Let’s start out the work week with some of your good news.
And give us also a good point from the sermon you heard on Sunday!
Fr. Z’s Podcasts RSS Feed
About this blog…
“This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque ‘salon’ with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West “saloon” with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven.” – Fr. Z
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
YOUR RECENT COMMENTS
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “Dear Masked Chicken, thank you for pointing me to your post of 22 March, which which I largely agree. My…”
- on ROME 24/4– Day 28: bad news and good news: “Yes. Let all the poisons come out! After seeing it on TV many years ago and reading the two volumes,…”
- on ROME 24/4– Day 28: bad news and good news: “Perhaps world events are making some nervous international travelers. Personally, I would have loved to go to Poland on a…”
- on ROME 24/4– Day 28: bad news and good news: “The bit about Claudius thinking that a return to the republic was likely or even possible may take its inspiration…”
- on ROME 24/4– Day 28: bad news and good news: “Pray for Derek Jacobi! Such a talented actor, but sadly, an irregular life.”
- on 15 April 2019 – Notre-Dame de Paris: “I was wrong. It’s not a Cramnerian table. It’s a……. Ikea coffee table made to resemble a half Easter egg,…”
- on ROME 24/4– Day 28: bad news and good news: “The BBC “radio play” of I,Claudius is also rather good. https://share.libbyapp.com/title/505092”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “To MB: THE BEST TIME was a long time ago before Paul VI and Bergoglio and their hand-chosen sycophants decided…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “I don’t know where MB lives, but it’s objectively false to assert that the FSSP “now have a virtual monopoly…”
- on 15 April 2019 – Notre-Dame de Paris: “Looking at the pictures, one can be grateful that the artist at least didn’t use this as an opportunity to…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “@MB “When a man feels like he has something no one else can give, something essential, and no one to…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “There was a time when if you wanted to know the miracles of the Church, the great teachings, the stories…”
- on Faith practice declining far and wide…. except…: “Out of my wife and my siblings & spouses, half are not RC anymore but are probably still on the…”
ABORTION PILL RESCUE NETWORK
Everyone, work to get this into your parish bulletins and diocesan papers.
Federated Computer… your safe and private alternative to big biz corporations that hate us while taking our money and mining our data. Have an online presence large or small? Catholic DIOCESE? Cottage industry? See what Federated has to offer. Save money and gain peace of mind.
Polls
Loading ...Use FATHERZ10 at checkout for 10% off
Donate using VENMO
GREAT BEER from Traditional Benedictine Monks in Italy
CLICK and say your daily offerings!
A Daily Prayer for Priests
NEW OPPORTUNITY – 10% off with code: FATHERZ10
Fr. Z’s VOICEMAIL
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
WDTPRS
020 8133 4535
651-447-6265
This REALLY helps! And it’s great coffee (and tea)
I use this when I travel both in these USA and abroad. Very useful. Fast enough for Zoom. I connect my DMR (ham radio) through it. If you use my link, they give me more data. A GREAT back up.
This blog has to earn its keep!
PLEASE subscribe via PayPal if it is useful. Zelle and Wise are better, but PayPal is convenient.
A monthly subscription donation means I have steady income I can plan on. I put you my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I often say Holy Mass.
In view of the rapidly changing challenges I now face, I would like to add more $10/month subscribers. Will you please help?
For a one time donation...
To donate monthly I prefer Zelle because it doesn't extract fees. Use
frz AT wdtprs DOT comBe a “Zed-Head”!
PLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?
Loading ...This is really useful when travelling… and also when you aren’t and you need backup internet NOW! I use this for my DMR “Zednet” hotspot when I’m mobile. It’s a ham radio thing.
If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
WDTPRS POLL
Loading ...Fr. Z’s stuff is everywhere
Help support Fr. Z’s Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!
They find you a pro-life agent in your area who commits to giving a portion of the fee to a pro-life group!
GREAT causes to support
Help Monks in Wyoming (coffee – UPDATED LINK) and Norcia (beer) and the wonderful "Soap Sisters" of Summit, NJ!
Please follow me on Twitter!
Loading ...
If you haven’t blogged it yet, here’s some good news:
http://www.stlukesparish-bladensburg.org/news.html
Mother-in-Law and Father-in-Law coming back home after her receiving treatment in Mexico for cancer.
