Minor Rogation Days

Image Source: FSSP

This year the Minor Rogation, the days leading up to Ascension Thursday, are May 18 - 20 inclusive. Dom Alcuin Reid recently gave a monastic conference on the Minor Rogation Days where he said in part:

Their observance is now similar in format to the Greater Litanies of April 25th, but these three days have a different origin, having been instituted in Gaul in the fifth century as days of fasting, abstinence and abstention from servile work in which all took part in an extensive penitential procession, often barefoot. The procession and litanies only found a place in the Roman liturgy much later (around the beginning of the ninth century) and even then purely as days of rogation – of intercession – rather than as ones of fasting and penance; the latter being deemed incompatible with the nature of Eastertide.

He continued:

Indeed, this ancient tradition itself is now widely lost in the West. How many Catholics understand what is meant by the greater or lesser litanies, or by the expression “the Rogations” – clergy included? 

... 

Dom Guéranger himself lamented the lack of appreciation of the Rogations in his own day: “If we compare the indifference shown by the Catholics of the present age for the Rogation days, with the devotion wherewith our ancestors kept them, we cannot but acknowledge that there has been a great falling off in faith and piety. Knowing, as we do, the great importance attached to these processions by the Church, we cannot help wondering how it is that there are so few among the faithful who assist at them. Our surprise increases when we find persons preferring their own private devotions to these public prayers of the Church, which, to say nothing of the result of good example, merit far greater graces than any exercises of our own choosing.” (Ibid.)

The Minor Rogation Days go back to 470 AD when Bishop Mamertus of Vienne in Gaul instituted an annual observance of penance on the three days immediately before the Feast of the Ascension. He prescribed litanies (processions) for all three days. Thereafter they spread to the Frankish part of France in 511, to Spain in the 6th century, and to the German part of the Frankish empire in 813.  In 816, Pope Leo III incorporated the lesser litanies into the Roman Liturgy, and during the subsequent centuries, the custom of holding these litanies was customary for each year.

While the Lesser Litanies (i.e., Minor Rogation Days) are kept on the three days leading up to Ascension Day, Father Francis Weiser notes an important exception: "Pope Pius XII granted to some Catholic missions in the Pacific Islands the permission to celebrate both the major and minor litanies in October or November" (Christian Feasts and Customs, p. 42).

Observe the Minor Rogation Days:

I greatly encourage people to observe these days and spend time praying the Litany of Saints not only for a bountiful harvest but also for mercy and repentance. Today is also a day we could fast or at least abstain from meat as penance to implore the mercy of God during our present chastisement. Rome enjoined abstinence from meat on everyone these days. Other places, like the Churches in Gaul where Rogation Days originated, required fasting. Fasting was championed as well by St. Charles Borromeo in Milan although Rome has never obligated fasting during the Pascal Season.

Prayer from the Rogation Mass of the ancient Gallican rite:

It is from thee, O Lord, we receive the food, wherewith we are daily supported; to thee also do we offer these fasts, whereby, according to thy command, we put upon our flesh the restraint from dangerous indulgence. Thou hast so ordered the changes of seasons, as to afford us consolation: thus the time for eating gives nourishment to the body, by sober repasts; and the time for fasting inflicts on them a chastisement pleasing to thy justice. Vouchsafe to bless and receive this our offering of a three days' penitential fast; and mercifully grant, that whilst our bodies abstain from gratification, our souls also may rest from sin. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect of the Rogation Mass:

Mercifully grant us our requests, O Lord, that the consolation we receive in our grievous troubles may increase our love for You.

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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COVID19's Positive Impact for Catholic Tradition

Beyond live streaming the typical Sunday Mass that most Catholics would be accustomed to attending (the Novus Ordo Mass), live streaming during COVID19 specifically allowed lesser-known Catholic traditions to have a significantly larger audience.

For instance, most Catholic parishes that celebrate the Traditional (Tridentine) Latin Mass have live-streamed all of their Masses, including daily masses. The Tridentine Mass is the manner that all Masses were said before the changes in the late 1960s. This changed in 1969. While Mass is still sometimes said in Latin, it is much more uncommon. And in addition to the language changing, the very format of the Mass — its prayers, rituals, gestures, and practices — was arguably altered in the most significant way in history. Most of these priests, aside from a few specific cases, did not live stream or record their Masses beforehand.

A subset of these priests during Holy Week celebrated the Mass using the rubrics that existed before the changes to the Church’s Liturgy (i.e., Her public prayers and rituals) by Pope Pius XII in 1955. In 1955, Pope Pius XII significantly changed the prayers, readings, and rituals for Holy Week. Those changes were embodied in the 1962 Catholic Missal, which most Tridentine Masses follow. In the past few decades, there has been a call for a return to the pre-1955 Holy Week ceremonies.

In response to these calls, the Vatican permitted the pre-1955 ceremonies on a three-year trial period starting in 2018. In 2018 and 2019, they were attended by self-proclaimed liturgy nerds and some of the most traditional Catholics. The number of Catholics who witnessed these pre-1955 liturgies in either 2018 or 2019 numbered likely 5,000 or less.

By contrast, the YouTube channel Sensus Fidelium, which as of May 13, 2020, has 144,000 subscribers, live-streamed these older pre-1955 liturgies from just three different chapels in the United States. Across those three locations only, the channel’s organizer, Steve Cunningham, said that these older liturgies generated over 100,000 page views: “Many non-Catholics saw it and love it.” Over a dozen other pre-1955 Masses were live-streamedfrom chapels that had beforehand not live streamed their services. It is realistic that live streaming has at least quadrupled the number of Catholics who saw the pre-1955 Liturgy this year. Steve added in referring to Tridentine Masses offered on other Sundays outside of Holy Week, “Many [average Catholics] saw a [Tridentine Latin] High Mass for the first time.”

