Catholicism in the Romantic Period of Music

This post continues where Catholicism in the Classical Period of Music left off

By 1830, the style of music had shifted again and the style of the Romantic period came into full bloom.  Lasting for seventy years until 1900, the Romantic Period was a further departure from the unequivocal Catholic music of the past; though for the most part, the music of the period was still acceptable.  After 1900, music began to quickly swirl into a downward decline as evident in the Rite of Spring in 1913.

Below is a summary of several key figures from the Romantic period and with them, selections of music appropriate for a Catholic's ears.  Keep in mind this is just a small selection of the many composers of the period.

Franz Schubert - Mass in G

Franz Schubert, despite living a short life that ended before 1830, had a tremendous impact upon the Romantic movement.  Johannes Brahms, for example, helped champion the work of Schubert after Schubert's death.

The Catholic Encyclopedia writes of him:

During 1811 and 1812 he produced many instrumental pieces, also a "Salve Regina" and a "Kyrie". He left the Choir School in November, 1812, and took up work as a schoolmaster in order to avoid conscription. His "First Mass in F" was finished on 22 July, 1814, and performed by the Lichtenthal choir under the direction of Holzer. Competent critics have pronounced this mass as perhaps the most wonderful first work by any composer save the case of Beethoven's "Mass in C". Schubert conducted the second performance at the Augustinian church on 26 October, his brother, Ferdinand, presiding at the organ. During the same year he produced a symphony and a "Salve Regina";, as well as some songs and instrumental pieces.

His famous "Erl King", dates from November, 1815, as does his "Mass in G" — wonderful for a boy of eighteen. His compositions for 1816 include a "Salve Regina", a "Stabat Mater", a "Tantum Ergo", and a "Magnificat", as also two symphonies, and some delightful songs including the "Wanderer". He conducted the music at high Mass at the Alterehenfelder church on Easter Sunday, 1820, and in the same year produced an Easter cantata and an opera. His productivity from 1821 to 1824 was enormous, "Rosamunde" and his "Mass in A flat" being of permanent value. His glorious "Ave Maria" dates from 1825, apropos of which he writes that at the time he was filled with overpowering devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

The three Shakespearean songs of 1826 are still of interest. In 1827 he was gratified with a eulogy from the dying Beethoven, whom he visited in his last illness, and whose remains he followed to the grave. He subsequently wrote an opera, a number of songs, and the second part of the "Winterrreise". Early in June, 1827, he was elected a member of the musical society of Vienna, and in 1828, produced his marvelous "Symphony in C", his "Mass in E flat", an oratorio, a hymn to the Holy Ghost, a string quartet, a "Tantum Ergo" in E flat, and a lovely "Benedictus".

His last appearance in public was on 3 November, 1828, when he went to hear his brother's new "Requiem": he died a fortnight later, and his obsequies were celebrated in the little Chapel of St. Joseph in Margarethen. On 21 November, the body was interred at Wahring, close to the grave of Beethoven, and on 23 December his solemn month's mind was celebrated in the Augustinian Church, when a "Requiem" by Huttenbrenner was performed. The corpse was re-interred in the central cemetery, Vienna, on 23 September 1888. Schubert produced a phenomenal amount of music, his songs alone numbering about six hundred and three.

Schubert died at the young age of 31 in 1828.  Over the course of his life, Schubert composed 2 Masses, 8 1/2 symphonies (the final one was half finished at the time of his death), and hundreds of songs.     Below is a playlist featuring his Mass in G.



Sir Edward Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1

Despite living in England, Sir Edward Elgar was a Roman Catholic and not Anglican as many would incorrectly assume.  Edward was the fourth of seven children to William and Ann Elgar.  His mother, Ann, had converted to Catholicism shortly before Edward's birth, and Edward was baptised and brought up as a Roman Catholic, to the disapproval of his father, William.

