Saturday, March 21, 2020
Traditional Benedictine Mass Propers for St. Benedict


Although often impeded by Lent, March 21st is the feast of St. Benedict, the illustrious founder of the Benedictines and of monasticism.

The propers (i.e. the prayers and readings) for the Feast of St. Benedict in the Tridentine Mass are simply taken from the Common of Abbots. However, tucked in the back of many hand missals is a section of propers "In Some Places and Congregations." That section gives the special propers unique to the Feast of St. Benedict when said in Benedictine Churches. In the Angelus Press Daily Missal, these may be found on page 1641. They are as follows:

INTROIT 

Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a festival day in honor of Saint Benedict the Abbot, on whose solemnity the Angels rejoice and give praise to the Son of God. Great is the Lord and exceedingly to be praised, in the city of our God, on His holy mountain. Glory be to the father. (Ps. 47:2) Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a festival day in honor of Saint Benedict the Abbot, on whose solemnity the Angels rejoice and give praise to the Son of God.

COLLECT 

O Almighty and Eternal God, Who didst on this day lead Thy most holy Confessor Benedict out of the prison of the flesh and raise him up to heaven, grant, we pray, the pardon of all sin to Thy servants who celebrate this feast, so that while with glad hearts they rejoice at his glory, they may also by his intercession hav epart in his merits. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

EPISTLE 
Ecclus. 50:111,13,14

Behold the great confessor who in his life propped up the house, and in his days fortified the temple. By him also the height of the temple was founded, the double building and the high walls of the temple. In his days the wells of water flowed out, and they were filled as the sea above measure. He took care of his nation, and delivered it from destruction. He prevailed to enlarge the city, and obtained glory in his conversation with the people: and enlarged the entrance of the house and the court. He shone in his days as the morning star in the midst of a cloud, and as the moon at the full. And as the sun when it shineth, so did he shine in the temple of God. And as the rainbow giving light in the bright clouds, and as the flower of roses in the days of the spring, and as the lilies that are on the brink of the water, and as the sweet smelling frankincense in the time of summer. As a bright fire, and frankincense burning in the fire. As a massy vessel of gold, adorned with every precious stone. As an olive tree budding forth, and a cypress tree rearing itself on high. About him was the ring of his brethren: and as the cedar planted in mount Libanus, so as branches of him, and all the sons of Aaron in their glory.

GOSPEL 
Matthew 19:27-29

Then Peter answering, said to him: Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have? And Jesus said to them: Amen, I say to you, that you, who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my names sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting.


SEQUENCE
Laeta quies magni ducis

 The happy death of our great Leader bringing the benefits of a new day is commemorated now.

To the pious mind charity is given; so let first resound in a heart aflame with love what is brought forth in song and ceremony.

As along the pathway of the East he rises, let us admire the splendor of our patriarch.

The numerous race that from him sprang makes him shine as the sun, make him like another Abraham.

A raven you see ministering to him while as Elias he hides within a humble cave.

He appears another Eliseus when he calls back the axe from the torrent's rocky depth.

Purity of life make him another Joseph, knowledge of the future makes him another Jacob.

May he be mindful of his family, and bring us to the joys of Christ Who lives forever. Amen.

OFFERTORY

 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, O Lord, and hast not withholden from him the will of his lips: Thou hast set on his head a crown of precious stones.

 SECRET

 Be appeased, O Lord, by the gifts we offer in honor of Thy most holy Confessor, Benedict, and through his prayers grant Thy servants pardon of their sins. Through our Lord.

COMMUNION

 The faithful and wise servant, whom his lord setteth over his family, to give them their measure of wheat in due season.

 POST COMMUNION

 After receiving Thy saving Sacraments, we humbly pray, O Lord, our God, that through the prayers of Thy most holy Confessor Benedict, what we perform for his festival may profit us unto salvation. Through our Lord.
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Friday, March 20, 2020
The Samaritan Woman at the Well: St. Photina


On Friday in the Third Week of Lent we read in the Gospel for the Mass in the Traditional Roman Rite the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. This woman, though few know it, is known as St. Photina, who eventually died as a martyr for the Faith.

