Octave Day of the Ascension of our Lord

Today according to the pre-1955 changes under Pope Pius XII is the Octave Day of the Ascension.

Ascentiontide lasts for 10 days and is part of the Pascal Season. The first nine days of Ascensiontide include the traditional Octave of the Ascension. The last day of Ascentiontide is the Vigil of Pentecost. Pentecost Sunday, which has its own octave, follows. Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Pentecost, officially begins the Season After Pentecost. The total length of Paschaltide, from Easter Sunday to the end of Whitsuntide is 56 days (inclusively). 

For this season of Ascensiontide, Catholics are welcomed and encouraged to immerse themselves in the devotions appropriate for the season.  For example, during this season, there are special prayers for the time between Ascension and Pentecost.

Before the changes of Pope Pius XII in 1955, there was a liturgical octave for the Ascension, and remnants of the octave can be found in the Office as it now stands.  The appropriate texts for the minor hours (except for the collects) are set out in the psalter. For the collects, Lauds and Vespers however, you need to keep your ribbon on the page for the Ordinary of Ascensiontide. The key points to note are set out via Saints will Arise.

The Mass Propers for this Octave of the Ascension are the same as on the Feast of the Ascension itself with White vestments, the Gloria, the Paschal Alleluia, the Credo, the Preface of the Ascension and the Proper Communicantes for the Ascension in the Canon. You may find them in a pre-1955 Missal such as the Saint Andrew Daily Missal and the Marian Missal from 1945.

History of Octaves

While the Novus Ordo calendar unfortunately only has 2 octaves, traditional Catholics will be familiar with the idea of multiple overlapping Octaves.  The practice of celebrating an Octave, while not only traced to the time spent by the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary awaiting the Paraclete, also has its origins in the Old Testament eight-day celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:36) and the Dedication of the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:9). Very truly, Christ did not come to abolish the Old Law but to fulfill it.

By the 8th century, Rome had developed liturgical octaves not only for Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas, but also for the Epiphany and the feast of the dedication of a church.

After 1568, when Pope Pius V reduced the number of octaves (since they had grown considerably), the number of Octaves was still plentiful.  Octaves were classified into several types. Easter and Pentecost had "specially privileged" octaves, during which no other feast whatsoever could be celebrated. Christmas, Epiphany, and Corpus Christi had "privileged" octaves, during which certain highly ranked feasts might be celebrated. The octaves of other feasts allowed even more feasts to be celebrated.

To reduce the repetition of the same liturgy for several days, Pope Leo XIII and Pope St. Pius X made further distinctions, classifying octaves into three primary types: privileged octaves, common octaves, and simple octaves. Privileged octaves were arranged in a hierarchy of first, second, and third orders. The Octave of the Ascension was a Privileged Octave of the Third Order.

Collect:

O Almighty God, we firmly believe that Your only-begotten Son, our Redeemer, ascended this day into heaven. May our minds dwell always on this heavenly home. Through Our Lord . . .

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St. Petronilla

Photo © Jörgens.Mi/Wikipedia, Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0, Source: Wikimedia Commons

On this final day of May, when we celebrate the Queenship of Mary (which in 1954 took the place of the Feast of St. Angela Merici which was then transferred to June 1), we recall in the Sacred Liturgy a commemoration of St. Petronilla. She was a disciple of St. Peter who died in 60 AD.

The following is taken from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger:

In the eighth century, the holy Pope Paul I had the body of Petronilla taken from the cemetery of Domitilla, on the Ardeatine Way. Her relics were found in a marble sarcophagus, the lid of which was adorned, at each corner, with a dolphin. The Pope had them enshrined in a little church, which he built near the south side of the Vatican Basilica. This church was destroyed in the sixteenth century, in consequence of the alterations needed for the building of the new Basilica of St Peter; and the relics of St Petronilla were translated to one of its altars on the west side. It was but just that she should await her glorious resurrection under the shadow of the great Apostle who had initiated her in the faith, and prepared her for her eternal nuptials with the Lamb.

Thy triumph, O Petronilla, is one of our Easter joys. We lovingly venerate thy blessed memory. Thou didst disdain the pleasures and honours of the world, and thy virginal name is one of the first on the list of the Church of Rome, which was thy mother. Aid her now by thy prayers. Protect those who seek thine intercession, and teach us how to celebrate, with holy enthusiasm, the solemnities that are soon to gladden us.

Collect:

Hear us, O God, our Savior: and as we rejoice in the feast of blessed Petronilla, Thy Virgin: so we may learn a filial devotion to Thee. Through our Lord . . .

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Lament for the fall of Constantinople

Chant for the Fall of Constantinople, the holy city, to the heathens on May 29th, 1453. Psalm 78 is chanted:

O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. 

How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire? Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place. O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low. 

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed. Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die; And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord. So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.