For a number of years he was assistant to his father, William Elgar, as organist of St George's Roman Catholic Church, Worcester, and succeeded him for four years from 1885. During this period he wrote his first liturgical works for the Church, beginning with his three motets Op. 2 (1887) for four-part choir (Ave Verum Corpus, Ave Maria and Ave Maris Stella), and followed by a setting of Ecce sacerdos magnus for the entry of the Bishop on an official visit to St. George's in 1888.

Sir Elgar's wife was disinherited by her family for marrying a Roman Catholic.  But, Elgar remained a life long Catholic and a composer of beautiful music despite opposition.  He is well known and championed as the one to bring classical music back to England, since before him there were few prominent composers.  In fact, there had been a stretch of over a hundred years without such a prominent composer as Sir Edward Elgar in England.

Below is his well known Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1.



Conclusion

The Romantic Period also saw a rise in humanism and secularism.  For example, Johannes Brahms allegedly believed in no religion and was at best partial to Martin Luther.  This period, despite some great performances, existed in a culture that had grown further and further away from God and from the Church.

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Third Sunday after Easter: Reflection

Our Lord Jesus Christ has conquered the chains of death.  For forty days we fasted and prayed during Lent and now we partake of the fifty days of celebration for Easter.  The Alleluia from the 1962 Missal so beautifully sings of the hope and victory still deserving to be proclaimed on the mountaintops: “Alleluia, Alleluia.  The Lord hath sent redemption to His people.  Alleluia.  It behooved Christ to suffer and to rise again from the death, and so to enter into His glory.  Alleluia.”

What is truly profound is that Jesus Christ really and physically rose from the dead! It is a historical event. Not just His soul rose, but also He bodily rose from the dead after dying on the Cross and descending into Hell. As is stated in the visions recorded in "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ", our Lord, at the instance of His death on the Cross, descended to the Limbo of the Fathers, Purgatory, and Hell.  In the Limbo of the Fathers, He preached to the patriarchs, prophets, and holy people that had died before Heaven was opened by His death (1 Peter 4:6). Included among these people was Adam and Eve. What many people are not taught is that the exact place of Jesus' Crucifixion on Mt. Calvary is exactly above the spot where the first Adam was interred.  The Body of the New Adam (Jesus) covered that of the Old Adam!  Jesus also went to Purgatory and gazed upon Hell.  According to "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ," Jesus spoke with Judas, who was in Hell.

According to the previously mentioned book, Jesus also commanded nearly 100 of the holy people in the Limbo of the Fathers to re-enter their bodies temporarily. He then commanded them to visit their relatives and preach the truth - that Jesus Christ was the salvation of the world. With the darkness and earthquakes too, many people were converted and believed after the Crucifixion. All of this took place roughly 1 hour after Jesus died on the Cross. Yet, the patriarchs, prophets, etc in their bodies did not look like Jesus's glorified bodies. They merely re-entered their bodies temporarily to fulfill the command of Jesus. Afterwards, their souls again left their bodies. On that day, the Limbo of the Fathers was forever closed. Heaven was opened by the death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (CCC 1026).

Concerning Jesus, Scripture attests, "He is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor. 15:12). With His glorified Body, He is no longer bound by the limitations of time, space, or physics. As we believe as part of the Faith also, Mother Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven. They remain the only two people to have a glorified body. But we too shall follow! That is our hope! The very same Body we have now will be raised again at Judgment. For we, unlike Mary (e.g. Immaculate Conception) and Jesus, are sinners, so our Resurrection is yet to come. At the time of Judgment, all people will be united with their bodies. At that time, the prophets, patriarchs, saints, etc will all receive a glorified body.

Continue Reading...

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Our Lady of Good Counsel (Mass in Some Places) Propers

April 26th, besides being the Feast of Ss. Cletus and Marcellinus, is dedicated to our Lady of Good Counsel in some parts of the world.

On April 25, 1467, a cloud descended upon an ancient, deteriorated 5th-century church dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel. When the cloud disappeared the next day, the villagers of Genazzano, Italy, found a small painting of Mary and the Christ Child in the sanctuary. The painting, said to date back to the Apostolic age, reportedly floated in mid-air from Scutari in Albania. This Church, in which is enshrined the miraculous picture, became a place of popular pilgrimage. Hundreds of miracles are attributed to the tiny fresco, which survived the destruction of much of the church during World War II.