Coincidentally, today is also the 20th day of March. And in the Roman Maryrology for today, we also happen to read her entry:
"The same day, the Saints Photina, a Samaritan, and her sons Joseph and Victor; also, Sebastian, military officer, Anatolius, and Photius; Photides, Parasceves and Cyriaca, sisters, who were all martyred for confessing Christ."
Catholic Online provides the following entry on St. Photina:
"According to Greek tradition, Photiona was the Samaritan woman with whom Jesus spoke at the well as was recounted in the Gospel of St. John, chapter four. Deeply moved by the experience, she took to preaching the Gospel, received imprisonment, and was finally martyred at Carthage. Another tradition states that Photina was put to death in Rome after converting the daughter of Emperor Nero and one hundred of her servants. She supposedly died in Rome with her sons Joseph and Victor, along with several other Christians, including Sebastian, Photius, Parasceve, Photis, Cyriaca, and Victor. They were perhaps included in the Roman Martyrology by Cardinal Cesare Baronius owing to the widely held view that the head of Photina was preserved in the church of St. Paul's Outside the Walls." 
May St. Photina and her sons pray for us to the Lord. Just as she saw our Lord and converted, may all those who are away from the Catholic Faith be touched by grace and enter the Holy Catholic Church through the saving waters of Baptism.
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Thursday, March 19, 2020
Must the First Fridays and First Saturdays be Consecutive?

From time to time the question arises on whether or not the 9 First Fridays must be consecutive. One of the reasons for this is that traditionally the faithful may never receive Holy Communion, except in the case of the dying, on Good Friday. And some years Good Friday will fall on the First Friday of the month.

Likewise, during the crisis due to the coronavirus, many parishes - even traditional ones - are forced to cease public Masses due to the various shelter in place orders or government decrees to limit attendance at any gathering to a certain amount.

If this crisis continues into April, will the First Friday devotion need to be restarted again? Likewise, if through no fault of our own, will the Five First Saturdays devotion need to be restarted if we are unable to receive Holy Communion on the First Saturday of April? The answer is yes.

The following is taken from the American Ecclesiastical Review in regards to the question of Good Friday falling on the First Friday of the month. While the author notes this is not a universal opinion, he nevertheless does state that only Our Lord [or Our Lady in the case of the First Saturdays] could render a definitive decision on this matter. As none has been received from Heaven in a subsequent vision, we must conclude that the souls who are unable to receive Holy Communion, even through no fault of their own, must restart the devotion.

Let us pray for a quick end to the coronavirus crisis and the reopening of our churches and the offering of the Mass again to the public!

Does Good Friday Break the First Friday Devotion?



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Prayer of Consecration to St. Joseph

O Blessed Saint Joseph, I consecrate myself to thy honor, and give myself to thee that thou mayest always be my father, my protector, and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me a great purity of heart and a fervent love of the interior life. After thy example may I do all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the Divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And do thou, O Blessed Saint Joseph, pray for me, that I may share in the peace and joy of thy holy death. Amen.

Those who are interested should also see the 31-Day St. Joseph Daily Reflection Manual: Free PDF. Those who wish to make a formula consecration to St. Joseph, please get a copy of Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Father Donald Calloway.
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Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Can Unclean Food Defile a Man?


To those who claim that the Scriptures in Matthew 15:11 condemn the Church's law of abstinence and fasting, Dom Gueranger in his "Liturgical Year" addresses the following words:
[God] tells them that there is no creature which is intrinsically, and of its own nature, unclean; and that a man’s conscience cannot be defiled by the mere fact of his eating certain kinds of food. Evil thoughts, and evil deeds, these, says our Saviour, are the things that defile a man. Some heretics have interpreted these words as being an implicit condemnation of the exterior practices ordained by the Church, and more especially of abstinence. To such reasoners and teachers we may justly apply what our Saviour said to the pharisees: They are blind and leaders of the blind. From this, that the sins into which a man falls by his use of material things are sins only on account of the malice of the will, which is spiritual, it does not follow that therefore man may, without any sin, make use of material things, when God or His Church forbids their use. 
God forbade our first parents, under pain of death, to eat the fruit of a certain tree; they ate it, and sin was the result of their eating. Was the fruit unclean of its own nature? No; it was a creature of God as well as the other fruits of Eden; but our first parents sinned by eating it, because their doing so was an act of disobedience. Again, when God gave His Law on Mount Sinai, He forbade the Hebrews to eat the flesh of certain animals; if they ate it, they were guilty of sin, not because this sort of food was intrinsically evil or cursed, but because they that partook of it disobeyed the Lord. 
The commandments of the Church regarding fasting and abstinence are of a similar nature. It is that we may secure to ourselves the blessing of Christian penance— in other words, it is for our spiritual interest—that the Church bids us abstain and fast at certain times. If we violate her law, it is not the food we take that defiles us, but the resisting a sacred power, which our Saviour, in yesterday's Gospel, told us we are to obey under the heavy penalty which He expressed in those words: He that will not hear the Church, shall be counted as a heathen and publican.
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Monday, March 16, 2020
Comprehensive List of Live Streaming Traditional Latin Masses


