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9 October: St. Abraham, patriarch

Posted on 9 October 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Before I forget, as I did yesterday, 9 October was the feast of St. Abraham, partriarch of the Old Testment. Here is the entry in the newest edition of the Martyrologium Romanum with a translation:

3. Commemoratio sancti Abrahae, patriarchae et omnium credentium patris, qui, Domino vocante, ab urbe Ur Chaldaeorum, patria sua, egressus est et per terram erravit eidem et semini eius a Deo promissam. Item totam fidem suam in Deo manifestavit, cvm, sperans contra spem, unigenitum Isaac ei iam seni a Domino datum ex uxore sterili in sacrificum offerre non renuit. …

The commemoration of Saint Abraham, patriarch and father of all believers, who, since the Lord was calling him, went froth from the city of Ur of the Chaldeans, his home land, and wandered through the land promised by God to him and to his seed. He manfiested his complete faith in God when, hoping against hope, he did not refrain from offering in sacrifice his only-begotten son Isaac, given by the Lord to him, an old man, from his sterile wife.

Nothing is impossible with God.

For the Fathers, Abraham is a great “type” or foreshadowing figure. Some, such as St. Ambrose (+397) for example, and St. Jerome (+420) took his journey from Ur to the Promised Land to exemplify the journey of purification necessary for union with God. For Origen, his obedience in offering up Isaac as faith in the resurrection. Others see Abraham and Isaac, ascending the hill for the sacrifice, as, together, a foreshadowing of Christ the Priest who is also Victim.

A propos the limbo debate, the “bosom of Abraham” is considered sometimes as an intermediate place between heaven and hell where the just are consoled while awaiting the final resurrection (this is what Tertullian thought) or the refuge of eternal peace (Ambrose, De obitu Valent. 72).

Posted in Saints: Stories & Symbols | Tagged Abraham
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Questions about how you recite the Holy Rosary. POLLS

Posted on 9 October 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I am curious about how you readers recite the Rosary. There are regional and cultural variations.

Context: I found my old audio files of my recitation of the Rosary in Latin that I used on my old Ustream feed (back when I had one – remember that?). I am considering working up a new version.

Some people like to add the “Fatima Prayer” after each mystery.

Some people like to a short phrase about each mystery during each “Hail Mary”. Such as

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus… He Who was crowned with thorns for us. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen.

Some people add the Litany of Loreto at the end.

Let’s have some polls. Please respond in all three, if you can.

Posted in Our Catholic Identity, POLLS | Tagged Holy Rosary, Litany of Loreto, rosary
68 Comments

Card. Napier corrects part-time papal spokesperson – UPDATE

Posted on 9 October 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

1726 GMT: I just saw Card. Napier live on EWTN who had come directly from the Synod Hall.

He made a bit of a correction to his own correction/addition of Fr Rosica. Be sure to pay attention to this.

____

ORIGINAL Published on: Oct 9, 2015 @ 09:42

‘Bout time.

This comes from LifeSite.

Wilfrid Card. Napier, Archbishop of Durban in South Africa spoke up in defense of Jesus today. Rather, he spoke up in the defense of the rest of Jesus’ message of mercy and compassion. When the Lord encountered sinners, rather, when sinners encountered the Lord during His earthly life, the Lord tried to take them out of their sin and to God through conversion: “Neither will I condemn thee. Go, and now sin no more.” That last part is necessary. Leave it out and you distort every other aspect of Christ’s saving mission.

Card. Napier used the tweetosphere to make a point. My emphases and comments.

Leading African cardinal critiques Vatican spokesman Fr. Rosica

ROME, October 9, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – South African Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, a leading cardinal on the organizing committee for the Synod on the Family, issued a pointed critique on Twitter of a controversial report on the Synod by the Vatican’s English-language spokesman, Fr. Thomas Rosica, in which the priest emphasized that the Church should “embrace reality” in dealing with sinful situations.