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9 Days of Prayer for Muslims

In another clear departure from authentic Catholic teaching, Pope Francis asked that on May 14th, believers of all religions unite together on a day of prayer and fasting, imploring God for the end of this coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, we know that Catholics may not pray with any other religion as all other religions are false. There is no salvation outside of the Church.

The Church has in her saints uncompromisingly condemned Islam as false teaching brought about by a false, deceived prophet. See what the saints have written about Islam. And if you would like more information, I recommend The Life and Religion of Mohammed the Prophet of Arabia by Rev. J. L. Menezes. A PDF summary of the book is also available for sale.

We pray for the conversion of all of these men and women that they will see and understand that the Blessed Trinity is the one, true and only God and that Jesus Christ, the 2nd Person of the Blessed Trinity, is the last and greatest of all of the prophets. Christ is the chief priest, prophet, and king of all times, peoples, and nations.

Interreligious Gatherings Are Explicitly Prohibited

One manifestation of error in our world today is the pernicious error that interreligious gatherings are acceptable. Further compounding this grave error are the errors of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and now Pope Francis who attended such gatherings. Rather than striving to convert souls and win them over for Christ in the only True Church, outside of which no one is saved, they have caused scandal at the very rock of the Church’s foundation. St. Pius X in Notre Charge Apostolique (1910 AD) unequivocally condemned such interdenominational gatherings.

The Church’s position condemning such gatherings is manifestly clear. The Council of Laodicea in 365 AD stated, “No one shall pray in common with heretics and schismatics.” St. Cyril of Alexandria echoed these same sentiments when he said, “It is therefore unlawful, and a profanation, and an act the punishment of which is death, to love to associate with unholy heretics, and to unite yourself to their communion.” Likewise, the Council of Carthage in the fifth century decreed, “One must neither pray nor sing psalms with heretics, and whoever shall communicate with those who are cut off from the communion of the Church, whether clergy or layman: let him be excommunicated.”

Continue reading "He Who Prays with a Heretic is a Heretic"

9 Days of Prayers for Muslims

From May 16th to May 24th I am joining other Catholics who are calling for 9 days of prayers for the conversion of Muslims to the Catholic Faith. This year the main Muslim holiday of Eid falls at the end of this time. Can you join us in praying daily the Chapel of the Holy Wounds for this intention?

Let us Pray:

O Jesus, true God and true Man, Redeemer of the whole world, we beseech Thee through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to turn Thine eyes of mercy on those peoples who for so many centuries have been enslaved beneath the cruel yoke of Islam. Grant that they may no more scorn Thy most holy Name nor insolently persecute and enslave the Christian nations. With one ray of Thy light disperse the darkness in which they dwell, that renouncing the evil teachings of Mohammed, they may be brought to the baptism of regeneration, that in the confession of the One True Faith they may adore and glorify Thee, the eternal Word, made man for our salvation, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Let us Pray. Prayer to Mary, Help of Christians

Virgin most powerful, loving helper of the Christian people, how great thanks do we not owe thee for the assistance thou didst give our fathers, who, when they were threatened by the Turkish infidels, invoked thy maternal help by the devout recitation of Thy Rosary! From Heaven thou didst see their deadly peril; thou didst hear their voices imploring Thy compassion; and their humble prayers, enjoined by the great Pope, Saint Pius V, were acceptable unto thee, and thou camest quickly to deliver them.

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God Himself Established The Sacrament of Confession

I have written before on the necessity of Sacramental Confession to receive forgiveness for sins (exceptions aside). Today I came across the following reflection of the great liturgist Dom Gueranger who writes an insightful commentary on Confession while commenting on some of the heresies that have sought to attack it as well as how ultimately God has a right to establish the means to achieve His forgiveness. And He did so by instituting the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church.

If you or your family have been away from the Sacraments, it is time to return to them. God wills it.

Dom Gueranger writes:

In return for the humble confession of our sins and the sincere sorrow for having committed them, we receive pardon, and this not once or twice only, but as often as we approach the sacred tribunal; not for this or that kind of sin only, but for every sin whatsoever. It is not to be wondered at that Satan should envy man this gift, and strive to throw such doubts and difficulties in the way as to prevent his profiting by it.  

What has not heresy said against this sacrament? It began by teaching that it takes from the glory of holy baptism; whereas on the contrary, it honours that first sacrament, by repairing the injuries done to it by sin. Later on, it exacted, as absolutely necessary for the sacraments, such perfect dispositions, that absolution would find the soul already reconciled with God. It was by this dangerous snare of Jansenism that so many were ruined, either by pride or by discouragement. And lastly, it has set up that Protestant dictum:’I confess my sins to God just as though God had not the right to lay down the conditions for pardon. 

The sacraments being, as they are, such divine institutions, demand our faith; without faith they are simply impossibilities. Though this be true of all the seven, yet the sacrament of penance is especially welcome to a man of faith, because it so thoroughly humbles human pride. It sends man to ask of his fellow-man what God could have given directly himself. Jesus said to the lepers, whom he wished to cure: Go, show yourselves to the priests! Surely he has a right to act in the same manner when there is a question of spiritual leprosy.

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Traditional Mass Propers for Our Lady of Fatima

May 13th, the anniversary of Our Lady appearing for the first time in Fatima, Portugal is the traditional feastday of St. Robert Bellarmine. In the Tridentine Mass, it is ordinarily St. Robert Bellarmine's feastday that is celebrated.

In a letter published and dated April 5, 2017, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei granted to all priests of the Latin Rite (secular or religious) the possibility of celebrating on the centenary of the first main apparition (May 13, 2017) the Mass of Our Lady of Fatima as a Votive Mass of the II Class, using the exact same texts and prayers of the Votive Mass of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Such a privilege was intended though only for the 100 year anniversary in 2017.

