Fr. Z's Blog | Formerly entitled: "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" – Clear, straight commentary on Catholic issues, liturgy and life by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬)

French prayer to oppose gay unions

Posted on 6 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

French prayer to oppose gay unions

The French Catholic Church will revive a centuries-old custom next week with an updated national “prayer for France” opposing the same-sex marriage and euthanasia reforms planned by the new Socialist government. [Did you vote for Obama in 2008? Think about it.]

The prayer, to be read in all churches on August 15th, echoes the defence of traditional marriage by Pope Benedict and Catholic leaders around the world as gay nuptials gain acceptance, especially in Europe and North America.

King Louis XIII decreed in 1638 that all churches would pray on Aug 15, the day Catholics believe the Virgin Mary was assumed bodily into Heaven, for the good of the country. [Ehem… she wasn’t assumed for the good of France, btw.]

The annual practice fell into disuse after World War Two. [When they really needed it!]

In the text, Catholics will pray for newly elected officials “so that their sense of the common good will overcome special demands.”

This would include support for traditional families “throughout their lives, especially in painful moments.”

Opposing gay adoption, it says children should “cease to be objects of the desires and conflicts of adults and fully benefit from the love of a father and a mother.” [WOW! The French get it right!]

The prayer is unusual for French bishops, [Five years ago this would have been unthinkable. But then, five years ago it would have been unthinkable that US bishops would protest Notre Shame and the HHS Mandate as they have.] who usually keep a low political profile. [Oops. Fell into the trap. It is only secondarily political. Firstly, it is moral.] Church spokesman Monsignor Bernard Podvin said they wanted to “raise the consciousness of public opinion about grave social choices.”

Pope Benedict said in January that same-sex marriage threatened “the future of humanity itself.” [TRUE.]

Socialist President Francois Hollande pledged during the election campaign earlier this year to reform marriage laws and his government has said it would do so early next year.

Opinion polls say about two-thirds of the French support gay marriage. [They are going to get what they deserve.]

Defending the Church’s opposition, Lyon Cardinal Philippe Barbarin said marriage was defined at the very start of the Bible as created by God to join man and woman.

“Nobody should be surprised that we Catholics think the first page of the Bible is right, even more so than a parliament,” he told Europe 1 radio.

Hollande has also expressed sympathy for euthanasia, which is not allowed in France, and named a commission to review whether the current law stressing palliative care for the dying needed to be expanded.

Paris Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois discussed the issue with Hollande during their first official meeting in July. He did not oppose the review but said: “Just because one asks a question doesn’t mean one answers it positively.”

Can someone dig up the prayer for us?

And with this prayer also be read in chapels of the SSPX? After all, consider what Mass attendance is in France.

St. Louis! Pray for France!
St. Bernadette! Pray for France!
St. Therese! Pray for France!
St. Vincent de Paul! Pray for France!
St. Jean de Brébeuf! Pray for France!
St. Peter Julian Eymard! Pray for France!
St. John Vianney! Pray for France!
St. Joan of Arc! Pray for France!

Holy Mary, conceived without sin, pray for France! Intercede with your Divine Son to save Holy Church’s Eldest Daughter.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Benedict XVI, Brick by Brick, New Evangelization, One Man & One Woman, Our Catholic Identity, Religious Liberty, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged euthanasia, French Catholic Church, King Louis XIII, New Evangelization, Prayer for France, same-sex marriage, SSPX
24 Comments

QUAERITUR: Father makes stuff up during Mass.

Posted on 6 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

At my parish, when the priest is done reading the Gospel, he says not only “the Gospel of the Lord” but “the Good News, the Gospel of the Lord“. Also, when Mass is ended, our priest says “May Almighty God bless US, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit“. Regarding the first point, is he “allowed” to say that or is that an example of the typical occurrence wherein the priest adds his own spin on things? And regarding the second point, isn’t he, in persona Christi, blessing the congregation, not simply declaring that he wants God to bless humanity of which we and he are a part (and therefore ought to say “you” rather than “us”)?

This isn’t too high on the Things To Worry About scale.

Nevertheless, it is a Say The Black – Do The Red moment, isn’t it?

Why is this hard?

