Reflection for Passion Sunday

This Sunday, called Judica from the first word of the Introit, is also called Passion Sunday, because from this day the Church occupies herself exclusively with the contemplation of the passion and death of Christ. The pictures of Christ crucified are covered today in memory of his having hidden Himself from the Jews until His entrance into Jerusalem, no longer showing Himself in public. (John XI. 54.) In the Mass the Glory be to the Father, etc. is omitted, because in the person of Christ the Holy Trinity was dishonored. The psalm Judica is not said today, because on this day the high priests held council about our Lord, for which reason the Church in the name of the suffering Saviour uses these words at the Introit.

Why did Christ ask the Jews, which of them should convince Him of sin?

To show us that he who would teach and punish others, should strive to be irreproachable himself; and to prove that He, being free from sin, was more than mere man, and therefore, the Messiah, the Son of God, as He repeatedly told the Jews, especially in this day's gospel, and substantiated by His great and numerous miracles.

Why did He say: He that is of God, heareth the words of God?

To prove that the Jews on account of their stubbornness and unbelief were not the children of God, but of the devil. "Therefore," St. Gregory says, "let every one when he hears the word of God, ask himself, of whom he is. Eternal truth demands that we be desirous of the heavenly fatherland, that we tame the desires of the flesh, be indifferent to the praises of the world, covet not our neighbor's goods, and give alms according to our means. Therefore examine yourself, and if you find in your heart this voice of God, then you will know that you are of God."

CONSOLATION UNDER CALUMNY

When Christ told the Jews the truth, He received insults and calumny; they called Him a Samaritan, that is, an unbeliever, a heretic, one possessed of a devil. This was a terrible slander, and it must have pained Him exceedingly, but at the same time it is a great consolation to those who are innocently calumniated, when they consider that Christ Himself received nothing better. St. Augustine consoles such by saying: "O friend, what is there that can happen to you that your Saviour did not suffer before you? Is it slander? He heard it, when He was called a glutton, a drunkard, a heretic, and a rebel, a companion of sinners, one possessed of a devil; He even heard, when casting out devils, that He did so by Beelzebub, prince of devils." (Matt. IX. 34.) He therefore comforts His apostles, saying, If they have called the good man of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household? (Matt, X. 25.) Are the pains bitter? There is no pain so bitter that He has not endured it; for what is. more painful, and at the same time more ignominious, than the death of the cross? For think, says St. Paul, diligently upon him who endured such opposition from sinners against himself: that you be not wearied (by all contempt and calumny), fainting in your minds. (Heb. XII. 3.)

How and why did Christ defend Himself against those who slandered Hate?

Only by denying with the greatest modesty the things with which they reproached Him, saying that He had not a devil, that He was not a Samaritan, because He honored His Father not in their manner, but in His own. In repelling this calumny while He left the rest unanswered, Christ removed all doubt in regard to His divine mission, thus vindicating the honor of God, and securing the salvation of man. Christ thus teaches us by His own conduct to defend ourselves only against those detractions and insults which endanger the honor of God and the salvation of man, and then to defend ourselves with all modesty; by no means however to do it, if they injure only our own good name, for we should leave the restoration of that to God, as exemplified by Christ, who knows better than we how to preserve and restore it.

How had Abraham seen Christ's day?

In spirit, that is, by. divine revelation he foresaw the coming of Christ and rejoiced; also, he heard, by revelation from God, with the other just in Limbo, that Christ's coming had taken place, and derived the greatest comfort from it.

Learn more here: Veiling of Sacred Images in Passiontide

Why did Christ conceal Himself from the Jews, instead of taking vengeance?

Because the time of His death had not come; because He would show His meekness and patience and teach us that we should avoid our enemies rather than resist them or take vengeance on them; Christ wished to instruct us to avoid passionate and quarrelsome people, for it is an honor for a man, to separate from quarrels: but all fools are meddling with reproaches. (Prov. XX. 3.)

PETITION  When Thine enemies calumniated Thee, most meek Jesus, Thou didst answer them with tender words, and when they were about to stone Thee, Thou didst depart from them, whilst we can scarcely bear a hard word, and far from yielding to our neighbor, defend and avenge ourselves most passionately. Ah! pardon us our impatience, and grant us the grace to bear patiently the wrongs done us, and when necessary, answer with gentleness for Thy glory and the salvation of our neighbor.

Source: "The Church's Year" by Fr Leonard Goffine (19th Century)

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Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Traditional Mass Proper

INTROIT
Adore God, all you His Angels: Sion heard, and was glad: and the daughters of Juda rejoiced. Ps. The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad. V. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT - In Thine infinite goodness, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to watch over Thy household, that even as it relies solely upon the hope of Thy heavenly grace, so it may ever be defended by Thy protection. Through our Lord.

EPISTLE
Colossians 3. 12-17
Brethren: Put ye on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience: bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another: even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection: and let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body: and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by Jesus Christ our Lord.

GRADUAL
The Gentiles shall fear Thy name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory. V. For the Lord hath built up Sion: and He shall be seen in His glory.

Alleluia, alleluia. V. The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Matthew 13:31-35

At that time Jesus spoke this parable to the multitudes: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat, and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the good man of the house coming, said to him: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it cockle? And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? And he said: No, lest perhaps, gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.

OFFERTORY
Ps. 129:1-2
The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength: the right hand of the Lord hath exalted me: I shall not die, but live, and shall declare the works of the Lord.

SECRET We offer unto Thee, O Lord, the sacrifice of propitiation, that Thou mayest of Thy mercy, absolve us from our sins, and Thyself direct our inconstant hearts. Through our Lord.

COMMUNION
Luke 4. 22
All wondered at these things which proceeded from the mouth of God.

POST COMMUNION - We beseech Thee, O almighty God, that we may obtain the effect of that salvation, the pledge of which we have received in these mysteries. Through our Lord.

