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“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
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Father Nichols at Saint Benedict’s in Chesapeake exhorted us to pray for the soul of Fr. Walker and gave a sermon on the importance of fatherhood since today is Father’s Day.
Vicar General at TLM spoke about the samesex “marriage” debacle and (from what I could gather at that time of morning) how we must remain on God’s side, as if there is a line on the ground, and must also still love those on the other side of the line. And then he said something about how we will be called to sacrifice and must be able to deal with loss, and while my mind wandered a little and I didn’t catch how he connected that with samesex “marriage,” I can easily imagine that in fact we are going to experience various kinds of loss over this. After Mass it turned out the pastor had some bad news for us so it is possible his words may also have been alluding to that.
At Novus Ordo Mass the pastor spoke about the Trinity, a community of love. Muslims, because they don’t see God as a Trinity, a community of love, see him “in splendid isolation” totally apart, and as the one who must be obeyed. We believe in obedience too, but an obedience that is all love with God who comes close to us in the person of the Son, who shares His spirit.
Happy Father’s Day to Fr Z and all priests.
NO: The congregation is not the core of the Mass, nor is the priest although he may seem to be the focus of attention. The core of the Mass is what is being done by the Holy Trinity upon the altar.
We had a kind letter from the Bishop of Dallas- Fr. Terra was pastor of our EF community for five years, until 2009.
Fathers, while unable to be perfect, must be a decent icon of the fatherhood of God. He must answer the fundamental insecurities of both sons and daughters, teaching sons what it means to be a real man and daughters that they are beautiful and worthwhile. If he doesn’t answer those questions, then the culture will, to everyone’s detriment.
It is a custom in our place that the Priest preaching prefaces his sermon with a verse from the readings, followed by the signum crucis; today, Father was able to begin “‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’; words, brethren, from St. Matthew’s Gospel. In the name of…”
Love is never a singular object or abstract idea. It is always unitive and procreative. This love is shown to us through the example of the Blessed Trinity.
It was a wonderful Trinity Sunday homily. The priest did not treat the Trinity as some sort of math problem that we had to solve. He went right to the point of it – God is love. God is in relationship within the Trinity and we are in relationship with Him and each other. Sin is a breaking of relationships.
I made sure to thank the priest for doing such a good job.
We know the nature of God because it has been revealed to us. We can be confident of the truth.
“The Holy Trinity is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be entered into.”
Our parochial vicar explained that the inner life of God in the Trinity reveals to us what Love really is: none of the Persons keep anything for themselves. All that the Father has belongs to the Son, and vice versa, and the Holy Spirit is the “fruit” of that love.
And then that love is poured out on us, God has given himself completely: “God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son.” The Father and the Son do not even withhold their Spirit from us. God does nothing for his own “benefit” – this is real love.
The homily was great is relating the life of the Trinity – which can seem so remote – to our lives, in that it “sets the standard” for what love is – self-giving – and can steer us away from all the counterfeits that are so prevalent in our culture.
The Deacon read the gospel, then it was Deacon’s day for the homily so he talked about love; how God so loved us that he sent his only son, emphasising that while we attribute certain things to each Father, Son and Holy Spirit, they aren’t three separate entities but one. He continued, letting us know that love is supposed to come in threes; a man and woman love one another and have a child, the perfect expression of their love.
Our assistant pastor ripped into the topic of absentee fathers. He’s a man not to mince words, going to Confession when he’s “in the box” is an adventure too; bring your rosary, you’ll probably need it for penance. One full set of Mysteries is his norm, leavened with a good butt chewing.
The rector at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, Fr. Darin Connall, spoke to the meaning of the Holy Trinity. He started out saying that many of his brother priests find it difficult to preach about the Trinity, himself included. After years of theology, reflection, prayer, he allowed that he sees the Trinity as a “community” bound by Love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we believers are also part of that “community”. Sin rips apart the fabric binding this community together. He believes that a book of prayers written by children to God has helped him form a truer perception of the Trinity and how God loves us and how much God loves us, as our closest Friend, and if we try to imagine God in that way like children do, we will be closer to understanding the mystery of the Trinity.
At the end of Mass he asked that all fathers present stand, (including Fr. Semple), so he, Fr. Semple, the deacon and some of the altar servers could distribute custom-made prayer cards, to St. Joseph, to all the fathers.
