportunity to appreciate and sacrifice for the God who has so graced us, and thus to see the real beauty and majesty of God’s good earth.

Advent Embertide is especially a time of reflection and silence, especially as in many places the weather has grown cold and we are forced inside close to the hearth. This time of reflection is the best way for us to make those final preparations in our hearts and souls for the Coming of Our Blessed Lord at Christmas. May these days be especially blessed for you and yours.

Our friends at Rorate Coeli have posted an excellent essay by Michael P. Foley concerning the meaning of ember days and their significance. Please take a moment to click over and read.

THE GLOW OF THE EMBER DAYS

"...My point is not to deny the validity of these anxieties, but to lament the neo-pagan framework into which they are more often than not put. Modern man is such a mess that when he finally recovers a love of nature, he does so in a most unnatural manner. Both the early modern antipathy to nature and the late modern idolatry of it stand in dire need of correction, a correction that the Church is well poised to provide. As Chesterton quipped, Christians can truly love nature because they will not worship her. The Church proclaims nature’s goodness because it was created by a good and loving God and because it sacramentally reflects the grandeur of God’s goodness and love.

"The Church does this liturgically with its observance of the “Four Seasons,” the Embertides. Celebrating the Ember days does not, of course, provide ready solutions to the world’s complicated ecological difficulties, but it is a good refresher course in basic first principles. The Ember days offer an intelligent alternative to pantheist environmentalism, and they do so without being contrived or pandering, as a new Catholic “Earth Day” or some such thing would undoubtedly be.

"It is a shame that the Church unwittingly let the glow of Embertide die at the precise moment in history when their witness was needed the most, but it is a great boon that Summorum Pontificum makes their celebration universally accessible once again. What remains is for a new generation to take up their practice with a reinvigorated appreciation of what they mean. At least then we’ll know why we are so furious."

Several Excellent Methods: Eleven

2011-12-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Several Excellent Methods of Hearing Mass
by Lady Lucy Herbert

A Manner of Hearing Mass,
In Honour of the Incarnation and Nativity of our Saviour; to be used on the 25th of each Month, that being the Day of the Month that Jesus Christ was incarnate, and born for Love us.

click to enlarge

The Adoration of the Shepherds by Abraham Bloemaert, 1612

At the Beginning of the Mass

When the priest descends the steps of the altar, reflect how the world had been irrecoverably lost, if the Word of God had not been pleased to descend from heaven into the womb of the Blessed Virgin, and become man to redeem us from eternal misery.

Render thanks to the most Blessed Trinity, for being pleased to make use of so admirable a means to work our Salvation. Thank God the Father for loving the world so much as to give his only Son for it. Thank God the Son for abasing himself so far, as to clothe himself with our flesh, and subject himself to our miseries. Thank God the Holy Ghost for operating this so admirable a mystery; and for forming the Blessed Virgin's purest blood the body of Christ, which afterwards was to be nailed for us upon a Cross.

click to enlarge

Detail from The Adoration of the Magi by Dominico Ghirlandaio, 1488

At the Gloria in Excelsis.

Reflect how all the Angels in heaven celebrated a feast at the moment the Word was incarnate; rejoicing that by that means men would fill up the vacant places, caused by the fall of Lucifer and his followers. What ought to be our joy who have so great an interest in it!

But this advantage, we must understand, regards only person of good will; that is, of a will conformable to God's will, docile to his voice, and who faithfully practice his law. Endeavour to be of that number.

At the Offertory.

Consider how Jesus Christ, from the first moment of his conception, clothed with human nature, as with sacerdotal vestments, begins his Sacrifice. My God, said he, you would have no more oblations nor victims, but you have formed me a body. Holocaust and Sacrifices are no more agreeable to you for sin; then, said I, behold I come, as it stands written at the beginning of the book. I come, my God, to do your will.

Since Jesus Christ is willing to be immolated for your sins, conceive a firm hope to obtain remission of them; beg him to offer himself again for those you have lately committed, that you may obtain pardon for them, and the grace of a sincere repentance and contrition.

