Saturday, July 19, 2008
Served My First Tridentine Mass

Today at a Convent for the Poor Clare Nuns I served my first Tridentine Mass. It was a Tridentine High Mass celebrated by Fr. Bernard Danber, OSA. I am very thankful to have served my first Mass now.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
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Monday, July 14, 2008
Fr. John Levoir Named Bishop of New Ulm

Today Fr. John Levoir was named Bishop of New Ulm, Minnesota. Here are some of Fr. Z's comments:

Please pray for Bishop-Elect (or "Designate" as some prefer) John LeVoir, presently pastor of St. Michael’s and St. Mary’s in Stillwater, MN (home of the famous bookstore). Also he was once pastor of St. Augustine’s in South St. Paul, where the Extraordinary Form has been celebrated for many years.
As someone familiar with this area and these parishes, I am very excited to learn of this news. I have met his brother, the director of the Schola at St. Agnes Parish in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Food Crisis Deepens as Countries Restrict Exports

Let us pray for those in poverty during these difficult times:

By Keith Bradsher and Andrew Martin
Published: June 30, 2008

BANGKOK: At least 29 countries have sharply curbed food exports in recent months to ensure that their people have enough to eat, at affordable prices.

When it comes to rice, India, Vietnam, China and 11 other countries have limited or banned exports. Fifteen countries, including Pakistan and Bolivia, have capped or halted wheat exports. More than a dozen have limited corn exports. Kazakhstan has restricted exports of sunflower seeds.

The restrictions are making it harder for impoverished importing countries to afford the food they need. The export limits are forcing some of the most vulnerable people, those who rely on relief agencies, to go hungry.

"It's obvious that these export restrictions fuel the fire of price increases," said Pascal Lamy, director general of the World Trade Organization.

...

Source: International Herald Tribune
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Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ

In the traditional Catholic Calendar, today is the 1st Class Feast of the Most Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Litany of the Most Precious Blood

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.

Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the Eternal Father,
save us. *

(* Save us is repeated after each invocation.)

Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word of God,
Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament,
Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in the Agony,
Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging,
Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns,
Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross,
Blood of Christ, price of our salvation,
Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness,
Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls,
Blood of Christ, stream of mercy,
Blood of Christ, victor over demons,
Blood of Christ, courage of martyrs,
Blood of Christ, strength of confessors,
Blood of Christ, bringing forth virgins,
Blood of Christ, help of those in peril,
Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened,
Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow,
Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent,
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying,
Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts,
Blood of Christ, pledge of eternal life,
Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory,
Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honour,

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
graciously heart us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.

You have redeemed us, O Lord, in your Blood,
And made us, for our God, a kingdom.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
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Monday, June 30, 2008
Transformed by the Trinity by Sr. Carol Frances Jegen, BVM

I recently was asked to review the new book "Transformed by the Trinity" written by Sr. Carol Frances Jegen, BVM. Overall, I found the book disappointing. I offer my thoughts on each of the chapters below. For positives, the book was organized well and it was a fast, easy read. But, theologically, the book is flawed.

Chapter 1: "The Befriending Spirit"

The most distracting aspect of this chapter is the continued repetition of "Befriending Spirit". Sr. Jegen virtually completely refers to the Holy Spirit as "the Befriending Spirit", which is highly distracting. Even more problematic, Sr. Jegen rarely uses the term "Holy Spirit" even though the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "'Holy Spirit' is the proper name of the one whom we adore and glorify with the Father and the Son" (CCC 691). Throughout the entire chapter on the "Befriending Spirit" there is no mention of any council before Vatican II, even though doctrines on the Holy Spirit were fundamental in numerous ancient councils. Leaving out such references causes this Chapter to lose credibility. Even the Bibliography at the back of the book lists only recent books - the oldest was written in 1971. Why does she omit thousands of years of Theological disputations on the Holy Spirit?

Chapter 2: Jesus

Sr. Jegen in this chapter cites literation theologican Sobrino positively (36), even though liberation theology has been condemned by both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Another controversial theologian, Jürgen Moltmann, is cited. No references to any of the numerous saints or theologians before Vatican II.

Chapter 3: Jesus' Abba and Ours

The most glaring error of this chapter is a further quotation of Sobrino: "The Father suffers the death of the Son and takes upon himself all the pain and suffering of history" (44-45). It is heretical to say that God the Father died on the Cross. This statement seems to sound like Patripassionism, a long-held heresy.