However, even before Vatican II, Masses in honor of Our Lady of Fatima were likely celebrated in the Diocese of Leiria–Fátima where Fatima is located. The Traditional Propers for Our Lady of Fatima are the same as the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from August 22nd except the following specific Collect, Secret, and Post Communion prayers:

Collect:

While the multitude of our sins prevaileth, O Lord, we run to the special assistance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we who are nurtured by the mercy of her Heart, may by the anticipation of Thy mercy obtain indulgence for our crimes. Through our Lord.

Peccatórum nostrórum, Dómine, multitúdine praevalénte, ad Beátae Mariae Virginis recúrrimos singuláre suffragium: ut, qui eiúsdem Cordis pietáte fovémur, tua misericórdia praeveniente, indulgéntiam delictórum consequámur. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per omnia sáecula saeculórum. Amen. [Latin Prayer Source]

Secret:

Convert, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our rebellious wills, and grant that through the aid of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, we may celebrate the Divine Mysteries with chaste favours. Through our Lord.

Post Communion:

Stretch out, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy right hand to Thy prayerful people, and grant aid, through the intercession the Virgin Mary, to them whom Thou benignly vouchsafest the affection of begging Thee, that they may turn away from all evil, and take possession of all good. Through our Lord.

The remaining propers are from the Immaculate Heart of Mary (August 22):

Introit:

Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace in time of need. My heart overflows with good tidings; I sing my song to the king. Glory be...

Epistle: Eccli. 24:23-31

As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches. I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. My memory is unto everlasting generations. They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting.

Gospel: John 19:25-27

At that time, there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus, therefore, had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: "Woman, behold thy son." After that, he saith to the disciple: "Behold thy mother." And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.

Offertory:

My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; because He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.

Communion:

Jesus said to His Mother, "Woman, behold, thy son." Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, thy mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

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Blessings Before and After Meals Throughout the Liturgical Year

Blessings Before and After Meals (in Latin Benedictio Mensae) are basic Catholic prayers that all Catholics should know. The standard short-form prayers are as follows. The longer form is used in many monasteries, convents, and seminaries still.

Blessing Before Meals Short Form Prayer

Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Benedic, Domine, nos et haec tua dona quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Blessing After Meals Short Form Prayer

We give Thee thanks, almighty God, for all Thy benefits, who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen. And may the souls of the Faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Agimus tibi gratias, omnipotens Deus, pro universis beneficiis tuis, qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Fidelium animae, per misericordiam Dei, requiescant in pace. Amen.

However, there are some seasonal variations for the Liturgical Year that have fallen out of standard usage but are still part of Catholic Tradition. Fr. John Hardon's website mentions them. These verses and responses are said before the main prayer mentioned above.

Blessing of Meals from Christmas until the Vigil of the Epiphany:

Before:

The Word was made flesh, Alleluia
And dwelt among us, Alleluia

Verbum caro factum est, Alleluia 
Et habitavit in nobis, Alleluia

After:

The Lord has made known, Alleluia
His salvation, Alleluia

Notum fecit Dominus, Alleluia
Salutare suum, Alleluia

Blessing of Meals for the Octave of the Epiphany:

Before:

The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents, Alleluia
The kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts, Alleluia

Reges Tharsis et insulae munera offerent, Alleluia
Reges Arabum et Saba dona adducent, Alleluia

After:

They shall all come from Saba, Alleluia

Bringing gold and frankincense, Alleluia

Omnes de Saba venient, Alleluia
Aurum et thus deferentes, Alleluia

Blessing of Meals for Holy Thursday:

Christ was made obedient for us unto death.

Christus factus est pro nobis oboediens usque ad mortem.

Blessing of Meals for Good Friday:


Christ was made obedient for us unto death, even the death of the Cross

Christus factus est pro nobis oboediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis.

Blessing of Meals (Before and After) During the Octave of Easter:

This is the day the Lord has made, Alleluia
Let us rejoice and be glad in it, Alleluia

Haec dies quam fecit Dominus, Alleluia
Exsultemus et laetemur in ea, Alleluia

Blessing of Meals During the Octave of the Ascension:

Before:

God is ascended with rejoicing, Alleluia
And the Lord with the sound of the trumpet, Alleluia

Ascendit Deus in jubilatione, Alleluia
Et Dominus in voce tubae, Alleluia

After:

Christ ascending on high, Alleluia

Has led captivity captive, Alleluia

Ascendens Christus in altum, Alleluia
Captivam duxit captivitatem, Alleluia

Blessing of Meals During the Octave of Pentecost:

Before:

The Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole earth, Alleluia
And that, which containeth all things, hath knowledge of the meaning of the voice, Alleuia

Spiritus Domini replevit orbem terrarum, Alleluia
Et hoc quod continet omnia, scientiam habet vocis, alleluia

After:

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, Alleluia.
And began to speak, Alleluia.

Repleti sunt omnes Spiritu Sancto, Alleluia
Et coeperunt loqui, Alleluia

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Commemoration of Ss. Gordon & Epimachus

Commemoration (1954 Calendar): May 10

Besides the feast day of St. Antonius, May 10th is the Commemoration of Saints Gordon and Epimachus. Both suffered under Julian the Apostate in 362.

The Catholic Encyclopedia edited by Charles George Herbermann states:

"Gordanius was a judge but was so moved by the sanctity and sufferings of the saintly priest, Januarius, that he embraced Christianity with many of his household. Being accused before his successor, or some say before the prefect of the city, Apronaianus, he was cruelly tortured and finally beheaded. His body was carried off by the Christians and laid in a crypt on the Latin Way beside the body of St. Epimachus, who had been recently interred there. The two saints gave their name to the cemetery, and have ever since been joined together in the veneration of the Church. There is another Gordanius who suffered martyrdom with two companions (place uncertain) and is commemorated on September 17, and a third, commemorated on September 13, who with several companions was martyred in Pontus or Galatia."

Collect:

O Almighty God, may the intercessory power of Your blessed martyrs Gordian and Epimachus aid us who celebrate their feast today. Through Our Lord . . .

