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

Based on your response to PODCAzT 93, and my own desire to drill more deeply into the issue, we welcome back as our guest Pope Paul VI (+1978).

In the last PODCAzT we explored Paul’s General Audience of 26 November 1969, a few days before the Novus Ordo Missae went into force.  This time we turn the clock back one more week to his General Audience of 19 Nov 1969 when he begins to address the changes people were about to experience.

We are coming up on the 40th Anniversary of the implementation of the Novus Ordo in the Latin Church.

That was Forty years ago on 30 Nov 1969 .  It was the 1st Sunday of Advent.

We are facing our own challenges today, with changes to the English translation and also the reintegration of the pre-Conciliar form of Mass in the life of the Church, thanks to Benedict XVI’s Summorum Pontificum.

The questions Pope Paul asked back in 1969 are valid for us as well.

You will hear Paul Paul’s General Audience text along with my commentary.

Be careful if you have headphones or earphones... the beginning is a bit jarring.  I meant it to be jarring.

 

 09-11-20 Paul VI's General Audience close to the Novus Ordo: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We are coming up on the 40th Anniversary of the implementation of the Novus Ordo in the Latin Church.

Forty years ago on 30 Nov 1969 the Novus Ordo went into force.  It was the 1st Sunday of Advent.

Therefore, we welcome as our guest Pope Paul VI (+1978) who gave a General Audience 26 Nov 1969 address on the subject of the changes people were about to experience.

It is interesting to return to such a moment, in the face of the changes we are facing today with the reintegration of the older, traditional form of Holy Mass through the provisions of Summorum Pontificum and the change in the English translation of the Novus Ordo.

You will hear Paul Paul’s General Audience text along with my commentary. 

The pop music selections were all hits from 1969.   Their choice is also part of my commentary.

 

 09-11-16 Paul VI's General Audience on the eve of the Novus Ordo: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I dissected a hymn to Christ the King in PODCAzT 74.

What a PODCAzT looks like when it is done.



092 09-10-04 Gregory the Great to bishops on preaching the hard stuff; Harvest Moon

In this audio project, St. Gregory the Great (+604) tells priests about the need to preach also the hard stuff. 

Bishops especially must not be afraid to preach the truth, or worry about human respect.  They have a duty to the flock, whom they must protect like a wall before the face of the enemy.

A timely message for priests and bishops of today.  I rant about that for a bit.

This is taken from the Regula Pastoralis of St. Gregory, used today – the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time – in the Office of Readings in the Liturgia horarum.

I then, in perhaps a melancholy state, pull out some poetry about the Harvest Moon, which falls on this day, 4 October 2009.  To help us appreciate the Harvest Moon and change of seasons we bring in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (+1881), Carl Sandberg (+1967) and Wm. Shakespeare (+1616)

http://www.wdtprs.com/podcazt/09_10_04.mp3

 

 09-10-04 Gregory to priests on preaching; Harvest Moon [37:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Some music along the way… and we are all over the place! 

Les Brown and His Band of Renown The Capitol Years – Shine On Harvest Moon
Vivaldi – The Four Seasons – Autumn   Il Cimento Dell’Armonia ed Invenzione – I Musici – Autumn – 2 – Aria, Andante
Sacerdotes Domini – O Sacrum Convivium
Yue Er Gao (The Moon On High) – China: Music of the Pipa
Autumn – Daniel Hecht – Windham Hill Sampler ‘81
Rosemary Clooney – Shine On Harvest Moon – Rosie Solves The Swinging Riddle
Harvest Moon – Chris & Meredith Thompson – Clearwater
Two Socks at Play – Dances With Wolves
Leon Redbone – Shine Harvest Moon – Double Time

RECENT PODCAzTs:

• 091 09-09-09 A hymn dissected "Te lucis ante terminum"; don Camillo (Part VI)
• 090 09-09-05 St. Leo on the beatitudes; the sacred, sacrilege and reparation
• 089 09-08-31 Imitation of Christ on temptation and consolation, Fr. Z rambles about the world, the flesh and the devil
• 088 09-06-11 Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart; Leo XIII’s Annum Sacrum
• 087 09-05-06 Veni Sancte Spiritus – The Pentecost Sequence dissected
• 086 09-05-30 Year for Priests; Pius IX on priests, Mass and Holy Days of obligation
• 085 09-05-03 Gregory the Great on the Good Shepherd
• 084 09-04-30 St. Pius V and Quo primum
• 083 09-04-19 St. Augustine on the challenge of remaining faithful

• 085 09-05-03 Gregory the Great on the Good Shepherd
• 046 07-10-08 Gregory the Great on when pastors should SPEAK UP; priests and getting your way [I treat the same reading here and have all of the Latin and lighter fare – including how to get things changed in your parish, how to deal with priests.]
• 032 07-05-28 Gregory the Great on Job; rubrics; sacred music

Today we will drill into a hymn sung by Holy Church in the Liturgia horarum for Compline every evening.  It is called Te lucis ante terminum. 