Sources: Saint Andrew Daily Missal and the Marian Missal , 1945

Commentary from Divine Intimacy:

The Epistle for this Sunday recalls to our mind the fundamental duty of a Christian: charity. All programs and resolutions of the spiritual life are of little value if they are not animated by love and directed to the perfection of love. Detachment, mortification, humility, and all other virtues are of little worth if they do not incline the heart to a wider, more complete and more expansive charity; not only love for God, but also for our neighbor. It is under this aspect that the Apostle speaks of charity in today's Epistle, carefully pointing out that all our relations with our neighbor should be inspired by bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience: bearing with one another and forgiving one another if any have a complaint against another. Fraternal charity is the mark of God's elect. If we do not have this distinctive mark, Jesus does not recognize us as His disciples; our heavenly Father does not love us as His children, nor will He take us into His Kingdom. The spiritual life requires the use of so many means, calls for the exercise of so many virtues that care must be taken lest we become lost in details, forgetting the love which should be the foundation and end of all. Of what value is the spiritual life, consecration to God, or even the vows of religion, if they do not help the soul to tend to the perfection of love?

Consider the perfect love which the Apostle asks us to have for our neighbor and that love which leaves no room for division or dissensions, which overcomes strife and forgets offenses. This is a long-suffering charity which makes every sacrifice and overcomes all difficulties in order to be in harmony with all, because we form "one body" in Christ because we are all children of the same Heavenly Father.

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Video: Mass within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception

A low Traditional Latin Mass, celebrated according to the St. Pius X rubrics (pre 1955 changes) by Fr. Julian Larrabee at St. Gertrude the Great Catholic Church, West Chester, Ohio. The school choir sings all the unchanging parts of the Mass. The Mass was celebrated within the Octave of the Immaculate Conception.

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Last Gospels Other Than John 1:1-14

For those Catholics familiar with the Traditional Roman Liturgy, the Last Gospel is a common element of the Mass.  The Last Gospel is the passage from the Gospel according to St. John in chapter 1, verses 1 to 14 inclusive, where Jesus is described as the Word-Man-Flesh. It is so named the Last Gospel because of its place in the Liturgy - namely, at the conclusion of the Mass.

The text of the Last Gospel is perhaps best known for its opening lines: In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum... (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...)

Reading of the Last Gospel by Servus Tuus

But can the Last Gospel change?

Yes.  In one example, the third Mass on Christmas Day there is no Last Gospel recited since the Gospel from the Mass is of John 1:1-14 already. However, this is according to the 1962 rubrics.  Before 1954, the Gospel of the Epiphany would have been used as the Last Gospel.

Additionally a superseded Mass (e. g. if a feast of a Saint is superseded by a Sunday) could be commemorated by, among other things, having its Gospel as Last Gospel. 

For example, on September 29, 2013, the Feast of the Archangel Michael superseded the 19th Sunday of Pentecost.  As a result, the Last Gospel could have been changed to Matthew 22:1-14, which is the Gospel of the 19th Sunday of Pentecost, if the older rubrics were used.

"The use of a different last Gospel, called a Proper Last Gospel, occurred before 1955 when the Mass of a Feast superseded (called an "occurrence" in the rubrics) either a Sunday Mass, Vigil or Feria of Lent.

"In 1955, changes were made, under the directive of Pope Pius XII, to Holy Week changes, and also to the ranking of feasts. In these changes is included the elimination of all Proper Last Gospels except for the third Mass on Christmas (when the normal Last Gospel was read at Mass, and the Gospel for the Epiphany was substituted for the Last Gospel) and for Mass on Palm Sunday which did not include the blessing of the Palms (the Gospel read before the procession with Palms was read as the Last Gospel).

"The justification for these changes was that originally the Last Gospel was a private devotion, and while it was acceptable to retain the custom of it being recited at the end of Mass, it's purpose was not to serve as a place for commemoration. Thus to replace it only on Christmas when the normal Last Gospel was said and on Palm Sunday when the Gospel for the Blessing was omitted was logical.

"With the 1960 Code of Rubrics, which incorporated the 1955 revisions into a full Codex, all Proper Last Gospels were eliminated with the exception of Palm Sunday in Masses without the blessing of Palms."

Source for Quoted Portions: Fish Eaters

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WSJ: Traditional Catholicism is Winning

Even the Wall Street Journal is noticing:

[The] aging generation of progressives continues to lobby church leaders to change Catholic teachings on reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and women's ordination. But it is being replaced by younger men and women who are attracted to the church because of the very timelessness of its teachings.

They are attracted to the philosophy, the art, the literature and the theology that make Catholicism countercultural. They are drawn to the beauty of the liturgy and the church's commitment to the dignity of the individual. They want to be contributors to that commitment—alongside faithful and courageous bishops who ask them to make sacrifices. It is time for Catholics to celebrate their arrival.

Source: "Traditional Catholicism Is Winning", Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2012, by Hendershott and White.

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Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos to Celebrate Pontifical High Mass in the Basilica of St Peter’s

PRESS RELEASE BY THE CŒTUS INTERNATIONALIS SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM
8 SEPTEMBER 2013, FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The CISP is happy to announce that His Eminence Dario, Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos will be celebrating Pontifical High Mass in the Basilica of St Peter’s on Saturday 26 October at 11 o’clock during the pilgrimage of the people of Summorum Pontificum to Rome.

Holy Mass on 26 October will allow Diocesan and Religious Priests, Seminarians, and the faithful among the people of Summorum Pontificum to show Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos their gratitude and affection for everything he has done in the service of the Church, especially at the time of the preparation of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, during which His Eminence was a witness and of which he is the living memory.

The CISP especially wishes to thank His Eminence for coming to say Mass because the 26 October is the sixty-first anniversary of his ordination to the Priesthood, which he received in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles in Rome on 26 October 1952. This Pontifical High Mass of thanksgiving at St Peter’s will be one of the central points of the Pilgrimage, during which the eternal youth of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite will be seen by all, and by means of which the people of Summorum Pontificum will contribute to the missionary zeal of the New Evangelisation.

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Multiple Canons: A Serious Consequence of Vatican II

 

The Roman Canon had been untouched since the 7th Century

For those unfamiliar with the Traditionalist movement (and even those who think they know Traditional Catholics), the common accusation applied to the Traditionalist is being a man too attached to earthly traditions.  The Traditionalist is a modern day Pharisee.  He cares for beautiful vestments, golden chalices, and ritual but he cares little (or at least less) for his neighbor and for the poor.  He is viewed as an enemy of the authentic teachings of Christ and is personified in the story of the rich man (cf. Matthew 19:16-26 ) and in the parable of the two men who enter the temple to pray (cf.  Luke 18:9-14).