What Father is doing is wrong. The Church has prescribed texts for these moments. At the end of the Gospel the priest or deacon is to say (in English) … why do I even have to write this? … “The Gospel of the Lord.” He is to say that. THAT. Not, “This is the Gospel of the Lord.” Not “The Good News, the Gospel of the Lord”. But, “The Gospel of the Lord.”
Why is that hard?

At the end of Mass the priest is required to say: “May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.” Just that. Nothing else. Bishops have their own text, but that is what priests are to say. They are not to make up their own words. They are not to create new texts. They are not to abuse the congregation by imposing their pet projects.

Is this hard?

If the priest keeps doing this, write to the bishop. Then it is his problem and he can chose what to do about it as the “chief liturgist” of the diocese and you will have done your part according to Redemptionis Sacramentum 183-184.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Priests and Priesthood | Tagged liturgical abuse, New Translation, Redemptionis Sacramentum, RS 183, Say The Black - Do The Red, worship
9 Comments

Watching Curiosity Land. Just Too Cool

Posted on 6 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This was so cool. I stayed up to watch the landing of the Mars Rover. I felt like a little kid again.

First images:

UPDATE

New photos from Mars Rover Curiositas:

UPDATE:

I watched it again and it gave me goose-flesh, again.

[wp_youtube]E88d4e1gYh0[/wp_youtube]

Shorter, of just the landing:

[wp_youtube]cZlo0wHx9bk[/wp_youtube]

In the meantime, doesn’t Marvin remind you of a liberal Jesuit?

No?

[wp_youtube]7A4HeawmE6A[/wp_youtube]

Posted in Just Too Cool, Look! Up in the sky!, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged Curiosity, JLP, Mars, Marvin the Martian, NASA, rover
12 Comments

Curiosity to land on Mars TONIGHT!

Posted on 5 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I plan to watch the live stream of the Curiosity landing tonight.

You?

If you haven’t seen it yet, here is a video from the JPL about the terrifying landing stage:

[wp_youtube]pzqdoXwLBT8[/wp_youtube]

Posted in Just Too Cool, Look! Up in the sky!, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged Curiosity, Mars, Mars Rover
14 Comments

This is where liberal dissent leads: liberals give the Eucharist to a dog.

Posted on 5 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From theage.com.au.

Note in the second paragraph of the story that, at this blasphemous and sacrilegious “Mass”, the dissidents gave the Eucharist to a dog.

Let’s not be speciesist, after all. This is where dissent leads.

Note that this priest has already had his faculties removed. It could be that additional censures are now in order.

All creatures great and small: Father Greg Reynolds leads Mass at the Inclusive Catholics service in South Yarra, where one first-time visitor brought his dog along.

Dissidents preach a new breed of Catholicism
August 6, 2012
Barney Zwartz

FATHER Greg Reynolds wants his church of dissident Catholics to welcome all – ”every man and his dog”, one might say, risking the non-inclusive language he deplores – but even he was taken aback when that was put to the test during Mass yesterday.
A first-time visitor arrived late at the Inclusive Catholics service in South Yarra with a large and well-trained German shepherd. When the consecrated bread and wine were passed around, the visitor took some bread and fed it to his dog.
Apart from one stifled gasp, those present showed admirable presence of mind – but the dog was not offered the cup!
Father Reynolds, a Melbourne priest for 32 years, launched Inclusive Catholics earlier this year. He now ministers to up to 40 people at fortnightly services alternating between two inner-suburban Protestant churches.

The congregation includes gay men, former priests, abuse victims and many women who feel disenfranchised, but it is optimistic rather than bitter.

Yesterday a woman, Irene Wilson, led the liturgy and another, Emmy Silvius, preached the homily. Two more passed the bread and wine around.

Father Reynolds – his only clerical adornment a green stole around his neck – played as small a role as he could.
Inclusive Catholics is part of a small but growing trend in the West of disaffiliated Catholics forming their own communities and offering ”illicit” Masses, yet are slightly uncertain of their identities. [D’ya think?] The question was posed during the service: ”Are we part of the church or are we a breakaway movement?”