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Virtual Tour: Shrine of All Saints in Morton Grove, IL

The Shrine of All Saints is a true treasure in Chicago known to far too few Catholics. The Shrine is located within St. Martha Catholic Church in Morton Grove. St. Martha's main church was originally built as a multi-purpose auditorium and gymnasium for the parish school. But despite this architectural sore spot, the shrine is a treasure. 

Unassuming from the outside, inside you will find the 2nd largest collection of relics in the United States! There are over 3,000 relics housed here for public veneration. Some of the relics housed in this shrine were rescued from closed convents in France and saved from relegation to museums and private homes. Others were rescued from estate sales in Italy where families would sell off the relics of their closed private chapels since few families - if any - still have personal chaplains. It should be noted that while it is a sin to sell relics, there is no sin in buying them to rescue them. 

Some of the many relics housed in this shrine are the following:

• The Finger bone of st. Martha of Bethany
• A piece of hair of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary from before Her Assumption
• A piece of the Holy Shroud of Turin
• A relic of St. Anne, mother of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary
• Part of the finger of the right hand of St. Hildegard of Bingen
• A piece of the veil of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary
• A piece of the staff of St. Joseph
• The cranium of St. Fructuosus, Bishop of Tarragona, who was martyred in 259 AD
• A lock of hair of St. Therese of Lisieux which still has the scent of roses on it!
• Relic of St. Gregory Barbarigo
• Part of the cranium of St. Barbara of Nicomedia
• The right heel bone of St. Polycarp
• A Finger from the right hand of St. Ignatius of Antioch
• A reliquary containing a piece of the True Cross on which Our Lord died
• A relic of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint
• Two bones of St. Nicholas of Myra, which were scientifically tested and verified to come from the same period in which St. Nicholas died
• The left humerus of St. Benedict of Nursia, the founder of Western Monasticism
• A large bone of St. Erasmus, Bishop of Formiae, who was martyred in 303 AD
• Part of the jaw and two teeth of St. Christina, Virgin and Martyr
• The left fibula of St. Peter the Apostle
• Other relics from the apostles: St. Jude, St. Simon the Zealot, St. Bartholomew, St. Philip, St. James the Lesser, St. Andrew, St. Matthias, and St. John the Evangelist
• A bone of St. Felicitas of Rome, who witnessed the martyrdom of her seven sons before her own
• The skull and fibula of St. Remaclus
• Relics of the Martyrs of Vietnam
• A large collection of relics of the Cristero Martyrs
• A breviary and other items owned by St. John Vianney
• Relics of St. Philomena, on display near the relics of St. John Vianney, which is appropriate considering his great devotion to her
• Part of the dress worn by St. Edith Stein when she was received the Carmelite Habit
• Calendar Reliquaries from the Cathedral of Ravenna as well as another from a Belgian monastery on the German border. These calendars contain one relic for each day in the year
• The incorrupt tongue of St. John Nepomucene
• Two large bones of St. Stephen the First Martyr, which show the cracks he sustained in them when he gave his life for Christ

It is not possible to list every saint whose relics are here. This is a truly wonderful place to pray and thank God for the miracles wrought through his saints. The shrine also has on display the oldest known depiction in the world of the Dormition of our Lady on a bronze medallion that was made between 500 - 550 AD. It was excavated in Madaba, Jordan in 2001 by Dr. Reem Hajjal. 

The Shrine is currently led by Fr. Dennis O'Neill, who has grown it to its present state over the years. It is available to tour by appointment only but if you are able to visit, you will surely find it an occasion of many graces.

Photos from my recent visit are as follows. Click on any for higher resolution:

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Christ's Words to Adam in the Limbo of the Fathers

The following meditation is taken from an ancient sermon for Holy Saturday by St. Epiphanios of Cyprus (d. 403):

For your sake, I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. 

I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. 

The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

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Abstinence & Fasting Is Not Automatically Dispensed on Solemnities

Last year I wrote an article entitled "Is Fasting or Abstinence Required on Holy Days of Obligation in Lent?" and unfortunately more Traditional Catholics continue to think that abstinence even on Fridays in Lent is dispensed eo ipso when a solemnity (e.g. Annunciation Day, St. Joseph's Day) falls on a Friday or when a culturally important day (e.g. St. Patrick's Day) occurs on a Friday. Let's review ecclesiastical history on this important point.

The Clear Teaching of the 1917 Code of Canon Law

The question of whether Holy Days of Obligation abrogate the requirement of Friday abstinence outside of Lent is mentioned in the 1917 Code:

"On [Sundays] or feasts of precept, the law of abstinence or of abstinence and fast or of fast only ceases, except during Lent, nor is the vigil anticipated; likewise it ceases on Holy [Saturday] afternoon" (1917 Code, Canon 1252 § 4). [Translation taken from THE 1917 OR PIO-BENEDICTINE CODE OF CANON LAW in English Translation by Dr. Edward Peters]

The 1917 Code is explicit - feasts of precepts do not remove the requirement to fast or abstain during Lent. The only way that the obligation would be removed during the season of Lent would be if a dispensation would be specifically offered by lawful Church authorities for a particular day.

