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

The Mass is in his Cathedral, St. John Lateran.



Preaching from his cathedra:



The viri selecti are getting ready.

The Holy Father, girded, on his way:

 

Washing feet 

 

 

 

Just a good shot!

 

Tonight all across the world people will, alas, take note that some priests and bishop have decided to wash the feet of women during the Holy Thursday Mass. 

They do this even though they shouldn’t and, probably, know they shouldn’t.

Pretty frustrating, isn’t it?

And in those times when we are irritated by such disrespect what do traditional, conservative Catholics do? 

They write parody songs, of course!

The official WDTPRS parodohymnologist, Tim Ferguson, has sent me this:

A Holy Thursday Reflection on “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” by Lew Brown, Sam Stept and Charles Tobias.
(Imagine Ray Eberle and the Modernaires singing this…)

Don’t go washing those women’s feet; the Latin is plain to me:
“selecti” should be “viri.” The rubrics are clear you see. No, no, no,
Don’t go washing those women’s feet at Thursday night’s liturgy,
Thus says the Pope of Rome.

Don’t go altering rubrics now, no matter who you may be,
Or where you got your degree in Scripture and Liturgy. No, no, no,
Don’t go altering rubrics now, this calls for humility:
You’re not the Pope of Rome. 

I just got word that Ranjith has heard,
‘n put the Vicar in a jam,
Seems some priest here, washing feet last year,
Scrubbed a nylon-covered gam.
So, don’t go washing those women’s feet at Thursday night’s liturgy,
Or feel the wrath of Rome.

There… isn’t that better?

Has anyone else noticed that it seems only serious, traditionally minded Catholics tend to have a good sense of humor?  I guess this comes from the fact that when you are right you can’t be wrong.  That gives us the security to be funny.

 

But, getting back to business… I am feeling that old anger rise up inside again, .... and I need an outlet.

And what better outlet than …. another song!

From the Musical: Fiddler on the Apse
(a parody of Matchmaker, Matchmaker, from Fiddler on the Roof)

Yenta: Modernist Liturgist,
Please wash my feet,
I’m not wearing sox,
And I’ll be discrete,
Inculturate the American Way,
And please wash my feet Thursday….

Fr. Lovebeads: I am the Liturgist,
Take off your shoes!
Women and men,
There’s no need to choose!
“Viri selecti,” is just not too clear,
I’ll wash all your feet this year…

Fr. Lovebeads: For me now,
It signals inclusion!

Yenta: For me now,
It’s my chance to shine! 

Congregation: For us, well,
It doesn’t matter,
As long as we’re leaving for home by nine! 

Congregaton: Modernist Liturgist,
Give us a break!
Follow the red words
For pity’s sake.
Mass after Mass we feel under attack,
Please, just say the words in black!

From The Times Online we read:

Vatican tones down Good Friday service to avoid upsetting China
Richard Owen of The Times in Rome

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the Archbishop of Hong Kong and a noted critic of Beijing, has "toned down" his meditations for tomorrow’s Good Friday torch lit ceremony at the Colosseum in order not to upset the "sensitive" dialogue between the Holy See and China, it was reported in Rome today.

Cardinal Zen was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to formulate the the meditations for the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession on Good Friday as a sign of the priority the Vatican gives to the dialogue with China. The stations of the cross are illustrated in this year’s Via Crucis order of service in an "oriental" style.

Cardinal Zen told Vatican Radio he aimed to reflect the plight of China’s Catholics and "the sufferings the Church still endures in China today". He would draw attention to "the martyrdom to which my people has been subjected for being Christian. Many suffer for the faith. And now there is a harmony between the Passion of the Lord and the passion of my people."

However the published text of the Via Crucis meditations contains no such references. Instead there are general references to "the martyrs of the twenty first century", the "dark times of persecution" faced by many Christians in the world, and the need for "religious freedom".

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica suggested this was either "prudence" or "self censorship". Cardinal Zen told Corriere della Sera that his references to "persecution" were not meant as an "accusation" or "protest".

The Vatican said Pope Benedict would watch most of the Good Friday procession service from a vantage point above the Colosseum and would only take part himself in the last three stations. Father Federico Lombardi, the Pope’s spokesman, said this did not reflect concerns about the health of the Pope, who will turn 81 during his demanding trip to the United States next month.

