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

I am scratching my head a little about the "Word of God" Synod which just opened.  I think we are willing to stipulate that Scripture is good, fundamental, etc.  So… we are in favor of Scripture.

But the Synod connects Scripture with Mission.

As the Synod unfolds, maybe we will find out what they have on their minds.

In the meantime, here is a story about the Holy Father at the opening Mass of the Synod.

Pontiff: Synod to Tell World That God Is Not Dead

Says Church’s 1st Task Is to Be Nourished by Scripture

ROME, OCT. 5, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI opened the world Synod of Bishops on the Word of God expressing the hope that it give birth to a new missionary dynamism in the regions of the world where it seems that “God is dead.”

Today the Pope presided over the inaugural Mass of the synod, which will end Oct. 26, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The synod’s theme is “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.”

“Nations that at one time were rich with vocations are now losing their identity, under the deleterious and destructive influence of a certain modern culture,” the Holy Father noted in his homily.   [A sad fact.  It is good to hear a POPE say it.]

“There are those who, having decided that ‘God is dead,’ declare themselves ‘god,’ taking themselves to be the singular artificers of their destiny, the absolute lord of the world," he continued.   "Clearing God away and not awaiting salvation from him, man believes he can do as he pleases and poses himself as the sole measure of himself and his action.  [The Holy Father has been focusing on this during his Pontificate.]

“But when man eliminates God from his horizon, when he declares that God is ‘dead,’ is he truly more happy? Does he truly become free?

“When men proclaim themselves absolute owners of themselves and lords of creation, can they really build a society where freedom, justice and peace reign?” 

Division and confusion

Benedict XVI answered the question in the negative, explaining that “the daily news amply shows” that with this vision “the will to power, egoistic interests, injustice and exploitation, violence in all its forms” spread. “The end of all this is that man finds himself alone and society more divided and confused."

The Pope said that with this synod the Church wants to show the world “that evil and death do not have the last word, but Christ is the victor in the end. Always!”

“The Church never tires of proclaiming these glad tidings, as she does today in this basilica dedicated to the Apostle of the Gentiles, the one who first spread the Gospel in vast regions of Asia Minor and Europe,” he said.

To accomplish this mission, the Pontiff added, the Church’s “primary and fundamental” mission is to nourish herself on the Word of God. “In fact, if the proclamation of the Gospel constitutes her reason for being and her mission, it is indispensable that the Church know and live that which she proclaims so that her preaching is credible, despite the weaknesses and poverty of the human beings who constitute her.”

Citing St. Jerome, he added: “Whoever does not know the Scriptures does not know the power of God nor his wisdom. Ignoring the Scriptures means ignoring Christ.”

The synod’s work will begin on Monday with a meditation offered by Benedict XVI.

I was at a wonderful feast day celebration at the Church of St. Augustine in South Saint Paul, MN, with Holy Mass celebrated in the Extraordinary Form.  Present was H.E. Most Rev. John Nienstedt, Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis.  Here are a few images.





The church was jammed and the choir sang well.









There was a nice reception for the Archbishop and whole parish afterward.

A good choir of young ladies sand songs for the people and clergy. 

There were lots of kids… as is usual at parishes where the TLM is embraced, and most of them seems happy, well-adjusted, and cute.

I have some fun stories about trying to some modern technology working in the offices of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei".  That’s where the phrase:  "In the Vatican equipment is updated every 75 years, whether it needs to be or not", arose.  And the great battle cry was ever to be heard: "Yesterday’s technology tomorrow!".

This is where carbon paper was still being used in the Vatican Bank into the early 90’s.

I am now, therefore, quadrupally pleased to let you know that the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" has…

.... I don’t know if I can get this out….

... oh the emotion…

...a…

...a…

WEBSITE!

http://www.ecclesiadei-pontcommissio.org/

I am not surprised, in some ways. 

The Cardinal President when he was still Prefect at Clergy had that Congregation build a website quite apart from those visionaries of the Vatican’s internet offices or the forward-thinkers of the Secretariat of State, etc.  I believe

Card. Castrillon is one of those curial prelates who "gets it".

I had posted a couple weeks back, while in Rome for the conference on Summorum Pontificum, that Card. Castrillon was to celebrate Holy Mass  in honor of Servant of God Pius XII with the older, traditional Rite in the Borghese Chapel of Santa Maria Maggiore.

