This is very important. The forthcoming Instruction to the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum is rumored to possible contain some restrictive elements. Let us sign this petition to the Holy Father and pray, pray, pray and pray His Holiness and this Instruction. Fast and pray.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/motuproprioappeal/#sign_petition
(Ignore the donation page at the end. Just close out of the window once you hit submit. Your vote has been recorded.)
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Stay with me!
I apologize that I have hardly posted lately. Please stay with me however, once my schedule frees up there will be some interesting (at least I think so) posts.
Happy Wednesday :)
Happy Wednesday :)
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Some thoughts on Ad Orientem
I have not been able to post as frequently as I originally planned, but be assured there will be at least several new posts every week. In fact I'd say that it is safe to say there will be around one post a day; at the least of the random musing style. Today however is something of a more serious, tradition and identity flavor.
As you can tell from the title of this post, I will be briefly discussing the celebration of Mass ad orientem.
The most common object to the Mass being celebrated ad orientem is that "the priest has his back to be." I must be honest and say that this object drives me partially insane. When Father celebrates Mass, most specifically during the Canon, he is not talking to the congregation. He is not talking to you, me, or whoever else may be sitting in the pews. He is talking to God. That is why a like to call ad orientem (which can be confusing for some people since it literally means towards the east) "ad Dominum" or "ad Deum"; meaning towards the Lord or towards God. How beautiful is it to think of what those two phrases mean. When a priest celebrates Mass ad Dominum on a traditional altar that has the tabernacle on it, the priest literally is facing the Lord, for Christ Jesus is physically present in the tabernacle. Does this not seem like an infinitely better way to celebrate Mass? Who is more important, Christ or the people? The answer for me is obvious, and I feel any serious Catholic with a belief in the Real Presence will feel the same. Perhaps I am being presumptuous, but why would anyone ever, ever want to look at people instead of God?
When a priest is celebrating Mass, he is leading us in prayer. An analogy I like to use (I admittedly read it/heard it from somewhere else, but I do not recall where/who) is when you are in a taxi, airplane, train etc., is the person steering looking at you? Would you be offended that he has his back to you? I would think not. You would want his eyes on the road. The same thing applies at Mass. The priest is leading the congregation in prayer towards God. Thus it makes no sense to say he has his back to you. Its for a reason. He is speaking to Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. No matter how much some people may want to believe, they have absolutely no "power" or ability to consecrate the bread and wine. That is solely between Christ Jesus and His priest.
Yet another argument I have heard against ad orientem or ad Dominum worship is that Christ did not have His back to the Apostles at the Last Supper when He celebrated His first Mass. Historical evidence points to the truth. It was customary back then for all the guests to sit at one side of the table; take Leonardo Da'Vinci's Last Supper for instance. Christ and His Apostles all sat on the same side of the table.
To be continued...
As you can tell from the title of this post, I will be briefly discussing the celebration of Mass ad orientem.
The most common object to the Mass being celebrated ad orientem is that "the priest has his back to be." I must be honest and say that this object drives me partially insane. When Father celebrates Mass, most specifically during the Canon, he is not talking to the congregation. He is not talking to you, me, or whoever else may be sitting in the pews. He is talking to God. That is why a like to call ad orientem (which can be confusing for some people since it literally means towards the east) "ad Dominum" or "ad Deum"; meaning towards the Lord or towards God. How beautiful is it to think of what those two phrases mean. When a priest celebrates Mass ad Dominum on a traditional altar that has the tabernacle on it, the priest literally is facing the Lord, for Christ Jesus is physically present in the tabernacle. Does this not seem like an infinitely better way to celebrate Mass? Who is more important, Christ or the people? The answer for me is obvious, and I feel any serious Catholic with a belief in the Real Presence will feel the same. Perhaps I am being presumptuous, but why would anyone ever, ever want to look at people instead of God?
When a priest is celebrating Mass, he is leading us in prayer. An analogy I like to use (I admittedly read it/heard it from somewhere else, but I do not recall where/who) is when you are in a taxi, airplane, train etc., is the person steering looking at you? Would you be offended that he has his back to you? I would think not. You would want his eyes on the road. The same thing applies at Mass. The priest is leading the congregation in prayer towards God. Thus it makes no sense to say he has his back to you. Its for a reason. He is speaking to Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament. No matter how much some people may want to believe, they have absolutely no "power" or ability to consecrate the bread and wine. That is solely between Christ Jesus and His priest.
Yet another argument I have heard against ad orientem or ad Dominum worship is that Christ did not have His back to the Apostles at the Last Supper when He celebrated His first Mass. Historical evidence points to the truth. It was customary back then for all the guests to sit at one side of the table; take Leonardo Da'Vinci's Last Supper for instance. Christ and His Apostles all sat on the same side of the table.
To be continued...