Grieve that it was not in your power to consecrate yourself to Almighty God from the first moment that your soul animated your body. At least, offer yourself now to Jesus Christ, united to him as a member of his mystical body; and resolve to sacrifice the remainder of your life to the accomplishment of his divine will.

At the Canon of the Mass.

Call to mind the longing desires of the Patriarchs and Prophets, to see the Messiah, and the continual sighs sent up to heaven to beg him to hasten his coming. Join yours to theirs, and press our Saviour to descend upon the altar, saying with those holy souls, O heaven, grant us the just man we expect; he will be to us as a refreshing dew, and will render our souls fruitful of all good works.

At the Consecration.

At the very moment that the priest pronounces the words of Consecration, imagine how the angels in great numbers descend with the Lord King: We announce to you great joy, for this day your Saviour is born for you.

Acknowledge him and adore him under the appearance of bread and wine. It is the same God whom the Blessed Virgin held in her arms, wrapt in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

At the Division of the Host.

When the priest parts the Host, call to mind the painful circumcision of our Saviour. See how at the same moment that he takes the name Jesus, he does the office, shedding his blood for our salvation. Desire ardently to receive that Sacred Blood into your heart, one drop of it is capable to sanctify the whole world. Reflect what may be the reason why, after having so often received it, you remain still the same.

At the Agnus Dei.

Reflect that it is not without mystery that Jesus Christ is born in a stable, which is to signify that there is no heart, however poor and vile it be, which he disdains to enter, provided it desires his coming, and disposes itself for the same. Secondly, reflect that he is the Lamb of God who was sacrificed on the Cross for our sins, and is desirous, on the altar of our heart, to offer himself again to his Eternal Father for the same end.

Prepare yourself for this Divine Victim, that your soul may be fed with the Body and Blood of the Innocent Lamb.

At the End of Mass.

After having received him really or spiritually, entertain your Divine Saviour, and beg him to remain hidden in your heart as he was at Nazareth, that so he may help you to labour and work as he did his blessed parents; and work with you joining his hand to yours, without which, acknowledge that nothing will be done well.

Resolve as much as he shall, by his grace enable you, to be watchful, and careful to secure him from the persecutions which daily and hourly will be raised against him, attempting at his life: For sin, as well as Herod, seeks to destroy him. See how you may defend him, and arm yourself against that monster.

Guéranger: The Advent Ember Days

2011-12-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

Below is the entry for Advent Ember days in Dom Guéranger's The Liturgical Year. He begins by writing: "Today the Church begins the fast of Quatuor Tempora..." If only this were true in our day and age!

The practice of the Ember days was for many years prior to the Second Vatican Council seldom, if ever, practiced, having fallen into disuse in many places. After the Second Vatican Council they were completely forgotten in a Church governed by the predominate attitudes of the day, and the various opinions of Modernism and liberalism that looked down on bodily mortification and anything that seemed disassociated with the new found "Jesus is my friend, not my Lord" spiritual and moral laxity. Worldly men, who had infiltrated the Church of Christ, wanted to bend religion into a system whose only objective was to justify sin, not forgive it, and bend man's mind to earthly things, instead of inspiring him to strive, by the grace of God, for otherworldly excellence.

The pastors of Holy Mother Church did the faithful a great disservice by watering down the Church's practices of fasting, abstinence, acts of reparation and other mortifications. It is a great injustice that, in a day and age that requires more than in any other man's resolve to war against the lusts of the flesh, the pastors of Holy Mother Church, with minds clouded by the delusions of Modernism and liberalism, have denied to the faithful sound teaching concerning those practices that are so efficacious in gaining the graces that triumph over concupiscence.

It is not just a mere coincidence that the proliferation of error and moral laxity, through which the Church has had to suffered for over a half century, came on the heels of a generation that failed to practice and hand down to their children the precious gift of the Ember days. This failure was part and parcel of a general disdain for all those methods supplied by Holy Mother Church throughout her history that, when practiced with the right interior dispositions, gain all the necessary graces for man to triumph over temptation and the weakness of the flesh. Has the world ever before suffered the degree of immodesty as it does today? Has the world ever before been plagued by the degree of impurity that it is now? Has there ever been such an absence of wise resolutions and salutary counsel as there is today in a world wherein men, women and children fiddle away their time, staring mindlessly into television sets, or chasing after one meaningless distraction after another?