Yet, this straw man depiction of the Traditionalist is entirely off point.  The Traditionalist’s end goal is not found in ornate vestments or mysterious rituals.  The Traditionalist is concerned with giving to God the utmost glory and the first of all things (cf  Matthew 6:33).  And as such, our Lord is deserving of the most ornate of vestments and the most opulent of chalices.  It is not the Traditionalist – no! – it is the Lord to whom the honor is given.

Even those familiar with the Traditional Movement, but those who are not traditionalists, will at least know of the Traditionalist’s arguments against the changes in the Liturgy.  They will have heard the Traditionalist lament the omission of kneeling in the Nicene Creed; the change of “pro multis” to “for all”; and the changes in the Rites of Confirmation, Ordination, and the Eucharist.

Yet few people realize – and few Traditionalists lament as loudly as they do the aforementioned issues – the grave consequences of introducing multiple canons into the Holy Liturgy.  

Since all time the Roman Canon had be recited by the priest silently.  The priest – in imitation of Moses – ascends to a place where the Faithful cannot venture. It is in this holy place – at the altar of God – where the priest confects the Holy Eucharist and offers to the Eternal Father the Precious Blood of His Divine and Only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the 2^nd Person of the Blessed Trinity.  This is a task of the priest alone to accomplish – the people present can offer nothing other than marvel at the mystery.

Silence is not a foreign concept to Catholics.  Catholics should be familiar with the story of ­­Elijah who heard God in the small whisper:

And he said to him: Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord: and behold the Lord passeth, and a great and strong wind before the Lord over throwing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: the Lord is not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake: the Lord is not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire: the Lord is not in the fire, and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air.And when Elias heard it, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold a voice unto him, saying: What dost thou here, Elias? And he answered.  (1 Kings 19:11-13)

Yet the Novus Ordo brought about four Eucharistic Prayers recited in the vernacular and recited loudly.  Gone was the sense of mystery.  Gone was the priest entering the holy place to pray for the people.  The Novus Ordo Liturgy has succumbed to the vision of Martin Luther - the priest is no longer seen as an alter Christus.   

The Canon is an ancient prayer.  It is for Catholics the prayer of utmost importance in the Liturgy since it is by the prayers of the Canon that the greatest miracle in the world takes place on the altar. 

Since the seventh century [the Traditional] Canon has remained unchanged. It is to St. Gregory I (590-604) the great organiser of all the Roman Liturgy, that tradition ascribes its final revision and arrangement.  (Catholic Encyclopedia)

 

In the Ambrosian Rite, during the Canon the priest will stretch out his arms in the shape of a Cross

Yet, despite the sacredness of the Canon, the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council saw the elimination of one unified Canon and the creation of multiple canons.  In fact, even in our world today, priests freely use their own ad lib words during the Canon and potentially (if not always) invalidate the Sacrifice of the Mass upon the altar.  This is for the Traditionalist a grave and utmost serious situation.

In the 1970 and 1975 Latin editions of the Roman Missal, there are four Eucharistic Prayers (these may be augmented in the third editio typica which is due out this fall). In more recent American editions of the Roman Missal, in addition to the four already mentioned, there are five others included in the appendix: two for Reconciliation and three for Masses with children. Thus for the last twenty-five years, the Roman rite has had the experience of many Eucharistic Prayers. 

This was not always so, however. For some 1600 years previously, the Roman rite knew only one Eucharistic Prayer: the Roman canon. 

In the average parish today, Eucharistic Prayer II is the one most frequently used, even on Sunday. Eucharistic Prayer III is also used quite often, especially on Sundays and feast days. The fourth Eucharistic prayer is hardly ever used; in part because it is long, in part because in some places in the U.S. it has been unofficially banned because of its frequent use of the word "man". The first Eucharistic Prayer, the Roman canon, which had been used exclusively in the Roman rite for well over a millennium and a half, nowadays is used almost never. As an Italian liturgical scholar puts it: "its use today is so minimal as to be statistically irrelevant".

This is a radical change in the Roman liturgy. Why aren't more people aware of the enormity of this change? Perhaps since the canon used to be said silently, its contents and merits were known to priests, to be sure, but not to most of the laity. Hence when the Eucharistic Prayer began to be said aloud in the vernacular, with four to choose from -- and the Roman canon chosen rarely, if ever -- the average layman did not realize that 1600 years of tradition had suddenly vanished like a lost civilization, leaving few traces behind, and those of interest only to archaeologists and tourists. 

(Source: From One Eucharistic Prayer to Many: How it Happened and Why by Father Cassian Folsom, O.S.B) 

What serious theological implications does this have for a Catholic?

In the Eucharistic Prayers, moreover, the repeated petitions to God that He accept the Sacrifice have also been suppressed; thus, there is no longer any clear distinction between Divine and human sacrifice.

…

In Eucharistic Prayer IV the Church--as One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic--is abased by eliminating the Roman Canon's petition for all orthodox believers who keep the Catholic and Apostolic faith. These are now merely all who seek you with a sincere heart. The Memento of the Dead in the Canon, moreover, is offered not as before for those who are gone before us with the sign of faith, but merely for those who have died in the peace of Christ. To this group--with further detriment to the notion of the Church's unity and visibility--Eucharistic Prayer IV adds the great crowd of "all the dead whose faith is known to You alone." None of the three new Eucharistic Prayers, moreover, alludes to a suffering state for those who have died; none allows the priest to make special Mementos for the dead. All this necessarily undermines faith in the propitiatory and redemptive nature of the sacrifice.

…

In the Preface for Eucharistic Prayer II--and this is unprecedented--the various angelic hierarchies have disappeared. Also suppressed, in the third prayer of the old Canon, is the memory of the holy Pontiffs and Martyrs on whom the Church in Rome was founded; without a doubt, these were the saints who handed down the apostolic tradition finally completed under Pope St. Gregory as the Roman Mass.