Peace and God bless to all the fathers and Fr.’s!
I attend a NO mass where the priest is normally a bit wishy-washy and talking about what we can learn from Islam or eastern religions or new theologians or whatever. He pulled it out of the bag this week and gave a sermon about putting God first in our lives, the unpredictability of death, and the need for us to engage with spiritual matters now and not to put it off until we are old. This was largely inspired by the low numbers (due to Fathers Day?) at mass and large number of funerals this week, rather than Trinity Sunday.
He then opened it up to questions – the first question was “Father, where is the Trinity mentioned in the Bible?” and he gave a fair answer about pre-figuring, allegory and the importance of Catholics understanding scripture and Tradition (including an invitation to attend an Evangelii Gaudium study group) … he rounded this section out with the closing remark “but it’s not about doctrine, it’s about being open to God’s love”.
I wanted to show him this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw when, after his sermon, the Children came in (having had a Children’s Liturgy) and showed off their ‘3 faces’ … most being different roles (ie I’m a daughter / cousin / friend). The Trinity is really confusing – perhaps why he didn’t give a sermon on it!
As they say “The creed comes after the sermon to correct any mistakes!”
During the TLM at St. Benedict’s in Duluth, MN Father Hastings gave an excellent homily on the example of fatherhood exemplified by St. Joseph, and encouraged parishioners to bring the Baltimore Catechism to Mass an hour before in order to discuss Catechism.
. . . He then opened it up to questions . . .
“Father, what part of the Roman Missal provides for a Q & A session in the middle of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?”
Our priest told the story of St. Augustine and the angel on the beach. I had just done the same on the way to church by way of explaining Trinity Sunday to my 11 year-old son. Also, Father asked for prayers for Father Walker and Father Terra. I was glad to add to those I’ve already said.
Fr. Baker gave a sermon about the Trinity. He said that once he was asked why no priest ever tried to explain the Trinity, so he was inspired to do his best to tell us about the greatest Mystery of the church.
We all really love Fr. Baker.
After Mass, after singing the Divine praises (every Sunday), we read the Athanasian Creed!
p.s. I agree with Mike about the point of the Mass which gives me much sadness to see parishoners with their faces glued to their missals or looking around and not towards the altar during the consecration nor adoring our Lord at the elevation. You may wonder that I too am one of these in that I notice what they are doing but when they are in the line of sight between myself and the altar it is not only noticeable but a distraction. Blessed Be God! St Athanasius, pray for us.
Fr. James Fryar, FSSP delivered the sermon for Fr. Joseph Heffernan, FSSP’s first Solemn High Mass, which was celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, on the Feast of the Holy Trinity. (Fr. Heffernan, originally from Mater Ecclesiae parish in Berlin, NJ, had been ordained on 5/31/14 by Bishop Athanasius Schneider in Omaha, NE.)
Fr. Fryar opened his sermon:
“Tragic news shook the world this past week. Shameful individuals, unworthy to even be called criminals, broke into the rectory of the Fraternity of St. Peter in Phoenix, Arizona. They killed Father Walker, and they beat Father Terra, leaving him almost dead. We are all still in shock, and our prayers go out to these good priests.
“The following day, the world was flooded with news stories, that although tragic, painted a picture of a priest of the Fraternity of St. Peter. For once in a long time the words ‘priest’ and ‘pedophile’ were not used in the same press article.”
Fr. in Delaware schooled us on licit, illicit, valid and invalid Masses, and invalid Baptisms mentioning specifically the “Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier” nonsense calling it the heresy of modalism and our need to do it right if it becomes necessary. Also thinking we understand the Trinity probably means we’re heretics. This wasn’t even a TLM either!
Beloved pastor emeritus from the ambo (unlike the recent trend amongst the rest of our priests & deacons to pace back and forth just outside the sanctuary) spoke of the mystery of the Holy Trinity and specifically of how the Father provided was the origin of the Son & Holy Spirit as we confess in the Creed and how the Son sent the Spirit to the Apostles, as promised, at Pentecost. Similarly, as God the Father provided for us all, so should the dad’s on Father’s day provide for their families with not just material but also spiritual guidance.
We had this –
Whosoever wills to be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Essence of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Essence of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood by God. One altogether; not by confusion of Essence; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of the God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living[16] and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.