Historical Evidence Confirms Even Holy Days of Obligation in Lent were not Dispensed Automatically from the Laws of Either Fast or Abstinence

In 1954, Pope Pius XII issued a decree granting bishops the permission to dispense from Friday abstinence for the Feast of St. Joseph which that year fell on a Friday. A March 26, 1954 article in the Guardian elaborates: "Bishops throughout the world have been granted the faculty to dispense their faithful from the law of abstinence on the Feast of St. Joseph, Friday, March 19. The power was granted in a decree issued by the Sacred Congregation of the Council, which said it acted at the special mandate of His Holiness Pope Pius XII. The decree was published in L'Osservatore Romano made no mention of a dispensation from the Lenten fast." 

As such, St. Joseph's Day did not permit the faithful to eat meat on Fridays in Lent unless such a specific dispensation was offered, which was very rarely done. This was also at a time when there were many other fast days in the year outside of Lent. Likewise, to those who maintain the 1917 Code's requirement to also fast all forty weekdays of Lent - which was observed since the Early Church - St. Joseph's Day remains a day of fast. Surely St. Joseph would want us to produce worthy fruits of penance during this holiest season as we prepare for the Pascal mystery. And surely the same can be said of our Lady, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, whose we celebrate each year on March 25th.

Unfortunately, the 1983 Code of Canon Law which aligns with the many modernist changes in the Church weakly states:

"The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent. Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday" (1983 Code, Canons 1251 - 1252). 

Dispensations From Abstinence Were Previously Required Even for Holy Days of Obligation Outside of Lent

The notion that a solemnity that is not even a Holy Day of Obligation would trump Friday abstinence in Lent is absurd and a radical departure from all of our traditions. Such a notion comes from 1983 and never beforehand. For instance, even Christmas would in and of itself not dispense Friday abstinence in the Medieval Church as Dom Gueranger writes in the Liturgical Year published in 1886:

"To encourage her children in their Christmas joy, the Church has dispensed with the law of abstinence, if this Feast fall on a Friday. This dispensation was granted by Pope Honorius III, who ascended the Papal Throne in 1216. It is true that we find it mentioned by Pope St Nicholas I, in the ninth century; but the dispensation was not universal; for the Pontiff is replying to the consultations of the Bulgarians, to whom he concedes this indulgence, in order to encourage them to celebrate these Feasts with solemnity and joy: Christmas Day, St Stephen, St John the Evangelist, the Epiphany, the Assumption of our Lady, St John the Baptist, and SS Peter and Paul. When the dispensation for Christmas Day was extended to the whole Church, these other Feasts were not mentioned."

Previously, a dispensation was required by the Holy Father even on Holy Days of Obligation that fell outside of Lent. Two examples indicating this are Pope Leo XIII's 1890 dispensation for Assumption Day and a 1907 dispensation issued for Canada for All Saints Day. All Saints Day was at that time a Holy Day of Obligation in Canada. Read How St. Pius X & the 1917 Code of Canon Law Liberalized Fasting, Abstinence, and Holy Days of Obligation for more information

The Catholic Encyclopedia on St. Pius X's Supremi disciplinæ indicates that fasting was abolished eo ipso only starting in 1911 for all Holy Days of Obligation (which were at the same time reduced to only 8): "The present Motu Proprio institutes another important change in legislation. As feasting and fasting are incompatible Pius X has abolished the obligation of fasting as well as that of abstinence for the Universal Church, should such obligation coincide with any of the eight feasts, as above." In practice, we know that the exception was Lent. Lenten abstinence and fast always remained unless explicitly dispensed from even after the weakening changes in 1911.

Year-Round Friday Abstinence on Solemnities

The principles here apply as well to high-ranking feastdays outside of Lent. In years when non-Holy Days of Obligation (e.g. The Sacred Heart, Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Ss. Peter and Paul) fall on a Friday, the practice of Friday abstinence should never be ignored. We have a responsibility of doing penance and the shared act of Friday penance is, like Sunday Mass, a cornerstone of the Catholic Faith. Even the 1983 Code calls for year-round Friday penance!

Continue Fasting and Abstaining Both In and Out of Lent

Must we be reminded of the warning of Pope Benedict XIV, who in 1741 warned: "The observance of Lent is the very badge of the Christian warfare. By it, we prove ourselves not to be enemies of the cross of Christ. By it, we avert the scourges of divine justice. By it, we gain strength against the princes of darkness, for it shields us with heavenly help. Should mankind grow remiss in their observance of Lent, it would be a detriment to God's glory, a disgrace to the Catholic religion, and a danger to Christian souls. Neither can it be doubted that such negligence would become the source of misery to the world, of public calamity, and of private woe."