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Commemoration of St. Vitalis

Commemoration (1954 Calendar): April 28

The Church on April 28th celebrates the Feast of St. Paul of the Cross and includes a Commemoration of St Vitalis in the Liturgy.

St. Vitalis was a wealthy citizen of Milan who live in the first or second century. He was married to Saint Valeria. They are regarded as the parents of Saints Gervasius and Protasius. According to legend, when he encouraged Saint Ursicinus of Ravenna to be steadfast at his execution, St. Vitalis was discovered to be a Christian. A judge named Paulinus ordered him to be racked and then buried alive. He thus completed his martyrdom and won the prize of Heaven.

Collect:

O Almighty God, grant that we who celebrate the birthday of Your blessed martyr Vitalis may be made stronger in our love of You through his intercession. Through Our Lord . . .

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A Brief History of Catholic Catechisms

The word “catechism” today is often used only in reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, originally published in 1992.  Yet, this catechism often fails in many respects for converts and even for adult Catholics: its verbose language, its frequent references to the novelties of Vatican II as opposed to actual dogmatic works, and the recent errors promulgated by Pope Francis in regard to capital punishment.  In fact, the number of religious education programs that feel they must teach children from this catechism is frightening – no young child could attempt to learn from a text that is best suited for an undergraduate or master’s course.  So why do we either water down the faith or teach children that the only true source of doctrine is the 1992 text?

Unbeknown to many, the new catechism is far from the only catechism.  St. Peter Canisius, who was instrumental in fighting Protestantism in Germany, wrote the first catechism in 1555, known as the "Catechism of St. Peter Canisius."  Shortly afterward, in 1566, the Roman Catechism was commissioned by the Council of Trent, overseen by St. Charles Borromeo, and issued by His Holiness Pope St. Pius V.  It remains the most authoritative catechism in print.  Known as the “Roman Catechism,” the “Catechism of St. Pius V,” or also as the “Catechism of the Council of Trent,” this book has unfortunately fallen into extreme disuse.

The decades after the Council of Trent saw Fr. Laurence Vaux "Catechism of Christian Doctrine" published in 1567 and St. Robert Bellarmine's Catechism published in 1597. 

Fr. Henry Tuberville followed with the Douay Catechism in 1649, which was modeled on the Catechism of the Council of Trent and written to help combat English Protestantism.  It remains one of the clearest English catechisms ever written as it contains a simple-to-understand question and answer format. 

Fast forward to 1781 and Bishop George Hay published the extensive and heavily Scripturally based "Hay's Catechism" with a longer question and answer format.  Fr. Stephen Keenan in 1846 published his catechism with the purpose of countering heresies of the time especially in regard to papal infallibility.  And one year later in 1847, master catechism Fr. Joseph Deharbe wrote the most accomplished German catechism ever written called "A complete catechism of the Catholic religion."

Throughout the mid-1800s additional catechisms by Fr. Francis Jamison, St. John Neumann, Fr. Patrick Power, Fr. Michael Muller, and Cardinal Gibbons were also published.  Then in 1885, the Bishops of the United States enjoined by order of the Third Council of Baltimore the Baltimore Catechism, which was the most widely used catechism in the United States for over a century up until Vatican II. 

The notion that the “Catechism” is the exclusive right to the 1992 text promulgated by Pope John Paul II is absurd.  In fact, as the crisis in the Church deepened, Pope Benedict XVI remarked while still a Cardinal of the failure of modern catechesis in the Church when he said in an interview with Zenit in 2003, “It is evident that today religious ignorance is enormous; suffice it to speak with the new generations. Evidently, in the post-conciliar period, the concrete transmission of the contents of the Christian faith was not achieved.”  This echoed his previous sentiments which he published before the New Catechism was written when the future Pontiff wrote, “The catastrophic failure of modern catechesis is all too obvious.”

Some of these older Catechisms, like the Baltimore Catechism and the Roman Catechism, are still in print. Others that have fallen out of print are being published once again by the work of Tradivox. And organizations like CatechismClass.com are combining passages from various Catechisms along with Scripture and relevant prayers and commentary to teach the Faith in a way that resonates with more people. Whispers of Restoration lists 20 older catechisms and links to them in an online format.

As the many catechisms show us, the Faith is the same yet it can often be explained in slightly different ways. Whereas one definition or example may teach one person, another person may be better able to understand it explained in a different way. The Faith is changeless and timeless but we can use many different catechisms to teach the one, same Faith.

Check out some of these older catechisms and resources. Share them with your family and friends.

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Major Rogation Day (April 25th) Prayers of Blessing

In honor of the Major Rogation, I've put together a list of prayers and blessings to be said by a priest or the father of the family. The exact ones to be said vary depending on a person's property and what features it has. Please share it with anyone who needs a copy.

Blessing of a Farm

(This prayer may be said to obtain God's blessing on a farm with its buildings or for the farmhouse alone.)

Bless, O Lord, Almighty God, this house (or this farm).  May health and purity, goodness and meekness, and every virtue reign here.  May all those who dwell here be filled with faithfulness to Thy law and with thanksgiving to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  May this blessing remain on this house (or this farm) and all who dwell here. Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Blessing of All Domestic Animals

Lord God, King of heaven and earth, Thou the Word of the Father by whom all creatures were given us for our support; look down, we beseech Thee, on our lowliness. As Thou hast given us these animals to assist us in our labors and needs, so mayest Thou in thy great goodness and mercy bless them from above, guard and preserve them; and, while Thou givest thy servants temporal benefits, mayest Thou grant us Thy continual grace so that we may praise Thy holy  name with thanksgiving.  Amen.