As this past decade has demonstrated, painfully, the filth of the modern world has struck deeply into a Church left vulnerable by these negligent pastors. The priest sex abuse scandal is a constant reminder that the Church has fallen victim to liberalism and moral laxity. The December Ember days were traditionally linked with the ordinations that occurred on the Saturday, and these days of fast and abstinence were offered for the intention of obtaining worthy priests. However, the faithful have failed in this duty, and the affects of this failure are clearly evident in our modern Church!

Is there any time in history in which men and women of good will should embrace with zeal and enthusiasm the practice of the Ember days? Happily the ever growing interest in, and return to, traditional Catholicism has brought with it a new appreciation for the Ember days. In traditional homes and communities the Ember days have once again taken a prominent place in keeping the time of the year. Wherever they flourish, no doubt, grace will flourish for the peace and welfare of God's children.

Winter Landscape with a Church by Caspar David Friedrich, 1811

From
The Liturgical Year
by Dom Guéranger, O.S.B.

Today the Church begins the fast of Quatuor Tempora, or, as we call it, of Ember days: it includes also the Friday and Saturday of this same week. This observance is not peculiar to the Advent liturgy; it si one which has been fixed for each of the four seasons of the ecclesiastical year. We may consider it as one of those practices which the Church took from the Synagogue; for the prophet Zacharias speaks of the fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months. Its introduction into the Christian Church would seem to have been made in the apostolic times; such, at least, is the opinion of St. Leo, of St. Isidore of Seville, of Rabanus Maurus, and of several other ancient Christian writers. It is remarkable, on the other hand, that the orientals do not observe this fast.

From the first ages the Quatuor Tempora were kept, in the Roman Church, at the same time of the year as at present. As to the expression, which is not infrequently used in the early writers, of the three times and not the four, we must remember that in the spring, these days always come in the first week of Lent, a period already consecrated to the most rigorous fasting and abstinence, and that consequently they could add nothing to the penitential exercises of that portion of the year.

The intentions, which the Church has in the fast of the Ember days, are the same as those of the Synagogue; namely, to consecrate to God by penance the four seasons of the year. The Ember days of Advent are known, in ecclesiastical antiquity, as the fast of the tenth month; and St. Leo, in one of his sermons on this fast, of which the Church has inserted a passage in the second nocturn of the third Sunday of Advent, tells us that a special fast was fixed for this time of the year, because the fruits of the earth had then all been gathered in, and that it behoved Christians to testify their gratitude to God by a sacrifice of abstinence, thus rendering themselves more worthy to approach to God, the more they were detached from the love of created things. "For fasting," adds the holy doctor, "has ever been the nourishment of virtue. Abstinence is the source of chaste thoughts, of wise resolutions, and of salutary counsel. By voluntary mortification, the flesh dies to its concupiscence, and the spirit is renewed in virtue. But since fasting alone is not sufficient whereby to secure the soul's salvation, let us add to it works of mercy towards the poor. Let us make that whihc we retrench from indulgence, serve unto the exercise of virtue. Let the abstinence of him that fasts, become the meal of the poor man."

Let us, the children of the Church practice what is in our power of these admonitions; and since the actual discipline of Advent is so very mild, let us be so much the more fervent in fulfilling the precept of the fast of the Ember days. By these few exercises which are now required of us, let us keep up within ourselves the zeal of our forefathers for this holy season of Advent. We must never forget that although the interior preparation is what is absolutely essential for our profiting by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet this preparation could scarcely be real unless it manifested itself by the exterior practices of religion and penance.