…

Chapter VII The Alienation of the Orthodox  

The Apostolic Constitution explicitly mentions the riches of piety and doctrine the Novus Ordo supposedly borrows from the Eastern Churches. But the result is so removed from, and indeed opposed to the spirit of the Eastern liturgies that it can only leave the faithful in those rites revolted and horrified. What do these ecumenical borrowings amount to? Basically, to introducing multiple texts for the Eucharistic Prayer (the anaphora)--none of which approaches their Eastern counterparts' complexity or beauty--and to permitting Communion Under Both Species and the use of deacons. Against this, the New Order of Mass appears to have been deliberately shorn of every element where the Roman liturgy came closest to the Eastern Rites. [53] At the same time, by abandoning its unmistakable and immemorial Roman character, the Novus Ordo cast off what was spiritually precious of its own. In place of this are elements which bring the new rite closer to certain Protestant liturgies, not even those closest to Catholicism. At the same time, these new elements degrade the Roman liturgy and further alienate it from the East, as did the reforms which preceded the Novus Ordo. In compensation, the new liturgy will delight all those groups hovering on the verge of apostasy who, during a spiritual crisis without precedent, now wreak havoc in the Church by poisoning Her organism and by undermining Her unity in doctrine, worship, morals and discipline.

Taken from The Ottaviani Intervention by Cardinal Ottaviani

And so the Traditional must fight on – not concerned at the slanders used against him.  Men may accuse him of “intolerance,” “lack of charity,” or “exaggerated concern with the externals,” but the Traditionalist will fight on so that in all the Masses of the world the Holy Eucharist may be lawfully confected and offered to the Eternal Father in the most fitting, righteous, and worthy manner possible.

In the bull Quo Primum Pope St. Pius V declared: "By this present Constitution, which will be valid henceforth, now, and forever, We order and enjoin that nothing must be added to Our recently published Missal, nothing omitted from it, nor anything whatsoever be changed within it." And he concluded: "No one whosoever is permitted to alter this notice of Our permission, statute, ordinance, command, precept, grant, indult, declaration, will, decree, and prohibition. Should anyone dare to contravene it, let him know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul."

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Excerpt: "Brief Apology for the Church of all Time" by Fr Roger-Thomas Calmel

 Image Source: Bishop Perry of Chicago on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

“However crazily the Catholic hierarchy may behave, priests cannot take the place of bishops, nor can laity take the place of priests. Do we then think of setting up a huge worldwide league or association of priests and Christian layfolk to enter into dialogue with the hierarchy and force them to restore Catholic order ? It is a grand and touching idea, but it is unreal. That is because any such group, wanting to be a Church group but being neither a diocese nor an archdiocese nor a parish nor a religious order, will come under none of the categories over which and for which authority is exercised in the Church. It will be an artificial grouping, an artefact unknown to any of the Church’s real groups which are established and recognized as such.

“So, as with every grouping together of men, the problem of leadership and authority will arise, and the huger the group, the sharper the problem. Unfailingly it will come down to this: being an association, the group must solve the problem of authority; being artificial (no kind of natural or supernatural group), it cannot solve the problem of authority. Rival sub-groups will rapidly arise, war will become inevitable, and there will be no canonical way to end or wage such a war.

“Are we then condemned to being able to do nothing amidst the chaos, often a sacrilegious chaos? I do not think so. Firstly, the indefectibility of the Church guarantees that down to the end of the world there will be enough of a genuine personal hierarchy to maintain the sacraments, in particular the Eucharist and Holy Orders, and to preach the one and only unchanging doctrine of Salvation. And secondly, whatever be the failings of the real hierarchy, we all of us, priests and laity, have our little part of authority.

“Therefore let the priest capable of preaching go to the limits of his power to preach, to absolve sins and to celebrate the true Mass. Let the teaching Sister go to the limits of her grace and her power to form girls in the Faith, good morals, purity and literature. Let every priest and layman, every little group of laity and priests having authority and power over a little fort of the Church and Christendom, go to the limits of their possibilities and powers. Let leaders and inmates of such forts know and be in contact with one another. Let each of the forts protected, defended, trained and directed in its praying and singing by a real authority, become as far as possible a fortress of holiness. That is what will guarantee the continuation of the true Church and will prepare efficaciously for its renewal in God’s good time.

“So we need not to be afraid, but to pray with all confidence and to exercise without fear, according to Tradition and in the sphere that is ours, the power we have, preparing thus for the happy time when Rome will come back to being Rome and bishops to being bishops.”

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Catholic Picture of the Day

Mass in a cathedral while a convalescing, badly burned American officer lies in bandages. Leyte, Philippines, by W. Eugene Smith, 1944, LIFE

H/T Adoremus in Aeternam

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Is the Traditional Latin Mass Right for All Parishes?

We all too often hear the argument that the Novus Ordo Mass is needed in our world to make the Mass accessible to the common man.  The Novus Ordo is seen as a bridge by some in the Traditional Community.  Their argument is namely that a person should experience the Novus Ordo in totality before ever experiencing the Traditional Mass.

Have you heard of these arguments? Have you believed them?  Do you still believe them?

I say that the Traditional Latin Mass is needed everywhere - in all parishes at all times. 

That's bold.  That implies that the Novus Ordo isn't needed as a bridge and that a Jew or Muslim or pagan could outright convert to the Catholic Faith by means of a Mass said in an unfamiliar language with "strange" rituals and ancient practices.  How can this be?  The liberals gasp.

We first need to consider the effect of the Vatican II changes on the Liturgy and on the life of the Church.  When we live in the midst of a problem, the problem does not usually seems as horrid as it is for someone who considers it over a larger content.  By this same principle, it is said that a frog will immediately jump out of a pot that is boiling.  But if you put the frog into a pot of cold water and slowly increase the temperature to boiling then the frog will allow itself to boil alive.  In much the same way, those of us born into the disorder of the past 50 years can no longer understand the full and egregious impact of many of the changes.

 The First Mass said in the New World (St. Augustine, FL)

In the Winter 2011 edition of The Latin Mass Magazine, Mr. Nicholas Postage in "A Moribund Mass and the Catholic Counterculture" does a excellent job of illustrating the problems inherent in the main stream Church - errors that directly affect the assertion that the Novus Ordo is needed as a bridge.