Introit - Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a festival day in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, in whose solemnity the Angels rejoice and give praise to the Son of God.  Alleluia, alleluia.  (Psalm) My heart hate uttered a good word: I speak my works to the King.  Gloria Patri...Let us all...

Collect - O God, who didst give us the Mother of Thy beloved Son for our Mother, and wert pleased by a wondrous apparition to glorify a beauteous picture of her, grant, we beseech Thee, that ever hearkening to her counsels, we may be enabled to live according to Thy Heart, and happily to reach our home in heaven. Through our Lord . . .

SECRET - Sanctify, O Lord, the Sacrifice we bring; and by the most salutary intercession of Blessed Mary Mother of God, Mother of Good Counsel, grant that it may avail us unto salvation. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth . . .

POSTCOMMUNION - O Lord, may the venerable intercession of Thy glorious Mother, Mary ever Virgin, be our hope. May she who has showered upon us continual benefits ever make us see what it behoveth us to do, and strengthen us to fulfill the same: Who livest and reignest . . .

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Major Rogation Day (Greater Litanies): Fasting and Abstinence

April 25th is both the Feast of St. Mark and the Major Rogation. 

Rogation Days should be observed by the faithful even if they do not do so in a public Rogation Mass. Abstinence was previously required on the Major Rogation Day, and even if it is not longer strictly obligatory, it is a worthwhile practice to perform even during Pascaltide. Rogation Day is most commonly observed by the praying of litanies.

Not until relatively recently, it was a requirement that this day was kept with two conventual Masses where choral obligation existed.  The first, post tertiam, was the festive Mass of St. Mark the Evangelist.  The second post nonam was the more penitential Mass formula of Rogation tide.  For those bound to the Divine Office, the Litany is mandatory today.

For the prayers for the procession, litany, and for the Mass proper, click here.

For prayers of blessings to be said on one's property, click here.

What are Rogation Days?

"Rogation Days are the four days set apart to bless the fields and invoke God's mercy on all of creation. The 4 days are April 25, which is called the Major Rogation (and is only coincidentally the same day as the Feast of St. Mark); and the three days preceding Ascension Thursday, which are called the Minor Rogations. Traditionally, on these days, the congregation marches the boundaries of the parish, blessing every tree and stone, while chanting or reciting a Litany of Mercy, usually a Litany of the Saints" (Liturgies.net).

When is Rogation Day?

The Major Rogation Day is on April 25th. Should it happen that the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist is transferred to another day, the procession is held nevertheless on April 25th, unless the feast falls on Easter Sunday or Monday, in which case the procession is transferred to Easter Tuesday. April 25th is the latest date that Easter may ever fall on. And as Dom Gueranger in The Liturgical Year states, "If April 25 occur during Easter week, the procession takes place on that day (unless it be Easter Sunday), but the feast of the Evangelist is not kept till after the octave."

Why is the Major Rogation Kept on April 25th? The Rest of This Article Excerpts from The Liturgical Year:

The Greater Litanies, (or Processions,) are so called to distinguish them from the Minor Litanies, that is, Processions of less importance as far as the solemnity and concourse of the Faithful were concerned. We gather from an expression of St. Gregory the Great, that it was an ancient custom in the Roman Church to celebrate, once each year, a Greater Litany, at which all the Clergy and people assisted. This holy Pontiff chose the 25th of April as the fixed day for this Procession, and appointed the Basilica of St. Peter as the Station.

Several writers on the Liturgy have erroneously confounded this institution with the Processions prescribed by St. Gregory for times of public calamity. It existed long before his time, and all that he had to do with it was the fixing it to the 25th of April. It is quite independent of the Feast of St. Mark, which was instituted at a much later period. If the 25th of April occur during Easter Week, the Procession takes place on that day, (unless it be Easter Sunday,) but the Feast of the Evangelist is not kept till after the Octave.