Monday, February 7, 2011
Books
Three out of my five books from Barnes n' Noble arrived this afternoon. Especially interesting for this blog is Pope Benedict, then Cardinal Ratzinger's book, "The Spirit of the Liturgy". So far I've read through the introduction and the first chapter. I really like where it is going. Pope Benedict discusses how liturgy and the way one lives their life is tied in together. Almost hitting on the idea that to be Catholic is a lifetime, daylong act. Not just something one does for 50 minutes on a Sunday.
Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi.
A New Week..
As we start off a new week, lets make this week for Christ. It can be hard to not get caught up in the "hussle and bussle" of everyday life, but it we just simply try to set aside say, 15 minutes for prayer every morning and evening, I promise you it will change your life. If possible, go to daily Mass this week. (For some this is not possible.) However if it is possible for you, consider how lucky you are. There are those who cannot go due to work schedules, children and school, sickness and hospitalization etc. etc. Offer every morning a prayer for the overburdened, depressed and lonely, as well as the sick, dying and their loved ones. And of course offer up a few prayers for Holy Mother Church, her priests and our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
Instead of those annual New Years resolutions that everyone makes and nothing comes of, start out small. Make a daily or weekly resolution. I strongly encourage morning prayer and reflection, as I believe and have experienced that it is a great way to start out your day. If you have the time look into the Divine Office, read the Mass readings for the day, pray the Rosary, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. We are blessed, for Holy Mother Church has a treasury of devotions and practices that help us get through this day, week, and ultimately our life.
I pray that this week will be a blessing for you, and that you will experience a deeper love of Christ Jesus everyday as you, and all of us, sojourn through this world until we reach our heavenly home.
Instead of those annual New Years resolutions that everyone makes and nothing comes of, start out small. Make a daily or weekly resolution. I strongly encourage morning prayer and reflection, as I believe and have experienced that it is a great way to start out your day. If you have the time look into the Divine Office, read the Mass readings for the day, pray the Rosary, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. We are blessed, for Holy Mother Church has a treasury of devotions and practices that help us get through this day, week, and ultimately our life.
I pray that this week will be a blessing for you, and that you will experience a deeper love of Christ Jesus everyday as you, and all of us, sojourn through this world until we reach our heavenly home.
And since today is the feast of St. Romuald in the tradtional calendar,
St. Romuald, Ora Pro Nobis!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Super Bowl
Once again on a random note....
It looks like His Excellency, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh will be donating some funds to a Catholic charity in Greenbay.
It looks like His Excellency, Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh will be donating some funds to a Catholic charity in Greenbay.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Feast of St. Agatha
Beatae Agathae Martyris, Ora pro nobis!
Today is the feast of St. Agatha (at least in the traditional calendar. I pray the Monastic Diurnal which follows the rubrics of 1962.)
From the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal:
"St. Agatha, Virgin, Martyr- Born in Sicily of noble parents, St. Agatha suffered dreadful torture at the hands of her persecutors, but she was healed on the following night by St. Peter in a vision. Other sufferings were inflicted upon her, and from these she died in 254."
Introit:
"Gaudeamus omnes in Domino, diem festun celebrantes sub honore beatae Agathae Virginis et Martyris: de cujus passione gaudent angeli el collaudant Filium Dei. (Psalm) Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum: doco ego opera mean Regi. Gloria Patri et Fillio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Gaudeamus..."
"Let us all rejoice in the Lord and celebrate a festival day in honor of blessed Agatha, Virgin and Martyr, at whose martyrdom the Angels rejoice, and give praise to the Son of God. (Psalm) My heart hath uttered a good word: I will speak my works to the King. Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and forever shall be, world without end. Amen. Let us all..."
Today is the feast of St. Agatha (at least in the traditional calendar. I pray the Monastic Diurnal which follows the rubrics of 1962.)
From the 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal:
"St. Agatha, Virgin, Martyr- Born in Sicily of noble parents, St. Agatha suffered dreadful torture at the hands of her persecutors, but she was healed on the following night by St. Peter in a vision. Other sufferings were inflicted upon her, and from these she died in 254."
Introit:
"Gaudeamus omnes in Domino, diem festun celebrantes sub honore beatae Agathae Virginis et Martyris: de cujus passione gaudent angeli el collaudant Filium Dei. (Psalm) Eructavit cor meum verbum bonum: doco ego opera mean Regi. Gloria Patri et Fillio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Gaudeamus..."
"Let us all rejoice in the Lord and celebrate a festival day in honor of blessed Agatha, Virgin and Martyr, at whose martyrdom the Angels rejoice, and give praise to the Son of God. (Psalm) My heart hath uttered a good word: I will speak my works to the King. Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and forever shall be, world without end. Amen. Let us all..."
Friday, February 4, 2011
Friday!
Time for random musing post number 1. Today is Friday, finally. I overslept and I have a feeling my day is going to all off kilter. I'm weird because when I oversleep, even if it is only for 30 minutes, my sense of time is thrown off. I'm weird, I like to get up early. I find prayer early in the morning very soothing. The world is quiet and it seems like its just God and myself talking. Plus seeing the sunrise is always beautiful. Anyway.....
Does anyone practice any Friday devotions? Comment below and lets try to get a discussion going!