I quote from Mr. Postgate:

The place: your typical American parish, not yet blessed by the application of Summorum Pontificum. The time: Any Sunday of the year (chances are it’s a “Sunday of Ordinary Time,” which befits a form of liturgy so ordinary. The music: smiling ditties of indescribable triteness. The congregation consists of children who have not been catechized, are bored to death, and would rather be texting or playing video games; young adults who are fornicating or masturbating in their spare time, as this is the gospel they receive in their schools, and no one even thinks of impeding their vices or correcting their errors; married couples who, with a few happy exceptions, contracept their marital vocation out of existence; older folks who, under the lifelong influence of the capitalist secularism that animates contemporary America, attend church because it’s a good habit, like brushing one’s teeth or wearing clean clothes. Hardly anyone is morally prepared for prayer, and hardly anyone actually prays. The sign of this is, of course, the unstoppable chitchat that pervades the church before the “gathering hymn” fills the electrified air and resumes right after the “scattering hymn” is over and the altar girls are on their way out. In between was the obligatory reception of a wafer in the hands, for some strange reason that no one can quite explain, except that it’s got something to do with belonging.

The Priest who heads, or shall we say, presides over the congregation is not better than his flock; in fact, he is worse. He does no mental prayer or lection divina; perhaps he does not pray or study in any serious way at all—which is obvious from the shallow and vaguely relevant homilies he gives. His life is busy but superficial. He runs a strong risk of being immoral in some egregious manner, whether through rampant gossip, entertainment-saturated indolence, self-indulgence at the table, or worse forms of intemperance. In short, the people are lost, confused, surrendered to the all-pervasive secularism, and so is their Priest, except that he can hide it better. Nay, he has often gone one step further: invoking Vatican II, he magically makes lack of faith, lack of doctrine, lack of morals sound like a pious accommodation to the contemporary world.

Does this sound like your parish?  Perhaps it does in some respects and it is for that reason that you feel the Traditional Mass might be too "much" for your fellow parishners.  Let's continue reading from Mr. Postgate's article:

The Novus Ordo liturgy is practically empty of spiritual content. No wonder the Church has not been able to stand against the onslaught of a militantly secularist anti-culture. Her highest and most precious resource in the spiritual combat was stripped away. The shift from the Missal of 1962 to the Missal of 1970 was like going from a cannon to a butter knife, from marching trumpets to party favors.   

Bringing the liturgy closer in its externals to modern life meant bringing it closer to the meaninglessness and profanity of modern life. Thinking they were doing people a favor, the woolly shepherds of the Church ironically gave her sheep and goats an excuse to give up going to Mass altogether, because the new Mass, having become an echo of the vulgar world, was truly no longer relevant: it could offer nothing, give nothing to us that we did not already have to satiety. The only thing that can possibly be relevant is that which is totally and intrinsically irrelevant to the grinding routine of modern life. The old liturgy carried on in baffling and mysterious isolation, as though it did not pay attention at all to the world’s going to hell in a customized handbasket. And this was wise, profoundly wise. Many Catholics of the last forty years who stopped attending Mass, or never started going in the first place, would have attended the old liturgy, if only because it breathes a spirit of peace and timelessness so utterly and refreshingly contrary to the spirit of modernity.

That is the sort of thing that attracted many Catholic converts, for instance, Thomas Merton, when you look at their conversion stories. To abandon this “irrelevance” was, in fact, to make the Mass finally truly irrelevant, in the sense that it no longer answered a deep, wordless need to meet the divine, the sacred, the presence of God’s kingdom in mystery. The reformed liturgy in sterilized English with third-rate folk music managed to announce, in spite of itself, that the Catholic Church has nothing to offer that cannot very easily be found elsewhere, in more potent form.

Interested in the latest popular music? Look elsewhere. Interested in feeling the feeling of togetherness? Look elsewhere. This kind of self-indulgent collectivism flourishes more outside church doors than within them—which would make the official clerical attempt to imitate it laughable, if it were not sacrilegious.

Catholic identity is still dying.  We are not proud of our heritage.  Do we forget that it was the Latin Mass that converted millions of the pagans of Germany in the time of St. Boniface or the pagans of North America in the 1500s?  It was the Latin Mass with all of its ritual, beauty, and mystery that spread the reign of Christ and won untold numbers of converts and saints.  It was that Mass that we need - a Rite of Mass capable of saving our modern world from its abass of moral decay.  It is the Traditional Mass that is the antidote to the problem! 

As Mr. Postgate concludes:

Some “conservative” Bishops might think that, confronted with such a dire situation, the last thing they should care about is restoring sacred music, chant, Latin, and such things to the Church’s worship. “Don’t we have more important, more urgent things to worry about?” they mutter with a worried frown. But this is to miss the whole point. The main reason Catholic identity is now so weak is that, forty years ago, we began experimenting and tinkering with God’s sacred mysteries, and now nothing seems holy, nothing permanent, nothing worth reverencing, nothing worth genuflecting before. If each and every local church does not make the solemn, sacred, self-effacing worship of God its absolute pastoral priority, one by one they will go extinct, drowning in an ocean of mediocrity, relativism, irrelevance—in a word, a total lack of Catholic identity, which comes to us from above, through the Sacred Liturgy. The Church will survive and thrive only where her Shepherds have the wisdom to seek first the Kingdom of God, letting all other things be given afterwards.

As well put by Mr. Mark Riddle in his just published article Does the Latin Mass 'Work' Everywhere?:

What does that tell us, then, about the argument for using an inculturated new liturgy to achieve the conversion of modern men who are not in any meaningful way part of the classical Western tradition?

Ultimately, it tells us that the argument is false. But beyond that, it tells us that if we truly wish to convert the world (and we do), and to truly civilize and Christianize modern pagans (whether those who have never received the Gospel or those who comprise a post-Christian pagan West) there is only one solution: to do the same things as were done by our forefathers when they set out to convert the world. A liturgy which is conformed to man, which seeks to adapt itself to the spirit of the age, will simply not work.

To answer my acquaintance, novelty will never convert the world. Only when men once again are presented with the integrity of the Catholic Faith, expressed fully in the Church’s immemorial liturgy, will we be able to civilize modern paganism. Only when modern man once again says, Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meum, will we be on the road to restoring all things in Christ. There simply is no other way.

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Institute of Christ the King 2013 Ordination Week Photos

The obligatory formation for all our candidates to the holy priesthood is comprised of a one-year course of Spirituality, a two-year course of Philosophy, and a four-year course of Theology. Upon completing the first year, the seminarians receive the black cassock, a symbol of mourning for Christ and dying to sin and the world. This year, sixteen seminarians received their cassocks in a solemn ceremony at the church of Sts. Michele e Gaetano in Florence, from the Prior General of the Institute, Monsignor Gilles Wach.