Rosica’s summary of Synod fathers’ addresses at Tuesday’s press briefing was widely criticized for its emphasis on liberal proposals and the strong language he used to describe them. [Could it be that he has a personal agenda?]The remarks fueled ongoing concerns from last year’s Synod about the manipulation of the message by the Vatican press office and the Synod’s organizing body. [There must be 50 ways to rig a Synod. Use of the presser is one of them.]

After the press conference, Salt and Light TV, Rosica’s Toronto-based media organization, tweeted out a link to an article about Rosica’s remarks, saying, “Fr. Rosica Speaks on Synod Delegates, The Need to Embrace People Where They Are.”

In reply, Napier tweeted: “‘Meet people where they are’ sounds nice, but is that what Jesus did? Didn’t he rather call them away from where they were?” [Do I hear an “Amen!”?]

At Tuesday’s press conference, Rosica had said, “There must be an end to exclusionary language and a strong emphasis on embracing reality as it is. We should not be afraid of new and complex situations. [?] … The language of inclusion must be our language, always considering pastoral and canonical possibilities and solutions.”

Napier has been among the more outspoken tradition-minded Synod fathers. His criticism of last year’s controversial interim report at the Synod, given at a Vatican press conference, made international headlines. “The message has gone out and it’s not a true message,” he said. “Whatever we say hereafter is going to be as if we’re doing some damage control.” [And that has been proven true.]

“The message has gone out that this is what the Synod is saying, this is what the Catholic Church is saying, and it’s not what we are saying at all,” he said. “No matter how we try correcting that … there’s no way of retrieving it.”

Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins spoke on a similar theme as Napier’s tweet during his intervention at the Synod this year, emphasizing the need to promote repentance and conversion while the Church accompanies people. He described his three-minute speech to Catholic News Service on Thursday. [Remember: the rules of the Synod have been rigged in such a way that we have to get what Synod members said through circuitous routes.]

“The truest compassionate mercy is a compassion that challenges,” explained the cardinal. [Right on.] He said meeting people “where they are” comes first, “but that is only the first thing. The second thing is to help them become what God wants them to be.” [And that does not include committing sodomy. That does not include reception of Communion in the state of sin.]

“Just to have accompaniment as people are moving in the direction away from the Lord is not enough. We need to be with them in order to help people to follow our Lord,” he added.

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Posted in Fr. Z KUDOS, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity, Synod | Tagged Card. Napier, family, Fr. Thomas Rosica, Synod, Synod of Bishops
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8 October – Thoughts about the Synod at this point

Posted on 8 October 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

It seems that His Eminence George Card. Pell made a statement from the floor suggesting that the composition of the group appointed to write the Final Report was not all that it could be.

It seems that, then, the Pope himself shut that down.

A couple things follow.

First, since His Holiness stomped on Card. Erdo the General Relator, for his opening speech and then stomped, or at least kicked a little, Card. Pell for his suggestions about the writing committee, then I suppose that Pope Francis now “owns” this Synod. Whatever the results, they are his.

Second, a question is raised. If the Synod is all about involvement and consultation and participation and sharing, etc. Why was Card. Pell’s suggestion about the Final Report committee not more warmly received? A while back we heard reports that the Final Report was already being written. Could that have anything to do with it?

Moderation queue is on.

MEANWHILE … HERE

Posted in Synod | Tagged Card. Pell, Synod of Bishops
85 Comments

My View For Awhile: Domum

Posted on 8 October 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Off I go. I wish I had a few more days in NYC (provided the weather was good).

Skype conversations (at a discreet volume) in the lounge, and now off to the gate.

UPDATE:

Now deploying the Muji Bag.

14 in line for take off. Ahhh LaGuardia!

In the air…

UPDATE

Next leg.

So far not a lot of drama. We were quite late out of LGA but made up some time. By now I build a little extra time into changes.

Boarding and taxiing will take longer than the fight.

On the last leg I fired up Echolink and made a contact with WB0YLE, who was on a train! Interesting QSO.

Speaking of contacts… the guy behind me is loudly up-talking to someone named “Lisa” who is, apparently, “da man”.

It’s a strange world.

Also, from the open cockpit I hear a mechanical but nonetheless urgent message repeating: “Windshear ahead! Windshear ahead!” I’m glad we are still parked at the gate.