The fast of the Ember days has another object besides that of consecrating the four seasons of the year to God by an act of penance: it has also in view the ordination of the ministers of the Church, which takes place on the Saturday, and of which notice was formerly given to the people during the Mass of the Wednesday. In the Roman Church, the ordination held in the month of December was, for a long time, the most solemn of all; and it would appear, from teh ancient chronicles of the Popes, that, excepting very extraordinary cases, the tenth month was, for several ages, the only time for conferring Holy Orders in Rome. The faithful should unite with the Church in this her intention, and offer to God their fasting and abstinence for the purpose of obtaining worthy ministers of the word and of the Sacraments, and true pastors of the people.

TradNews Roundup

2011-12-09T18:00:00.004-05:00

*Father Michael Rodriguez speaks about the transfer of Bishop Ochoa out of El Paso.

*The great liberal of Vatican II reveals himself as a racist? Say it isn't so! "He is black." Leave it to the "genius", Dossetti, to make such an astute observation of an African.

*Cardinal Marc Ouellet wants bishops to be theologians and apologists, but doesn't seem very concerned that they should be holy men of deep faith.

*The United States makes the promotion of homosexuality an integral part of that nation's foreign policy. Love it or leave it?

Bring it on, St. Nick!

2011-12-05T23:27:00.000-05:00

TradNews Roundup

2011-12-02T18:00:00.006-05:00

*Bishop Fellay announces that the SSPX will not accept the current "doctrinal preamble", but instead will request clarifications. His comments highlight the difficulties still incumbent.

*Archbishop Vincent Nichols never fails to disappoint. Is there any way to mistake him for nothing other than a consummate liberal? A TLM once or twice a year certainly does not make a bishop a traditionalist.

*Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz Braña takes aim at the SSPX, but does he hit the mark? He doesn't even come close in this stunning invitation to behold the emperor's fine new clothes.

*Bishop of Fr. Michael Rodriguez is given a promotion... err lateral promotion... ah, shucks! he's just been moved.

Reminder: The St. Andrew Christmas Novena Begins Today

2011-11-30T17:36:00.003-05:00

My family has recited the Christmas novena for a few years now, and I can personally attest to how efficacious and uplifting this novena is. It helps those who pray it grow in appreciation for the ineffable gift of the Incarnation, and the gentle humility of Our Blessed Lord. As a family prayer, it encompasses like no other personal devotion the spirit of Advent.

The St. Andrew Christmas Novena is named such because it begins on St. Andrew's day, and ends on Christmas Eve. The following prayer is said fifteen times daily. Using your rosary beads helps count out the prayers. Simply start with the bead right next to the crucifix and use the beads all the way through the first decade to count out the fifteen repetitions. One should always direct their mind toward He Whom the prayer addresses. The subject of the prayer is the moment in which Jesus Christ was born in the stable at Bethlehem, so the minds eye should picture this sweat and humble scene, the poverty Our Blessed Lord, the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, and the indescribable love of God who would become like us in all things but sin in order to work our redemption.

Pray this prayer fifteen times:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [you may add a special intention here] through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

Breaking News regarding the SSPX

2011-11-29T20:29:00.002-05:00

A complete and close translation of Andrea Tornielli article can be read here. The interview with Bishop Fellay can be read here at Dici.

It appears that Bishop Fellay will ask for clarifications if not substantial changes to the Doctrinal Preamble. As Tornielli commented, the game is still on, and the ball is now in the Vatican's hands.

The Blessing of the Advent Wreath

2011-11-27T18:00:00.000-05:00

(From Catholic Tradition.)

For use in the Catholic home.

Father or Head of Household: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who hath made Heaven and earth.

Father: Let us pray. O God, by Whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth Thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces. Through Christ Our Lord.

All: Amen.

(Sprinkles wreath with holy water.)

The father reads the prayer or the chosen Scripture passage [usually the lesson from the corresponding Sunday of Advent] for the first week, then holds up the youngest child to light the first candle, which is also lighted all through the week when the family gathers in the room with the wreath.

Two candles are lit by the oldest child the second week, three the third by the mother, four the fourth by the father. You may select the Advent Sunday Collects from the traditional Roman Missal.