Updated 11/23/2020

With the current crisis in regards to the coronavirus, many Dioceses or governments have suspended all Masses and gatherings. This is unprecedented in the Church. As a result, in most places, the faithful have been dispensed from Sunday Mass. Yet, while it is possible to be dispensed from the precept of assisting at Mass, the divine law requires that Sundays are nevertheless honored. We must refrain from servile works on Sundays, pray, worship God as we can, and perform works of mercy, in addition to using the time for rest and leisure with family or friends. See: Top 5 Ways to Sanctify Sunday When Mass is Suspended

In order for the faithful to help sanctify Sunday, many parishes are now live streaming their Masses. In fact, many of the links here offer daily streaming - even the weekday Masses and the devotions.

During this Lent, we especially bear these crosses which the Lord has given us. When Lent started, we never planned to receive this Cross, but like our Lord, we must bear it with patience and resignation.

Some of these live streams are only during this period of crisis. Others are available all year round. If you know of any more, please list them in the comment section below. Some of these and more are listed on LatinMass.live as well.

Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
Society of St. Pius V
Society of St. Pius X
Institute of Christ the King
Diocesan / Independent / Others in the USA
Churches in England & Wales
Eastern Catholic Rites
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Indulged Prayer for the Dying


O most merciful Jesus, lover of souls, I beseech Thee, by the agony of Thy Most Sacred Heart and by the sorrows of Thine immaculate Mother, wash clean in Thy Blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their agony and who are to die this day. Amen.

V: Heart of Jesus, who didst suffer death's agony
R: Have mercy on the dying

An indulgence of 300 days as listed in the Raccolta
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Holy Communion Under One or Both Species?


What is Holy Communion?

The Eucharist - Holy Communion - simply is Christ's body, blood, soul, and divinity under the appearance of bread and wine. It is not a symbol of Christ, but rather, it is truly and really Jesus Christ! At the point in the Mass known as the consecration the priest, acting in persona Christi, will say "This is my Body, which will be given up for you" and "This is my Blood...". These were the words of Our Savior when He turned the bread and wine at the Last Supper into His Body and Blood, and, by the divine power of God in the priesthood, the bread and wine become Jesus Christ.

The Council of Trent condemned as heretical anyone who claimed that the Eucharist is not the Body and Blood and Soul and Divinity of Christ: “If anyone denieth, that, in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, are contained truly, really, and substantially, the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ; but saith that He is only therein as in a sign, or in figure, or virtue; let him be anathema.”

What is Transubstantiation?

The Baltimore Catechism Q. 246 asks, “What is this change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord called? This change of the bread and wine into the body and blood of our Lord is called Transubstantiation.”

Only the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church have a valid Eucharist. The protestants, who do not have valid Holy Orders, do not have valid priests and therefore can not confect the Holy Eucharist. They can not by their words cause transubstantiation to occur. A Lutheran or Anglican priest is not a valid priest.

What is Consubstantiation? 

That being said, the Lutherans, although, they do not have a valid Eucharist, believe the Communion in their services is both the Lord’s Body and Blood alongside the substance of bread and wine. This is called consubstantiation. The theological view of consubstantiation, which has no basis in the teachings of the Early Church at all, was explicitly condemned as heretical by the Council of Trent:

“If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood-the species Only of the bread and wine remaining-which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema.”

The writings of the Early Church Fathers abound in teaching the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, long before the term was coined by the Church. To illustrate the clear Catholic view that existed centuries, even a millennium before Martin Luther, we can turn to a few examples. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (313 – 386 AD) wrote, "Do not, therefore, regard the bread and wine as simply that, for they are, according to the Master's declaration, the body and blood of Christ.” And St. Augustine (354 – 430 AD) similarly and succinctly wrote, “Christ held Himself in His hands when He gave His Body to His disciples saying: 'This is My Body.' No one partakes of this Flesh before he has adored It.”