Sermon from the local Archbishop (at the college’s “last chance” Mass):
He used his new “progressive lenses” as a entry into a discussion about the way God and the Church views the world, and by extension we are called to view it as well. In the Gospel, the world sees this as unfair, whereas God sees this as a free gift to those who ask: no matter when. Other examples included the world viewing time and money as all about me me me, whereas we are called to serve; and my heart leap at this one. The world judges worth of a person based on an external value for other people, wheras God views an intrinsic value in all people from the very beginning (alas he did not say conception) until natural death.
Very good message for all those fresh faced University kids that I was almost 7 years ago as well.
New baby has arrived. Margaret Lucille and her mom are doing great and the rest of the kids are busy loving her to pieces.
Too much good stuff in Father’s homily to excerpt in a com-box. Go to SS Peter & Paul in Grand Rapids, Mich if you want to meet a priest who really loves our Lord.
I couldn’t make it to Mass this morning, so no sermon recollections from me this week.
The good news: I’m quitting smoking, beginning tomorrow (the date is significant to me), and I’m determined to make this attempt (I’ve made a few halfhearted ones) work. No more excuses for myself. Doing laundry now so I have clothes that don’t smell like cigarettes.
And my chronic insomnia seems to have improved a little bit recently without the use of any sleeping-aids.
And it’s rainy and cool – but not too cold – here. I love this kind of weather.
(EF, Dom rite): Epistle on the Two Masters, how one cannot serve both, and what that means in our daily lives. Wholehearted submission to the will of God. Gospel “Consider the lilies of the field:” Observation of St Rose of Lima on how she understood how she perceived in a vision how troubles come upon people. They may seem random to the recipient but there is a pattern and God does not allow us to be burdened more than we can bear and what virtue there is in acceptance with good grace and offering up suffering etc.
Lastly, virtues of penance and reminder of the September Ember days this week (Wed, Fri, Sat), their tradition in the Church and not to neglect them.
Good news: I graduated from college in May and have been looking for a job with no luck whatsoever… but I just got an interview for a rather good job where the word is that there are only a few people on the interviewee list, and I got someone to help me re-do my atrocious resume and the new one is looking pretty good. So, while I don’t have a job yet, I’m back to feeling hopeful about it and being motivated to actually apply for them.
And for the homily: The Priest gave what was mostly a generic homily on God’s generosity and how we should be generous too. At first I was a little disappointed… but then at the end he made a strong effort to drill home the importance of God’s Grace in helping us to live the way God has called us to live, and then tied it back pretty well to God’s generosity in the reading, and ultimately to the Kingdom of God.
Given that I was at the “youth” Mass that I usually avoid, and given that the Priest was in from another parish to fill in, looked exhausted (I imagine he’s had a busy schedule lately), and was obviously a little under the weather, I was thankful that he gave a homily that was God centered and dealt with the Gospel reading.
We had a supply priest of a “certain age”, as our pastor was on vacation. The homily was roughly 30 minutes and as best I can remember, touched on:
>Evils of capitalism
>The struggle for social justice
>”Who here doesn’t really believe everything the Church teaches? Raise your hand with me.”
>How bad things were before Vatican II
My good news is that I don’t think this individual will be back next week.
At the parish I attended, the homily was given by the permanent deacon. He emphasized that the parable of the workers in the vineyard was NOT about social justice or fair wages, but about the generosity of God and how, as long as you live, it is never too late to turn to him. But he also talked about how often people put off turning to him — put off praying, learning more about their faith going to Mass, or going to confession — and how you never, ever know which opportunity will be your last. He actually got choked up talking about that.
I should have good news to report tonight, but I’ll wait until then to confirm it.
Great sermon from a visiting priest on “The First Shall be Last” Gospel. He spoke of the Greek and Latin translations, harking back to the Douai-Rheims version, which was a treat for those who were paying attention. Most people are now saying the responses of the “New Mass” correctly. The CTS is publishing beautiful missals, although the entire Daily one will not be out until January. The good news is that I have only heard positive comments on the New Mass.
The third sentence should read “learning more about their faith, going to Mass, or going to confession….”
14th Sunday Post Pentecost
Serving God vs Mammon.
We should not seek money for its own end and hence not preoccupy ourselves to obtain it at the expense of our lives and family.
Nor should we shun rightful labor for pay and sit on our backsides passively expecting the Lord to provide without us making any effort to provide for ourselves and our family.