UPDATE

My fights often have soundtracks. Sometimes it’s Bach, sometimes Beijing opera.

As I landed today…

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
4 Comments

YOUR URGENT PRAYER REQUESTS

Posted on 8 October 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Please use the sharing buttons! Thanks!

Registered or not, will you in your charity please take a moment look at the requests and to pray for the people about whom you read?

Continued from THESE.

I get many requests by email asking for prayers. Many requests are heart-achingly grave and urgent.

As long as my blog reaches so many readers in so many places, let’s give each other a hand. We should support each other in works of mercy.

If you have some prayer requests, feel free to post them below.

You have to be registered here to be able to post.

I still have a pressing personal petition.

Also, please pray for RD, recovering from Lyme’s Disease.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
23 Comments

7 Oct Synod Note: stacked decks

Posted on 8 October 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Gerald O’Connell (probably accurate even though at Amerika) says the Pope responded to an intervention from the floor by Card. Pell which criticized the membership of the Special Commission which will write the Final Report of the Synod. HERE (Pope to Synod Fathers: Don’t Give in to the Conspiracy Theory).

For every member who will reliably defend traditional Church teaching, there are more who lean toward the “Kasperite” position (Kasper, Marx, et al.). On your own, check out the composition members

Posted in Synod | Tagged Synod, Synod of Bishops
14 Comments

Women Deacons

Posted on 7 October 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

You may have heard that the issue of women deacons was brought up at the Synod on the Family.

Women deacons… synod on the family.

HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH

Set the (pointless) cause back a few decades, I’d say.

I can see bishops rolling their eyes.

Posted in Liberals |
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NYC Day 4: Errands and BEER!

Posted on 7 October 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

At the vibrant midtown parish Holy Innocents – where you can find the TLM every single day – people stop in to pray. Men… women… in suits… street people… young… old… anglos… hispanics… professionals… not so professional….

Devotions are respected.

That is just a sample.

Then… off to buy something.

I bought a chincy clerical shirt for way too much money at about the only clerical spot in Manhattan because – for the second trip in a row – I forgot to pack the right clothes.

I have, of course, my tactical clericals. I needed a shirt for a suit.

Meanwhile, I saw that they were proffering some spiffy cassock variations.

And get an eyeful of these! Not a black one in sight.

Then to the only ham radio store… but that can wait till Saturday.

Then, after a swift trip to a fragrance and perfume store to buy sacks of real frankincense, …

…I was off to the hat store. I wanted a Homberg that I spied in the window. I discovered that it was $300. There were some others, too, but I think I should go back when I have had a haircut. Right now I am hirsute.

This is Van the Hat Doctor. He is enthusiastic.

Walking through the Tenderloin, I spotted this. Did you know that there was a musical called Tenderloin? I was in it. I don’t remember a single tune.

Then, to my cigar store.

The young guy at the counter was very helpful. He even found a box for some of my selections. Do me a favor… click HERE and visit their site.

I love the old adverts still visible on buildings.

In memory of Fr. Judge.

Tonight there was a benefit at the New York Athletic Club for the Benedictine monks at Norcia. HERE

They have a wonderful disc of Gregorian chant dedicated to Marian Feast Days. BENEDICTA: Marian Chant from Norcia

There was beer! They are famous for beer. I had some interesting news about their beer too! Stay tuned.

These, ladies and gents, are men. Fr. Folsom and Fr. Nivakoff and fan.

With Catholic filmmaker James Morlino (a distant relation of the Extraordinary Ordinary). Remember my review of the innovative film The War of the Vendée? HERE

The main speak was Russ Douthat. Will you do me a favor? Say some prayers for him. He is recovering from the horrible Lyme Disease.

Fr. Cassian in action.

Now, after the pleasure of watching the Yankees lose last night, I am watching the Cubs beat the Pirates like a drum.

On my phone via Slingbox.

With left overs from supper last night… life is good.

UPDATE:

Sorry… not done yet.

I made my way to a place I remembered from my childhood, the Marshall Chess Club. Once upon a time I was a rated player. I did tournaments and the like.