Please pray for the seminarians and their perseverance toward the priesthood!

Photo - the five deacons on their way to be ordained to the priesthood, on July 4, 2013. Please ask the intercession of St. John Vianney and pray for these new priests of the Church.

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Matthew Madega, Bishop of Mouila, Gabon, conferred Minor Orders on July 2, 2013. In the first minor order of Tonsure, five locks of hair are removed by the Bishop in the shape of the cross, and a white surplice is given to symbolize a new man in Christ. After the second year, the seminarian is called by the Bishop to the next step: the Minor Order of Porter. The duties of the porter are to ring the bells and to open the church and sacristy. A man learns responsibility for the care of the house of God.

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A Video Meditation on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

"A Meditation on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass" is not meant to be a mere inspirational drama, but a heartfelt prayer, a Catholic meditation.

It should be viewed as such: Focused. Silent. Penitent.

My sincere hope is that you will grow in your love for God, and your Faith will be strengthened.

SYMBOLISM

"When the priest kisses the altar, he is kissing Christ, *faithfully,* in contradiction to the kiss of betrayal by Judas." In a sense, the priest is making atonement for the betrayal of Judas.

"The priest reading the Introit represents Christ being falsely accused by Annas and blasphemed."

"The priest going to the middle of the altar and saying the Kyrie Eleison represents Christ being brought to Caiphas and these three times denied by Peter."

"The priest saying the 'Dominus vobiscum' represents Christ looking at Peter and converting him."

"The priest saying the 'Orate Fratres' represents Christ being shown by Pilate to the people with the words 'Ecce Homo.'"

"The priest praying in a low voice represents Christ being mocked and spit upon."

"The priest blessing the bread and wine represents Christ being nailed to the cross."

"The priest elevating the host represents Christ being raised on the cross."

"The priest goes to the Epistle side and prays signifying how Jesus was led before Pilate and falsely accused."

"The priest goes to the Gospel-side, where he reads the Gospel, signifying how Christ was sent from Pilate to Herod, and was mocked and derided by the latter."

"The priest goes from the Gospel side again to the middle of the altar - this signifies how Jesus was sent back from Herod to Pilate."

"The priest uncovers the chalice, recalling how Christ was stripped for the scourging."

"The priest offers bread and wine, signifying how Jesus was bound to the pillar and scourged."

"The priest washes his hands, signifying how Pilate declared Jesus innocent by washing his hands."

"The priest covers the chalice after the Offertory recalling how Jesus was crowned with thorns."

"The priest breaking and separating the host represents Christ giving up His spirit."

"The priest saying the Agnus Dei represents Christ being acknowledged on the cross as the Son of God by many bystanders."

"The priest saying the Last Gospel, which are the first words of the beloved disciple St. John, represents sending the Apostles into all parts of the world to preach the Gospel and preserving His Holy Church for all time."

PARTING THOUGHTS

From Calvary and the Mass, by Fulton J. Sheen

Christ's final words: "It is finished."

Too many of us end our lives, but few of us see them finished. A sinful life may end, but a sinful life is never a finished life.

Our Lord finished His work, but we have not finished ours. He pointed the way we must follow. He laid down the Cross at the finish, but we must take it up. He finished Redemption in His physical Body, but we have not finished it in His Mystical Body.

He has finished the Sacrifice of Calvary;
we must finish the Mass.

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Solemn Pontifical High Mass of the Extraordinary Form with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

P: In the name of the Father, + and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. I will go in to the altar of God. R: To God, Who giveth joy to my youth. Psalm 42 The priest and server say alternately: P: Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy; deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man. R: For Thou art, God, my strength; why hast Thou cast me off? and why do I go sorrowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me? P: Send forth Thy light and Thy truth: they have conducted me and brought me unto Thy holy hill, and into Thy tabernacles. R: And I will go in to the altar of God: to God Who giveth joy to my youth. P: To Thee, O God, my God, I will give praise upon the harp: why art thou sad, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet me? R: Hope in God, for I will still give praise to Him, the salvation of my countenance and my God. P: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. P: I will go in to the altar of God. R: To God, Who giveth joy to my youth. P: Our help + is in the name of the Lord. R: Who made heaven and earth.

P: In nomine Patris, + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Introibo ad altare Dei. R: Ad deum qui laetificat juventutem meam. P: Judica me Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta: ab homine iniquo et doloso erue me. R: Quia tu es Deus fortitudo mea: quare me repulisti, et quare tristis incedo, dum affligit me inimicus? P: Emitte lucem tuam, et veritatem tuam: ipsa me deduxerunt, et adduxerunt in montem sanctum tuum, et in tabernacula tua. R: Et introibo ad altare Dei: ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam. P: Confitebor tibi in cithara Deus, Deus meus: quare tristis es anima mea, et quare conturbas me? R: Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc confitebor illi: salutare vultus mei, et Deus meus. P: Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritu Sancto. R: Sicut erat in principio et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. P: Introibo ad altare Dei. R: Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam. P: Adjutorium nostrum + in nomine Domini. R: Qui fecit coelum et terram.

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Traditional Pontifical Mass by Msgr Grzegorz Balcerek

Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form of The Roman Rite celebreted by Msgr Grzegorz Balcerek, auxiliary bishop of Poznan (Poland), Church of St. Anthony of Padua, June 14, A.D. 2009

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The Latin Mass: Latin is a Sacred Language

Homily on the beauty of the Traditional Mass in the use of the Latin language. Why Latin? Did you know that the Latin the Church uses is not the classical version? Why does the priest face the tabernacle? Why so much silence?

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Traditional Mass Propers: 5th Sunday after Pentecost

INTROIT
Ps. 26:7-9
Hear, O Lord, my voice with which I have cried to Thee, be Thou my helper, forsake me not, do not Thou despise me, O God, my Savior. Ps. 26:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT - O God, who hast prepared for them that love Thee such good things as pass understanding, pour into our hearts such love towards Thee, that we, loving Thee in all things and above all things, may obtain Thy promises which exceed all that we can desire. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE
I Peter 3:8-15
Dearly beloved: Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, being lovers of the brotherhood, merciful, modest, humble: Not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing: for unto this are you called, that you may inherit a blessing. For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him decline from evil and do good: Let him seek after peace and pursue it: Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears unto their prayers but the countenance of the Lord upon them that do evil things. And who is he that can hurt you, if you be zealous of good? But if also you suffer any thing for justice' sake, blessed are ye. And be not afraid of their fear: and be not troubled. But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you.