Since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the hymn was rewritten a bit, the words changed… and thus the meaning.  We will see the variations.  As a matter of fact in the making of this audio project I noted that in one recording of the pre-Conciliar version monks were singing "omnipotens" even while I was reading "piissime"!  Shocking!

I dissect this hymn, sing it in the Gregorian chant tone, and we hear different translations and many other musical versions.

I just might ramble a little while drilling into the meaning of the hymn.

Sing along with the hymns! Buy a Liber Hymnarius! 

Also, we have another installment of stories about the fictional don Camillo Tarocci, (+ A.D. ... ?) parish priest of "The Little World".

Some time ago, I began a to read stories from The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi.  There is a Don Camillo tag you can use to find the others easily. 

These delightful pieces are set in post-war Northern Italy. 

They blend brilliant insight into the human condition with solid applied Catholic Faith. 

Today we hear two tales:

The Avenger

http://www.wdtprs.com/podcazt/09_09_09.mp3

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Some of the music heard:

Tallis:Spem in alium – Winchester Cathedral Choir

Anonymous 4: 11,000 Virgins: Chants for the Feast of St. Ursula

On this beautiful Saturday of the 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Labor Day Weekend, I have spend inside laboring on another PODCAzT just for you listeners. 

Today we hear from St. Pope Leo I, "the Great" (+461) in his Sermon 95, on the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5).  From across the centuries Leo’s voice rings out about the root of the "happiness" expressed in the beatitudes, humility, which cuts across all classes of society and each person’s lot in life.  There are some wonderful images, such as "consecrated tears". 

I was inspired to do this audio project by the second reading in the Office of Readings in today’s Liturgia horarum, or Liturgy of the Hours, the "office", which priests are obliged to recite.  It is always a pleasure to work with Leo.

I then ramble for quite a while the sacred and the profane.  We need to recover a sense of the sacred, and how it is different from the temporal sphere, dominated by the "Prince of this world".  There are many acts of "sacrilege" occurring now.  I talk about what sacrilege is and then speak of reparation.
http://www.wdtprs.com/podcazt/09_09_05.mp3

 

 09-09-05 St. Leo on the beatitudes; the sacred, sacrilege and reparation [45:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

And check out the PODCAzT Page!

090 09-09-05 St. Leo on the beatitudes; the sacred, sacrilege and reparation
089 09-08-31 Imitation of Christ on temptation and consolation, Fr. Z rambles about the world, the flesh and the devil
088 09-06-11 Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart; Leo XIII’s Annum Sacrum

051 08-02-25 Communion in the hand

It has been a long time since I have made a PODCAzT. 

I thought a quick project might get me back into the swing of things after many computer problems and being a little burned out.

Today we hear from Thomas a Kempis (+1471) in a selection from The Imitation of Christ 3,3, taken today from the Office of Readings in the Liturgia horarum.  We hear about how God "visits" us with temptations and with consolations.

I then ramble for quite a while on temptations, with some tactics on dealing with temptations and how to get rid of bad habits. I don’t neglect some tough talk about the world, the flesh and the devil and that we are soldiers of the Church Militant, not the Church Comfortable.  We are beset by enemies.
http://www.wdtprs.com/podcazt/09_08_31.mp3

 

 09-08-31 Imitation of Christ - temptation, consolation; the world, the flesh, the devil [28:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

And check out the PODCAzT Page!

In the wake of many disappointments we have all seen in the press, continually see from people who should know better, concerning even Christians, Catholics, even whole Christian communities which betray both reason and Scripture and Christian Tradition, here is a Sunday sermon.

The Gospel is included and a prayer for vocations which is customarily recited after the Gospel in this parish.

 

 09-08-23 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time sermon [11:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I am at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Manhattan right now.  The pastor, Fr. Murray, kindly asked me to preach today.  

The notice was short, so this is about as close to an extemporaneous sermon as I might give on a Sunday. 

You can almost hear my brain going whrrr POP whrrrrrrrrr POP as I pick up my ideas from the readings.

In any event, perhaps it will be useful to someone out there.

The readings can be found here.  It is the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

 

 09-06-21 NYC - St. Vincent's - 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time [12:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here is a rapidly made project to take advantage of the fact that today, 11 June, is the 110th Anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s Consecration of human race to the Sacred Heart.