The question naturally presents itself, why did St. Gregory choose the 25th of April for a Procession and Station, in which everything reminds us of compunction and penance, and which would seem so out of keeping with the joyous Season of Easter? The first to give a satisfactory answer to this difficulty, was Canon Moretti, a learned Liturgiologist of last century. In a dissertation of great erudition, he proves that in the 5th, and probably even in the 4th, century, the 25th of April was observed at Rome as a day of great solemnity. The Faithful went, on that day, to the Basilica of St. Peter, in order to celebrate the anniversary of the first entrance of the Prince of the Apostles into Rome, upon which he thus conferred the inalienable privilege of being the Capital of Christendom. It is from that day that we count the twenty-five years, two months and some days that St. Peter reigned as Bishop of Rome. The Sacramentary of St. Leo gives us the Mass of this Solemnity, which afterwards ceased to be kept. St. Gregory, to whom we are mainly indebted for the arrangement of the Roman Liturgy, was anxious to perpetuate the memory of a day, which gave to Rome her grandest glory. He, therefore, ordained that the Church of St. Peter should be the Station of the Great Litany, which was always to be celebrated on that auspicious day. The 25th of April comes so frequently during the Octave of Easter, that it could not be kept as a Feast, properly so called, in honour of St. Peter's entrance into Rome; St. Gregory, therefore, adopted the only means left of commemorating the great event.

April 25th also marks the two times in history when St. Michael the Archangel appeared on earth:

There have been two times in history that Saint Michael the Archangel appeared on April 25th, after prayers had been said to stop plagues. The first time was on April 25th, in the year 590, in Rome.  Pope St. Gregory the Great, after leading people in a prayerful procession, saw St. Michael the Archangel along with other Angels descend above the crowd, a heavenly perfume filled the air and the plague ended on that date. The second time St. Michael intervened during a plague was on April 25th, 1631 in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
This day is honored in the Liturgy by what is called Saint Mark’s Procession. The term, however, is not a correct one, inasmuch as a procession was a privilege peculiar to April 25 previously to the institution of our Evangelist’s feast, which even so late as the sixth century had no fixed day in the Roman Church. The real name of this procession is The Greater Litanies. The word Litany means Supplication and is applied to the religious rite of singing certain chants whilst proceeding from place to place in order to propitiate heaven. The two Greek words Kyrie Eleison (Lord, have mercy on us) were also called Litany, as likewise were the invocations which were afterward added to that cry for mercy, and which now form a liturgical prayer used by the Church on certain solemn occasions.

The Greater Litanies (or processions) are so-called to distinguish them from the Minor Litanies, that is, processions of less importance as far as the solemnity and concourse of the faithful were concerned. We gather from an expression of St. Gregory the Great that it was an ancient custom in the Roman Church to celebrate, once each year, a Greater Litany, at which all the clergy and people assisted. This holy Pontiff chose April 25 as the fixed day for this procession and appointed the Basilica of St. Peter as the Station.

Several writers on the Liturgy have erroneously confounded this institution with the processions prescribed by St. Gregory for times of public calamity. It existed long before his time, and all that he did was to fix it on April 25. It is quite independent of the feast of St. Mark, which was instituted at a much later period. If April 25 occurs during Easter week, the procession takes place on that day (unless it be Easter Sunday), but the feast of the Evangelist is not kept till after the octave.

The question naturally presents itself—why did St. Gregory choose April 25 for a procession and Station in which everything reminds us of compunction and penance, and which would seem so out of keeping with the joyous season of Easter? The first to give a satisfactory answer to this difficulty was Canon Moretti, a learned liturgiologist of the eighteenth century. In a dissertation of great erudition, he proves that in the fifth, and probably even in the fourth, century, April 25 was observed at Rome as a day of great solemnity. The faithful went, on that day, to the Basilica of St. Peter, in order to celebrate the anniversary of the first entrance of the Prince of the Apostles into Rome, upon which he thus conferred the inalienable privilege of being the capital of Christendom. It is from that day that we count the twenty-five years, two months, and some days that St. Peter reigned as Bishop of Rome. The Sacramentary of St. Leo gives us the Mass of this solemnity, which afterwards ceased to be kept. St. Gregory, to whom we are mainly indebted for the arrangement of the Roman Liturgy, was anxious to perpetuate the memory of a day which gave to Rome her grandest glory. He therefore ordained that the Church of St. Peter should be the Station on that auspicious day. April 25 comes too frequently during the octave of Easter that it could not be kept as a feast, properly so called, in honour of St. Peter’s entrance into Rome; St. Gregory, therefore, adopted the only means left of commemorating the great event.