"It is reasonable that he would want to conserve his energy," Father Lombardi said. The Way of the Cross will be led by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Vicar of Rome. Pope Benedict, elected nearly three years ago, had previously taken part in the entire procession, carrying the cross at the first and last stations.

He was criticised this week for his "silence" over Tibet, also seen as the result of the Vatican’s desire not to upset talks with Beijing. But at the general audience on Wednesday the Pope expressed "sadness and pain in the face of so much suffering" in Tibet – his first reference to the clashes. He said he had been "following with great trepidation the news coming these days from Tibet", adding "Problems cannot be solved through violence, but only made worse".

The Vatican and China have been at odds since the 1950s when the Communist authorities closed down the Catholic Church and set up its own "Patriotic Catholic Association" with the right to appoint bishops.

China’s Catholic minority, estimated to number up to 12 million, is split between those who belong to the Patriotic Association and those who follow the "underground" church loyal to the Pope.

Pope Benedict has made improving ties with Beijing a major goal of his pontificate, and last year sent a letter to China’s Catholics in which he called for dialogue with the Chinese authorities. Beijing has since appointed at least two Vatican-approved bishops to the official church.

Last week a Vatican commission on China said the Holy See sought "respectful and constructive" dialogue with Beijing and unity for the country’s divided Church. The commission urged "forgiveness and reconciliation within the Catholic community" in China.

Cardinal Zen said that "during the writing of the meditations, I placed myself, at first, on the side of Jesus and my persecuted brothers, and I experienced sentiments that were not very Christian toward their persecutors. But at one point I realized that, because of my infidelities, I deserve rather to be part of the group of deserters, betrayers, of the persecutors. I hope that all of us experience this conversion."

He said he had to step back and purify himself of the "less than charitable feelings" he had toward those who made Jesus suffer and who "are making our brothers and sisters suffer in today’s world."

In his meditation for the First Station—"Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane"—Cardinal Zen draws on Pope Benedict’s June letter to Chinese Catholics to remind people that in many parts of the world, the church "is going through the dark times of persecution."

In his meditation for the Fourth Station—"Jesus is denied by Peter"—Cardinal Zen says Christ’s decision to entrust "weak and vulnerable men" to continue his mission of salvation is a sign of his wisdom and strength.

His Fifth Station meditation – "Jesus is judged by Pilate" – asks God to give leaders "the courage to respect religious freedom." Pontius Pilate was a symbol of all those who wield authority "as an instrument of power" and not as a vehicle for carrying out "true justice".

In his Eighth Station meditation – "Jesus is helped by Simon the Cyrenian to carry the cross"—Cardinal Zen praises "nonbelievers" who "generously alleviate" the suffering of Christians.

The 14 stations are drawn directly from the Gospel of Mark and do not include apocryphal events not in the Bible such as St Veronica wiping Jesus’ face.

Keep your eyes peeled for English translations of the Holy Father’s sermons for the Chrism Mass and the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

Wow.

Today is too high impact for me to work through a translation.

In the EWTN coverage there was a pretty sound simultaneous translation.

In the Chrism Mass he focused on the person of the priest, who is he.  Among othe things the Holy Father returns to what he wrote about in Sacramentum caritatis, the proper sense of ars celebrandi.

I can’t write about the content of the sermon for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, for it is still under embargo and it can’t be released until it is pronounced.  However, it will mainly focus on the meaning of Jesus’s washing the feet of the apostles.  Though it isn’t cited directly, I sense in the background Pope Benedict’s familiarity with St. Augustine’s commentary on the Gopel of John, probably the greatest comment on John evern made.  In any event, there is a strong patristic hermeneutic.

Also, the collection taken up at the Mass will go to support the Orphanage "La edad de Oro" in Havana, Cuba.

I watched through the EWTN coverage of the the Holy Father’s Chrism Mass and I have some observations.

It could be that the comments of Sandro Magister (and perhaps even on this humble blog) had a bit of an effect.  The camera wandered less, for example, and stuck to the main focus of the action far better.  Also, the English language feed from Vatican radio was less chatty.  As a matter of fact, for the most part they maintained silence, thanks be to God, even when the Holy Father was praying in Latin.