-I will be posting another serious post like the previous one here soon. In the meantime though...
Does anyone practice any Friday devotions? Comment below and lets try to get a discussion going!
-I will be posting another serious post like the previous one here soon. In the meantime though...
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Sacrality of the Mass, our Tradition and Identity
I intend for this to be the first post in a series of posts discussing the importance and inseparability of the sacrality of the Mass, tradition and the Catholic identity.
Too often does one go to Mass and see the sacrifice, and yes it is indeed a sacrifice, being rushed and hurried along. Perhaps more often still one hears "Kumbaya" or the like being sung. A crowd of lay people rush into the Sanctuary to distribute Holy Communion. Mass seems more like a sing along of love songs and sharing of mere bread and wine than a Holy Sacrifice during which our Divine Redeemer is made physically present. Holy Communion is distributed into peoples hands while standing, the fruit of that work is a loss of sacrality of the Eucharist and the Mass.
As one may be able to tell, that which I am going to touch on in this post is the issue of lay "participation" in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. More specifically, the use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC's).
Before the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) the method to receive the Eucharist was to kneel at the Altar Rail, open your mouth and receive on the tongue. (Communion on the tongue [COTT]) The priest would pray and bless you saying: "Corpus Domini Nostri Iesu Christi custodiat animam tuam ad vitam aeternam amen." Translation: May be Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve your soul unto everlasting life." Only the priest was permitted to touch the Sacred Vessels and our Lord, for only his hands have been consecrated through the grace of his ordination. Contrast that with today. Too often does one see someone dressed in jeans and a sport tee-shirt approach the Sanctuary, stick out his hand, hurriedly respond "amen" to "The Body of Christ", usually distributed by an EMHC, pick the host up from their hand and "pop" it in their mouth. How irreverent. It is my opinion that only the consecrated hands of the priest should be permitted to distribute our Lord in Holy Communion. Communion in the hand (CITH) by EMHC's has destroyed, yes I do use such strong language, the sacrality, reverence and awe that is due to our Lord in Holy Communion. The Mass has moved from being a sacrifice to a "celebratory meal" around the "table of the Lord." If you were Protestant that would be exactly what your service is. However we are Catholic. The Mass is a sacrifice, the same sacrifice as Calvary. No one was laughing then.
Now please do not get me wrong, I do not believe that EMHC's are bad people. However they are overused, and almost in all cases, completely unnecessary. I have never been to a Mass yet where there needed to be EMHC's. I urge you to reconsider the use of EMHC. Pray about, think of what is happening during the Mass and who we are touching when we receive CITH.
Too often does one go to Mass and see the sacrifice, and yes it is indeed a sacrifice, being rushed and hurried along. Perhaps more often still one hears "Kumbaya" or the like being sung. A crowd of lay people rush into the Sanctuary to distribute Holy Communion. Mass seems more like a sing along of love songs and sharing of mere bread and wine than a Holy Sacrifice during which our Divine Redeemer is made physically present. Holy Communion is distributed into peoples hands while standing, the fruit of that work is a loss of sacrality of the Eucharist and the Mass.
As one may be able to tell, that which I am going to touch on in this post is the issue of lay "participation" in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. More specifically, the use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC's).
Before the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) the method to receive the Eucharist was to kneel at the Altar Rail, open your mouth and receive on the tongue. (Communion on the tongue [COTT]) The priest would pray and bless you saying: "Corpus Domini Nostri Iesu Christi custodiat animam tuam ad vitam aeternam amen." Translation: May be Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve your soul unto everlasting life." Only the priest was permitted to touch the Sacred Vessels and our Lord, for only his hands have been consecrated through the grace of his ordination. Contrast that with today. Too often does one see someone dressed in jeans and a sport tee-shirt approach the Sanctuary, stick out his hand, hurriedly respond "amen" to "The Body of Christ", usually distributed by an EMHC, pick the host up from their hand and "pop" it in their mouth. How irreverent. It is my opinion that only the consecrated hands of the priest should be permitted to distribute our Lord in Holy Communion. Communion in the hand (CITH) by EMHC's has destroyed, yes I do use such strong language, the sacrality, reverence and awe that is due to our Lord in Holy Communion. The Mass has moved from being a sacrifice to a "celebratory meal" around the "table of the Lord." If you were Protestant that would be exactly what your service is. However we are Catholic. The Mass is a sacrifice, the same sacrifice as Calvary. No one was laughing then.
Now please do not get me wrong, I do not believe that EMHC's are bad people. However they are overused, and almost in all cases, completely unnecessary. I have never been to a Mass yet where there needed to be EMHC's. I urge you to reconsider the use of EMHC. Pray about, think of what is happening during the Mass and who we are touching when we receive CITH.
Hello!
Hello everyone! This blog is dedicated to the discussion of the restoration of our Catholic identity. This restoration I believe can only be done through the study of our traditions as well as what the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) actually stated. Here I plan on writing and hopefully discussing some of my opinions on how we can regain our identity and move forward, as well as comment on relevant news.
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