But there was a striking contrast resulting from this institution, of which the holy Pontiff was fully aware, but which he could not avoid: it was the contrast between the joys of Paschal Time and the penitential sentiments wherewith the faithful should assist at the procession and Station of the Great Litany. Laden as we are with the manifold graces of this holy season, and elated with our Paschal joys, we must sober our gladness by reflecting on the motives which led the Church to cast this hour of shadow over our Easter sunshine. After all, we are sinners, with much to regret and much to fear; we have to avert those scourges which are due to the crimes of mankind; we have, by humbling ourselves and invoking the intercession of the Mother of God and the Saints, to obtain the health of our bodies, and the preservation of the fruits of the earth; we have to offer atonement to divine justice for our own and the world’s pride, sinful indulgences, and insubordination. Let us enter into ourselves, and humbly confess that our own share in exciting God’s indignation is great; and our poor prayers, united with those of our holy Mother the Church, will obtain mercy for the guilty, and for ourselves who are of the number.

A day, then, like this, of reparation to God’s offended majesty, would naturally suggest the necessity of joining some exterior penance to the interior dispositions of contrition which filled the hearts of Christians. Abstinence from flesh meat has always been observed on this day at Rome; and when the Roman Liturgy was established in France by Pepin and Charlemagne, the Great Litany of April 25 was, of course, celebrated, and the abstinence kept by the faithful of that country. A Council of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 836, enjoined the additional obligation of resting from servile work on this day: the same enactment is found in the Capitularia of Charles the Bald. As regards fasting, properly so-called, being contrary to the spirit of Paschal Time, it would seem never to have been observed on this day, at least not generally. Amalarius, who lived in the ninth century, asserts that it was not then practiced even in Rome.

During the procession, the Litany of the Saints is sung, followed by several versicles and prayers. The Mass of the Station is celebrated according to the Lenten Rite, that is, without the Gloria in Excelsis, and in purple vestments.

We take this opportunity of protesting against the negligence of Christians on this subject. Even persons who have the reputation of being spiritual think nothing of being absent from the Litanies said on St. Mark’s and the Rogation Days. One would have thought that when the Holy See took from these days the obligation of abstinence, the faithful would be so much the more earnest to join in the duty still left—the duty of prayer. The people’s presence at the Litanies is taken for granted: and it is simply absurd that a religious rite of public reparation should be one from which almost all should keep away. We suppose that these Christians will acknowledge the importance of the petitions made in the Litanies, but God is not obliged to hear them in favor of such as ought to make them and yet do not. This is one of the many instances which might be brought forward of the strange delusions into which private and isolated devotion is apt to degenerate.

When St. Charles Borromeo first took possession of his see of Milan, he found this negligence among his people, and that they left the clergy to go through the Litanies of April 25 by themselves. He assisted at them himself and walked bare-footed in the procession. The people soon followed the sainted pastor’s example.

Closer to our own times, in the New World, while Holy Days and days of abstinence differed from colony to colony, our ancestors in modern-day Florida and Louisiana at one point kept the Major Rogation Day as a day of abstinence from meat. The same can be said for English Catholics who were bound to abstain from fleshmeat on the Major and Minor Rogation Days until they were dispensed by Pope Pius VIII in 1830 per William Edward Addis in "A Catholic Dictionary" published in 1893. See A History of Holy Days of Obligation & Fasting for American Catholics for more information on this forgotten history. 

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Silencing Liberal Nuns is a Matter of Duty, not Oppression

This was written in response to an article in the Chicago Tribune.  Since this op-ed piece was not published, I'm publishing it here.