We are not living this life for the purpose of acquiring wealth for its own sake.
My wife and I went to a Latin Novus Ordo Mass an hour away from us at 7:30 am.
The priest during his sermon was describing a situation where he met a “New Testament Protestant” who when he asked Fr if he is in a “New Testament Church and do you acknowledge Jesus Christ saving Blood:, Fr responded [and he empasized this by pounding the lectern and raising his voice to a roar] we are The only Church and we DRINK JESUS CHRIST BLOOD! [You might hear a similar sermon during the Divine Liturgy in an Orthodox church.]
It was awesome!
Deacon spoke about the parable being not about fair wages, but God’s grace. And that it was there just as much for the people who come to him at the end of their life as it is for those who have believed all their life.
And good news: I no longer have to enthusiastically bug the priest about when RCIA will begin! He announced Sunday that we will begin this week. I have been looking forward to it all summer.
WOOHOO!
I’m only a LITTLE excited… :D
Our PP made a connection between the Feast of Ss. Cornelius & Cyprian and the Gospel reading which was magnificent. I wish priests (and deacons) would include more about Sacred Tradition, the saints, the church calendar etc…in their homilies, instead of ‘being glued’ to the Gospel alone.
“Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?”
See, Jesus was not a Democrat!!!!
Sermon wasn’t anything spectacular to me, as the priest was using the sermon about the Workers and the Vineyard to try and drum up support for his ministry fair. However, after at that same parish, I attended my first Latin Mass practice for a Solemn Mass for the feast of Christ the King on Oct 30th.
Went to Mass at St. Joseph the Worker Shrine in Lowell, MA. Run by the OMI whom, I was told, was very liberal. These guys are not. Anyway, I was annoyed that the Gloria was omitted (that seems to be happening frequently) and the sermon, although good, was all about, love , love, love, and you guessed it, love. Now I’m not opposed to the Love of God and his mercy but it was so unbalanced. There was nothing of his Justice and that of what we need to do to reach our goal. No, it was about how much God loved/s us (very true) and how we are underserving of that Love (true) but no mention of repentance, living out the sacraments, you get the picture. Anyway, that is my two cents.
When I woke up this morning I was feeling optimistic and hopeful about the future. Now reality has kicked in and I’m so tired I can barely function. I think I need to cut out those things in life that are weighing me down.
Good news is it’s my birthday and my supervisors gave me the day off. Not because it’s my birthday, but because neither of them will be in to supervise me today.
We got the sermon on modesty again *groan* and dressing appropriately for Mass or whenever you’re going to see the priest. It’s not that I dislike sermons on modesty; I just don’t like them at Masses when pretty much everyone is dressed exceptionally modest already, and I was already feeling insecure about whether or not I’m dressed modestly enough. I take great pains to modify to the best of my abilities what I wear to make sure nothing can be seen, but it never seems to be good enough. Aside from lack of funds, the biggest reason why I own so few clothes is because it’s so difficult to find anything even remotely modest, especially in the skirt department. I’m just going to start wearing my pant suit to Mass.
Going to see Die Zauberflöte!! (The Magic Flute)
Also, our 10-person polyphony choir is rehearsing for the Feast of All Souls – we’re singing Vittoria’s 6-part Requiem – rehearsals are going great.
Point from the homily – even the most mundane tasks (taking out the garbage, washing dishes) are for our salvation and when we do these tasks cheerfully we’re doing exactly what God wants us to be doing at this moment of our lives.
1. my mother has gone to Mass TWICE in the past TWO weeks! hallelujah!
2. i’m giving my first prolife talk this coming wednesday [please pray for me] and i got to have a lot of awesome reflection time about how much my faith has changed in the past 3 years [aka, from nonexistent to being willing to talk about the transformative power of the Gospel of life.
3. i’m taking a class through the Augustine Institute. actually reading and learning about the Old Testament and the patriarchs has made me fall even more in love with Mary
A bit about Our Lord’s glorious mercy for the late comers to the vineyard, and a blessing of the religious ed teachers. Sadly there are no males this year. Some of these children don’t have fathers in their life. They could use a male teacher/spiritual role model.
Returned from a short, but comforting visit with my Mom. Missed the turnoff, adding 50 miles to the drive home in the rain, so had extra time with my Guardian Angel. Thank you for keeping me company.