What is a Eucharistic Species?

In Theology we use the terms species in reference to the Eucharist. What does species mean? The Modern Catholic Dictionary by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. defines “species” as the following: “Appearances, especially those of bread and wine, after the Eucharistic consecration. The term "species" is used by the Council of Trent to identify the accidents, i.e., the size, weight, color, resistance, taste, and odor of bread, which remain exactly the same after transubstantiation. They are not mere appearances as though these physical properties were unreal. But they are appearances because after the consecration they lack any substance that underlies them or in which they inhere.”

This is an important definition because by it we see a few things. First, the Catholic view is transubstantiation. Second, in transubstantiation the bread and wine, at the moment of consecration, cease being bread and wine and are now the substance of the Lord’s Body, His Blood, His Soul, and His Divinity.  The only thing remaining of bread and wine are the accidents (the color, taste, smell, appearance, et cetera) of bread and wine. They are however not bread and wine any more.


Is Christ’s Body Only in the Consecrated Host? Is the Consecrated Wine Only His Blood?

In the Catechism of St. Pius X we find the clear and universal teaching of the Church: “Both under the species of the bread and under the species of the wine the living Jesus Christ is all present, with His Body, His Blood, His Soul and His Divinity. Both in the host and in the chalice Jesus Christ is whole and entire, because He is living and immortal in the Eucharist as He is in heaven; hence where His Body is, there also are His Blood, His Soul, and His Divinity; and where His Blood is, there also are His Body, His Soul and His Divinity, all these being inseparable in Jesus Christ.”

The smallest fragment of the Eucharistic Host is the fullness of Christ: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. And the smallest drop of the Consecrated wine is likewise the fullness of Our Lord: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We may in conversation refer to the Consecrated Host as “Christ’s Body” and the Consecrated Wine as “Christ’s Blood,” but in reality under each of the species of bread and wine there is no substance of bread or wine and there is the fullness of Christ.

The great confusion on this necessary teaching for salvation comes from the modernism that has infected the Church in the past few decades. In fact, many Catholics fail to understand this because Catholic parishes have introduced Communion in the hand, which was introduced as a liturgical abuse, and they now also distribute Holy Communion from the chalice. The sacrilege of Communion in the hand and the distribution of both Eucharistic species has led to a growing trend in Catholics failing to believe in the Real Presence (i.e. in transubstantiation) and, even for those who do believe, there is a trend in Catholics who believe the Consecrated Host is only Christ’s Body and the Consecrated Wine is only Christ’s Blood.

Should We Receive Holy Communion from the Chalice? 

In the Traditional Latin Mass, Holy Communion is given to those who are kneeling (with the elderly and ill able to stand), on the tongue, and only under one species. Why? The Baltimore Catechism in Q. 900 advised, "The Church does not give Holy Communion to the people as it does to the priest under the appearance of wine also, to avoid the danger of spilling the Precious Blood; to prevent the irreverence some might show if compelled to drink out of a chalice used by all, and lastly, to refute those who denied that Our Lord's blood is present under the appearance of bread also."

The trend following Vatican II to distribute both Eucharistic species incorporates a protestant practice that the Church had repeatedly prohibited in order to both safeguard our Lord’s Body and Blood and to teach the authentic Theology of the Real Presence under one species more fully. The Catholic Encyclopedia summarizes the Church’s history of this topic for those looking for more thorough information. While the Eastern Rites of the Church have continued to offer the Holy Eucharist through intinction (where the Consecrated Bread is dipped in the Consecrated Wine), this practice has long ago vanished from the Western Rites of the Church. The protestants introduction of this was done due to their heretical view of the Consecrated Bread containing the fullness of Christ.

We should not receive Holy Communion from the chalice as traditionally this was for the priest alone. We should also attend the Traditional Latin Mass and not the Novus Ordo. And we should of course never receive Holy Communion in the hand.  As Fr. John Hardon remarked: “Whatever you can do to stop Communion in the hand will be blessed by God.”
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Sunday, March 15, 2020
2nd Saturday of the Month TLM in Menlo Park, CA

The Church of the Nativity now offers the Tridentine Mass on the 2nd Saturday of each month. I've been able to attend this Mass a few times and here are some images from it.

If you would like to receive email updates from the organizer of this monthly Mass, please contact me and I will pass along your email address.