In families where there are many children it is impossible to satisfy all who want to light candles since there are only four Sundays in Advent. They can take turns lighting the candles during the week. They are never lighted unless an adult is present. Every week as another candle is lit, the light around the wreath grows bigger which means that the birthday of the Light of the World is coming soon. On Christmas Day many families place a white candle, for Christ, in the center of the wreath. [In my family, we call this the "Jesus Candle", and it is used after Christmas season as the center piece for our dinning room table.]
____________

Another Advent Wreath Ritual for the home from Fisheaters.

The Day Before Advent Blessing of the Wreath

Father: O God, by whose word all things are sanctified, pour forth Thy blessing upon this wreath, and grant that we who use it may prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and may receive from Thee abundant graces. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

First Sunday of Advent

As Mother lights the 1st candle

Scripture (John 1:1-5; Psalm 49:2-5, 71:2-8, 8-15)

Father: In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. In him was life: and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness: and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Out of Sion the loveliness of his beauty. God shall come manifestly: our God shall come, and shall not keep silence. A fire shall burn before him: and a mighty tempest shall be round about him. He shall call heaven from above, and the earth, to judge his people. Gather ye together his saints to him: who set his covenant before sacrifices.

Give to the king thy judgment, O God: and to the king's son thy justice: To judge thy people with justice, and thy poor with judgment. Let the mountains receive peace for the people: and the hills justice. He shall judge the poor of the people, and he shall save the children of the poor: and he shall humble the oppressor. And he shall continue with the sun, and before the moon, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth. In his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken sway. And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the poor from the mighty: and the needy that had no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy: and he shall save the souls of the poor. He shall redeem their souls from usuries and iniquity: and their names shall be honourable in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, for him they shall always adore: they shall bless him all the day.

Blessing

Father: Stir up Thy power, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and come: that from the threatening dangers of our sins we may deserve to be rescued by Thy protection, and to be saved by Thy deliverance. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. R. Amen. Father: Alleluia, alleluia. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam, et salutare tuum da nobis. Amen. (Alleluia, alleluia. Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy; and grant us Thy salvation. Alleluia.)

Second Sunday of Advent

As Mother lights the 1st and 2nd candles in order

Scripture (Isaias 11:1-10)

Father: And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears. But he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: land he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. And justice shall be the girdle of his loins: and faith the girdle of his reins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb: and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the calf and the lion, and the sheep shall abide together, and a little child shall lead them. The calf and the bear shall feed: their young ones shall rest together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp: and the weaned child shall thrust his hand into the den of the basilisk. They shall not hurt, nor shall they kill in all my holy mountain, for the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the covering waters of the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious.

Blessing

Father: Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way of Thine only-begotten Son: that through His coming we mat attain to serve Thee with purified minds. Who liveth and reigneth, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. R. Amen

Father: Alleluia, alleluia. Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi: in domum Domini ibimus. Alleluia. (Alleluia, alleluia. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go unto the house of the Lord. Alleluia.)

Third Sunday of Advent

As Mother lights the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd candles in order

Scripture (Isaias 9:2, 6-7, 40:3-5, 52:7, 7:14-15)

Father: The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light is risen.

For a CHILD IS BORN to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see, that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken.

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, and that preacheth peace: of him that sheweth forth good, that preacheth salvation, that saith to Sion: Thy God shall reign! Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel. He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good.

Blessing

Father: Incline Thine ear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to our petitions: and, by the grace of Thy visitation, enlighten the darkness of our minds. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. R. Amen.

Father: Alleluia, alleluia. Excita, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni ut salvos facias nos. Alleluia. (Alleluia, alleluia. Stir up, O Lord, Thy might, and come to save us. Alleluia.)

Fourth Sunday of Advent

As Mother lights all the candles in order

Scripture (Luke 1:24-33, 2:1-6; Apocalypse 22:20)

Father: And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.