Father Reynolds was a thorn in the side of Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart when he preached in 2010 that it was God’s will to have women priests. He resigned as Western Port parish priest last August and had his faculties to act as a priest in Melbourne removed.

[…]

Posted in Dogs and Fleas, Liberals, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, Throwing a Nutty | Tagged Archbp. Hart, Archd. Melbourne, Barney Zwartz, dissent, Inclusive Catholics, South Yarra
55 Comments

“Certain offices in human society require the officeholder to be loved and feared of men.”

Posted on 4 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Here is a little Patristiblogger offering for your midday consideration.

This morning a priest friend and I were talking about the problems of leadership and being hated, loved, or feared.

Classic question: Is it better to be loved or feared?

Machiavelli had his answer, and you can imagine what it was and why he wrote it.

St. Augustine of Hippo, however, tackled this problem in Book 10 of The Confessions.

While remaining a realist, and writing as a Catholic bishop, Augustine has a different take. He asks, what is the object of the love the subject has, and the object of the fear?

Here is an excerpt of Confessiones 10.36.59. Shall we hear it? A little Latin with your English pony:

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sed numquid, domine, qui solus sine typho dominaris, quia solus verus dominus es, qui non habes dominum, numquid hoc quoque tertium temptationis genus cessavit a me aut cessare in hac tota vita potest, timeri et amari velle ab hominibus, non propter aliud sed ut inde sit gaudium quod non est gaudium? misera vita est et foeda iactantia; hinc fit vel maxime non amare te nec caste timere te, ideoque tu superbis resistis, humilibus autem das gratiam, et intonas super ambitiones saeculi, et contremunt fundamenta montium. itaque nobis, quoniam propter quaedam humanae societatis officia necessarium est amari et timeri ab hominibus, instat adversarius verae beatitudinis nostrae, ubique spargens in laqueis `euge! euge!’ ut, dum avide conligimus, incaute capiamur et a veritate tua gaudium nostrum deponamus atque in hominum fallacia ponamus, libeatque nos amari et timeri non propter te sed pro te, atque isto modo sui similes factos secum habeat, non ad concordiam caritatis sed ad consortium supplicii, qui statuit sedem suam ponere in aquilone, ut te perversa et distorta via imitanti tenebrosi frigidique servirent. nos autem, domine, pusillus grex tuus ecce sumus, tu nos posside. praetende alas tuas, et fugiamus sub eas. gloria nostra tu esto; propter te amemur et verbum tuum timeatur in nobis. qui laudari vult ab hominibus vituperante te, non defendetur ab hominibus iudicante te nec eripietur damnante te. cum autem non peccator laudatur in desideriis animae suae, nec qui iniqua gerit benedicetur, sed laudatur homo propter aliquod donum quod dedisti ei, at ille plus gaudet sibi laudari se quam ipsum donum habere unde laudatur, etiam iste te vituperante laudatur, et melior iam ille qui laudavit quam iste qui laudatus est. illi enim placuit in homine donum dei, huic amplius placuit donum hominis quam dei.

59. But, O Lord–thou who alone reignest without pride, because thou alone art the true Lord, who hast no Lord–has this third kind of temptation left me, or can it leave me during this life: the desire to be feared and loved of men, with no other view than that I may find in it a joy that is no joy? It is, rather, a wretched life and an unseemly ostentation. It is a special reason why we do not love thee, nor devotedly fear thee. Therefore “thou resistest the proud but givest grace to the humble.” [1 Peter 5:5] Thou thunderest down on the ambitious designs of the world, and “the foundations of the hills” tremble. [Cf. Ps. 18:7, 13] And yet certain offices in human society require the officeholder to be loved and feared of men, and through this the adversary of our true blessedness presses hard upon us, scattering everywhere his snares of “well done, well done”; so that while we are eagerly picking them up, we may be caught unawares and split off our joy from thy truth and fix it on the deceits of men. In this way we come to take pleasure in being loved and feared, not for thy sake but in thy stead. By such means as this, the adversary makes men like himself, that he may have them as his own, not in the harmony of love, but in the fellowship of punishment–the one who aspired to exalt his throne in the north, [Cf. Isa. 14:12-14] that in the darkness and the cold men might have to serve him, mimicking thee in perverse and distorted ways. But see, O Lord, we are thy little flock. Possess us, stretch thy wings above us, and let us take refuge under them. Be thou our glory; let us be loved for thy sake, and let thy word be feared in us. Those who desire to be commended by the men whom thou condemnest will not be defended by men when thou judgest, nor will they be delivered when thou dost condemn them. But when–not as a sinner is praised in the wicked desires of his soul nor when the unrighteous man is blessed in his unrighteousness–a man is praised for some gift that thou hast given him, and he is more gratified at the praise for himself than because he possesses the gift for which he is praised, such a one is praised while thou dost condemn him. In such a case the one who praised is truly better than the one who was praised. For the gift of God in man was pleasing to the one, while the other was better pleased with the gift of man than with the gift of God.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Mail from priests, Patristiblogging | Tagged adversarius, amari et timeri, conf. 10.36.59, confessions, fear, leadership, Patristiblogging, praise, St. Augustine, The Devil
9 Comments