Blessing of a Water Supply

O Lord, Almighty God, who hast given us an ample supply of water, led off by pipes from this source, grant that, by Thy assistance and blessing and our cooperation, every diabolical attack and confusion may be kept off and that this water supply may always be pure and uncontaminated.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessing of a Spring or Well

We cry without ceasing, O Lord, to Thy Fatherly goodness that Thou wouldst sanctify this fountain of water with Thy heavenly blessing and make it suitable for every use.  Drive from it every influence of the devil so that whoever draws from it or drinks this water may enjoy good health and full vigor, and give praise and thanks to Thee, the Preserver and
Sanctifier of all things.  Through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Blessing of Pasture, Meadows, and Fields

O God, through whom every good thing has its beginning, and through whom it is improved  and increased; grant, we beseech Thee, to us who cry to Thee, that this work, which we are beginning for the praise of Thy name, may be happily brought to completion through the never failing gift of Thy fatherly wisdom.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty, eternal God, Thou hast given to Thy priests a special grace so that we may be sure that whatever is worthily done by them in Thy name is done also by Thee.  We beseech Thy clemency that Thou wouldst visit what we now visit, that Thou wouldst bless what we now bless, and that Thou wouldst stretch forth Thy mighty right arm over that which we now do, and that by the merits and intercession of Thy saints and this entrance of our humble persons, the demons may be put to flight and the angel of peace may enter in.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(This solemn blessing may be said by a priest some time before cattle are put on the pasture for summer. If the father of the family is offering this blessing, the second paragraph can be omitted.)

The Litany of the Saints is inserted here followed by:

Send forth Thy spirit and they shall be created; And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.  For the Lord will give goodness; and our earth shall yield her fruit.

We humbly beseech Thy clemency O Lord, that Thou wouldst render these fields (pastures, meadows) fertile with rains in due season, that Thou wousdst fill them with Thy blessing, and so grant that Thy people may be ever thankful for Thy gifts.  Take infertility from the earth and fill the hungry with Thy gifts which the fruitful earth will yield in fullness that the poor and needy may raise the name of Thy glory, forever and ever. Amen.

The Solemn Exorcism of Harmful Animals

I conjure you mice (worms, sails, snakes, spiders, lice, ticks, etc.) in the name of God, the Almighty Father, of Jesus Christ, His only Son, and of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from both, that you go out from these fields and pastures and remain no more in them, but depart for places where you can harm no one.  In the name of God, the Almighty, of the whole heavenly court, and of God's holy Church, I declare you accursed wherever you go so that you will become fewer day by day.  May no part of you be found again, unless it be for man's welfare.  May He graciously grant this, who will come to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire.

Note: Any prayer that is called an "exorcism" must be performed by a specially authorized priest.  You could pray this prayer of course, but not perhaps to the same effect.

Blessing of Orchards and Vineyards

We beseech Thee, Almighty God, in Thy goodness, to pour down Thy blessings on these young shoots and sprouts which Thou wouldst grow into mature fruit.  Grant to Thy people that they may always be permitted to grow, with due sunshine and rain, and make them gifts which the fruitful earth produces in fullness so that the poor and needy may praise Thy glory.  Amen.

Sources:

1. St. Mark's Day Blessings
2. Catholic Culture
3. Rogation & Ember Day Manual

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Third Secret of Fatima Still Not Revealed

Despite what some claim - that the third secret of Fatima referred to the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II - the actual details of the third secret have not yet been revealed. This allegation, long triumphed by the late Father Nicholas Gruner, has been affirmed in recent days by Archbishop Vigano, the critic of Pope Francis who has largely gone into hiding for publishing some of his errors.

Chris Ferrara in Archbishop Viganó on the Third Secret of Fatima: Father Gruner Vindicated quotes Vigano from a recent interview where he stated:

“In 2000, during the pontificate of John Paul II, Cardinal Sodano presented as the Third Secret a version of his own that in several elements appeared clearly incomplete. It is not surprising that the new Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, sought to draw attention away to an event in the past [the assassination attempt on John Paul on May 13, 1981] to cause the people of God to believe that the words of the Virgin [in 1917 when She appeared] had nothing to do with the crisis of the Church [in the decades after 1960] and the marriage of modernists and Freemasonry that was contracted behind the scenes at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Antonio Socci, who has carefully investigated the Third Secret, unmasked this harmful behavior on the part of Cardinal Bertone. In addition, it was Bertone himself who heavily discredited and censured the Madonnina delle Lacrime (Madonna of Tears) of Civitavecchia, whose message perfectly agrees with what she said at Fatima.”

Mr. Ferrara continues:

With this pontificate, says the Archbishop, we are witnessing an attack on ecclesiastical celibacy, the “attempt to introduce a form of ordained female ministry” and in general an “approach to the Church’s dogmas [that has] adopted the so-called ‘situation theology,’ whose theological pillars are accidental facts or subjects: the world, nature, the female figure, young people… This theology does not have God’s immutable and eternal truth as its founding center; on the contrary, it starts from the observation of whatever is the current pressing need of these phenomena in order to give answers that are consistent with the expectations of the contemporary world.”

Read the rest of the article on the Fatima Center's website. And support their work, especially the 54 Day Rosary Novena that is to begin on May 1st with the intention of the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart to bring an end to the COVID-19 Crisis and future calamities that await us until this is accomplished as requested by Our Lady of Fatima.

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Easter Monday & Easter Tuesday as Holy Days of Obligation

When writing about the rank of days in the Catholic Liturgical calendar, there are various ways to label them. In the modern Church, they will use the terms solemnity, feast, memorial, or optional memorial. In the 1962 Missal, we have First, Second, Third, or Fourth Class feastdays. But before the 1962 Missal up until the changes made by Pope Pius XII in 1955, there were from least to most important: Simples, Semidoubles, Lesser Doubles or also known as Doubles, Greater Doubles, Doubles of the second class, and lastly Doubles of the first class.   Using the traditional pre-1955 calendar, we notice something very interesting about Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday. Easter Monday and Tuesday are doubles of the first class whereas the rest of the Easter Octave is a semi-double.  Even with the variation in rank, the Easter Octave is privileged and no other feastday may occur in the Octave.    But what's unique about Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday is that no other saints are commemorated those days in the Mass or the Divine Office.
Why the special treatment for Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday? It is because they were universal holy days of obligation for a very long time. Easter Tuesday was not dropped from the list until 1771 by Pope Clement XIV; Easter Monday was dropped from the universal list at the beginning of the 20th century but is still a Holy Day of Obligation in many places to this very day. In Catholic European countries, it is still common to have Easter Monday off as a paid holiday.