GRADUAL
Behold, O God our protector, and look on Thy servants. V. O Lord God of hosts, give ear to the prayers of Thy servants.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 20:1 In Thy strength, O Lord, the king shall joy, and in Thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly. Alleluia!

GOSPEL
Matt. 5:20-24
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "Unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to them of old: 'Thou shalt not kill.' And whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee; Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift."

OFFERTORY
Ps. 15:7, 8
I will bless the Lord, who hath given me understanding. I set God always in my sight; for He is at my right hand, that I be not moved.

SECRET Be merciful, O Lord, to our humble pleading, and favorably receive these offerings of Thy servants and handmaidens, that what each of us has offered to the honor of Thy Name, may profit us all unto salvation. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION
Ps. 26:4
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.


POST COMMUNION - Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that we whom Thou hast fed with the heavenly Gift, may be cleansed from our hidden sins and delivered from the snares of our enemies. Through our Lord . . .

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First Thursdays

Image Source: His Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke receiving first priestly blessings from the new priests whom he had ordained for the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. (Florence, 2011)
The Votive Mass of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Supreme and Eternal Priest, is often celebrated on First Thursdays.  For those of you using the Angelus Press Daily Missal, please turn to page 1552 to see the Mass propers.  By decree of December 24, 1935, all priests may offer this votive Mass on the First Thursday of each month.  Those of us familiar with Catholic tradition will realize that this is to commemorate the Institution of the Sacred Priesthood at the Last Supper.

Pope Pius XI ordered the preparation of this Votive Mass in 1935, intending that its celebration should become customary on the First Thursday of the month, in a manner analogous to the widespread Votive Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the First Friday.  Vultus Christi Blog elaborates on why the 1962 Version of the Missal and not subsequent versions must be used.

His Holiness writes in Encyclical Ad Catholici Sacerdotii Fastigium (20 December 1935):

Before concluding Our letter, to you, Venerable Brethren in the Episcopate, and through you to all Our beloved sons of both clergy, We are happy to add a solemn proof of Our gratitude for the holy cooperation by which, under your guidance and example, this Holy Year of Redemption has been made so fruitful to souls. We wish to perpetuate the memory and the glory of that Priesthood, of which Ours and yours, Venerable Brethren, and that of all priests of Christ, is but a participation and continuation. We have thought it opportune, after consulting the Sacred Congregation of Rites, to prepare a special votive Mass, for Thursdays, according to liturgical rules: De summo et aeterno Iesu Christi Sacerdotio, to honor "Jesus Christ, Supreme and Eternal Priest." It is Our pleasure and consolation to publish this Mass together with this, Our Encyclical Letter.

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INTROIT (Ps. 109. 4)

Juravit Dóminus, et non pœnitébit eum: Tu es sacérdos in ætérnum secúndum órdinem Melchísedech. -- Psalm. Dixit Dóminus Dómino meo: Sede a dextris meis. Glória Patri ...-- Juravit Dóminus...

The Lord hath sworn, and He will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech. Ps. ibid. 1. The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand. Glory be to the Father ... -- The Lord ...

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COLLECT

Deus, qui ad majestátis tuæ glóriam et géneris humáni salútem, Unigénitum tuum summum atque ætérnum constituísti Sacerdótem: præsta; ut quos minístros et mysteriórum suórum dispensatóres elégit, in accépto ministério adimpléndo fídéles inveniántur. Per eúmdem Dóminum ... Glória in excélsis...

O God, who for the glory of Thy Majesty and the salvation of the human race, didst establish Thine only begotten Son as the supreme and eternal Priest: grant that those He has chosen to dispense His mysteries may prove loyal in carrying out the ministry they have received. Through the same ...

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EPISTLE
From Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, 5. 1-11.
[The Epistle of the Mass reminds us that Christ is a Priest and the example of all Priests and Bishops.]

Fratres: Omnis Póntifex ex homínibus assúmptus, pro homínibus constituítur in iis, quæ sunt ad Deum, ut ófferat dona, et sacrifícia pro peccátis: qui condolére possit iis, qui ignórant, et errant: quóniam et ipse circúmdatus est infirmitáte: et proptérea debet, quemádmodum pro pópulo ita étiam et prosemetípso offére pro peccátis. Nec quisquam sumit sibi honórem. sed qui vocátur a Deo, tamquam Aaron. Sic et Christus non semetípsum clarificávit ut póntifex fierret, sed qui locútus est ad eum: Fílius meus es tu: ego hódie génui te. Quemádmodum et in álio loco dicit: Tu es Sacérdos in ætérnum secundum órdinem Melchísedech. Qui in diébus carnis suæ preces supplicationésque ad eum, qui possit illum salvum fácere a morte, cum clamóre válido et lácrymis ófferens, exaudítus est pro sua reveréntia. Et quidem cum esset Fílius Dei didicit ex iis, quæ passus est obediéntiam: et consummátus, factus est ómnibus obtemperántibus sibi, causa salútis ætérnæ, appellátus a Deo póntifex juxta órdinem Melchísedech. De quo nobis grandis sermo, et ininterpretábilis ad dicéndum.

Bretheren: Every high priest taken from among men, is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins; who can have compassion on them that are ignorant and err: because he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And therefore he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. Neither doth any man take the honour to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. So Christ also did not glorify himself, that He might be made a high priest: but He that said unto Him: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee. As He saith also in another place: Thou art a priest for ever, accordingto the order of Melchisedech. Who in the days of his flesh, with a strong cry and tears, offering up prayers and supplications to Him that was able to save Him from death, was heard for His reverence. And whereas indeed He was the Son of God, He learned obedience by the things which He suffered: and being consummated, He became, to all that obey Him, the cause of eternal salvation. Called by God a high priest according to the order of Melchisedech. Of whom we have to say, and hard to be intelligibly uttered.

