What Does The Prayer Really Say?
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The Bishop of Fargo, ND, His Excellency Most Reverend Samuel Aquila, has published a letter on the Motu Proprio. 

My emphases and comments. 

Bishop’s Column

Two missals: One beautiful treasure of love  [I am instantly ready to love this letter.]

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In the past few weeks, two important documents were presented to the universal church by the Holy See.

The first document, “Summorum Pontificum,” was released July 7 by Pope Benedict XVI as an apostolic letter in the form of a motu proprio. It relaxes the restrictions on the celebration of the Mass and other sacraments using the forms that were present before the Second Vatican Council.

The second document, “Responses to Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine of the Church,” was issued July 10 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It reaffirms that the Catholic Church is the one, true church, even if elements of truth can be found in separated churches and communities. 

Pope Benedict noted in his letter to the bishops of the world concerning the liturgical use of preconciliar forms of the liturgy, that: “News reports and judgments made without sufficient information have created no little confusion.” This is true of the reports presented in local secular newspapers.  [The bishop takes note of poor reporting.  Excellent.]

Evident in the coverage both in articles and on the editorial pages throughout America was the fact that many unfounded statements were made by people not of the Catholic faith, or who had not read the documents in their entirety, or who do not have a working knowledge of what the Catholic Church teaches, both in the documents of Vatican II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The CDF document on “questions regarding certain aspects of the doctrine of the church” is consistent with what the church has always taught, and it clarifies this teaching. I encourage you to read the text  [I like this.  The bishop thinks people are smart and can read for themselves.] and the guest editorial, on pages 2 and 19, respectively, in this issue of New Earth.

In regard to the apostolic letter on the celebration of the Mass and other sacraments prior to Vatican II, an Associated Press news report labeled it as a “victory” for some Catholics that “came over the objections” of other Catholics.

On the contrary, the faithful who read the document will see that, rather than positioning one version of the Roman Missal against another, [Right!  People don’t have to be losers.  Everyone can win.] the Holy Father declares, “They are, in fact, two usages of the one Roman Rite.” The document explains that there are two forms for celebrating the Holy Mass: the ordinary form of the Mass, currently celebrated in our parishes, according to the Roman Missal of Paul VI from 1970, and the extraordinary form of the Mass celebrated according to the Roman Missal from 1962, commonly known as the Tridentine Mass.

Our Holy Father makes clear in his apostolic letter that the Latin liturgy has had a variety of forms over the centuries. He observes that the Roman Missal itself had seven official editions between the Council of Trent and the 1962 edition. Hence, there has been and continues to be a development of the celebration of the Eucharist as found in the Roman Missal of today. The missal of Paul VI, in its Latin form, is a response to the reform of the liturgical rites specifically called for by the Second Vatican Council.

Pope Benedict fully acknowledges the validity of both the Second Vatican Council and its liturgical reforms. He does, however, in the letter to bishops regarding “Summorum Pontificum,” point out that abuses were experienced in the implementation of the changes to the liturgy. He states: “in many places, celebrations were not faithful to the prescriptions of the new missal, but the latter actually was understood as authorizing or even requiring creativity, which frequently led to deformations of the liturgy which were hard to bear.”

Regarding the new missal, now in use in our parishes, the pope continues, “. . . the missal of Paul VI will be able to demonstrate, more powerfully than has been the case hitherto, the sacrality which attracts many people to the former usage. The most sure guarantee that the missal of Paul VI can unite parish communities and be loved by them consists in its being celebrated with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives. This will bring out the spiritual richness and the theological depth of this missal.”

The renewed attention to celebrating either form of the Mass with greater reverence will lead us to a deeper love for our Eucharistic Lord.  [Excellent!]

One way in which our current missal will be improved in the coming years is with updated translations from the official Latin texts. Sadly, our current English translation is not as theologically rich or linguistically beautiful as comparable translations [That’s for sure!  It is nice to read clear words from a bishop about this.] in other languages such as French, Spanish, Italian or German. These updated English translations will enhance our reverence for the great mystery we celebrate in the Sacrifice of the Mass.

The directives of the document indicate that for the Tridentine Mass to be celebrated publicly in parish churches on a Sunday there must be “a stable group [there is that problematic translation] of the faithful who adhere to the earlier liturgical tradition,” and that only one celebration may be held.