There is no incompatibility between fasting and abstaining and celebrating liturgical solemnities. Even Sundays used to be required days of abstinence (but not fast). Let us fast and abstain always on St. Joseph's Day, Annunciation Day, and St. Patrick's Day each year during Lent. Our adherence to and preservation of the Traditional Catholic Faith requires this. 

Latching on to a modernist novelty from 1983 is incompatible with the Traditional Latin Mass and the Traditional Catholic Faith. And let us offer our acts of penance for the conversion of sinners to the Traditional Catholic Faith. There is no prohibition against fasting on solemnities; on the contrary, Tradition requires it.

Want to learn more about the history of fasting and abstinence? Check out the Definitive Guide to Catholic Fasting and Abstinence.

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The Most and Least Common Catholic Parish Names in the United States

With the increase in parish closures in some dioceses, like the Archdiocese of Chicago, older parishes are regulated to profane use and sold. Other times, parishes merge and while keeping each church open, choose a new parish name. And as time goes on, it is not surprising that new parish names tend to ignore more ancient and forgotten saints - like the many saints who were removed from the General Calendar in 1969.

St. Giles for instance used to be a common name for churches in Europe. That is no longer the case. And the same may be said for many ancient Roman saints. Take for instance the restoration of the Institute of Christ the King in Chicago. Their national headquarters was originally built in 1927 and named for St. Clara. In 1990 it was renamed for St. Galasius shortly before it was closed and subsequently deeded to the Shrine of Christ the King who have renamed it. As for St. Galasius who reigned as Pope from 492 - 496, no parishes in America remain dedicated to him.

After analyzing the more than 13,500 parishes listed in the United States Catholic Directory, I found some interesting statistics:

• Parishes dedicated to Our Lady, either under one of her titles, one aspect of her life (e.g. her Assumption, Nativity, etc), or under St. Mary, are the most popular parishes. These account for approximately 25.8% of American Catholic parishes
• Some unique Marian titled parishes include Our Lady of the Plains (1 parish), Our Lady of the Prarie (1 parish), and Our Lady of the Pines (2 parishes)
• Certain feastdays in the life of Our Lord or Our Lady are more popular than others for names. Examples of various names include Annunciation (26 parishes), Assumption (73 parishes), the Blessed Sacrament (86 parishes), Christ the King (121 parishes), Corpus Christi (67 parishes), Epiphany (20 parishes), and the Holy Rosary (75 parishes).
• The Holy Trinity (or the Blessed Trinity) is the name of approximately 137 parishes
• Some unusual parish names include Christ our Light (5 such parishes), Christ of the Desert (1 parish), and Christ on the Mountain (1 parish).
• There is only one parish named for the Five Holy Martyrs, one parish in honor of the Five Wounds, one parish in honor of the forty martyrs, and one parish named after the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
• All Saints is the name of 77 parishes, but All Souls is the name of only 6 parishes.
• When it comes to saints, St. Joseph is one of the most popular after the Blessed Virgin Mary and that shows. There are approximately 777 parishes named after him, amounting to over 5% of all American Parishes. 
• St. Patrick is also popular with 346 parishes.
• There are a number of saints who have only a few parishes in America despite their importance. One example is St. Polycarp, who despite being kept on the Universal Calendar, has only 3 parishes named after him. St. Louis Bertrand also has only 3 parishes named after him. By contrast, both St. Gaspar Del Bufalo and St. Eloi, very obscure saints, have 2 parishes named after them.

Some of the least common parish names are in honor of the following saints who have just one parish named after them:

• St. Caspar
• St. Colette
• St. Cronan
• St. Dunstan 
• St. Egbert
• St. Eustachius
• St. Flannen
• St. Frederic
• St. Jarlath
• St. Pancratius
• St. Petronille
• St. Philip Bonitus
• St. Symphorosa
• St. Terrence

For those of us who do like reading about the lives of the saints, and who have done so for a while, I think it would be worthwhile to seek out the biographies of some of these more obscure saints. While not as popular anymore, their lives are still useful for our edification and hopefully, we can learn from them and invoke their aid. Even though they are not as popular as St. Joseph or St. Patrick, they do still nevertheless see God now face to face. 

For the full 100 page report, including graphs and charts, please contact me. The full report will be available free of charge to my Patreons.

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Early Christians Fasted Even from Water During Lent

The history of the Lenten fast is replete with inspiration for us. Whereas modern man has steadily over the centuries given in to laxities and has abandoned fasting - and prayer and almsgiving too - it is necessary for those Catholics faithful to the Traditions to restore some of the fervor of our forefathers in the Faith. 

