Too many people today are without good, strong preaching, to the detriment of all. Share the good stuff.
Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at the Masses for the Septuagesima Sunday (Novus Ordo: 6th Ordinary Sunday).
Tell about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass. I hear that it is growing. Of COURSE.
Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?
Those of you who regularly viewed my live-streamed daily Masses – with their fervorini – for over a year, you might drop me a line.
I have some written remarks about the TLM Mass for this Sunday – HERE
AND…. did you know that these Gesima Sundays have Roman Station churches assigned to them?
I attended Divine Liturgy at the Ukrainian Shrine in DC to show solidarity with the Ukrainian community. Father said there were more people there today than for an Easter liturgy.
He preached about two things. First, he talked about this being Forgiveness Sunday in the Eastern Catholic churches. He then linked that to having to forgive even people like Putin. Second, there was a baptism and confirmation at the start of the Liturgy. He talked about how this daughter of God is the future of the Church. Her Godmother had to watch via Skype from a bomb shelter in Ukraine because she could not fly out after the Russians invaded.
I heard Mass according to the unique expression of the Roman Rite this morning and the Gospel had to do with the splinter in your brother’s eye while you have a beam in your own. The deacon preached about the scandal of hypocrisy, and gave the example of world leaders shedding innocent blood and then every Sunday standing next to the Patriarch lighting a candle in church to appease the people.
Novus Ordo Mass. Attendance at 8:00 a.m. wasn’t bad. The “Bishop ‘asks’ everyone to wear a mask” mandate is lifted, which is good. Homily was on “judging” and charity. Wife liked the homily; I thought a little more explanation of what “judging” means and when judging is actually required. How can someone correct me if they can’t judge me?
We attended a Novus Ordo mass (a reverent one, with incense, kneelers in front of the altar for those of us who wished to kneel for communion,etc.). Father spent most of his homily explaining why we don’t say “alleluia” during Lent. He also talked about the tradition of symbolically “burying” the alleluia during the penititential season so that it can be “resurrected” at Easter. He directed our attention to a large alleluia printed in the bulletin, so that we could cut it out and “bury” it at home.
Yes, Father talked about how the reading in the TLM was about Jesus healing the blind man who called out to Jesus as Jesus was passing by, but the people told the man to hush. The people who technically had sight, could not “see” that Jesus was the Messiah and that the blind man should be brought to him, but the man who did not have sight had vision to see that Jesus was the Messiah who would cure him.
Also, the disciples did not understand what Jesus was telling them, so they too did not have vision, as the poor blind man did. This is really interesting to consider.
Father spoke about ”Domine, ut videam” and the layers of meaning. Father then went on to explain penance during Lent, that giving up chocolate is fine for young children but more is required from young adults upwards and to plan beforehand. Lastly, Father explained the ”mechanics” of a good Confession and that venial sins should be brought to the Confessional and that the Graces received from Confession strengthens us to fight temptations even of the venial kind; that there is no need to come to Confession more that once a week for venial sins if the confessional queues are lengthy; also to declare the sins (including the number for mortal sins) and not to give a lengthy dissertation about one’s life and what led up to the mortal sin- just state the sin.
My priest spoke about how the Petrine office has been usurped by a non-canonically elected imposter who is not a true Shepherd, but a Destroyer, a heretic and apostate . . . a faithless man of perdition who seeks to drain the Church of her supernatural charisms and reduce her to a political collective pursuing leftist goals.
Ok, he didn’t really say that. But I wish he had . . . and I think he wanted to . . . .
The Apostles didn’t understand what was coming, or the prophecies that Jesus spoke; as though they had blinders on. Nothing was hidden, but they did not hear. Same with us! We only grow bit, by bit. We know right from wrong. We know hard things. We even know the Eucharistic Presence of God, but we don’t understand suffering, it’s value and that God sends it. We are touched by Original Sin, then Actual Sin, all of our days. This blinds us. We have a false sense of freedom. What about our sufferings? Let us go to Jerusalem with Jesus, and willfully, humbly, accept our suffering and turn to Our Lord in prayer. Let us accept the value of suffering, more and more. Offer it daily, as it comes, purifying our hearts, as the Saints did, more and more.