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GRADUAL (Luke 4. 18)

Spiritus Dómini super me, propter quod unxit me: Evangelizáre paupéribus misit me, sanáre contrítos corde.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, wherefore He hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach the Gospel to the poor, to heal the contrite of heart.

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TRACT (Ps. 9. 34-36)

Exsurge, Dómine Deus, exaltétur manus tua: ne obliviscáris páuperum. Vide quóniam tu labórem et dolórem consíderas: Tibi derelíctus est pauper: órphano tu eris adjutor.

Arise, O Lord God, let Thy hand be exalted: forget not the poor. See, for Thou considerest labour and sorrow: To Thee is the poor man left: Thou wilt be a helper to the orphan.

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GOSPEL
Continuation of holy Gospel according to St. Luke, 22. 14-20.

In illo témpore: Discúbuit Jesus, et duódecim Apóstoli cum eo. Et ait illis: Desidério desiderávi hoc Pascha manducáre vobíscum, ántequam pátiar. Dico enim vobis, quia ex hoc non manducábo illud, donec impleátur in regno Dei. Et accépto cálice, grátias egit, et dixit: Accípite, et divídite inter vos. Dico enim vobis, quod non bibam de generatióne vitis, donec regnum Dei véniat. Et accépto pane, grátias egit, et fregit,et dedit eis, dicens: Hoc est Corpus meum, quod pro vobis datur, hoc fácite in meam commemmoratiónem. Simíliter et cálicem, postquam cœnávit, dicens: Hic est calix novum testaméntum in sánguine meo, qui pro vobis fundétur.

At that time: Jesus sat down, and the twelve Apostles with Him. And He said to them: With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you, before I suffer. For I say to you, that from this time I will not eat it, till it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And having taken the chalice, He gave thanks, and said: Take, and divide it among you: for I say to you, that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, till the kingdom of God come. And taking bread, He gave thanks, and brake; and gave to them, saying: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for commemmoration of me. In like manner the chalice also, after he had supped saying: This is the chalice, the new testament in my Blood, which shall be shed for you.

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OFFERTORY (Hebr. 10. 12-14)

Christus unam pro peccátis ófferens hóstiam, in sempitérnum sedet in déxtera Dei: una enim oblatióne consummávit in ætérnum sanctificátos.

Christ offering one sacrifice for sins, for ever sitteth on the right hand of God: For by one oblation He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

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SECRET

Hæc múnera, Dómine, mediátor noster Jesus Christus Tibi reddat accépta: et nos, una secum, hóstias tibi gratas exhíbeat: Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti...

O Lord, may our Mediator Jesus Christ make these offerings agreeable to Thee: and along with Himself may He offer us to Thee as a thank-offering: Who liveth and reigneth...

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PREFACE
Common Preface

Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutáre, nos tibi semper et ubíque grátias agere: Dómine sancte, Pater omnípotens, ætérne Deus: per Christum, Dóminum nostrum. Per quem majestátem tuam laudant Angeli, adórant Dominatiónes, tremunt Potestátes. Coeli coelorúmque Virtútes ac beáta Séraphim sócia exsultatióne concélebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces ut admitti jubeas, deprecámur, súpplici confessione dicéntes:

It it truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God, through Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with them, we entreat Thee, that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted, while we say in lowly praise:

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COMMUNION (1 Cor. 11. 24-25)

Hoc Corpus, quod pro vobis tradétur: hic calix novi testaménti est in meo sánguine, dicit Dóminus: hoc fácite, quotiescúmque súmitis, in meam commemoratiónem.

This Body which shall be delivered for you; this chalice is the new testament in my blood saith the Lord: this do for the commemoration of me.

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POSTCOMMUNION

Vivificet nos, quæsumus Dómine, divína quam obtúlimus et súmpsimus hóstia: ut perpétua Tibi caritáte conjúncti, fructum, qui semper máneat, afferámus. Pér Dóminum nostrum...

We beseech Thee, O Lord, may the divine host which we have offered up and received, quicken us; that, bound to Thee by an eternal love, we may bear fruit that will abide forever. Through our Lord...

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Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter Ordains 5 Men

On Saturday, June 1, 2013, five deacons of the Fraternity of St. Peter were raised to the Sacred Priesthood of Christ by His Excellency, Bishop James D. Conley, at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The newly ordained priests of the Fraternity are:

Father Michael Passo
Father Joseph DeGuzman
Father Anthony Uy
Father Kevin Young
Father Charles Vreeland

Deacon Massimo Botta, native of Rome, will be Ordained on Saturday, June 22, 2013, in the Fraternity parish in Rome, Santa Trinita dei Pelligrini. Please keep him in your prayers.

Image Source: FSSP

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Corpus Christi Serving Notes

The Corpus Christi procession in the south-eastern town of Przemysl. Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
With the External Solemnity of Corpus Christi tomorrow, I'm pleased that our friends over at Romanitas Press have put together serving notes for those saying the Traditional Latin Mass for Corpus Christi.  Pass these documents along to any sacristans, servers, or priests that you think may benefit from this. Click here to read their ceremonial notes.

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Christ Acts through the Liturgy: Why the Fight for the Mass Still Matters

Source: Christ Acts through the Liturgy: Why the Fight for the Mass Still Matters by Mark Riddle.

It has been almost six years since Pope Benedict XVI issued the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. Despite deficiencies in the text (two forms of one rite, for example), the point of this motu proprio – that the Traditional Latin Mass had never been abrogated – sent shockwaves through the entire Catholic world.

Traditional Catholics had argued for decades that the traditional Mass had never been abrogated; in return they were met with scorn, ridicule, and accusations of disobedience from the corners of the “conservative” Catholic world, ever eager to be in the right. Thus, despite the noted deficiencies in the text, Summorum Pontificum was, and remains to this day, an incredibly controversial text. This is not because of the juridical questions directly, but because of the clear statement that the ancient liturgical rite of Rome, which had formed countless saints, and which the reformers sought to kill, had never been abrogated.

Fast forward over five years to March 13, 2013. Benedict XVI, having announced his abdication in early February, had renounced the burden of that office, leading to the election of Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, who would take the name Francis. In the uncertainty that followed, the question of the liturgy returned increasingly to the fore of Catholic discourse.

Continue Reading...

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