What Does The Prayer Really Say?
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From Nihil obstat.... some Marini gossip. 

Remember… this is 1 APRIL, OKAY???

In the piece below, it is being claimed that H.E. Piero Marini, the Pope’s highly visible MC, wanted to be named Archpriest of the Basilica St. Mary Major so that he could stay in Rome and, most importanly, be made a cardinal. 

The wag who wrote the piece below rifs on the irony of Archbp. Marini being at the place where the body of St. Pius V is interred and venerated.

The ITALIAN:

Fonti informate della Santa Sede confermano la notizia secondo la quale S.E. mons. Piero Marini, Maestro delle celebrazioni liturgiche del Sommo Pontefice, avrebbe espresso il desiderio di essere nominato Arciprete della Patriarcale Basilica Liberiana (Santa Maria Maggiore), ritenendo opportuno rimanere a Roma per poter contribuire anche se con altre funzioni al compimento del piano di riforme liturgiche iniziato con il Concilio Vaticano II da S.E. mons. Bugnini. La notizia pone fine alle indiscrezioni, apparse su organi di stampa, che ipotizzavano una diversità di vedute tra il Santo Padre ed il suo Maestro delle Cerimonie. La nomina ad Arciprete, auspicata dal prelato, comporta per tradizione anche il conferimento della Porpora cardinalizia, candidando di fatto mons. Marini ad essere tra i futuri esponenti di spicco del Sacro Collegio. Inoltre i molteplici interventi sinora effettuati nella Basilica di San Pietro potranno trovare incremento nella Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in cui l’applicazione dello spirito della riforma postconciliare non parrebbe completamente assimilato, specialmente nell’impostazione delle cappelle laterali. La presenza nella Basilica Liberiana del corpo di San Pio V, il Papa del Concilio di Trento e del Messale romano, sarà probabilmente segno di contraddizione per uno dei più attivi fautori del rinnovamento liturgico. Sarà d’altronde molto probabile che i sarti ecclesiastici cui si devono i nuovi paramenti sacri usati da Giovanni Paolo II e da Benedetto XVI continueranno a fornire a mons. Marini le proprie creazioni anche dopo l’ottenimento della nomina ad Arciprete, portando una ventata di novità e di creatività nelle polverose sacrestie di Santa Maria Maggiore.

Today the Holy Father in his sermon for Palm Sunday, which is also this year’s World Youth Day celebration, made a reference to the pre-Conciliar liturgy for this same Sunday. 

Expanding on Ps. 23, he spoke to the young people jamming St. Peter’s Square about how at the time of the procession for Palm Sunday the priest would stand before the closed door of the church and knock strongly upon it with the processional Cross.  The door would open and they would enter.  This is, for Benedict, an image of how Christ, with the wood of the Cross, with the force of His love opened the door between God and the world. 

Benedict used this to teach how we must open the doors of our hearts to Christ.  Even if the words of Scripture or the message of the Church leave you indifferent, at least open yourselves to Christ.  Look at Christ who suffered for you and suffers with you.

To recap, the Pope used as a starting point something from the older form of Mass to enrich the understanding of thousands of young people.

H.E. Tarcisio Card. Bertone told Le Figaro that one of the reasons Benedict is derestricting the older form of Mass is so that the great patrimony of our Church’s liturgy not be lost. 

 

 07-04-01 An excerpt of Benedict's sermon on Palm Sunday in Italian [2:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The second reading for the Office of Readings today is an excerpt of a sermon on Palm Sunday by St. Andrew of Crete (+7th c.). 

It is a beautiful reflection on how we should receive the Lord who comes to us in humility and there was nothing to do but make a PODCAzT out of it. 

So beautiful is the reading that I even read in ancient GREEK for a change! 

I also talk, again, about confession.  Included are some beautiful Gregorian chants for Palm Sunday, some of most striking of the whole year! 

Other good people are providing in their blogs the texts of readings from the Liturgy of the Hours.  I don’t intend to duplicate what they are doing or take anything away from their projects.  I simply hope these little audio clips are helpful in some way.   

 

 07-04-01 Palm Sunday with Andrew of Crete [16:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download