The priests who celebrate the 1962 missal must be qualified to do so. In his letter to bishops, Pope Benedict reminds us and the faithful that, “The use of the old missal presupposes a certain degree of liturgical formation and some knowledge of the Latin language; neither of those is found very often. Already, from these concrete presuppositions, it is clearly seen that the new missal will certainly remain the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, not only on account of the juridical norms, but also because of the actual situation of the communities of the faithful.”

Our Holy Father’s decree set forth by the apostolic letter is to be observed beginning Sept. 14, 2007. As your bishop, I will provide the priests, deacons, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Fargo with a plan as to how the articles of the apostolic letter will be put into place in our diocese. Watch for information on our diocesan Web site and in the September issue of New Earth.

The Holy Father’s desire, and my own, [solidarity!] is that all of us develop a deeper love and reverence for the great treasure we receive from Christ, himself, in every Mass.

As the one sacrifice of Christ is made present on the altar, we offer our lives to the Father with, in and through Christ, giving adoration to the Father. We then are nourished with the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ when we receive the Eucharist. And whether it is in the “ordinary” or “extraordinary” celebration of the one Roman Rite, we receive the same Christ through the Eucharist, which “augments our union with Christ,” “separates us from sin,” “makes the church,” “strengthens our charity,” “commits us to the poor” and brings about “the unity of Christians” (CCC 1391-1401)!

May our Eucharistic Lord continue to bless your summer and fill you with his peace!

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Samuel J. Aquila 

Very nice letter! 

Kindly pray for the folks suffering from the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, where I was born and grew up.

There is a delightful piece on the blog Petrus, in Italian.   It concerns the two Brothers Ratzinger.  Here is my translation.

"Orgel-Ratz" and "Bücher-Ratz" (Organ-Ratz and Books-Ratz) amidst music, study and sweets

di Angela Ambrogetti

VATICAN CITY – ”Orgel-Ratz” and ”Bücher-Ratz”. That is what fellow seminarians called the Ratzinger brothers.  Georg was completely dedicated to music and Joseph was enamored of books.  This is how the brothers are today, and when they spend a few days together the Bavarian kids of the past come back.  The news report about the Roman holidays of Monsignor Ratzinger seem to interest only the local German press.  The newspaper of Regensburg reports, for example, about Pope Benedict’s birthday through the eyes of his brother.  Joseph, to receive his big brother, who for years has had serious problems with his vision, put together a mountain of CD’s in his apartment, and in their free time read aloud to Georg the introduction of his Jesus of Nazareth and also every morning the breviary.  The birthday of Benedict XVI was celebrated with simplicity and affection.  Msgr. Gaenswein, the Pontiff’s secretary, had in great secrecy rehearsed celebratory songs, with the Memores Domini, which look to the Pope’s well-being.  The songs were sung after morning Mass.  Then came birthday present time.  Georg Ratzinger had already given his birthday trip: "I am stingy.  My brother got only one present for Christmas, his name day, and this birthday together."  There was the birthday breakfast: croissants with marmalade and an Italian "sacher".  "Very good.  We don’t have it on regular days."  The day continued with the Pope’s official duties and, for Monsignor Georg, listening to music.  After lunch was their appointment for a stroll, on the terrace of the Apostolic Palace.  "A couple turns, about a quarter of an hour."  When the Pope’s brother can’t be in Rome in person, he sends some little gifts, like a dessert made by his housekeeper Agnes Heindl.  Special delivery.  This is what happened last April 12th, when it was entrusted to a pilgrimage lead by Monsignor Heinrich Wachter.  The two tour busses were held up on the autostrada near Florence.  So as not to miss the Pope’s supper, Wacther took a taxi and, on his arrival at the Vatican, Benedict smiled and asked if he ought to reimburse his fare.  These are little glimpses of daily life, which the newspaper of Regensburg dedicated to its illustrious former fellow citizen. The Mittelbayerische Zeitung is the daily which last year published a wonderful conversation between the Pope’s secretary and children from an elementary school, which has now become a book: Why does the Pope wear red shoes?

For those of you who understand spoken Italian, there is a nice video on YouTube, which I can recommend both for the information it coveys and its balanced tone.