To the Early Christians, fasting was performed until sundown, in imitation of the previous Jewish tradition. Dom Gueranger’s writings affirm, “It was the custom with the Jews, in the Old Law, not to take the one meal, allowed on fasting days, till sun-set. The Christian Church adopted the same custom. It was scrupulously practiced, for many centuries, even in our Western countries." 

Liquids Broke the Fast In the Early Church

In the early Church, fasting also included abstinence from wine, taking man back to his antediluvian diet before God permitted Noah to eat meat and drink wine. As such, in apostolic times, the main meal was a small one, mainly of bread and vegetables. Fish, but not shellfish, became permitted on days of abstinence around the 6th century. Hence, some Eastern Rites will abstain from meat, animal products, wine, oil, and fish on fasting days which harkens back to these ancient times.

Remarkably, even water was forbidden during fasting times in the very ancient church. Fr. Alban Butler in Moveable Feasts and Fasts provides testimony of this when he writes: 

"St. Fructuosus, the holy bishop of Tarragon in Spain, in the persecution of Valerian in 259, being led to martyrdom on a Friday at ten o'clock in the morning, refused to drink, because it was not the hour to break the fast of the day, though fatigued with imprisonment, and standing in need of strength to sustain the conflict of his last agony. 'It is a fast,' said he: 'I refuse to drink; it is not yet the ninth hour; death itself shall not oblige me to abridge my fast.'"

The Pulpit Orator published in 1884 by Fr. Pustet & Company similarly notes: "That we take only one full meal, Sundays excepted. The Christians of the first ages observed this ecclesiastical ordinance very exactly, after the setting of the sun. Nor did they drink water, unless there was a necessity. A council at Aix-la-Chapelle declares: 'Only when necessity requires it, on account of hard labor or weakness, is it allowed to drink.'"

Father Alban writes elsewhere, "It is undoubted, that anciently to drink on fasting days was no less forbidden than to eat, only in the refection after sunset." The account of St. Fructuosus illustrates that while water would break the fast, water was permitted when the meal was taken later in the evening. This reference to taking the meal after a set time prescribed by the Church would last for centuries, even though it would be moved up ultimately to noon by the 14th century. 

Father Alban also insightfully remarks, "Even the first allowance of a collation, which consisted only of a draught of drink, shows it was not allowed before to drink at all on fasting days before the hour of the meal...The Mahometans, though immersed in sensuality and vice, keep up this essential law in their fasts, which consist in neither eating, nor drinking, nor smoking the whole day, from morning to the rising of the stars in the evening." The custom of fasting even from water was similarly practiced in ancient Judaism.

The American Ecclesiastical Review in a 1938 piece on the Lenten fast notes that in the Early Church, even after water became allowed, liquids other than water would break the fast:

The fast observed in the early Church was much more severe than that of later centuries. The law of fasting did not permit the use of any food earlier than sunset during Lent and not earlier than three o'clock in the afternoon on fast days outside of Lent. Even in St. Thomas's time, the hour for the taking of food was circa horam sextam or noon. The earlier custom prohibited all liquids except water outside the meal, later liquids were allowed according to the principle that they do not break the fast. It was not until the thirteenth century that the custom of taking a little food such as fruit bread salad and the like in the evening was introduced. This refection received the name of collation apparently from the Collations of Cassian usually read by the monks at this repast. The frustulum or small quantity of food allowed in the morning is a practice of comparatively recent origin. Only when we consider the rigor of fasting as practised by our forefathers in the Faith can we appreciate the indulgence that the Church has accorded Catholics in this age.

Water Broke the Eucharistic Fast Until 1953

The final vestige of abstaining from even water was in the form of the Eucharistic fast leading up to the reception of Holy Communion. This was changed by Pope Pius XII on January 6, 1953, in Christus Dominus, which stated: “In the future, it shall be a general and common principle for all, both priests and faithful, that natural water does not break the Eucharistic fast.” Further changes were introduced on March 25, 1957, in Sacram Communionem by Pope Pius XII again. While legislating on a number of finer details, as a whole, Pope Pius XII’s legislation mitigated the fast to be for three hours before Holy Communion from all solid food and all alcoholic beverages. Nonalcoholic beverages were subject to a one hour fast, though water was permitted at any time as stated in Christus Dominus. Those old enough to remember Masses before 1953 may recall that Catholic schools would cover the drinking fountains until after Holy Mass had ended.

Conclusion

While this practice of abstaining from liquids may not be something we want to practice this Lent, it is worthwhile to consider for the sake of inspiration the remarkable discipline that Early Christians kept in the Lenten fast. And we too can keep an austere Lent this year by retaining some of the practices kept by our forefathers in the Early and/or Medieval Church.