And it came to pass that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria. And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David. To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child. And it came to pass that when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

He that giveth testimony of these things, saith, Surely I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Blessing

Father: O Lord, we beseech Thee, stir up Thy power, and come, and with great might succor us: that by the help of Thy grace that which is hindered by our sins may be hastened by Thy merciful forgiveness: Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. R. Amen.

Father: Alleluia, alleluia. Veni, Domine, et noli tardare: relaxa facinora plebis tuae Israel. Alleluia. (Alleluia, alleluia. Come, O Lord, and tarry not: forgive the sins of Thy people Israel. Alleluia.)

Before and After

2011-11-27T07:11:00.001-05:00

I have before and after photos of another church to share. This is Saint Patrick's church, Dublin, Ontario, Canada. This church was built in 1900, and has a unique style for this area, as it was built in more of an Italianate style as compared to the more popular Gothic Revival of those days.

Here is a photo of the original interior

In the 1950's the sanctuary was changed. This is how a lot of churches were wrecked, bit by bit.

And here is a photo of Saint Patrick's as it appears today

Method of Hearing Low Mass during the Season of Advent

2011-11-26T09:45:00.001-05:00

The Last Judgment by Jacob van Campen, circa 1625

Preparations

Be sure to review and pray the Propers for the day’s Mass the night before or early in the morning before Mass, paying particular attention to the epistle or lesson and the Gospel. Jesus speaks to us through the Scriptures, and Holy Mother Church provides us important lessons for our spiritual growth in this season of Advent. Read the life of the saint of the day if it is a day commemorating a particular saint in the calendar. The more familiar we are with the lessons and prayers chosen for the day by Holy Mother Church, the more fruitful will be our mediations in this method.

Read through the method carefully before Mass so that during Mass you need only glance at it to remind you of the meditations contained herein.

Before Mass: Meditation on the Threefold Advent of Christ

In the season of Advent Our Blessed Lord through the agency of His Church draws our minds and hearts to contemplate His threefold coming or advent. Jesus comes to us in three different times and in three different ways. The first coming is in the flesh in all its human weakness except sin. This coming is commemorated in the Church calendar by the feasts of the Annunciation and the Nativity of the Lord on Christmas day. In the second coming, He comes to each one of us individually and personally in spirit and in the power of His grace. This coming is symbolized in a most special way by our observance of Christmas. His third coming is in His majesty, when His glory will be made manifest on that terrible day at the end of time. Advent is a time when we look back at Our Blessed Lord’s incarnation, prepare a place in our hearts for His coming in our daily lives, and look forward with holy fear to that terrible day that will come like a thief in the night.

At the Sign of the Cross

The Mass has begun in reverence and quiet solemnity. Notice that the priest is vested in violet, the color of sorrow and penance. However, in Advent the sorrow and penance is one born of expectation, like the expectant mother who when drawing close to her time, longs ardently for day she can finally hold and gaze lovingly into the eyes of her child. So is the expectation we have when we say the Holy Name of God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, with the priest. We long for the time when we will possess and be possessed of the God of our desire.

Prayers at the foot of the altar

Call to mind the longing expectation of the Hebrew people for the Messiah. Recall how Abraham and the patriarchs and the prophets looked forward with steadfast faith to the day God would send the Anointed One to take possession of His people. Contemplate the travails of the Hebrew people, enslaved in Egypt, taken captive and led into exile. Make their prayers for deliverance your own, you who are enslaved by sin, captured by concupiscence and temptations, and are in exile from your native home with God. How you desire the advent of your Savior!

The Priest ascends to the altar

As the priest ascends to the altar and he recites the introit, call to mind how God tried his people in the desert. Think upon how the prophets were tried by the hardheartedness of the people in their times. Our lives are filled with trials and tribulations that God allows us to endure so that we might use them to prepare for His coming in our hearts and at the end of time. Offer up one these many trails in our life and ask God to sanctify it.

The Kyrie

At the Kyrie join the priest in supplications for mercy, the same as those of good will did on that night Christ was born Bethlehem. Many in Israel were looking forward with expectation to the coming of the Messiah. Join yourself spiritually with the expectations of Simeon and Anna, who prayed night and day for the coming of the Messiah, and soon, like them, God will grant your request at Communion.