I am sure you already know that today, in the new calendar, is the feast of St. Alphonsus Maria de’Liguori, the bishop and doctor of the Church so famous for his contributions to moral theology.

However, today is also the feast of the Seven Maccabee brothers.  They are listed in the Martyrologium Romanum . Here is their entry:

2. Commemoratio passionis sanctorum septem fratrum martyrum, qui Antiochiae in Syria, sub Antiocho Epiphane rege, propter legem Domini invicta fide servatam, morti crudeliter traditi sunt cum matre sua, in singulis quidem filiis passa, sed in omnibus coronata, sicut in secundo libro Maccabaeorum narratur. Item commemoratur sanctus Eleazarus, unus de primoribus scribarum, vir aetate provectus, qui in eadem persecutione, illicitam carnem manducare propter vitae amorem respuens, gloriosissimam mortem magis quam odiosam vitam complectens, voluntarie praeivit ad supplicium, magnum virtutis relinquens exemplum.

Maybe some of you good readers can produce your flawless English versions for those whose Latin is less smooth.

Who were the Maccabee brothers? 

The Maccabees were Jews who rebelled against the Hellenic Seleucid dynasty in the time of Antiochus V Eupator. The Maccabees founded the Hasmonean dynasty and fought for Jewish independence in Israel from 165-63 BC. In 167 BC, Mattathias revolted against the Greek occupiers by refusing to worship the Greek gods. He killed a Hellenizing Jew who was willing to offer a sacrifice to the Greek gods. Mattathias and his five sons fled to the wilderness of Judea. Later Mattathias’s son Judas Maccabaeus led an army against the Seleucids and won. He entered Jerusalem, cleansed the Temple, and reestablished Jewish worship. Hanukkah commemorates this victory. In the period 167-164 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163) killed and sold thousands of Jews into slavery. He violated the Jewish holy sites and set up an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies (1 Maccabees 1:54; Daniel 11:31). The people revolted and Antiochus responded with slaughter. He required under penalty of death that Jews sacrifice to the gods and abandon kosher laws. "Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment" (Hebrews 11:35-36). A chief of the scribes, Eleazar, an old man, did not flee. Pork was forced on him, into his mouth, he spat it out and was then condemned to death.

St. Ambrose, in his work On Jacob and the blessed life recounts Eleazar’s death along with the deaths of seven sons of a mother. The work is filled with Neo-platonic and Stoic themes, especially about virtue theory. Ambrose goes through all their deaths in detail, making commentary on them for what they meant.

In the period 167-164 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163) killed and sold thousands of Jews into slavery. He violated the Jewish holy sites and set up an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies (1 Maccabees 1:54; Daniel 11:31). The people revolted and Antiochus responded with slaughter. He required under penalty of death that Jews sacrifice to the gods and abandon kosher laws. "Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment" (Hebrews 11:35-36). A chief of the scribes, Eleazar, an old man, did not flee. Pork was forced on him, into his mouth, he spat it out and was then condemned to death.

The mothers is venerated by the Greeks as St. Solomnis.

St. Ambrose, in his work On Jacob and the blessed life recounts Eleazar’s death along with the deaths of seven sons of a mother. The work is filled with Neo-platonic and Stoic themes, especially about virtue theory. Ambrose goes through all their deaths in detail, making commentary on them for what they meant.

In these scenes recounted by Ambrose from IV Maccabees, the mother is being tried by being forced to watch each of here sons executed in different ways, eldest to youngest. She urges them not to give in. Ambrose thus explores the theme of how God choses the weak and makes them strong. The ancient "priest" Eleazar should be weak and infirm due to age, but he is a tower of strength. The mother of the seven boys should be weak by nature but is unshakable.  The sons are not to be moved to infidelity, even the youngest.

Here is a taste of Ambrose in De Iacob et vita beata II, 12:

The words of the holy woman return to our minds, who said to her sons: "I gave birth to you, and poured out my milk for you: do not lose your nobility." Other mothers are accustomed to pull their children away from martyrdom, not to exort them to martyrdom. But she thought that maternal love consisted in this, in persuading her sons to gain for themselves an eternal life rather than an earthly life. And thus the pius mother watched the torment of her sons … But her sons were not inferior to such a mother: they urged each other on, speaking with one single desire and, I would say, like an unfurling of their souls in a battleline.

The texts from Ambrose are really interesting.