What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

I am sure there are lots of people blogging about blessing chalk and then houses on Epiphany, so I don’t need to trouble you with all the details. I also wrote about these things in the WDTPRS articles I posted. However, Sabine houses were in fact blessed today.

Obviously I didn’t take these photos.

And on the way back to my place … walking on water:

Today at the Sabine Farm Holy Mass for Epiphany was celebrated with the 1962 Missale Romanum.  Several different colors of chalk were blessed as well.  I will be blessings the Sabine House(s) later.

However, since most of the world will celebrate Epiphany on Sunday, making it Thirteenth Night, today would be the Vigil of Epiphany. 

Here is a link to my WDTPRS article on the Vigil of Epiphany.

A snip:

... in the 2002 editio typica of the Missale Romanum there is now a new Vigil Mass with its own texts. There was no Vigil in the earlier editions. Since we have never examined these new Vigil prayers, we can look at all three and find out what they really say.

COLLECT (2002MR) “in Vigilia”
Corda nostra, quaesumus, Domine,
tuae maiestatis splendor illustret,
quo mundi huius tenebras transire valeamus,
et perveniamus ad patriam claritatis aeternae.

I have heard from curial old timers, and I do mean old, that if the Pope were to call on the telephone, you would hear the voice of the secretary say, "Il Papa parla… The Pope speaks." At that point you would get down on your knees (if you could) and wait. I imagine that that sort of thing went out with kissing the holy pantofola.

I posted a note about the story going around that the Holy Father may be making personal phone calls to French bishops to help them get on board Peter’s Barque in regard to derestricting the older form of Mass.

If this is true, it is a fantastic thing, and another sign that in Benedict’s Vatican, it is not exactly business as usual. Joseph Ratzinger was never the sort of man to leave work to someone else. So, it would not surprise me in the least that he might tell his secretary to get someone on the phone and then reason with him.

Benedict thinks he can get Muslims to reason with him, so he might be able to expect the same from French bishops, ne c’est pas?

And whom do you suppose would prevail in a reasoned discussion about the older form of Mass and the state of the Church?

It is clear that the Holy Father cannot call every bishop in the world. Then again, he doesn’t have to, does he. All he needs to do is call a very few key players. Word would get around very fast and most everyone would start falling into line. This is simply good leadership.

In times past… well… why limit ourselves to the past… we might imagine a scenario in which the Holy Father, after grave deliberation and many attempts at persuasion would reach out and remove a single "red hat" from a sitting diocesan archbishop. When called to the Apostolic Palace by the Vicar of Christ, "His Eminence" is ushered into with solemn regard. At the end of the meeting "His Excellency" is ushered out with solemn regard. He then returns to his work back home with many fewer distractions! Points of resistance might start to melt away.

Okay, that is a super dramatic scenario, but something like it it did historically occur. Pius XI accepted back the red hat when Louis Billot, SJ, "resigned" over a disagreement about Action Française. Pope Benedict, however, has a far gentler style.

I can very much imagine His Holiness making calls to those who were the most vehemently opposed to the derestriction. He would make the call to listen to the other point of view (as he has always done). Otherwise, he might just be making the calls if only to fill them in on the fact that it was going to happen soon and that he wanted their cooperation.

Some ecclesiastical Bob Newhart could have a field day with this.

"Allô??

"Your Excellency, good morning. Pope Benedict here. I hope you have a few minutes free. I would like to talk to you about the ‘Tridentine Mass’.

"Benedict… Pope Benedict. In Rome.

"No, this isn’t …. No. Your Excell… No, this isn’t Stinky. It really is Benedict… Joseph Ratz… Yes. That’s okay.

"Right. According to Fr. Z’s blog, Your Excellency has been rather strong in voicing opposition to the derestriction of the pre-Conciliar Missale.

"Yes, that’s right. I read… yes, I read him too. But that’s really not why called.

"No…. No…. Triden…. Yes…. that’s right.

"Please, Your Excellency… Jacques … pull yourself together. Men should be able to talk through their differences about things, see new viewpoints.

....

There was a problem with the server tonight, which cause the Wordpress error page. Sorry about that. I made a call and got it fixed, when I discovered it. At first, I thought it might have had something to do with the new word verification plug in. It seems to have been unrelated, however.

In any event, I made a complaint, it got fixed.

Say to prayer to the guardian angel who has charge of my internet portfolio to keep things running smoothly.

Thanks for the patience!

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UPDATE:  I got up early this morning to find that the blog was down again.   Pretty hard to visit, right?

In any event, I have been working with the geeks at my server…. "service".  Dunno what this is all about, but I am getting the idea that they are going to have to upgrade me.