Want to learn more about the history of fasting and abstinence? Check out the Definitive Guide to Catholic Fasting and Abstinence.

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How the Traditional Latin Mass Reinforces Lent as a Fast

It is lamentable that so few Catholics keep the Traditional Lenten fast as practiced by our forefathers in the Faith for centuries. The Traditional Lenten fast - which was greatly watered down since the 1700s - generally constituted the following:

• Fasting applies for those age 18 or older (but not obligatory for those 60 years of age or older)
• Ash Wednesday and Good Friday: If possible, no solid food. Only black coffee, tea, or water.
• Mondays through Saturdays: Only one meal preferably after sunset or at least until not before 3 PM. A morning frustulum and evening collation (i.e. the two "snacks") are permitted but not required. No meat or animal products are allowed for anyone, regardless of age - that included even fish in the Early Church.
• Sundays: No meat or animal products allowed. Abstinence remained on Sundays even when fasting did not.
• Holy Week (except Good Friday which is covered above): Only Bread, Salt, and Herbs are permitted for the main meal. Frustulum and collation permitted (of bread, herbs, and salt) but omitted if possible.
• Holy Saturday: No food until Noon. Abstinence including from all animal products continues until Easter begins.

While we have happily seen an increase in the number of Traditional Latin Masses offered over the past decade, few Catholics have promoted a return to the fasting that our ancestors knew and practiced religiously. In fact, even the rules in place as of 1962 are substantially harder than what the average Catholic observes today. The laws of fasting and abstinence were as follows, as described in Moral Theology (copyright 1961) by Rev. Heribert Jone and adapted by Rev. Urban Adelman, for the “laws and customs of the United States of America”:

“Complete abstinence is to be observed on all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday, the Vigils of Immaculate Conception and Christmas. Partial abstinence is to be observed on Ember Wednesdays and Saturdays and on the Vigil of Pentecost. Days of fast are all the weekdays of Lent, Ember Days, and the Vigil of Pentecost.”

One highly interesting liturgical facet particular to the season of Lent is that every Lenten feria has its own propers. That is, each day of Lent has its own Introit, Collect, Epistle reading, Gospel reading, Offertory verse, Communion verse, and Post Communion Prayer. Lent further adds a prayer over the people immediately after the Post Communion. Dom Gueranger notes:

"Each feria of Lent has a proper Mass; whereas, in Advent, the Mass of the preceding Sunday is repeated during the week. This richness of the lenten liturgy is a powerful means for our entering into the Church's spirit, since she hereby brings before us, under so many forms, the sentiments suited to this holy time... All this will provide us with most solid instruction; and as the selections from the Bible, which are each day brought before us, are not only some of the finest of the sacred volume, but are, moreover, singularly appropriate to Lent, their attentive perusal will be productive of a twofold advantage."

Now the actual text of the Lenten Masses underscores the importance of the Lenten fast and repeatedly refers to the fasting done by the Faithful at this time. The Church in Her liturgy assumes and expects the Faithful in attendance at the Traditional Latin Mass to at least be keeping the fasting rules in place as of 1962 - if not the more robust fasting practiced before the mitigations of the preceding centuries.

The Preface for instance not only underscores the ongoing 40-day bodily fast but also mentions some of the benefits of this healing remedy:

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: Who by this bodily fast dost curb our vices, lift our minds, strength and rewards bestow; through Christ our Lord. Through Whom Angels praise Thy Majesty, Dominations worship, Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the hosts of heaven with blessed Seraphim unite, exult, and celebrate. And we entreat that Thou wouldst bid our voices too be heard with theirs, singing with lowly praise...

The collect for Ash Wednesday also highlights that day as the beginning of the fast of Lent and not a mere one day fast:

Grant, O Lord, to Thy faithful people, that they may undertake with fitting piety this period of fasting, and complete it with steadfast devotion.

The collect for Friday after Ash Wednesday for instance continues the reference to the Lenten fast:

Further with Thy gracious favor, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the fasts which we have begun: that the bodily observance which we keep, we may be able also to practice with sincere intention. 

And likewise with the collect for Saturday after Ash Wednesday:

O Lord, hearken to our supplications: and grant that we may celebrate with devout service this solemn fast, which Thou hast ordained for the healing both of soul and of body.

In the Mass Propers for the First Sunday of Lent, fasting is referenced in the Epistle while the Gospel reading recounts our Lord's forty days of fasting in the desert. And the collect, while not mentioning fasting, does mention abstinence, as our ancestors regularly kept abstinence even the Sundays of Lent up until the 1800s:

O God, Who dost purify Thy Church by the yearly observance of Lent: grant to Thy household, that what we strive to obtain from Thee by abstinence, we may achieve by good works.