Chapter 4: The Meaning of God as Tripersonal

This chapter read quickly and easily, but I found it without any great spiritual insights. There were far too many peace and justice issues mentioned.

Chapter 5: Making All Things New

Again, Sr. Jegen references liberation theology: "...in the light of liberation theology...[we understand] that the lives of crucified peoples are continuations of Jesus' sufferings" (88).

Overall:

Sr. Jegen offers no dogma on the Holy Trinity. She merely offers a few anecdotes and numerous references to social justice and liberation theology. I was disappointed in this book. For real information on the Trinity, find a copy of another truly Catholic book.
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Sunday, June 29, 2008
Introit: Ss. Peter and Paul



Intriot: Nunc scio vere, quia misit Dóminus Angelum suum: et erípuit me de manu Heródis, et de omni exspectatióne plebis Judæórum. (Ps. 138: 1, 2) Dómine, probásti me, et cognovísti me: tu cognovísti sessiónem meam, et resurrectiónem meam. V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Nunc scio vere...

English Translation: Now I know in very deed, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. (Ps. 138: 1, 2) Lord, Thou hast proved me, and known me: Thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Now I know in very deed...
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Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Greater Than You Think by Fr. Thomas D. Williams

http://amzn.to/2uD0e6Q
Over the past few days I have read "Greater Than You Think" by Fr. Thomas D. Williams. This book is simply superb. Fr. Williams writes this book as a response to the arguments of popular atheistic writers - Hitchens, Dawkins, Harris, and Dennett. Breaking down their arguments into several sections - Religion in General, Religion in Society, Faith/Science/Reason, and Christianity under Fire - Fr. Williams offers thoughtful and highly effective counter arguments to the atheistic writers. How exactly do the atheist's arguments compare to the facts? Do the atheists use logic fallacies such as ad hominem attacks? Fr. Williams responds powerfully. In the final chapter, Fr. Williams turns the tables on atheists and asks "What are the real fruits of atheism for both the individual and society?" Once again, Fr. Williams uses facts and not opinion.

Tired of the blasphemous, outrages tirades from atheistic authors? Tired of lies said about Christianity and our Lord Jesus Christ? Have you read some of these atheistic works and would like to read the counter position? Are you an amateur apologist who enjoys evangelizing? If you have answered yes to these questions, please consider this excellent recourse. Every apologist should have a copy of "Greater Than You Think" readily available on their bookshelves.
Product Description

The recent runaway bestsellers God Is Not Great and The God Delusion have left Christians feeling defensive but not necessarily equipped to refute the accusations of nonbelievers. The bestsellers have also provoked those who are the fence about whether God exists, and if so, whether He's good. In his trademark elegant prose, Father Williams provides accessible but intellectually rich answers for both groups. Questions include "Isn't religion just another name for superstition (or magic or myth)?""If God is all-good and all-powerful, how can evil exist in the world?" and "Hasn't science disproved God's existence?" For believers and those searching for something to believe in, Father Williams offers an easy-to-use resource for building up one's own faith and igniting others'.

About the Author

Thomas D. Williams, LC, ThD, is Vatican Analyst for CBS News and a professor of theology at the ReginaApostolorumPontificalUniversity in Rome. He has also worked extensively for NBC News and Britain's Sky News, covering church and ethical issues, including the final illness and death of Pope John Paul II, the 2005 papal conclave, and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. Father Williams also regularly appeared in the MSNBC series The Ethical Edge and is author of several books and dozens of articles, both scholarly and popular.
"Greater Than You Think" is available for sale on Amazon.com.

Book Giveaway

Note: The contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone that participated.

Attention Readers of This Blog! I am hosting a book giveaway of "Greater Than You Think". The first five readers who respond via email with the correct answers to the following questions will win a free copy of "Greater Than You Think".

The following answers can all be found on my website (A Catholic Life). If you do not remember some of these answers, simply search my blog using the search feature in the right-hand column. When you have the answer to each question, email me the answers at acatholiclife[at]gmail.com

In your subject line include the words "Book Giveaway". Be sure to include your mailing address in case you are a winner. If you are a winner, I will notify you. As soon as five winners have been chosen, I will add a note in this post informing everyone that the contest is closed. Only citizens of the United States of America and Canada are eligible for this giveaway.