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and looking for other Traditional Masses in the Peninsula or elsewhere in the Bay, consider following the Traditional Latin Mass Society of San Francisco as well as the Mid-Peninsula Latin Mass on Facebook.

Advent Feria Mass:




Feast of St. Lawrence:





Saturday in the 2nd Week of Lent:









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Saturday, March 14, 2020
Top 5 Ways to Sanctify Sunday When Mass is Suspended

As a precursor, please read: Is Mass Attendance Required During Epidemics?

Sunday is the ideal day in which to participate in communal Rosary, Vespers, and Benediction services. Sunday is also the day on which the faithful should be most willing to read Catholic newspapers, books, and magazines. While none of these are required, they are some of the ways we can sanctify Sundays. And to those who are home-bound and unable to attend Mass, some of these activities are all the more important.

1. Pray the Divine Office

If you are like most Catholics, you have little time to pray the Divine Office during the work week.  If this is you, make an effort to pray Lauds, Vespers, and Compline each Sunday as a family.  Pray Lauds before going to Mass.  Pray Vespers before Sunday dinner.  And pray Compline after the Family Rosary in the evening before bed. You can easily pray the Divine Office from home at DivinimOfficum.com.

The Divine Office is the official prayer of the Church.  Unite your family with the Liturgical Year and pray the Divine Office on Sundays (and other holy days of obligation).

2. Family Rosary

Perhaps no Sunday activity is as cherished as the family Rosary.  As the axiom goes, “The Family that prays together stays together.”  Families have a responsibility – as the domestic Church – to foster a sense of holiness and religion amongst their members. The family Rosary should be a time of regular devotion – at least weekly if daily Rosary as a family is not possible.

For those families who have members that have fallen from the Faith, this is a sure means to help them return to the Church.  Beseech our Lady to send them the graces necessary to save their souls. Invite family members to the Rosary. Indeed, the family that prays together does stay together. And pray for all those affected by the health crisis and for all those who do not have access now to the Sacraments.

3. Teach and Learn the Faith

No other day should be as treasured for the passing on or the learning of the Faith than Sunday.  By the virtue of the Fourth Commandment we are forbidden from performing servile work (i.e. the work typical of a servant) on Sundays.  We are also forbidden from commanding those us under our charge to perform such works. Parents may not force their children to mow the lawn (and they should actually forbid such an activity on Sunday!).  Homeowners may not paint their rooms or work on household labors or even command their contractors or hired help to work on Sunday to accomplish a goal.  Rather, we should ask those under our charge to refrain from all such labors on the Holy Day.
What are we to do with our time besides prayer and charity?  We are to study and transit the Faith.  Studying is a discipline of the mind and all forms of intellectual study whether they be studying the catechism, learning Kepler’s laws of the universe, understanding history, practicing Latin, learning a musical instrument, et cetera are permissible on Sunday.  They are even encouraged.

Visit TraditionalCatholic.co for a list of dozens of great Catholic books that can be read freely online. And visit CatechismClass.com for classes you can take that are very affordable.

4. Read the Sunday Propers

And even if we cannot attend the actual Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we can read the prayers of the Mass. For instance, learn more about the manner of hearing Mass while at home.  And during this current crisis, Ancilla Press has put together the current propers in a similar method called the Carthusian Office of the Mass. And many churches are now live streaming the private Masses said by the priest so that the faithful can spiritually benefit from watching along.

And lastly, while it may not fulfill our Sunday obligation, there are various Traditional Masses that are live-streamed which we can access during this time. In this way, we can still spiritually unite ourselves with the Sacrifice of the Mass even when dispensed from the Sunday obligation to attend Holy Mass. And as we watch these, we may make an Act of Spiritual Communion.

5. Works of Mercy

Sunday is a day most appropriate for charity.  Our Lord was accosted by the Pharisees for performing miracles (e.g. works of charity) on the Sabbath.  Nowadays, to those who claim that Sunday is not a day most appropriate for charity, we remind them of the Lord’s words: “Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?" (Luke 14:5).  Shall we let those who have fallen in sin or despair remain there without aiding them?

While pandemics or epidemics may make it dangerous to feed the hungry or clothe the naked, we can and should still perform the spiritual works of mercy. Visit a cemetery for instance and pray for the dead. Or at least stay at home and say prayers for the souls in Purgatory. Write cards to those who are sick. Be a good example and defend the Catholic Faith publicly on social media. There are many such ways we can share and defend the Faith even when staying at home.
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