Likewise, in the Divine Office, the ordinary of Lent refers to the bodily fast of Lent. It is a known peculiarity to the traditional Breviary that the ordinary of the Lenten season only begins with First Vespers for the First Sunday in Lent. The first four weekdays of Lent use the ordinary for time throughout the year, a holdover from ancient times before Ash Wednesday was established as the beginning of Lent. 

Starting therefore on the First Sunday of Lent, the prayers of the Breviary further underscore the traditional Lenten fast. In the hymn for Matins for this time, the hymn implores us to keep the Lenten fast. This hymn begins as follows:

The fast, as taught by holy lore, We keep in solemn course once more: The fast to all men known, and bound In forty days of yearly round. 

The law and seers that were of old In diverse ways this Lent foretold, Which Christ, all seasons’ King and Guide, In after ages sanctified. 

More sparing therefore let us make The words we speak, the food we take, Our sleep and mirth, —and closer barred Be every sense in holy guard. 

Avoid the evil thoughts that roll Like waters o’er the heedless soul; Nor let the foe occasion find Our souls in slavery to bind.

The little chapter of Terce taken from Joel 2:12-13 refers to fasting as does the antiphon of Sext: "With the armor of justice let us give ourselves to much patience and fasting." And the same can be seen in the hymn of Vespers which begins as follows:

O kind Creator, bow thine ear 

To mark the cry, to know the tear 

Before thy throne of mercy spent 

In this thy holy fast of Lent.

Turning again to the propers for the Mass, the references to fasting continue repeatedly and include the collect of Monday in the First Week of Lent; the Lesson, Collect, and Gospel for Ember Wednesday in Lent; the collect for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Second Week of Lent; the secret prayer for Thursday in the Second Week of Lent; and more. The collect for Friday in the Second Week of Lent for instance prays:

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that cleansed by this holy fast, we may arrive in the right dispositions at the holy feast which is to come.

By the third week of Lent the references continue to refer to the ongoing fast of Lent as expressed for instance in the collect for Monday in the Third Week of Lent:

Pour forth in Thy mercy, O Lord, we beseech Thee, Thy grace into our hearts: that as we abstain from bodily food, so we may also restrain our senses from hurtful excesses.  

The collect two days later on Wednesday asks pardon from God for those who are undertaking "wholesome fasting" who also "abstain from harmful vices."

Abstinence is explicitly mentioned in the collect for Thursday in the First Week of Lent. And temperance - which is strengthened by both fasting and abstinence - is mentioned by name in the collect on Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent. 

The Gradual on Thursday in the Third Week of Lent, which is the exact middle of the Lenten fast, is taken from Psalm 144 and references God providing "meat in due season," which is certainly a reference to the upcoming celebration of the Lord's Resurrection on Easter Sunday when abstinence ends. Hence, by the time Lent reaches its midpoint, the faithful have heard either exhortations or references to fasting in the collects over a dozen times. And it does not end there as the next day's collect on Friday in the Third Week of Lent asks God to "bless our fasts" with His gracious favor as "in body we abstain from food, so we may fast from sin in mind." Similar words occur in the collect for Saturday in the Third Week of Lent.

This is a mere sampling. References to fasting continue. In one more example, the collect for Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent prays:

O God, who through fasting grantest to the just the reward of their merits and to sinners forgiveness: have mercy on Thy clients, that confession of our guilt may enable us to obtain pardon for ours sins.

When Passiontide begins on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, the focus in the Breviary and the Mass shifts from the corporal punishment we bear for our sins to an awareness of the suffering we cause our Lord. But even with this focus change, fasting references do not end as seen in the collect for Monday of Passion Week:

Hallow our fasts, we beseech Thee, O Lord: and mercifully grant us the forgiveness of all our faults.

Consequently, the Church in Her Liturgy through both the propers of the Mass and through the Breviary references and expects the Christian faithful to be observing Lenten fasting and abstinence. These repeated references to the Lenten fast unequivocally illustrate how the Lenten fast should be kept by every one of fasting and/or abstinence age who attends the Tridentine Mass. To attend the Traditional Mass and to keep the watered-down, virtually non-existent fast prescribed in the 1983 Code of Canon Law would be schizophrenic. Keep the Traditional Lenten fast and all traditional fasts. 

And for those looking for ideas on what to make to eat on fasting days, the Lenten Cookbook produced by Sophia Institute Press has a section on vegan recipes that is worth checking out.

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How Catholics Will Stand Up to Big Tech

Guest Post by Kailash, Co-Founder of Fidei

Innovation and Salvation 

The next phase of software products will dramatically enhance the presence of the Catholic Church in our culture. I work in the technology sector and try my best to build innovative technology products. I used to discount the value of this type of work in the light of eternity. What does our work matter if our products are not with us in Heaven? Yes, God wants us to enjoy our work, "find enjoyment in [your] toil — this is the gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 5:19), but we know there is no work in Heaven, "We must work the works of Him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work" (John 9:4). How can work and innovation have an important impact if it does not last forever? Recently, I have revisited this question and find myself moving towards the opposite position. Innovation is a critical part of leading souls to salvation and the new frontier of software technology has the power to allow Catholics to create self-sufficiency unlike any time in history and provide a platform for us to reclaim our fallen culture.