I attend the TLM where the pastor is known for posting on Twitter …
“The Pope has directed that henceforth the Tridentine Mass cannot be advertised. So, at my parish we shall no longer announce the 2:30 Latin Mass. Henceforth,
“Sometime after 2:29 but not later than 2:31 there will be a cultural gathering for immigrants from the Roman Empire.”
The celebrant of the TLM. asked us to pray and fast for the Ukrainians.
Unfortunately where I live in Leeds UK there is no TLM. The Sunday NO Mass was conducted by a priest from Nigeria. His English was Nigerian English and I could not understand a word he said in his sermon. When I spoke to him privately after Mass and explained my difficulty he was most concerned. I could understand him speaking face to face however. I think this good priest will try harder.
The Church was only a quarter full with about 30 people. I feel that the faith is dying here.
The bishop or his secretary never reply to my communications. I might as well not exist as far as he is concerned.
Low Mass in SSPX chapel somewhere in Ireland. Like last week, the Stations of the Cross are connected to the Mass. The Passion, Death and Resurrection is, after all, what we are preparing for now Unlike last week where a young American priest preached, the priest in charge continued the series in a strong French accent, but overall clear.
At our NO Mass Father talked about how our Lenten practice should not be about giving up things but more about gaining something a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
Cornelius you should check out the recent discussion on the Church Militant site about whether Jorge Bergolio is the real Pope. He asks the question – if his election was invalid why have none of the cardinals in the consistory such as Burke and Sarah come forward and said so? Instead every one of them has confirmed that Bergolio was validly elected.
“Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change. The courage to change the one I can. And the wisdom to know that that person is me.”
A friend of mine went to the shrine of St Joseph church where a Jesuit priest was filling in for the pastor. The above quote was at the end of his homily.
JonPatrick, I started watching that Church Militant video, and could not finish it. Normally I love their stuff, but this time Michael Voris was being a bull in a china shop, and while he MIGHT be right in the large picture, he was running roughshod over all sorts of nuances. Just 2 I saw early on: (1) he said that if Francis isn’t pope then bishops that were ordained wouldn’t be valid bishops, but that just isn’t so. Even when Lefebvre (without permission) ordained bishops, they REALLY WERE made bishops, and their ordination of priests are VALID ordinations making REAL priests.
(2) He claimed that that the words given in the resignation (and later) “proved” the intent Benedict had, but the words quoted (and written on the screen) were of Benedict giving up the Petrine “ministry”. Now admittedly, if Benedict had never, ever raised any highly convoluted theories about the Petrine ministry versus Petrine “munus” or office, saying “I resign from the Petrine ministry” probably would be taken by most people to “clearly” indicate an intention of resigning from the office. But IN THE CONTEXT that Benedict has raised those convoluted theoretical nuances between the ministry(s) and the office, one can rationally entertain doubts as to whether he has made his intention clear in intending to resign from the OFFICE.
if his election was invalid why have none of the cardinals in the consistory such as Burke and Sarah come forward and said so?
If the problem wasn’t LOCATED in “the consistory”, i.e. in the way the election was handled (although that too has issues), but in the resignation, then they wouldn’t be able to point to irregularities in the consistory as the basis for rejecting Francis being the pope. But if they didn’t know about the issues Benedict has raised about the Petrine ministry(s) and the munus, they wouldn’t necessarily be AWARE of the lack of clarity in Benedict’s stated word “ministry” in his resignation.
I have constantly withheld myself from claiming a confident reading of “the facts” that have come to light as showing us, clearly, that Francis is not pope (even though I would prefer that to be correct.) But at the same time, I cannot agree with shoving real issues under the rug as if they have absolutely 0 merit and they shouldn’t even be heard. I would have welcomed CM making a well-balanced, CLEAR analysis of the facts available, without the added heat and brimstone Michael V peppered it with, but they didn’t give that. At least not in the 15 minutes I watched.