Questions:

1) According to the Traditional Catholic Calendar of 1955, what day of the year is the Feast of St. Pius X?

2) How did our modern musical notes (do, re, mi, et cetera) obtain their names? (Hint: Because of which saint)

3) In which year was Visitation by Mariotto Albertinelli painted?

4) Who said the following? "Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment." And, what similar words did St. Pius X have to say on this topic?

5) At what Chapel in Jerusalem are our Lord's footprints still visible? What event occurred their in the earthly life of our Lord?
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Sunday, June 22, 2008
Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

June 23 is the Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist since June 24th is the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the last of the prophets. Along with solely the sinless Blessed Virgin Mary and our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church remembers the birth of St. John the Baptist. Together, the Church only liturgically celebrates these three holy births.

From the propers of the Mass for June 23, the Introit occupies a place of importance, expressing comfort and hope:
Fear not, Zachary; thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John; and he shall be great before the Lord, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb; and many shall rejoice at his birth. V. (Ps. 20: 2) In Thy strength, O Lord, the king shall joy; and in Thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Fear not, Zachary...
From a sermon given on the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine proclaims, "When John was preaching the Lord's coming, he was asked, 'Who are you?' And he replied: 'I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.' The voice is John, but the Lord 'in the beginning was the Word.' John was a voice that lasted only for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal."

As we prepare for the Nativity of St. John, which used to be a holy day of obligation, we focus on the Scriptures and the Traditions of the Church. The Gradual Prayer from the Vigil Mass' propers is taken from John 1:6-7, "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came to bear witness to the light, to prepare unto the Lord a perfect people".

As we seek to pray daily with the Church's liturgical prayers, we now turn to the exemplar figure of the last of the prophets of whom Jesus said, "Amen I say to you, there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is the lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11). An interesting fact is that our musical scale (do, re, mi) took its names from the tones of the Vesper Hymn for St. John.


I will be celebrating the great festival of the Nativity of St. John by having a traditional Bonfire, during which old, worn-out sacramentals are reverently burned. Describing this ancient custom, Fish Eaters writes:
The temporal focal point of the festivities, though, is the building of fires outdoors in which to burn worn out sacramentals and to serve as a symbol of the one Christ Himself called "a burning and shining light" (John 5:35). These fires used to be huge, communal bonfires, and this still occurs in parts of Europe, but smaller, "family-sized" fires will do, too. The fire is built at dusk, with this blessing from the Roman Ritual, and allowed to burn past midnight:

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray. Lord God, almighty Father, the light that never fails and the source of all light, sanctify + this new fire, and grant that after the darkness of this life we may come unsullied to Thee Who art light eternal; through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

The fire is sprinkled with holy water; after which the clergy and the people sing the "Ut queant laxis":

O for your spirit, holy John, to chasten
Lips sin-polluted, fettered tongues to loosen;
So by your children might your deeds of wonder
Meetly be chanted.

Lo! a swift herald, from the skies descending,
Bears to your father promise of your greatness;
How he shall name you, what your future story,
Duly revealing.

Scarcely believing message so transcendent,
Him for a season power of speech forsaketh,
Till, at your wondrous birth, again returneth,
Voice to the voiceless.

You, in your mother's womb all darkly cradled,
Knew your great Monarch, biding in His chamber,
Whence the two parents, through their offspring's merits,
Mysteries uttered.

Praise to the Father, to the Son begotten,
And to the Spirit, equal power possessing,
One God Whose glory, through the lapse of ages,
Ever resounding.

P: There was a man sent from God.
All Whose name was John.

Let us pray. God, Who by reason of the birth of blessed John have made this day praiseworthy, give Thy people the grace of spiritual joy, and keep the hearts of Thy faithful fixed on the way that leads to everlasting salvation; through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

...

After the blessing, a decade of the Rosary is prayed while walking sunwise -- clockwise, not widdershins -- around the fire, the old Sacramentals are reverently burned, and then the party begins. In most places, brave souls leap over the flames of the bonfire -- an act which is given different meanings in different places, with most saying it is an act to bring blessings.