The unequaled Dom Gueranger, in his seminal work, The Liturgical Year, writes:

So fervently did the faithful of those times appreciate and love the Liturgy, so lively was the interest they took in the newly made children of holy mother Church, that they joyfully went through the whole of the services of this week. Their hearts were filled with the joy of the Resurrection, and they thought it but right to devote their whole time to its celebration. Councils laid down canons, changing the pious custom into a formal law. The Council of Mâcon, in 585, thus words its decree: ‘It behoves us all fervently to celebrate the feast of the Pasch, in which our great High Priest was slain for our sins, and to honour it by carefully observing all it pre-scribes. Let no one, therefore, do any servile work during these six days (which followed the Sunday), but let all come together to sing the Easter hymns, and assist at the daily Sacrifice, and praise our Creator and Redeemer in the evening, morning, and mid-day.’ 

The Councils of Mayence (813) and Meaux (845) lay down similar rules. We find the same prescribed in Spain, in the seventh century, by the edicts of kings Receswind and Wamba. The Greek Church renewed them in her Council in Trullo; Charlemagne, Louis the Good, Charles the Bald, sanctioned them in their Capitularia; and the canonists of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Burchard, St Ivo of Chartres, Gratian, tell us they were in force in their time. Finally, Pope Gregory IX inserted them in one of his decretals in the thirteenth century. But their observance had then fallen into desuetude, at least in many places. The Council held at Constance, in 1094, reduced the solemnity of Easter to the Monday and Tuesday. 

The two great liturgists, John Beleth in the twelfth, and Durandus in the thirteenth century, inform us that, in their times, this was the practice in France. It gradually became the discipline of the whole of the western Church, and continued to be so, until relaxation crept still further on, and a dispensation was obtained by some countries, first for the Tuesday, and finally for the Monday. In order fully to understand the Liturgy of the whole Easter Octave (Low Sunday included), we must remember that the neophytes were formerly present, vested in their white garments, at the Mass and Divine Office of each day. Allusions to their Baptism are continually being made in the chants and Lessons of the entire week.

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Saturday in Albis

The account that used to take place on Easter Saturday of the newly baptized laying aside their white garments, which they had worn since their Baptism on Holy Saturday, is very poignantly described by Dom Gueranger in the Liturgical Year:

The Taking Off of the White Garments

The Vespers, on each of the days of this week, were celebrated in the manner we described on the Sunday. There was a numerous attendance, each day, in the basilica; and the faithful thus testified their affectionate interest in the white-robed neophytes, who visited, during the Vespers of each day, the sacred font where they had been born to the new life of grace. This afternoon, the concourse of people is greater than on the preceding days, for an interesting ceremony is to take place. The neophytes are about to lay aside the outward symbol of innocence which they have been wearing; but they are also to give a solemn promise to maintain the inward purity of soul. By this public ceremony the Church restores the newly baptized to the duties of their ordinary station of life: they must now return to the world, and comport themselves as Christians—disciples of Christ—for such they are.

The visit to the baptistery has been made, and the Office of Vespers has terminated with the Station before the crucifix of the chancel: the neophytes are then led to a room adjoining the cathedral, in which is prepared a large vessel of water. The bishop goes to his throne. Seeing the newly baptized standing around him, he addresses them in a discourse, wherein he expresses the joy he feels, as pastor, at the increase wherewith it has pleased God to bless his much-loved flock. He congratulates them upon the grace they have received; and then, alluding to the main object of their coming together this afternoon—that is, the laying aside of the white garments they received after Baptism—he warns them, with paternal affection, to keep a guard over themselves, and see that they never sully the purity of soul, of which their white robes have been but an emblem.

These were lent to the neophytes by the Church, as we said on Holy Saturday; they come now to restore them. The water in which the garments are to be washed is blessed by the pontiff. As soon as he has finished the address to which we have just been alluding, he says a prayer, wherein he speaks of the power given to this element of cleansing the stains of the soul herself. Then turning to the neophytes, he recites the 116th Psalm, in thanksgiving; to which he adds this beautiful prayer:

Visit, O Lord, thy people with thy salvation! Behold it now illumined with the Paschal joy! But do thou vouchsafe to preserve in our neophytes what thou thyself hast wrought in them unto salvation. Grant that whilst laying aside these white robes, the change may be but exterior; that the spotless purity of Christ, which the eye cannot see, may ever be in their souls, so that they may never lose it; and that thy grace may assist them to gain, by good works, that immortal life whereunto the Paschal mystery obliges us to aspire.

After this, aided by their sponsors—the men by their godfathers, the women by their godmothers—the neophytes take off their white garments, which are then consigned to those whose duty it is to wash and keep them. The sponsors having assisted their spiritual children to put on their ordinary dress, lead them to the pontiff, who distributes to each an image of the divine Lamb, stamped on wax: it is the Paschal symbol.