The Collect

At the Collect recall the birth of Jesus in the stable of Bethlehem, and how he came in weakness and simplicity to converse with men. Recall the treasures He left behind that has been passed on by the Church’s Apostolic teaching and the Holy Scriptures which are about to be proclaimed and offered back to God in the Mass. Pray that God might increase your faith in the incarnation, and that He might stir up a fire your breast to cherish the ineffable gift of the Father, which is His very Son.

At the Epistle, Gradual and Gospel

The Church’s Apostolic teaching and the Holy Scriptures are the fruits of Jesus’s first Advent. Thus, they are precious treasures that demand our full attention if we are to love Christ as we desire. Especially blessed are you if the priest gives you some brief instruction about the day’s readings. However, as is often common during low Mass, there may not be a homily or sermon. Nevertheless, the fruit of the Holy Scriptures is not wasted if only each person reads them with faith and love. Recall what you read in preparation for today’s Mass. Contemplate one or two lessons contained in the readings for the day, and if there is a saint for the day, reflect on how that saint personified some one or two of these lessons. If the Gospel relates some episode from Our Blessed Lord’s life, it is always beneficial for one to use his imagination to place himself into the Gospel scene.

During the Offertory

The priest presents the bread and wine that will soon become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, Who desires to visit a well-disposed heart. This is the Second Advent, which He accomplishes in spirit and the power of grace. It is a quiet coming, a happy one, the visit of a devoted, trusted and loving friend. As the priest prepares the gifts, meditate upon how Our Blessed Lord stands at the door knocking. Prepare your soul to receive the Lord and Master who now comes to sup with you in friendship and happiness. Reflect on the gentle manner He took with His friends at His first Advent, especially His concern for the bride and groom in Cana that they should have enough wine for their joyous occasion. Meditate on the love He had for His friend Lazarus, a love that brought the Son of God, the Lord of Majesty, Power and Might, to shed tears for His friend.

The Preface

At the Preface the priest exclaims with the acclamations of the people, how fitting it is that we should give God thanksgiving and praise, to join our hearts and minds with the praise and adoration of the dominations and powers, with the choirs of angels in the heavenly throne room. How fitting it is that at this moment in the Mass we join the angels in heaven in giving thanks and adoration to the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We are now approaching the consummation of the Sacrifice, the greatest of all fruits of Our Blessed Lord’s first Advent, which will soon come to us in the second.

At the Sanctus

Pray the words of the Sanctus either in Latin or in translation, and by doing so, make ready the way of the Lord to your soul.

Before and during the Consecration

Immediately after earnestly praying the Sanctus, turn your mind’s eye to the suffering of Jesus in the garden. In turns, paced by the prayers at the altar, meditate upon Jesus’s various travails: His sorrow at being betrayed by a friends and being abandoned by His companions; His mistreatment by His own people in the house of the High Priest; His mocking in the palace of the miscreant, Herod; His scourging and contemptible treatment at the hands of Pilate’s men; His sham of a trial; His anguish pain suffered under the weight of the Cross. Jesus needed not to be purged of sin, but rather He endured these sufferings at His first Advent to purge us of ours. Make His sufferings your own. Place yourself at this time as the one betrayed and abandoned, beaten and scourged, crowned with thorns, and tortured along the way of the Cross. These sufferings are what you deserve for your life of sin. Ardently ask Our Blessed Lord the grace to suffer in reparation for your sins so that you might make clean a place for Him to come and dwell.

At the Elevations

As the sanctuary bells ring and the priest lifts high the Consecrated Host, the Body of Christ, and the Chalice of His Precious Blood, see the Cross raised up by the soldiers, and Our Blessed Lord in anguish hung upon it. He suffered for you that you might be made clean by the shedding of His blood. Say as you adore Him Who now comes among us under the veil of an appearance of bread and wine, “My Lord and My God” and “Mercy on me, O Lord” and “May the Blood Christ wash me clean of all my iniquities.

