Virtual Tour of the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

Last week I took part in an East Coast road trip, visiting historical sites and shrines.  My travels took me to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC on the campus of the Catholic University of America. Below is a virtual tour of the Basilica including the many altars in the crypt, the statues, the museum quality artifacts, and the Church.

 

Tiara is from Paul VI and the stole was worn by John XXIII at the beginning session of Vatican II

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Virtual Tour: National Shrine of St. John Neumann

Please excuse the delay in recent posts as I have been traveling across much of the country this past week.  I was able to stop by the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, at which I shrine I saw the body of St. Neumann. 

Below is a series of photographs from that Shrine:

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St. Pantaleon

Simple (1955 Calendar): July 27

St. Pantaleon is numbered in the West among the late-medieval Fourteen Holy Helpers and in the East as one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers.  He was a martyr of Nicomedia in Bithynia during the Diocletian persecution of 303 AD.

Taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Martyr, died about 305. According to legend he was the son of a rich pagan, Eustorgius of Nicomedia, and had been instructed in Christianity by his Christian mother, Eubula. Afterwards he became estranged from Christianity. He studied medicine and became physician to the Emperor Maximinianus. He was won back to Christianity by the priest Hermolaus. Upon the death of his father he came into possession of a large fortune. Envious colleagues denounced him to the emperor during the Diocletian persecution. The emperor wished to save him and sought to persuade him to apostasy. Pantaleon, however, openly confessed his faith, and as proof that Christ is the true God, he healed a paralytic. Notwithstanding this, he was condemned to death by the emperor, who regarded the miracle as an exhibition of magic.

According to legend, Pantaleon's flesh was first burned with torches; upon this Christ appeared to all in the form of Hermolaus to strengthen and heal Pantaleon. The torches were extinguished. After this, when a bath of liquid lead was prepared, Christ in the same form stepped into the cauldron with him, the fire went out and the lead became cold. He was now thrown into the sea, but the stone with which he was loaded floated. He was thrown to the wild beasts but these fawned upon him and could not be forced away until he had blessed them. He was bound on the wheel, but the ropes snapped, and the wheel broke. An attempt was made to behead him, but the sword bent, and the executioners were converted. Pantaleon implored heaven to forgive them, for which reason he also received the name of Panteleemon (the all-compassionate). It was not until he himself desired it that it was possible to behead him.

The lives containing these legendary features are all late in date and valueless. Yet the fact of the martyrdom itself seems to be proved by a veneration for which there is early testimony, among others from Theodoret (Graecarum affectionum curatio, Sermo VIII, "De martyribus", in Migne, P.G., LXXXIII 1033), Procopius of Caesarea (De aedificiis Justiniani I, ix; V, ix), and the "Martyrologium Hieronymianum" (Acta SS., Nov., II, 1, 97). Pantaleon is venerated in the East as a great martyr and wonderworker. In the Middle Ages he came to be regarded as the patron saint of physicians and midwives, and became one of the fourteen guardian martyrs. From early times a phial containing some of his blood has been preserved at Constantinople. On the feast day of the saint the blood is said to become fluid and to bubble. Relics of the saint are to be found at St. Denis at Paris; his head is venerated at Lyons. His feast day is 27 July, also 28 July, and 18 February.

Source: Löffler, K. (1911). St. Pantaleon. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved July 25, 2013 from New Advent.

Collect:

O Almighty God, through the intercession of Your blessed martyr Pantaleon, shield us from bodily harm and purify our minds from evil thoughts. Through our Lord . . .

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Feast of St. Apollinaris

Double (1955 Calendar): July 23

One of the first great martyrs of the church. He was made Bishop of Ravenna by St. Peter himself. The miracles he wrought there soon attracted official attention, for they and his preaching won many converts to the Faith, while at the same time bringing upon him the fury of the idolaters, who beat him cruelly and drove him from the city. He was found half dead on the seashore, and kept in concealment by the Christians, but was captured again and compelled to walk on burning coals and a second time expelled. But he remained in the vicinity, and continued his work of evangelization.

We find him then journeying in the province of Aemilia. A third time he returned to Ravenna. Again he was captured, hacked with knives, had scalding water poured over his wounds, was beaten in the mouth with stones because he persisted in preaching, and then, loaded with chains, was flung into a horrible dungeon to starve to death; but after four days he was put on board ship and sent to Greece. There the same course of preachings, and miracles, and sufferings continued; and when his very presence caused the oracles to be silent, he was, after a cruel beating, sent back to Italy. All this continued for three years, and a fourth time he returned to Ravenna.