A last vestige of this interesting ceremony is the distribution of the Agnus Dei. This distribution is made by the Pope, on this day, in Rome, the first and every seventh year of his pontificate. We have already described the rite observed in their blessing, and we then drew the attention of our readers to the allusion to the ancient form of Baptism by immersion. The Agnus Dei are blessed on the Wednesday of Easter Week: on the following Saturday, there is what is called Papal Chapel in the palace. After High Mass, the Agnus Dei are brought before the pontiff, who is seated on a throne. The prelate, who presents them, sings the following words, which are taken from one of the beautiful Responsories given above:’Holy Father! These are the new lambs, and they have announced to us the Alleluia: they have come but now to the fount: they are filled with light.' The Pope answers: Deo gratias! They who are happy enough to witness this function are forcibly reminded of the ancient ceremony we have been describing, in which the newly baptized were led before the bishop, as the innocent lambs whom he so gladly welcomed. The Pope then distributes the Agnus Dei to the cardinals, prelates, and others presented by the master of ceremonies: and thus is concluded this function, which is interesting, not only because of its signification, but also because of the sacred object wherewith it consoles us.

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Shrine of Christ the King: Easter Sunday 2020

Here are some photos from the live streamed Mass for Easter Sunday celebrated at the Shrine of Christ the King in Chicago, Illinois by Canon Talarico. The Shrine is still regularly broadcasting all of their Masses as the COVID-19 crisis continues. Check out their schedule, or the schedule of other ICKSP apostolates, here.

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Pre-1955 Holy Week with the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles

As part of the widespread closure of churches due to COVID-19, I like many others had to watch livestream Masses rather than attend them for the Triduum. I chose to watch the pre-1955 Holy Week Liturgies through the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles. Their website is worth visiting, as they keep many praiseworthy monastic practices.

Their community is based in Gower, Missouri and are affiliated with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. Here are some of the screenshots of the Sacred Triduum Liturgies.

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

Holy Saturday

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The "Easter Duty": Receive Holy Communion Once a Year

The fourth precept of the Church requires us to receive our Divine Savior in Holy Communion at least once a year, and unlike the precept on Confession, the reception of Holy Communion must take place during the Easter Season. The precept of confessing your sins at least once a year may take place at any point in the calendar year.

Fr. Jim Achacoso in an online article entitled The Easter Eucharistic Precept and the Law of Annual Confession discusses the importance and history of this precept:

"Due to a widespread neglect of the sacrament of the Eucharist in the Middle Ages, various Church Councils, from the 6th Century onward, enacted laws obliging the faithful to receive the Holy Eucharist, especially on the principal feasts. The IV Lateran Council (1215) established a general law for the Latin Church requiring the reception of Communion at least once a year at Easter by those who had attained the age of discretion. This law, which was confirmed by the Council of Trent, was incorporated in the 1917 Code of Canon Law. The actual Code of 1983 retains the annual precept, with some modifications…"

To further explain the history, the Catholic Encyclopedia of New Advent states:

"Paschaltide is the period during which every member of the faithful who has attained the year of discretion is bound by the positive law of the Church to receive Holy Communion (Easter duty). During the early Middle Ages from the time of the Synod of Agde (508), it was customary to receive Holy Communion at least three times a year — Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. A positive precept was issued by the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) and confirmed by the Council of Trent (Sess. XIII, can. ix). According to these decrees the faithful of either sex, after coming to the age of discretion, must receive at least at Easter the Sacrament of the Eucharist (unless by the advice of the parish priest they abstain for a while). Otherwise during life they are to be prevented from entering the church and when dead are to be denied Christian burial. The paschal precept is to be fulfilled in one's parish church. Although the precept of the Fourth Lateran to confess to the parish priest fell into disuse and permission was given to confess anywhere, the precept of receiving Easter Communion in the parish church is still in force where there are canonically-erected parishes…"

Code of Canon Law:

1983 Code of Canon Law:

Can. 920 §1. After being initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to receive holy communion at least once a year. §2. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season unless it is fulfilled for a just cause at another time during the year.

1917 Code of Canon Law:

The precept for annual reception of First Holy Communion is contained in Code 859. Every Catholic, of either sex, who has reached the age of discretion, i. e., attained the use of reason, must receive Holy Eucharist once a year, at least during Easter time, unless his own priest should, for a reasonable cause, advise him to abstain from it for a time.

When May the Easter Duty Be Fulfilled?

The 1962 Rituale Romanum states:

"The time within which the Easter communion must be received commences on Palm Sunday and terminates on Low Sunday. But it is the right of the local Ordinary, if circumstances of persons or place demand, to extend this time for all the faithful, however, not earlier than the fourth Sunday in Lent nor later than Trinity Sunday. The faithful should be persuaded to fulfill this obligation, everyone in his own parish church. Whoever fulfills it in another church must see to it that he inform his own pastor of the fact. The precept of Easter communion still continues to be binding if one has neglected it during the time prescribed, no matter for what reason." 

New Advent clarifies though some important exceptions that will impact most people:

"In the United States upon petition of the Fathers of the First Provincial Council of Baltimore Paschal Tide was extended by Pius VIII to the period from the first Sunday in Lent to Trinity Sunday (II Plen. Coun. Balt., n. 257); in England it lasts from Ash Wednesday until Low Sunday; in Ireland from Ash Wednesday until the octave of SS. Peter and Paul, 6 July (O'Kane "Rubrics of the Roman Ritual," n. 737; Slater, "Moral Theology" 578, 599); in Canada the duration of the Paschal Tide is the same as in the United States. 

For instance, Father Patrick Power's Catechism (III) from 1905 published in Dubin mentions this precept as such: "To receive worthily the Blessed Eucharist at Easter, or within the time appointed; that is, from Ash-Wednesday to the octave day of the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, inclusive."

These are exceptions from the standard time mentioned in the Rituale Romanum. This is affirmed in the Baltimore Catechism #1354: "The Easter time is, in this country [the United States], the time between the first Sunday in Lent and Trinity Sunday."

Pope St. Pius X said, "Holy Communion is the “shortest and safest way to Heaven." While the Church encourages all to receive the Blessed Sacrament regularly — even daily — it must be stated that at no time and for no reason may the Faithful receive Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin. You must attend Sacramental Confession prior to receiving Holy Communion. This precept of the Church does not mandate, require, condone, or support the reception of Holy Communion in the state of sin.