Personal Example

I arrived at this position by thinking about my own family history and journey to the Catholic faith. Those of us here in the West, and the United States, in particular, lose track of how social and economic stagnation affects a soul's journey to God. My family is from a region in South India called Tamilnadu. They lived in that region for at least five centuries, likely for many centuries before. There is a city Chennai in this state that holds the martyrdom site of St Thomas the Apostle. A few hundred miles to the south of Chennai in Palayur, Kerala is a church thought to be founded by St Thomas in the year 52AD. Christianity has existed throughout South India from the very start and my family had been exposed to Christianity in some manner for several centuries. Yet none found the true Catholic faith until me. 

My conversion depended on many innovations in order to receive the word of God at the time I was ready. For example, I do not think I could have found the Catholic faith unless I was born in the United States. The innovation of air travel allowed my parents to come to the United States in a palatable manner compared to sea voyages before. I also needed some way to encounter the Catholic faith and learn what its principles and founding implied for my life. The innovation of the internet allowed me to educate myself on the Catholic faith using resources from all over the world and all throughout time precisely when I was ready to know God. The skeptic may reply that I could still have found God without air travel or the internet. While this may be true insofar as God can do anything, the static, pre-industrial society my family lived in for many centuries never worked to draw my ancestors to the Truth. Innovation yielded my salvation.

Innovation Today 

What does the innovation of today mean for the future of the Catholic faith? Much of the innovation produced so far on the internet has centered around content distribution (Google, YouTube, Facebook, etc.). As I mentioned before, it has never been easier for a person to read the writings of the Church Fathers or to research the history of Church doctrine on any given issue. It has never been easier for someone to hear from authority on the Catholic Church than it is now. While St. Augustine had to travel to distant lands to finally encounter St Ambrose and eventually convert, we can encounter Blessed Fulton Sheen on-demand in the comfort and privacy of our home. While St. Monica had to worry about her son's salvation from afar in darkness, parents today can help their children stay close to the Truth over the phone in conversation when needed. These are not trivial matters; innovations have a real and measurable impact on the faith of Catholics today.

The next wave of innovation will go much further than the content channels for evangelization and education that helped lead to my conversion. These changes will allow Catholics to reclaim our culture through self-sufficiency in the digital economy. The Catechism says that "everyone has the right of economic initiative [and] everyone should make legitimate use of his talents to contribute to the abundance that will benefit all and to harvest the just fruits of his labor" (CCC 2429). For most Catholics in the United States, pursuing economic initiative means using internet-enabled software products. Until recently, this, unfortunately, meant we had to use software products provided by companies whose values were not only anathema to our own but who actively worked to undermine Christian culture. Today, however, this need no longer be the case. There have been developments in technology such as the decreasing cost of cloud computing and the maturation of open-source software that enable Catholics to break our reliance on Big Tech and finally be in business for ourselves in the digital world. 

We are entering a world where our right to economic initiative will include choosing explicitly Catholic companies to provide our basic internet services to communicate and transact online. Just like how generations ago we might choose to patronize a local Catholic baker, today in the Internet age we can choose to utilize a Catholic software provider. This will give consumers the power to use technology products without having to weigh moral compromises and disagreements with the company providing the product they use. No longer will Catholics inconvenience themselves and hide their true beliefs as an artifact of the culture Big Tech has created online and the knowledge these corporations have over our personal preferences and whereabouts. This new world of technology will end our legitimate fears of losing our job or making enemies with large corporations who hold all our personal data.

Instead, self-sufficiency among Catholics will create a platform for us to boldly evangelize in our fallen society. We will move from simply being “tolerated” to “in command” of expressing ourselves. Economic self-sufficiency points to the Benedict Option where Christian people "build intentional communities of counter-cultural witness." The point of self-sufficiency extends beyond providing means for Catholic people to exist in an insular society. Self-sufficiency will allow us to take risks and extend deeper into the darkness of our world that has forgotten about God.

This new phase of innovation will allow us to be leaven to the bread of the world and confidently fight for God for the salvation of all of mankind. Self-sufficiency in the digital world will provide a new foundation to take risks for God because it allows us to live intentionally together as counter-cultural Christians no matter how far away we are from each other. New software will furnish the ability for Catholics to live, communicate, bank, and transact online without moral compromise, without exposure to the great evils found on the Internet today, and without wondering what enemies they will make along the way. These changes will provide the platform for Catholics to boldly evangelize in our fallen culture. Find out how we are starting this trend starting with email at Fidei.

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