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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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NO Mass: the priest basically said that good intentions do not make us get to heaven. Also, that we should not judge those who come to the Faith “late” or think we know who is in heaven or who is in hell. He also cautioned about not waiting to repent…sounds like a theme here on this blog about not putting off confession. He also pointed out that our procrastination in repenting affects those around us-sin is not private. He said that the prostitutes and tax-collectors saw their sins and repented, unlike the Pharisees, who thought they were holy.
Timely words…
Prayers for Father, he was extremely ill and looked as though he may pass out at mass. He omitted the homily.
This was Father’s first Solemn TLM. He shared with us how his careful preparation enabled him to offer Mass well, in spite of few training opportunities because of his seminary’s slow uptake of Summorum Pontificum. Likewise, careful preparation by us in the pews, such as prayerful reflection upon the Epistle and Gospel at home before Mass, enable us better “to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,” rather than merely to assist at Mass uncomprehendingly or Pharasaically.
The son who initially refuses his father and then chooses to do his will is exemplary for us who sin and stumble. It would be best if there was a third son—one that listens to his father and heeds his will—whom we could all be. But often enough we fall into patterns of sin and disobedience. The solution? Humility. Be humble enough to go to confession, to come back to God. By embracing humility we conform our lives to Christ.
Too often people in tough situations like to blame the Church for being in messy situations that make them unable to receive Holy Communion, that place them in imperfect communion with the Church. The Church takes the blame for the bad choices people make in their lives. But those are the people who most need the humility to turn from sin and turn towards the Father.
Father (an example of the current trend of young, conservative priests) said how they’re raising funds to get a statue of Our Lady, St. Joseph, and an ANTIQUE set of Stations of the Cross for the barren parish that we (a beautiful parish built in 1905) are clustered with—because we need images, being people with senses, and a lot of people went way too far after Vatican II as far as church decoration (or lack thereof) is concerned. He also used the occasion to talk about how we don’t actually give adoration to images or to the Blessed Virgin, contrary to accusations from Protestants. Very solid overall.
The priest was celebrating a thanksgiving Mass for the beatification of Bl. Alvaro del Portillo. He shared with us some points of the life of Bl. Alvaro and also talked about sainthood in our daily lives.
Sin may not harm your body, but it harms your soul.
At the Traditional Latin Mass, Father said, “The statement, ‘I am humble’ is a phrase that betrays.” Father’s homily was about humility (of course Confession got a shout-out because in Confession, we humble ourselves before God), pride, and how tyrants throughout history have thought of themselves as gods. Mass was awesome, but unfortunately we didn’t have any altar servers. The parish is definitely very tolerant of its thriving Traditional Latin Mass community (it’s a good parish overall), but unfortunately we have a shortage of guys who are trained to serve the altar at the Traditional Latin Mass. Overall it was a truly wonderful Mass. Father is such a great homilist.
That our faith should be Transformative – and the each encounter with Christ should also be transformative, for ourselves and those around us.
That we have to turn to Christ all the time, not just once — like the first son, we say no but then change our course over and over again. Also, he talked about meeting a young man who came into the church after one Mass but before the next one, who had just gotten out of jail and wanted to turn his life around and also wanted to come back to church. The next time they met, the young man had a job. Changing your mind and saying “yes” can take many forms and is always a cause for others to rejoice.
In advance of the upcoming feasts of St. Michael the Archangel and Holy Guardian Angels, Canon preached on the subject of angels. In this context:
1) Hierarchy is natural: there are nine choirs of angels.
2) God gave us guardian angels to help us combat the temptations of the bad angels.
3) When Satan sees us, he doesn’t merely see humans: he sees a being made in the image and likeness of God, and so he tries to destroy this aspect of our selves. Don’t let him. Bug your guardian angel, frequently.
EF parish:
From the introit, on God’s mercy in giving us the sacraments. Today, Fr. concentrated on the gift of Extreme Unction and how it prepares our souls to meet Him at judgement,
giving us the ability to withstand the last assaults of the devil.
Plus, some practical advice on who, when and how to prepare, as well as helpful devotions for
a happy death: the Sorrows of Our Lady, the Sacred Heart and St. Joseph.
NO: Father spoke about the phrase in the seconds reading regarding how at the name of Jesus every knee shall bend. First, he spoke about how he and other follow a devotion of bowing their head when the name of Jesus is spoken. He encouraged all to join in that devotion. Second, he spoke about the name of Jesus in history, with come interesting facts about the letters IHS. Third, he then related some stories about the use of the name of Jesus in exorcisms and it’s power over evil. He was careful to mention the investigations of natural explanations were rules out of these cases. Lastly, he encouraged the use of the name in Jesus in prayer and its potential to deepen our prayer life.