There is an update now.  I had heard about this but didn’t want to disturb the renegotiations.  The major issue, I had heard, what the Pope Benedict was going to celebrate in honor of Pius XII and they didn’t want to take anything away from what the Holy Father had planned for his predecessor.

SODALITIVM INTERNATIONALE
PASTOR ANGELICVS
Comitatus pro commemoratione quinquagesimale (1958-2008)

SIPA 002/08

From SIPA: http://sipastorangelicvs.blogspot.com/

1. As was previously announced, His Eminence and Most Reverend Lord Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei was scheduled to celebrate Pontifical Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite in memory of the Servant of God Pius XII on Wednesday, the 8th of October, at 11 o’clock in the Pauline (Borghese) Chapel of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

2. For relevant reasons of suitability this Mass has been rescheduled. In this way, the whole attention will be concentrated in the great and solemn Mass that the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, will celebrate next Thursday, the 9th of October, at 11.30 am, in St Peter’s Basilica in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of his beloved predecessor.

3. Opportunely, the new exact date and time will be announced for the rescheduled Pontifical Mass that, in any case, shall take place by the first fortnight of March 2009, on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the Servant of God Pius XII’s election and coronation. This will be a worthy culmination to this Pacellian Year.

4. We wish to express our deepest gratitude to His Eminence the Most Reverend Lord Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos for his availability, his understanding and the good will showed at all times towards the SODALITIVM INTERNATIONALE PASTOR ANGELICVS. We thank as well all those who made available their good offices in favor of our initiatives.

† Barcelona, 4th October 2008.
Pacellian Year


Rodolfo Vargas Rubio
SIPA Praeses

Do any of you know where I can get one of these?

Last night, as I arrived in the Twin Cities, I had an interesting discussion with the great Fr. GW, one of the most asute political observers I have ever known. 

Our discussion turned to the Presidential campaign.

Amidst the sundry observations forwarded, it occured to us that the Catholic vote might make a great difference this year, but we hadn’t seen much about that yet in the MSM.

This morning I am in receipt of this from the "Hell’s Bible", as one bishop I know calls it, the NYT.  My emphases and comments.

NYT: Election divides Catholic Church
Liberals, conservatives skirmish over church’s teachings on war, racism
By David D. Kirkpatrick

The New York Times
updated 6:33 p.m. CT, Sat., Oct. 4, 2008

As the Roman Catholic Church observes its annual “respect life” Sunday in this heated presidential election season, the unusually pitched competition for Catholic voters is setting off a round of skirmishes over how to apply the church’s teachings not only on abortion but also on the war in Iraq, immigration and racism.

In a departure from previous elections, Democrats and liberal Catholic groups are waging a fight within the church, arguing that the Democratic Party better reflects the full spectrum of church teachings. ["reflects better the full spectrum"... get that?  That is the old "seamless garment" approach.  What this seeks to do is diminish the foundational issues of human life.]

It is a contest for credibility among observant Catholics, with each faction describing itself as a defender of “life.” The two sides disagree over how to address the “intrinsic evil” of abortion.   [If it is an "intrinsic" evil then it should be clear that it must be addressed in a manner quite different from the treatment of evils that are evil due to circumstances.]

The escalating efforts by more-liberal Catholics are provoking a vigorous backlash from some bishops and the right.  [I deny this premise.  This is not a "right" or "left" thing, this is not a matter of those who are interested "social justice" issues.  This is a matter of human life.  So, I deny the premise.]

In Scranton, Pa., every Catholic attending Mass this weekend will hear a special homily about the election next month: Bishop Joseph Martino has ordered every priest in the diocese to read a letter warning that voting for a supporter of abortion rights amounts to endorsing “homicide.”  [Perhaps "infanticide" might be better, but okay.]

“Being ‘right’ on taxes, education, health care, immigration and the economy fails to make up for the error of disregarding the value of a human life,” the bishop wrote. “It is a tragic irony that ‘pro-choice’ candidates have come to support homicide — the gravest injustice a society can tolerate — in the name of ‘social justice.’ ”

In response, a coalition of liberal lay Catholics is pushing back, criticizing the bishop’s message for neglecting other aspects of “life” talked about in Catholic social teachings, like concern for the poor.  [I deny the premise again.  Defense of life will create a better foundation for all the other social issues.]

To underscore the poi