In response to Ms. Schmich’s article, “After Vatican Scolds Group, Nuns’ Silence is Strategy,” I have to object to the very spirit of the article.  Nuns do not define Catholic doctrine and neither do the archbishops or Cardinals of the Church.  The Catholic Faith is not a democracy – it is handed down and preserved by Tradition for over 2,000 years.  Ms. Schmich seems to imply that the nuns are fighting with the men who “run the Church” in a quest to fight against old laws in an attempt to serve Christ.

This is utter garbage.  Nuns, priests, and laypeople are all called to defend and rise up to protect the timeless and unchanging Catholic Faith.  If anyone – nun, priest, bishop, layperson – teaches that which the Church forbids, then that person has placed themselves outside of the state of grace and outside of the Catholic Church, which we believe to be the only Church through which mankind can be saved.

Ms. Schmich seems to think this is a matter of democracy.  This is not.  This is a matter of fighting off a new era where heresies are welcomed and embraced now by even nuns and priests.  Faithful Catholics will not be silent.  We will fight on for the Church and for Christ, who is the True Head of the Visible Church on earth.

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3 Things You Must Do After Every Mass

We should always seek to imitate the saints, who stand before the throne of Almighty God.

Rightfully so, we pay careful attention (or at least we should and must) to what we do before assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  We examine our conscience and go to Confession to receive forgiveness before receiving the august Sacrament of the Altar in Holy Communion.  We also should be praying the prayers to be said either before Mass or before Holy Communion.

Many of us undoubtedly arrive early to pray our Rosaries and even take part in other great devotions.  All of this is most worthy and certainly worthy of recognition.

My concern is not that we are doing too much to prepare for Mass.  Truly, how could we actually prepare enough to receive the Body and Blood of our Savior?  I am concerned that these same people who truly understand the importance of the Holy Sacrifice are neglecting to practice proper devotion after Holy Mass.

Thus, it is with these thoughts in mind that I present to you my post on 3 Things that You Must Do After Every Mass:

1.OFFER AN ACT OF THANKSGIVING

As the priest prays before consuming the Sacred Blood of our Lord, "Quid retríbuam Dómino pro ómnibus, quæ retríbuit mihi? Cálicem salutáris accípiam, et nomen Dómini invocábo. Laudans invocábo Dóminum, et ab inimícis meis salvus ero."  In so doing, he prays, "What return shall I make to the Lord for all he hath given unto me? I will take the Chalice of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. Praising I will call upon the Lord, and I shall be saved from my enemies."

Thus it is the priest who after consuming the Sacred Host renders in this moment of thanksgiving a humble prayer asking only for a further increase of grace.  In this instance, we see the revelation that our Lord Jesus Christ is our gift.  Truly no prayer is more appropriate at this time of thanksgiving than asking for a further increase of grace.  And who better to ask than He who is the fullness of grace.

Also recall that the priest prays silently after the Ite Missa Est (or in Septuagesima through Passiontide the Benedicámus Dómino) the following: "May the homage of my service be pleasing to thee, O holy Trinity; and grant that the sacrifice which I, though unworthy, have offered in the sight of thy majesty, may be acceptable to thee: and through thy mercy win forgiveness for me and for all those for whom I have offered it. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

With these heartfelt sentiments, we should similarly appropriate our Thanksgiving after Mass.  From what I have seen, Traditional Catholics have remarkable attention during Mass.  This is true with very few exceptions.  In one rare instance of departure from the norm, a traditional priest told the story of how a man from his congregation would customarily leave directly after receiving our Lord in Holy Communion.  That is to say, he left while Communion was still being distributed - before even the Ablutions and the Post Communion.

So, one day, this priest instructed one of his altar servers to follow the man outside to his car while holding a candle the next time he left prematurely.  And, sure enough, the next time it occurred, the altar boy followed the man right to his car.  Undoubtedly more than a little upset, the man asked the priest why this had happened.  The priest replied to the man that he was a tabernacle and the presence of Christ truly was still present with him in those minutes immediately after receiving.