It must also be stated that like the precept of assisting at Mass each Sunday, these can be dispensed by one's local ordinary for a serious reason. We are seeing some dispensations occur this year due to the COVID-19 crisis. However, what most news articles are failing to report is that the Easter Duty does not require receiving Holy Communion on Easter Sunday. As demonstrated, it is fulfilled over a much larger time - including all of Lent in most countries.

To learn more about the precepts of the Church, pick up a copy of "Understanding the Precepts of the Church."

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Commemoration of Sts. Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus

Commemoration (1954 Calendar): April 14

While we are in the midst of the Easter Octave this particular year, April 14th is the feast of St. Justin, when not impeded by Easter. And in the liturgy for April 14th, the Church further commemorates the martyr saints Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus.

Circa 229 AD, the brothers Tiburtius and Valerian converted their executioner Maximus by the example of their courage. Then all three were martyred in the Roman arena.

Known by their inclusion in the Acts of St. Cecilia. It is generally accepted that the Acts are fiction, but the three perhaps were genuine martyrs, especially as their tombs in the cemetery of Praetextatus were exceedingly popular during the Middle Ages. According to the Acts, Valerian was Cecilia's husband, Tiburtius her brother, and Maximus a Roman soldier or official who died with them.  

(Taken from Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints)

Collect:

Almighty God, grant, we beseech Thee, that we who keep the solemn festival of Thy holy Martyrs Tiburtius, Valerian and Maximus, may also follow the example of their virtues. Through our Lord . . .

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Today You Will Be With Me in Paradise

"To be with Christ is life, and where Christ is, there is His kingdom" (St. Augustine)

The Good Thief

Traditionally known as St. Dismas, the Good Thief, who died on the Cross alongside our Lord is mentioned in only the Gospel according to St. Luke. While all four Gospels reference thieves also crucified along with our Lord (Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27–28,32, Luke 23:33, John 19:18), only the Gospel of St. Luke mentions the Good Thief. 

The Gospel of St. Matthew and St. Mark reference that the thieves reviled our Lord. Only St. Luke mentions the conversion of St. Dismas:

And one of those robbers who were hanged, blasphemed him, saying: If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering, rebuked him, saying: Neither dost thou fear God, seeing thou art condemned under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man hath done no evil. And he said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when thou shalt come into thy kingdom. And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise.

Faith Alone? Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

This account is not an endorsement of the false doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Catholics know that we are saved by God's good grace alone. We receive grace in our souls at Baptism when original sin is removed from our souls and we become justified and receive the Holy Ghost. We only lose God's grace by committing a mortal sin. Mortal sin is possible through sins of word, deed, thought, or omission. Failing to help someone in need, admonish a sinner, attend Mass, etc could all be mortal sins. It is not works that save a man. And it is not faith alone either. Grace alone saves a man.

How was St. Dismas justified without the Sacrament of Baptism? First, our Lord had not yet been resurrected. It was not until right before our Lord's Ascension that the law of Baptism became necessary. On this point, the Catechism of the Council of Trent states:

“Holy writers are unanimous in saying that after the Resurrection of our Lord, when He gave to His Apostles the command to go and teach all nations: baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, the law of Baptism became obligatory on all who were to be saved.”

Yet secondly, we are also wise to remember the three forms of Baptism: Water, Blood, and Desire. We ordinarily think of Baptism as the Sacrament of Baptism which consists of the proper words said while a person is submerged or sprinkled three times with water. But, Baptism of Blood and Baptism of Desire are both equally valid. If someone dies as a martyr for the Faith who had not yet received the Sacrament of Baptism, that person has still received God's grace through their martyrdom, which is a Baptism of Blood. And likewise, a catechumen who desires conversion who dies before receiving the actual Sacrament of Baptism with water still receives justification through Baptism. In such a way, we see in St. Dismas the effect of Baptism of Desire. We see in the record of saints from the early Church many martyrs and catechumens who are listed in the catalog of saints who never received Baptism by water. Yet, they are justified still through these other forms of Baptism.

St. Dismas teaches us the importance of interior conversion and how God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but He Himself is not bound by His sacraments.

Today You Will Be With Me in Paradise

When our Lord told St. Dismas, as they both hung dying on the Cross, "Today You Will Be With Me in Paradise," what did the Lord mean? Did He mean that after they died both would be reunited in Heaven?

No. Heaven at that moment was not opened due to the sin of Adam and Eve which closed Heaven. Christ did not yet pay the price for sin to open Heaven. In fact, the opening of Heaven did not occur until Ascension Day, forty days after our Lord's Resurrection, when Christ the Victor over death led the souls of the just who died beforehand into Heaven after Him. It was fitting that Our Lord, the conqueror of death, would be the first to open the gates of Heaven.

To be with Christ is to be in paradise. Christ and the blessed saints in Limbo including the Good Thief entered Heaven 40 days later when Our Lord ascended and opened the doors of Heaven. Today both would die as their bodies and souls would separate. St. Dismas' soul would go to the Limbo of the Fathers. This place, where the just from the Old Testament waited for Heaven to be opened, welcomed Christ in their midst today. Adam, Eve, Moses, Ezekiel, St. Joseph, and countless others today saw our Lord come to them. The messiah, who some had waited thousands of year for, was at last here. And St. Dismas joined them.

The words of The Lord (This day ... in paradise) must therefore be understood not of an earthly or corporeal paradise, but of that spiritual paradise in which all may be, said to be, who are in the enjoyment of the divine glory. Hence to place, the thief went up with Christ to heaven, that he might be with Christ, as it was said to him: "Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise"; but as to reward, he was in Paradise, for he there tasted and enjoyed the divinity of Christ, together with the other saints. (The Life of The Good Thief, Msgr. Gaume, Loreto Publications, 1868).

On the evening of Good Friday, our Lord descended unto the dead. Christ was in their midst. And to be with Christ is paradise. And that is what we learn from these words of our Lord.

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