By this time Vespasian was Emperor, and he, in answer to the complaints of the pagans, issued a decree of banishment against the Christians. Apollinaris was kept concealed for some time, but as he was passing out of the gates of the city, was set upon and savagely beaten, probably at Classis, a suburb, but he lived for seven days, foretelling meantime that the persecutions would increase, but that the Church would ultimately triumph. It is not certain what was his native place, though it was probably Antioch. He is believed to be one of the seventy-two disciples of Christ.

Prayer: 

O God, the Rewarder of faithful souls, who hast consecrated this day by the martyrdom of blessed Apollinaris, Thy priest; we beseech Thee: grant to us Thy servants, that the prayer of him whose holy festival we are keeping may obtain for us the forgiveness of our sins. Through... 

Source: Campbell, T. (1907). St. Apollinaris. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved July 23, 2013 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01616a.htm

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Traditional Mass Propers: 9th Sunday after Pentecost

INTROIT
Ps. 53:6-7 Behold, God is my helper, and the Lord is the support of my soul. Turn back the evils upon my enemies, and in Your faithfulness to us disperse them, O Lord my protector. Ps. 53:3. O God, by Your name save me, and by Your might deliver me. V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT - O Lord, let mercy attune Your ear to the prayers of Your people calling upon You. May they ask only what is pleasing to You, so that their requests may always be heard. Through our Lord . .

EPISTLE
I Cor. 10:6-13
Brethren: These things were done in a figure of us, that we should not covet evil things, as they also coveted. Neither become ye idolaters, as some of them, as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them that committed fornication: and there fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted and perished by the serpent. Neither do you murmur, as some of them murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them in figure: and they are written for our correction, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore, he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall. Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human. And God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it.

GRADUAL
O Lord our Lord, how glorious is Your name over all the earth! V. For Your splendor is exalted above the heavens.

Alleluia, alleluia! V. Ps. 58:2 Rescue me from my enemies, O my God, and defend me from my adversaries. Alleluia!


GOSPEL
Luke 19:41-47
At that time, when Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: "If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace: but now they are hidden from thy eyes. For the days shall come upon thee: and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round and straiten thee on every side, And beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee. And they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone: because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation." And entering into the temple, he began to cast out them that sold therein and them that bought. Saying to them: "It is written: 'My house is the house of prayer.' But you have made it a den of thieves." And he was teaching daily in the temple.

OFFERTORY
Ps. 18:9, 10, 11, 12
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart, and His judgments are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb; for Your servant observes them.

SECRET May we celebrate these sacred rites worthily, O Lord, for each offering of this memorial Sacrifice carries on the work of our redemption. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION
John 6:57
"He who eats My flesh, and drinks My blood, abides in Me and I in him," said the Lord.


POST COMMUNION - O Lord, may the reception of Your Blessed Sacrament cleanse us from sin and unite us all in You. Through our Lord . . .

REFLECTION -

God is our Helper, and He will always come to our aid He will open the ears of His mercy to our prayers, and will not allow us to be tempted beyond our strength. Let us obey therefore with joy the precepts of the Lord; let us worthily attend In the temple the mysteries of the holy Mass, and partake of the Body of the Lord, the manna of our souls.

This day's liturgy puts before us in the Epistle and Gospel, the terrible punishments incurred by the Israelites on account of their immorality and irreligion. Twenty-three thousand Hebrews perished in one day on account of their lust; several were killed by serpents for having tempted God by complaining that they had no other food but manna ; many were killed by the destroying angel on account of their murmuring (Epistle), and over a million Jews perished when Jerusalem was destroyed for having rejected the Messiah. They were thrown out of the Kingdom of God as the sellers were driven from the temple which is its figure, for having transformed the house of prayer into a den of thieves (Gospel).

The Gentiles, called in their stead, must therefore be faithful to their vocation and take care not to fall in their turn (Epistle). Let them obey therefore with holy joy the commandments of the Lord (Offertory), let them worthily attend in the temple the Eucharistic mysteries in which the work of our redemption is daily enacted (Secret) and eat the flesh of Jesus which is the true manna of our souls (Communion).