During the Prayers after the Consecration, the Pater Noster and Agnus Dei

Now that the oblation of the victim has been accomplished, remain in mediation at the foot of Cross. Our adorable Jesus, now bloodied and suffering, looks down from the terrible throne of His first Advent, His throne, which is the cross, and He sets His gaze upon you. It is not the gaze of a judge, but of a physician who pierces your soul as though with a spiritual scalpel. Allow Him to reveal to you your inner most thoughts and desires. He knows you better than you know yourself. Depend on the Lord to reveal to you at this time what are your strengths and weaknesses, your failings and triumphs. If you ask Him with a childlike confidence to mend what is broken, Jesus will affect this, and make ready His second coming.

The Priest’s Communion

When the bells ring signifying the priest’s Communion, know that your time is at hand when the second Advent of our Lord will be accomplished in your person. It is a laudable practice that the second Confiteor is still often said at this point of the Mass. If it is, pray the Confiteor with the ministers at the altar. If it is not said, beg the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy in your own words.

The People’s Communion

It is a laudable and recommended practice to receive sacramental Communion at Mass. To receive Holy Communion while in a state of grace is the most perfect form of active participation. However, it should be desired even more so during this Season of Advent, as Holy Communion is the consummation of Christ’s second Advent in spirit. Ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to lend you her Immaculate Heart, and receive the Lord in Communion. Christ now reigns in your heart as King, but also as friend.

If you are not to receive Our Blessed Lord sacramentally, make a spiritual communion at this time.

At the Ablutions

Christ has come and dwells in your heart, but this second Advent is but a preparation for His third and final Advent. A type of this third Advent happens for each man at the time of death. At the moment of death everyone will stand before the Judge Who will make an account of the state of everyone’s soul. Take this opportunity after Communion to tremble before He who is mild and sweet in the Eucharist, but will be terrible at the end, and reveal to Him all that you are.

From the Post-Communion Prayers to the final Blessing

Meditate now upon that third Advent wherein Christ will come at the end of time as a Judge and Avenger. Then the earth will pass away in fire, and those who have been but lukewarm or have ignored the wills of God Almighty will be cast alive into the eternal flames that will burn their flesh and spirit in unquenchable flames. You have been blessed to receive the Lord in Holy Communion, to have been purified and made whole thereby, but no man is safe from the danger of falling. Since you know not the hour of Our Blessed Lord’s final coming, fear the Lord and fear your own weakness. It is good to fear the Lord, not as someone fears a tyrant, but as a child who fears to disappoint the father whom he loves. Pray that God will grant you a distrust of yourself and your frail human nature, and that God will grant you a complete trust in Him.

The Last Gospel

In the last Gospel we are told that when Jesus came the first time, His own received Him not. However, to those that do receive them, He will give them power to be made sons of God, born not of blood, nor of the flesh, but of God. Our Blessed Lord stands at the door of men’s hearts and knocks. Open wide the door of your heart to the Lord.

TradNews Roundup

2011-11-25T18:08:00.009-05:00

*TLM at Harvard on November 30th.

*Sign the petition asking the CDF to put a stop to the Medjugorje nonsense.

*FSSP Superior to evaluate the staffing needs for the new personal parish erected in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

*Criticism of the Obama Administration's anti-Catholic policies heats up.

*Another Modernist to be made a cardinal. And the confusion just keeps swirling. Dear Holy Father, is it continuity or rupture? You say one thing, and then do the opposite. (Do you think this guy will wear clerical garb once he gets the purple piping?)

*Michael Matt on the new SSPX seminary in Virgina.

*Will a new Vatican Commission be just another example of the fox guarding the hen house?

*The Holy Father is suffering from a degenerative joint disease, arthrosis. Please continue to pray for the Holy Father.

*Nancy Pelosi tells lies about Catholics and Pro-Lifers.

*The company that made embryonic stem cell research what it is today gives up on it as the colossal scientific and business failure that it is.

*Are you a Neo-Cat? Well, the big picture of JPII in your living room is a dead give away.