Along the lines of trying to appreciate the little things. My wife held my hand for most of Mass yesterday. She usually does not want to do this. I really enjoy worshiping with her when we are close like that. Wives, please know that you have a tremendous power to effect your husbands, both for the positive and the negative in very small actions.
“You might hear a similar sermon during the Divine Liturgy in an Orthodox church.]:
True Father, but it was still good to hear this!
Choir has started again. I wasn’t feeling well on Wednesday, but I made it up the hill Sunday!
We had a missions priest who serves in Jamaica, who did a good short homily on the readings, and then a lot of stuff about how poor are the people in Jamaica he serves, and how even in bad economic times we’re comparatively well off here in the US. I think he touched a lot of hearts (and checkbooks).
I am planning on going to a ‘traditional pilgrimage’ this coming Sunday at a well-known shrine here in Upstate NY, and I’ll be bringing my replica of St. Joan of Arc’s battle standard. Hoping and praying for good weather that day!
Sermon at our TLM chapel was about Our Lady of Sorrows, whose feast was last Thursday. The young priest urged us to pray the daily Rosary and contemplate Our Lady’s Sorrows on the First Saturday of each month. It was one of his best sermons!
Good news: I started translating one of the works of John Chrysostom in my Greek Patrology course, and I discovered that my Greek grammar skills haven’t completely disappeared over the summer months.
Sermon: I honestly don’t remember what it was about. At Boston College, the later the Mass is, the crazier it gets. Because I had been doing homework all day, I couldn’t get to Mass until 10:15pm – the last Mass of the day on campus. Despite having a full size church and several chapels on campus, some of which are really quite beautiful, this Mass is held in a function hall located above the largest student dining facility. The priest, dressed only in alb and stole, spent most of the Mass prancing around the room needlessly rather than staying up the front. When U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” was played, I just about lost my mind. I find it to be a problematic song theologically – haven’t all Catholics found exactly what they are truly looking for, i.e. the promise of salvation through the sacrifice of Christ, our Lord and Redeemer? Anyways, I guess the good thing was that attendance was quite high; I would say roughly a few hundred students. The sad thing, however, is that each of them will come to think that kind of worship is okay and acceptable.
Just spent three days taking care of our 14-month old granddaughter while her mother attended a conference entitled “The Intellectual Task of the New Evangelization” with such speakers as Archbishops DiNardo and DiNoia and the opportunity to network with theology professors from around the country, so she was entranced as were we. Then four of our children, their spouses, and six of the grandchildren joined us for an afternoon at the county fair for lots of good food, horticultural wonders, magnificent farm animals and great sibling bonding. Witnessing the last is a parent’s greatest joy! I’ll share a nugget from a Sunday sermon when I hear one: the daily Mass homilies are so much better, to the point where we’re thinking of shopping for another parish for our Sunday Mass.
I just got a call that I am the proud new owner of a 19″ monitor and it will be here in a few weeks. Right now I’ve been writing all my papers and doing all my online classes on my itty-bitty netbook, which makes reading and typing large amounts of texts very tiring and headache-causing. This also means it takes me much longer to complete assignments because I have to take so many breaks.
Good sermon yesterday. Father said that feminine modesty was an altruistic act. It recognizes that we are our brothers’ keepers. Modest women are people, to be talked to, respected and cherished.
Good news: I secured a new client today.
Yesterday’s sermon: Father quoted from Lord of the Rings in reference to spiritual warfare being upon us whether we admit it or not. How cool’s that?
I have no memorable point to speak of from father’s homily yesterday – the mass we went to was a special blessing mass for CCD teachers and the teachers from our parochial elementary school, so my wife and I had to stand in the narthex, as the teachers took a good portion of the pews which were reserved for them to process in and sit in. As we were in the back I was having difficulty hearing father’s sermon.
Good news: I was blessed to be able to attend the baptism of a good friend’s baby son in the afternoon. My wife is a convert, so it was her first experience at a Catholic baptism for babies, and the first baptism she has seen besides those done during the Easter Vigil as her own. The sacrament was celebrated by a Permanent Deacon who was welcoming to family members and friends who were not Catholic, but thankfully very good about explaining what our faith is and the significance of baptism.
The homily we heard connected the parable of the workers in the vineyard going out at different hours at the request of the king, with the parables of the talents as well as the unforgiving official. I had never thought them through together before.