At a randomly-chosen Novus Ordo Mass in Connecticut, a deacon preached on how “being a good person” is hardly sufficient to gain us salvation and that we can too easily justify ourselves by finding someone whose sins are greater than our own, which is essentially what the Pharisees have done. (I often say that this lowers the bar way too far, as there will always be someone with apparently greater sins, and even a mass murderer will probably be able to find someone else who murdered more people or did so in a more brtual way.) He then spoke of the need for confession, saying that if we knew that tomorrow were our last day we’d all be in line at the confessional, and he closed with an exhoration on reverence in receiving the Blessed Sacrament, including not receiving when one is in a state or mortal sin.
This is the First Sunday of Luke in the Greek Catholic churches that are on the Gregorian calendar. From now until Meatfare Sunday (last Sunday before Great Lent), with just a few exceptions, the Gospel is from Luke. This Sunday’s Gospel is Luke 5:1-11.
Here, the carpenter’s son tells the fisherman to put out into the deep and let down his nets. Rather than telling the carpenter to stick to his own trade, the fisherman responds, “at your word I will let down the nets.” This after fishing all night without success. Father presented us with an interesting fact: Galillean fishermen used nets made of linen, which were highly visible to fish during the day, but not at night. Thus, fishing was a nocturnal activity; and Peter, James and John were astonished at a huge day-time catch. Peter regarded it as a miracle; he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying “depart from me, for I am a sinful man.”
The three apostles immediately left everything to follow the Lord. They left their catch, their trade and their families. Father compared the response of Peter (“at your word I will let down the net”) to Mary’s response to the Angel (“be it done to me according to your word”). Our vocation as Christians is to follow the lord’s call, whatever it may be.
NO priest re: son who refuses then does go into the vineyard as requested by his father vs. son who agrees to work and then doesn’t show up. Father said, “Think about what we are saying no to when we should be saying yes.”
Father did a magnificent job demonstrating that Obedience is something that is undervalued in our society. That Jesus is exalted not just because he is God and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, but he was also a man, like us in all things but sin. He completed perfect obedience to the Father, and in so doing left us an example in which to aspire.
We are more than mere volunteers to the Lord, everything we do has dignity…Ruthenian parish, 16th Sunday after Pentecost…Even though Jesus was not a fisherman, the Apostles listened without question to Him, and made a big catch.
Although it is wrong to want to sit at the head of the table for appearances and to project superiority, there is nothing wrong with the internal drive for excellence that most people possess and with congratulating and recognizing those who achieve success in their fields.
As often happens in the Gospels, the wedding banquet represents the Kingdom of Heaven. We must not be presumptuous about our place in the Kingdom but approach God with humility knowing that we are sinners and take the lowest place.
Homily about the upcoming Synods on the family, telling college kids to pay attention to church sources of news, because they will be asked about it and the media will probably make up crazy stuff. Gave some of the background, and said that marriage was indissoluble and not to expect that to change because that’s from God. However, something has to be done about getting correct canon law information out so that injustices aren’t done, and to make it so it doesn’t take years and years and years to get people through the annulment process. That’s what the Synod will be talking about. (Oh, and Father made sure everyone knew that divorced people could receive Communion, but divorced people who’ve remarried and not received an annulment can’t.) Overall, a nice dig-in-the-heels orthodox homily.
Just read that Pope Francis, in Mass yesterday in Casa Santa Marta, said that Satan “is cunning. He presents things as if they were good,” giving “humanistic explanations that go against man, against humanity, and against God.” Sounds like some of the advice the Pope is getting leading up to the Synod on the Family.
NO Mass for the feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz, Protomartyr of the Philippines. The bishop exhorted us to become martyrs in our own ways. It does not mean losing our lives, but giving our lives to others and to God. The torture that San Lorenzo suffered does not mean that our suffering is “inferior.” We all have our own crosses to bear, but we should find joy in suffering because it is our way in participating in the suffering of Christ. The saints of the Philippines are lay people in order to give us a model of total devotion to God as lay people. In the last words of San Lorenzo: “I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for the Lord; had I a thousand lives, all these I shall offer to Him”
Fr is an Augustinian and a HS Physics teacher. He tied all 3 readings together wonderfully, but the point that really stood out was whether we say Yes(Yes) to God, Yes (Maybe), or Yes (No). For some reason it hit home.
My biggest disappointment with his homilies is that I wish they were longer!
We were told stories. The priest read from pieces of paper. They were funny stories that entertained the audience. The priest is a jovial retiree. There was much mirth and laughter, and a smattering of applause. It had little to do with religion, so almost everyone was happier when they left than they were when they went in.
Honestly, if we get any more light-weight at my parish the pews will need seatbelts to keep the parishioners from floating away.