Needless to say, the man discontinued his practice of immediately leaving.  Now I am by no means claiming that Traditional Catholics typically are guilty of such.  However, with most High Masses lasting longer than 1.5 hours and with children fidgeting by the end of the Mass, there does seem to be a lack of attention for those important minutes after the Holy Mass has ended.

Even for those of us who understand the value of a proper Thanksgiving, we must make the conscious effort to make our Thanksgivings worthy.  So if your children are fidgeting, instruct discipline in them so that they remain seated and in prayers of Thanksgiving as well.  Also, do not fear in making your Thanksgiving prayers while kneeling at the Communion rail or even a side altar.  Since our minds frequently wander, having our eyes fixed on a statue of the Good Shepherd, Sacred Heart, or our Lady will help keep our minds and words fixed appropriately on true sentiments of thanksgiving.

There are many prayers which you could say after the Holy Sacrifice.  While you certainly do not need to pray a pre-composed prayer, I do recommend the beautiful prayers after Mass mentioned in the Angelus Press Missal.  These are the ones that I use.  (See page 84 - 86 and 89 - 90).

And finally, recall the example of the saints.  It is said of St. Aloysius Gonzaga that he used to receive Communion once a week and that he was accustomed to spend three days in preparation before it and three days in thanksgiving after it. How did he manage to do this? Was he all the time prostrated before the Altar or reading a spiritual book? Not at all; he went wherever obedience called him, quietly performing his duties and keeping his heart lifted up to God. He offered up all his actions to Jesus Christ by way of thanksgiving, and he made now and then some short acts of faith, hope and charity, some acts of self-oblation or admiration or supplication. By this means, the angelic youth was enabled to walk continually with God; one Communion was the preparation for another; thus, he constantly advanced in a purity of heart and in love for Jesus Christ.

Truly we have been given grace upon grace.

2. Learn from the Sermon

Traditional Catholics especially are graced with many truly awe-inspiring and theologically deep sermons.  If you are unaware, many great sermons are available for download and listening from Audio Sancto, and Alabama Catholic Resources has other good sermons. Bishop Robert Vasa also has a set of talks available for purchase.

While listening to sermons from these websites online, I have found myself taking notes and making plans to amend my life to be further in line with the sermon's message.  But, how often do any of us take careful notes during or immediately after Mass to record not only the central message of the sermon but also the parts that truly sounded in accord with the desires of our heart?

Although I have never been a fan of bringing pencil and paper to Mass, I do strongly encourage you to pay careful attention to the sermon and then record it immediately after Mass on paper.  Studies have shown that taking notes impresses the subject of the note further in our minds - after all, if it did not, what use would notes be for students?

We Traditional Catholics have been especially blessed with theological sound and inspiring sermons.  Let us not neglect this gift.  Take notes and learn from the sermon.

3. Live the Catholic Faith

Ite Missa Est!  Behold, you are sent forth in the world!  The word missa comes from mittere, to send.  Thus, in this solemn dismissal of the faithful, the Mass eventually took its name.  As the Sacrifice of the Mass is finished, we are sent into the world to our own sacrifice and to prove ourselves sons of God and brothers of the Redeemer.  We are sent to our post on Calvary, to continue the work of Redemption as we "fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ" (1 Col 1:24b).

May we never neglect to offer daily acts of offering and thanksgiving while living daily lives in the state of grace and in Almighty God's service.

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Traditional Mass Propers: Second Sunday after Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday)

Vestments: White


INTROIT
Psalms 32: 5, 6
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, alleluia: by the word of the Lord were the heavens made, alleluia, alleluia. -- (Ps. 32. 1). Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: praise is comely for the upright. V.: Glory to the Father . . . -- The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord . . .

COLLECT - O God, who, by the humility of Thy Son, didst lift up a fallen world, grant unending happiness to Thy faithful: that those whom Thou hast snatched from the perils of endless death, Thou mayest cause to rejoice in everlasting days. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth . . .

EPISTLE
I Peter 2: 21-25
Dearly beloved, Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow His steps who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. Who when He was reviled, did not revile: when He suffered, He threatened not, but delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly: who His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree: that we, being dead to sins, should live to justice; by whose stripes you were healed. For you were as sheep going astray: but you are now converted to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

GRADUAL
Luke 24: 35
Alleluia, alleluia. V.: The disciples knew the Lord Jesus in the breaking of bread. Alleluia. V.: (John 10. 14). I am the good Shepherd: and I know My sheep, and Mine know Me. Alleluia.

 
GOSPEL
John 10: 11-16

At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees: I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and flieth: and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep: and the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling, and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the good Shepherd: and I know Mine, and Mine know Me, as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father: and I lay down My life for My sheep. And other sheep I have that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.

 
OFFERTORY
Psalms 62: 2, 5
O God, my God, to Thee do I watch at break of day: and in Thy Name I will lift up my hands, alleluia.

SECRET - May this holy offering, O Lord, always bring to us Thy healing blessing: that what it represents in a Mystery, it may accomplish with power. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth . . .

PREFACE (Preface for Easter) - It it truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, at all times to praise Thee, O Lord, but more gloriously especially this day when Christ our Pasch was sacrificed. For He is the Lamb Who hath taken away the sins of the world: Who by dying hath destroyed our death: and by rising again hath restored us to life. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of Thy glory, evermore saying:

 
COMMUNION
John 10: 14 I am the good Shepherd, alleluia: and I know My sheep, and Mine know Me, alleluia, alleluia.

POST COMMUNION - Grant unto us, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that having received the grace of a new life, we may ever glory in Thy gift. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth . . .

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Catechism of St. Pius X on the Resurrection of Christ

Catechism of St. Pius X:

1 Q: What are we taught in the Fifth Article: He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead?

A: The Fifth Article of the Creed teaches us that the Soul of Jesus Christ, on being separated from His Body, descended to the Limbo of the holy Fathers, and that on the third day it became united once more to His Body, never to be parted from it again.

2 Q: What is here meant by hell?

A: Hell here means the Limbo of the holy Fathers, that is, the place where the souls of the just were detained, in expectation of redemption through Jesus Christ.

3 Q: Why were not the souls of the Holy Fathers admitted into heaven before the death of Jesus Christ?

A: The souls of the holy Fathers were not admitted into heaven before the death of Jesus Christ, because heaven was closed by the sin of Adam, and it was but fitting that Jesus Christ, who reopened it by His death, should be the first to enter it.

4 Q: Why did Jesus Christ defer His own resurrection until the third day?

A: Jesus Christ deferred His own resurrection until the third day to show clearly that He was really dead.

5 Q: Was the resurrection of Jesus Christ like the resurrection of other men who had been raised from the dead?

A: No, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was not like the resurrection of other men who had been raised from the dead, because He rose by His own power, while the others were raised by the power of God.

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SSPX Doctrinal Agreement or Not?

In a letter dated April 17, 2012, the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X Bishop Fellay responded to the request for clarification that had been made to him on March 16 by Cardinal William Levada concerning the Doctrinal Preamble delivered on September 14, 2011. 

As the press release dated today from the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei indicates, the text of this response “will be examined by the dicastery (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) then submitted to the Holy Father for his judgement”

I will post updates as they surface and are confirmed.

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Traditional Latin Mass In Honor of Blessed Karl of Austria in Aliquippa, PA

Traditional Latin Mass In Honor of Blessed Karl of Austria

Sunday, 29 April 2012, 2:00 PM

St. Titus Church
952 Franklin Avenue
Aliquippa, PA 15001

Celebrant: Canon Jean-Marie Moreau of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest

Veneration of the Relic of Blessed Karl

Free Luncheon and Conference after Mass on the life of Blessed Karl and his cause for sainthood.
Speaker: Brother Nathan Cochran, OSB, Delegate to the USA/Canada, Emperor Karl League of Prayers for Peace Among Nations

Sponsored by:
Knights of Columbus Woodlawn Council 2161
Traditional Latin Mass Guild

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