I also considered “the first will be last” in a new light hearing this sermon, by a priest celebrating the anniversary of one year after ordination, in that the workers who deride their own wages after seeing the later ones being paid, in a sense actually risk winding up with less than the agreed upon amount that they were paid, not because of the number, and not because of the king either.
Good news: My wife and I will celebrate the 31st anniversary of our wedding on Tuesday.
Yesterday’s sermon: The pastor was (pleasantly) surprised by the number of people (at noon Mass, apparently the proportion was smaller at the three ealier masses) who thought the master of the vineyard acted fairly. And much of the balance of his sermon prompted me to realize that God has remade me, at least perceptibly, if nowhere near completely, in my life to this point, which is not something of which I am often consciously aware.
Hi all.
Just confirming the news that the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite (organised by Summorum Pontificum Wangaratta. This is a lay led initiative and has gradually built up significant support.) is now located at St. Patrick’s Parish Church in Wangaratta.
the first Mass in our new location will be this Sunday, 25th September at 5pm.
It would be great to have as many people as possible attend this Mass for this historic occasion. Spread the word!
http://www.facebook.com/SPWangaratta
Good news: a dear friend who has been unemployed/underemployed for nearly 4 years has a job offer and will begin next month. Also, the adult catechism class at my parish begins tonight!
Yesterday’s sermon was from the EF gospel, serving God vs serving Mammon, and dealt with the necessity of accepting life the way it is, and not as we wish it to be, in order to have true contentment. When we constantly complain about our circumstances or the world around us, we are serving our own will (Mammon) instead of God’s will. Father concluded with an example from his time as a teacher of teenagers. Given, for example, the Church’s teaching on behavior while dating, the students would present different scenarios, in essence asking how much they could get away with. These types of questions indicate a desire to please God just enough to avoid punishment, while still truly serving one’s own will.
A good point from Sunday’s sermon: the first workers are no more deserving of their wages than the last–God’s salvation is a free gift to all. In fact, those who come late to Christ may feel that most of their lives have been wasted. Father told a story of a woman who converted during her last illness, and then fervently wished that she could have just one more year to help children.
Good News: It rained in North Texas on Friday and on Sunday!
My recollection from yesterday’s sermon references the Gospel where the owner of the vineyard hires workers throughout the day, including the final hour of the day. To the unhappy surprise of all the workers who had been hired at the beginning of the day everyone was paid the same amount – including those who only put in a short time that day in the vineyard.
Sunday’s sermon dealt with that very topic illustrated by that parable – wanting what we felt we deserve. Father said in his sermon that if we honestly got what truly deserved the result would more than likely be something that would not make us happy. The Lord however is loving and merciful and because He is, we, despite our selfishness and human failings, living in a fallen world as we do, will be given more when we honestly deserve far far less – if anything. That which we will be given, should we die in the friendship of the Lord, will be our heavenly reward – whether we worked hard all our lives as the full day workers or express sorrow at the very end similar to the short work done by those that put in only one hour. Just as the owner of the vineyard was just and generous to everyone who worked that day, so too the Lord is just and equitable to those who love Him regardless of how we may view things.
My diocese (Toronto) requested – so said the priest – that we start using the new translation of “et cum spiritu tuo” immediately in order to get used to it in time for the new Missal implementation at Advent.
The good news is that nobody convulsed, collapsed, or died during the use of “and with your spirit”.
Good Mass on Sunday – a little bit of everything.
Nice homily. Father went into his thought and prayer process a bit, explaining that sometimes (like this week) he sits and looks at the upcoming text and says “Lord, I don’t know where to go with this one” God did provide, though – somebody from the parish prayer group mentioned how last Sunday’s homily affected them, that led to him thinking of another passage, and tying it all together.
Also spoke of mercy and grace – in the sense of one being God sparing us what we deserve and the other being God giving us what we need.
Wonderful remarks after Mass from another priest, a foreign priest who was in USA to study and was in residence at the parish, his studies are done and his bishop is calling him home to erect a new parish. Struck all the right notes.
APX,
My fellow Young Canadian RC Female (you can claim the title if you want for a blog or a moniker or something,) Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoyed your day. Deo Gratias per natalis tuum! (Thanks be to God for your birthday! Latin exprets do correct me if needed).