If you're in a farming family, it is customary to carry torches lit from this fire through your fields to bless them. Whether you're a farmer or not, tend the fire as late as you can go (at least until after midnight) and have fun. If you have a fireplace, light a fire in it with flames from the bonfire to bless your home. Note that it is customary, too, to save some of the ashes from this fire to mix with water to bless the sick.
It is my hope that many of my readers will take part in similar celebrations on the night of June 23, as we begin to celebrate the birth of holy St. John. Christ Himself is truly the "burning and shining light" (John 5:35), which knows no darkness. And St. John the Baptist was his herald. Let us pray with joy on June 24, the Collect from his feastday: " O God, Who hast made this day honorable to us on account of the birth of blessed John, grant Thy people the grace of spiritual joys, and direct the minds of all the faithful in the way of everlasting salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God... Forever and ever. Amen"

Fasting on the Vigil of St. John the Baptist

Days of Fasting and Abstinence (like Holy Days of Obligation) varied from country to country and even within the countries. As such, some colonies that would form the United States kept it while others did not.

The South East Colonies (in modern-day Florida and Louisiana) kept the Vigil of the Nativity of John the Baptist as a fasting day. Fast days were, by definition, days of abstinence as well. The Western Colonies (in modern-day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California) were included in the ecclesiastical province of Mexico. Their feasts and fasts were regulated by the Third Council of Mexico (1585). Per those rules, the Vigil of St. John the Baptist was a day of fasting and abstinence.

After America's foundation and as new territories were added, the territories generally kept the laws formerly in place. There was no uniformity in America from 1776 until 1885. Uniformity was established by the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1885. By this time, the Vigil (June 23) ceased being a fast day anywhere in America. And the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24) ceased being a Holy Day of Obligation anywhere in America.
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Courage Apostolate

I wanted to share the following email that I received from a blogger, who is a member of Courage. Courage is an apostolate of the Roman Catholic Church, which ministers to those with same-sex attractions and their loved ones.

I find your blog very interesting and educational and I admire your zeal for Orthodox Catholicism. I share the same view with you. Your obedience to your superiors is definitely praiseworthy. I pray that you remain faithful to your vocation. By the way, I am a member of Courage, the Roman Catholic Church's apostolate for people struggling with same-sex attraction. You can visit www.couragerc.net for more details. You can add it to your long list of links too. I will also link you to my blog. Hope you can link mine too. My blog is about my struggles to live a chaste life despite my condition. I read with great interest your article about people with deep-seated homosexual tendencies desiring to enter the religious life. In our group, we have ex-seminarians who are struggling with same sex attraction and I know a person in our group who is also contemplating of entering the priesthood. What can you say about that personally? How can you tell that person without offending his sensibilities that maybe, just maybe, a religious life is not the right vocation for him. Im very much aware about the Holy Father's instructions on those candidates for priesthood with homosexual tendencies. I hope you can counsel me on this. God bless you brother.


Going Straight
http://gayguygoingstraight.blogspot.com
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Saturday, June 21, 2008
Patriarch Alexy II: Unacceptable to Bless Homosexual Unions

Moscow, June 19, Interfax - Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia considers church blessing of homosexual unions unacceptable though it becomes wide spread among Protestant communities in the West.

"Blessing of the marriage urges God to bless childbearing and giving birth," Alexy II said at his meeting with general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance Neville Callam in St. Daniel's monastery in Moscow.

"We have every reason to think that the majority of Baptists share our concerns for today's state of Christian communities in the world and together we can oppose these destructive tendencies," the patriarch said.

The Baptist World Alliance's general secretary believes "militant secularism has become the highest and the strongest challenge" Christians face today.

"We, Baptists, also oppose this cancer of secularization and we seek to spread the good news of Jesus Christ like you do," Callam said. He hopes that friendly relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Baptists will develop and it will let both parties "denounce the monster of secularism."

The patriarch reminded that the resolution of the last joint seminar of the Moscow Patriarchate and Russian Baptists held in 2006 "expressed deep concerns with alarming tendencies in some Protestant communities which revise Biblical norms of morality and ordain women." The resolution further stated "the necessity to reach harmonic unity between human rights and moral values."

The Russian Orthodox Church suspended contacts with the Lutheran Church of Sweden as it "not only blessed homosexual "marriages," but even worked out the text for blessing them in the church," Alexy II noted.

The Moscow Patriarchate had to suspend relations with the Episcopal Church of the USA as its leaders ordained an open homosexual.

Source
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