Today we hear the encyclical Annum Sacrum of Pope Leo XIII’s (+1903), "Holy Year". It concerns a holy year for the city of Rome but also Leo XIII’s project for the whole church everywhere in solidarity: that is devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As we approach the beginning of the Holy year for priests which Pope Benedict XVI has called for, a year which will begin on the feast of the Sacred Heart in 2009, also the centenary of St. John Vianney, it will be good to dive into some texts which may deepen our devotion and participation in such an important even for the life of the Church.  We can come to see the continuity of what we are doing now with the efforts of our forefathers.

 

 Consecration to the Sacred Heart; Leo XIII [39:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

087 09-05-06 Veni Sancte Spiritus – The Pentecost Sequence dissected
086 09-05-30 Year for Priests; Pius IX on priests, Mass and Holy Days of obligation
085 09-05-03 Gregory the Great on the Good Shepherd
084 09-04-30 St. Pius V and Quo primum
083 09-04-19 St. Augustine on the challenge of remaining faithful
082 09-03-19 St. Joseph: a hymn dissected & sermon of Bernardine of Siena
081 09-03-13 Benedict XVI’s Letter on SSPX excomms; your voicemail

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Some Pentecost oldie PODCAzTs.

I made these in 2008 during the Octave of Pentecost.  Perhaps they will be of interest to WDTPRS newcomers.

056 08-05-12 Octaves – Fr. Z rants & Augustine on Pentecost – PENTECOST MONDAY
057 08-05-13 John Paul II on the unforgivable sin; Our Lady of Fatima and the vision of Hell – TUESDAY
058 08-05-14 Ember Days; Chrysostom on St. Matthias; Prayer to the Holy Spirit – WEDNESDAY
059 08-05-15 Leo the Great on Pentecost fasting; Benedict XVI’s sermon for Pentecost Sunday – THURSDAY
060 08-05-16 Pentecost customs; St. Ambrose on the dew of the Holy Spirit – FRIDAY
061 08-05-17 Pope Leo I on a post-Pentecost weekday; Fr. Z rambles not quite aimlessly for a while – SATURDAY

And don’t forget this one on the Pentecost Sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus.

087 09-05-06 Veni Sancte Spiritus – The Pentecost Sequence dissected

I started this one thinking that I could make a fast audio project and then move on.  Ha!

In this PODCAzT I dissect the Pentecost Sequence, Veni Sancte Spiritus, also used during the Octave of Pentecost in the traditional Roman calendar.

I give you some background on what a sequence is, what an octave is and then we start drilling.

First we hear the Latin text and a good translation.   Then see start looking at the structure of the prayer.

That is when things get interesting.  I found a few things I had never noticed.

This is a profound glimpse at mystery, folks.

This is the Roman Rite at her finest.

 

 Veni Sancte Spiritus - The Pentecost Sequence [39:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

086 09-05-30 Year for Priests; Pius IX on priests, Mass and Holy Days of obligation
085 09-05-03 Gregory the Great on the Good Shepherd
084 09-04-30 St. Pius V and Quo primum
083 09-04-19 St. Augustine on the challenge of remaining faithful
082 09-03-19 St. Joseph: a hymn dissected & sermon of Bernardine of Siena
081 09-03-13 Benedict XVI’s Letter on SSPX excomms; your voicemail

Please VOTE for WDTPRS in the Catholic New Media Awards.  WDTPRS is nominated in many categories.

In this PODCAzT we will look into the new Year of Priests announced by Pope Benedict XVI and the indulgence priests and lay faithful can gain each in their own ways.

Then, I will start what I hope to carry through the whole Year of Priests, that is, drilling into some texts which might bring the priest into focus.

This time, we will hear Bl. Pius IX (+1878) speak, in his encyclical Amantissimi Redemptoris of 1858, about who the priest is, what Holy Mass is, what the cura animarum is all about especially in light of the obligation priests have to say Mass for their people on feast and Holy Days of Obligation.

In canon law today, Holy Church still requires pastors, that is those who hold the office of pastor, or parish priest, to say Holy Mass for the intention of the people under his care, his subjects, on Sundays and Holy Days.  This is the "pro populo" Mass.   If the priest can’t say that Mass himself, he must see to it that it is celebrated for that intention.

In times past Holy Church has relaxed the discipline of of the faithful to hear Holy Mass in Holy Days, reducing obligations.  However, human nature being what it is, that led to a certain laxity on the part of priests and people alike.  That was bad for their souls.  That eroded the care of souls entrusted to priests.

Therefore, Pope Pius changed the law about these obligations a bit.  The instrument of that change in law was his encyclical Amantissimi Redemptoris of 1858. 

Along the way, the Blessed Pope also gives us some fine liturgical theology and a reflection on the priesthood in regard to the splendor of Holy Mass and its fruits.