Hey that’s awesome your parish preached on modesty!!! I wish I’d get it in my home parish, but of course our priest/pastor is a social guy and less concerned about such matters it seems. As for your skirt issue I’d only be concerned if you were going to a strict SSPX parish (I think you go to TLM as you’ve mentioned in prior post) about the pantsuit. Otherwize if you are a little cash strapped, that is entirely understandable. Hey have you tried Smart Set or Marshall’s (if there’s one in your province and area yet?) . Finally I give you many props for being modest and respecting the Sacred House of the Lord where his unbloddy Re-presentation upon Calvary in the Mass is given to you. You got my support. YCRCM.
We must be mindful of keeping perspective, especially when we want what doesn’t gel with our Baptismal promise we have given to our Lord. Our Priest mentioned thoughts of a 1st class trip around the world and how that did not fit with his vows, which fill his soul far more than dwelling on the other idea. We are happy in doing good and are thankful for the many ways He teaches us through His Word to increase our faith.
Joined a bible study of the Catholic epistles, one per session, which joins sections of the Catechism and Dei Verbum with that letter. We looked at 1 Peter where the follower becomes a leader in the Church’s miraculous growth. (Missed the first on Jude but he has it on his These are the Words blog); then 4 more sessions on John and James. I was surprised Peter, Paul, James and Jude wrote before the Gospels.
The Dioscese of Manchester (New Hampshire) got a new Bishop!!!
Bishop Peter Libasci replaces Bishop John McCormack!
http://www.catholicnh.org/
Sunday sermon: Father talked about how the parable is not about what is fair, what is just, but what is generous – and that generosity is the hallmark of Jesus’s sacrifice because what any of us receives from Him is not what is just. Good message, I thought.
And, my 3rd daughter was born last Monday, 1 week ago today….Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary. We named her Lucy Marie…we’ve always liked the name Lucy and of course we know all about St. Lucia. And, the Marie is in honor of Our Lady’s name day. As a footnote, Lucy was inadvertently born at home. With all 3 of our children (all girls) we have intentionally waited for labor to intensify in the hope of avoiding medical interference and intervention with labor and delivery that is progressing normally, before going to the hospital (understand that we do not object to medical intervention when it’s needed, and our previous births were very uncomplicated.) Anyway, little Lucy Marie decided to make her appearance in the middle of our bedroom rather than waiting till we could get to the hospital. So we went by ambulance after she arrived. All is well. She will be baptised in just under 2 weeks.
(fellow readers who are interested in the story of her birth, see my wife’s blog.
Good news is that my sister-in-law, after having a miscarriage a few months ago, is 8 weeks pregnant. Pray for her and the baby!
During a typically inspired Sunday homily, Father encouraged us to reach out to those whom we’ve said we’d “never (call, write, talk to, bother with) again”, people around whom we’ve built walls or against whom we’ve put up shields. Especially those in our family. That really got me thinking about some of the people who get on my nerves and whom I have kind of shut out. It also got me thinking about my relationships with those in my family and extended family, my in-laws, etc. I am going to make more of an effort to reach out and be kind. Even if it is not reciprocated.
Our pastor gave a typically good sermon. Good meaning things that you can think about and ponder over during the rest of the week. I think yesterday’s main point was that you can receive the fullness of God’s love even if you come to Him late in life.
Just before the announcements at the end of Mass, he told us to look at and notice the cards in the pews with the new translation. Then he said that a number of priests had met with our new Bishop (Cupich) and had seen a problem with the congregations and the new translations starting in Advent.
“Oh, NO,” says I. It’s not going to be too tough, I hope.
Actually, he told us, the priests of Spokane diocese apparently felt we (the cong.) couldn’t pick up the few changes quickly enough come Nov. 27, so they had received approval to start early. He’ll be saying the new (corrected) translations of the prayers of the priest when the new Missal arrives, so we can get used to them. We’d be apparently starting up with the responses a bit early as well.
He told us that as this was County Fair weekend, he’d do a food analogy. (He’s greatly into food and is a wonderful cook. I’d sure like him to meet Fr. Z for a number of reasons, including food) Changes in the words/prayers of the church are like berry pies, he said. You take them out of the oven and let them sit a bit before you cut them and serve them. The same way with the new translations. Listen to them and wait before you complain (he didn’t say complain, but that’s what he meant). An interesting analogy for the 10 or 11 people who probably have already complained out of our 100 family congregation.