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

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Traditionalism Vs. Modernism

Traditionalism Vs. Modernism.  Article by by Fr. Peter Carota

Anyone serious about discovering what the problem in the Catholic Church is today has to try to understand Modernism. It is very complex and difficult to understand. But I am going to try to delve into it a bit and continue to try to make it sensible to the average Traditional Catholic. I will not do this is one writing and it will not be easy to explain.

One definition of Catholic Modernism is the attempt to re-interpret the teachings of the catholic church by taking into account new philosophical and scientific thought and concepts. It has a lot to do with Darwin’s evolution and the evolution of truth. There by making ancient beliefs looked down upon and archaic (including catholic beliefs).

St. Pope Pius X promulgated his papal encyclical letter Pascendi dominici gregis directed against the heresy of Modernism on September 8, 1907.

Pope St. Pius the X then on September 1 1910 required that every bishop, priest, religious superior, seminarian and professors of Theology and Philosophy swear the oath against modernism.

The swearing of this oath was ended by the Pope Paul VI and the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF) in July 1967. Why was it abolished? To think that in the time of Pope St. Pius X in 1910, he found this oath necessary, and then all of a sudden in 1967 it is longer needed is preposterous. More than ever it was needed when all things were being re-evaluated and revolutionized.

A few things that are contained in the oath are:

“I profess that God, the origin and end of all things, can be known with certainty by the natural light of reason from the created world……”

“I sincerely hold that the doctrine of faith handed down to us from the apostles through the orthodox Fathers in exactly the same meaning and always in the same purport…”.

“I reject the method of judging and interpreting Sacred Scripture which, departing from the tradition of the Church, the analogy of faith, and the norms of the Apostolic See…”
“I declare that I am completely opposed to the error of the modernist who hold that there is nothing divine in sacred tradition….”

“I firmly hold, then, and shall hold to my dying breath the belief of the Fathers in the charism of truth, which certainly is, was, and always will be in the succession of the episcopacy from the apostles. The purpose of this is, then, not that dogma may be tailored according to what seems better and more suited to the culture of each age; rather, that the absolute and immutable truth preached by the apostles from the beginning may never be believed to be different, may never be understood in any other way….”

One definition of “Catholic Modernism is the attempt to re-interpret the teachings of the catholic church by taking into account new philosophical and scientific thought and concepts.”

The Modernist and the Humanist worked hand in hand. As in the French Revolution, secularism was promoted and set religious teaching were seen as detriments to the advancement of science and human endeavors.

When Vatican II idealistically wanted to dialogue with “modern man” and be open to the world of science, sociology, psychology, and anthropology, much naiveté about the perfection of science and social sciences was accepted. When religious orders became involved in psychological experimentation much harm was done and many orders ceased from existing.

Another example of the church’s naiveté to modern social studies was the theory that sex abusers, once they had been in therapy, were able to go back to parishes and not repeat this crime. But over and over again the so called “healed abuser” continued to abuse in these other parishes.

So as you can see, tradition lovers have nothing in common with those who always want “the new”. Society and the Church have not evolved. We are still made up of sinners who want to promote their new agenda. Man is still the same, before and today. We need God’s grace to live a loving selfless life. More education is good, but it has not made the world a safer place to live in.

As we walk down the modernist world in the church and in society, things only get worse. More drugs, divorce, sexually transmitted disease, murders and theft.

As we walk up the Traditional path to heaven, there are happier families, a deeper experience of God, true intellectual development, and charity.

When will the modernist admit that all that is new is not always better and that Tradition has so much to teach us. It is like the youth that think they know everything and do not need parents and older people. What an illusion.

There is nothing wrong with good science and social science as long as it goes on proven facts, not theories. We can learn from un-bias studies. But Divine Tradition from heaven is by far more accurate and helpful for us to be happy healthy people. Thank God we are Traditional.

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Prayer to St. Vincent de Paul

Noble Saint Vincent de Paul,
beloved servant of the poor,
may we follow your example and do good works
among those whom society has abandoned,
enslaved, or forgotten.
Inspire us to feed the hungry,
to love a child,
to provide comfort and medicine to the sick,
to clothe those whose garments are threadbare,
and to offer hope and our Lord's words
to all who need respite.
Pray for us to our beloved God
that we may commit ourselves selflessly
to doing the same charitable acts
that you did all your life,
and intercede with him
that we may have the favor of his guidance
and strength and love upon this important and meaningful work.

Amen.

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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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