 

 Year for Priests; Pius IX on priests, Mass, Holy Days of obligation [52:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

085 09-05-03 Gregory the Great on the Good Shepherd
084 09-04-30 St. Pius V and Quo primum
083 09-04-19 St. Augustine on the challenge of remaining faithful
082 09-03-19 St. Joseph: a hymn dissected & sermon of Bernardine of Siena

Beginning 1 June, please VOTE for WDTPRS in the Catholic New Media Awards.  WDTPRS is nominated in many categories.

In this brief PODCAzT I drill into an excerpt from a sermon by St. Pope Gregory I, "the Great" (+604). 

What we hear from Gregory’s sermon is found in today’s Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours for this 4th Sunday of Easter, nicknamed Good Shepherd Sunday.  In the older, traditional Roman calendar, the second Sunday after Easter, that is a week after the Octave, is Good Shepherd Sunday, because of the Gospel on that day from John 10.  In the newer, traditional calendar, Good Shepherd Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Easter, three weeks after Easter.

Gregory’s s. 14 was preached on the Second Sunday after Easter in the Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter on the Vatican Hill.  The same Gospel had been read in the ancient Roman order of Mass formularies since his time. 

Tinker, tinker.

The Successor of Peter teaches us on this Good Shepherd Sunday to stir ourselves… to rekindle our faith and our longing.  We must be determined to reach our destination. 

The core message of the Good news is that Christ won for us citizenship as sons and daughters of God in the Kingdom of Heaven.  But we can lose that gift by our lack of determination and action based on conviction and Faith.

 

 09-05-03 St. Gregory the Great on the Good Shepherd [37:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

John 10, 11-18:

Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father."

084 09-04-30 St. Pius V and Quo primum
083 09-04-19 St. Augustine on the challenge of remaining faithful
082 09-03-19 St. Joseph: a hymn dissected & sermon of Bernardine of Siena

On Gregory the Great:

046 07-10-08 Gregory the Great on when pastors should SPEAK UP; priests and getting your way
032 07-05-28 Gregory the Great on Job; rubrics; sacred music

On this feast of St. Pope Pius V (+1572) I drill into one of his most famous acts as Roman Pontiff.  Today we look into and listen to his Apostolic Constitution Quo primum, by which he promulgated the editio princeps of the Missale Romanum.

This history changing document came out of turbulent times.  The Council of Trent had just closed and Pius, as Pope, was tasked with the standardization of the Church’s liturgy as a bulwark against attacks on the Catholic Faith on many fronts.   Catholic identity was shaken by the theological revolt in the north, uncertain teachings, lack of unity in the expression of worship and even the menace of invasion by Islamic armies.

Because there is a reciprocal relation between what we believe and how we pray, our worship plays a key role in the shaping and maintaining of our Catholic identity in a difficult world.

However, centuries after the editio princeps of the "Tridentine" Roman Missal, decades after Paul VI issued his own Apostolic Constitution for the promulgation of the so-called Novus Ordo of the Roman Rite, confusing claims remain about the juridical force of Pius V’s Quo primum. 

Some people maintained that Paul VI absolutely abolished the older, traditional "Tridentine" form of Mass with his own Constitution Missale Romanum.

Some people maintain that Pius V’s Quo primum can never be abrogated or abolished or modified even by other Popes and that it still has force of law.

While not trying to get too canonical, we drill into the questions, draw some conclusions, and hear the words of Pius V in their 16th century splendor.

You may surprised at how modern some of the saintly Pope’s actions sound.

 

 09-04-30 St. Pius V and Quo Primum [44:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this simple PODCAzT, we will pry open St. Augustine’s sermon to newly baptized Catholics. 

He talks to them about the hardships they will face in remaining faithful under the onslaught of temptations presented by the unfaithful.

In s. 376A Augustine is preaching on this very Sunday, the Sunday after Easter – Dominica in albis – Low Sunday – Divine Mercy Sunday.

The newly baptized are gathered in the church in their white robes, which they will now put off as full members in the Church. 

The old bishop explains that they will face challenges in remaining faithful.  Others, who say they are just as faithful as they are – but aren’t – will as tools of the devil try to lead them astray.  They must be on guard.

This sermon reminded me of the problem we face today with those who say they are Catholic and yet scandalously promote anti-Catholic policies.  I have in mind pro-abortion Catholic politicians and institutions such as the University of Notre Dame.

I read the sermon in English, and – because it isn’t too long – in Latin with my own comments and digressions before and after.http://www.wdtpr

s.com/podcazt/09_04_19.mp3

 

 09-04-19 St. Augustine to new Christians [53:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download