The main reason the changes were made, he said, was to bring us English-speakers into “agreement” with the rest of the universal Church. Our translation doesn’t match the Spanish or French or German or other languages, he said, and this is part of the plan to have everyone say the same prayers. An interesting way to look at it, I think. While Latin for all would be wonderful, this IS a step forward. And turning on my snarki mode, what does it mean if we are bringing English into “communion” with the rest of the languages? That the English has been WRONG for lo, these last 40 years?
Good news : I went to confession after Mass this morning. Last night after a discussion about neighborly charity( and my lack thereof ) I realized that it isn’t only me who is sent to my hubby to help him get to heaven BUT he definitely helps me along my way ( although at the time I didn’t realize I needed the help ! … he reminded me with a WWJD comment ! ).
Yesterday’s homily by one of our deacons was very appropriate; it is never too late to love/be loved by the Lord. His generosity is boundless. And today’s was about ” … this little light of mine … I’m gonna let it shine ” ! If we don’t recognize the light we miss Him.
pax et bonum
Already posted on the Sunday homily so now to Part II, the good news.
I had successful surgery earlier today (Monday) to remove gallbladder with no complications. I’m already home since it was an outpatient and minimally invasive procedure (laparoscopy or “keyhole”). Pain in upper abdomen where incisions were made is the main side effect; haven’t had any of the other usual side effects like nausea or shoulder pain, at least not yet. Pain meds help a lot, of course, but I’d say I have just enough pain to offer up for a good intention without it being too overwhelming :-)
I went to a Spanish Mass yesterday, and since I do not understand much Spanish, I did not understand the sermon. Whenever that situation happens, once I get home from Mass I usually spend the afternoon reading about the Scriptures for the day in the Haydock Commentary and Catena Aurea, and then read the lives of the saints for that day.
Yesterday I read about St. Zacharias, father of St. John the Baptist, since it was his feast day on the Old Calendar in the Byzantine Rite. I didn’t know before that he was a martyr, and that his martyrdom was connected with the killing of the Holy Innocents. It seems that Herod heard about the unusual circumstances surrounding St. John the Baptist’s birth, and suspected him specifically of being the King the Magi were looking for. St. Elizabeth his mother took the infant St. John and fled to the mountains to hide. When Herod could not find John, he began to slaughter all the Innocents of Bethlehem. St. Zacharias was found in the temple, but he refused to tell Herod where St. John was. Herod killed St. Zacharias between the temple and the altar. His blood was spilt on the floor and became hardened like rock as a testimony against Herod.
Went to a first birthday party! (Fr. Z, it’s Val’s daughter.)
Father gave a wonderful sermon (we never get “homilies”, which is a good thing). It was the feast day of St. Joseph of Cupertino, The Reluctant Saint. What a wonderful story of his life, and he is the Patron of pilots. Father gave us a nice long story about him.
I would like to add that a phrase I happened upon while reading last evening amplified the beautiful sermon I heard on Sunday: “crescit cum legentibus” (St. Gregory the Great).
Ha! So that’s what St. Gregory said in Latin! Now I can find out (and, just now, have found out) where he wrote it. Thanks, Benedetta!
To paraphrase: “Mass is not a social gathering where we get to see and talk to friends. Mass is first and foremost about the worship of God.”
Hopefully this is the first stage in catechesis in getting rid of our 8 minute sign of peace/social hour.
Good news: at 27 weeks pregnant, baby #4 is doing great. My doctor listened to his/her heartbeat and said, “That sounds like a happy baby.” :)
Sermon tidbit: I’m not sure if this is an exact quote, but along the lines of: “God doesn’t love cradle Catholics more than converts. He doesn’t love converts more than non-Catholics. He doesn’t love non-Catholics more than non-Christians. He loves us all equally and rejoices whenever anyone comes to know Him, whether it is early or late in their life” while talking about the meaning of the gospel.
He also made the point that just because someone is not Catholic does not mean they aren’t a good Christian, and that’s a dangerous trap that some Catholics fall into – but he also emphasized how Catholicism contains the fullness of truth and was careful to emphasize that he wasn’t saying that Protestantism was equal with Catholicism in terms of doctrine, only that we shouldn’t judge the state of a person’s soul solely based on their religious affiliation.