4 August: St. Dominic

Posted on 4 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

According to the traditional Roman calendar, today is the feast of St. Dominic. Happy feast to all Dominicans and Dominics.

As I work systematically through my list of intentions for Holy Masses, today brought up His Eminence Raymond Card. Burke!

I am pleased to have a 1st class relic of St. Dominic, which observed his Mass today. It is the smaller reliquary on the right.

Posted in Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM | Tagged relics, St. Dominic
8 Comments

Of molluscacide and cinema. Of opening up and digging in.

Posted on 3 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

On my break from my sorting and throwing, I set my DVR to the Olympics (so that I could skip the, tarnation, commercials). I cooked and ate and watched a movie.

For supper, I had mussels, steamed in white wine and Sambuca, garlic and parsley and chives.

Mussels are a favorite light supper. They are fun and easy and tasty. When you buy them, make sure to ask the fishmonger when they came in. If they were more than two days, buy something else. Ask the fishmonger to sort them. Think in terms of a pound per person. If the fishmonger is worth her salt-water seafood, she’ll put a little ice in with the critters. Get them home swiftly and into the fridge. You may have to scrub them off a little and “de-beard” them…no, nothing of Richard III … which reference will have greater significance below.

Give them a nice soak in water, so they’ll give up any sand they have. I do this a couple times. In the meantime, in a big pan you can cover tightly, I start with a tiny bit of olive oil, a tablespoon of finely chopped onion, and a couple cloves of minced garlic, a splash of white wine.

This time I added my own blend of dried Fine Herbes and then some Sambuca. Variations are nearly endless. Start the concoction to boil add the be-shelled critters, clamp down the lid, and wait. I like to put my ear close to the lid and listen for the grisly chorus of the their little screams of agony. Just kidding… they don’t scream in agony. Even if they did, who cares? I’m the top of the food chain. Hint: to help get over any squeamishness, it helps to name them individually.

They will open up pretty quickly, if you started the boil ahead of time. A glass lid helpful. Do NOT try to pry open and eat any that didn’t open. No. Really.

“But Father! But Father!” you are saying, “You are a mean molluscacide! I will never eat mussels. You are against Vatican II. … but… What movie were you watching? Probably something patriarchal.”

Yes.

The King’s Speech.

This is a great movie, which bears many viewings. It is one of three movies I have seen in the last 20 years or so after which no one left the theater, but watched the full credits. There are layers and layers of meaning. There is so much parent/child baggage in this, it rends the heart.

For me, we get in the movie – aside from any historical accuracies or inaccuracies – a beautiful profile of true courage. Historically, “Bertie” had to step up in a critical time, with disadvantages, in the view of his whole country. I like to think that the courage of the father of the present queen, who in a spirit service tackled his greatest fears in the sense of duty, inspired her through the last six decades.

The cast… can it be better than this? Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon, Claire Bloom, Guy Pearce and Eve Best as Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson – creepy accurate, Timothy Spall, Anthony Andrews.

The dialogue is also terribly witty. A sample:

Bertie starts to light a cigarette from a silver case.

LIONEL: Don’t do that.

Bertie gives him an astonished look.

BERTIE: I’m sorry?

LIONEL: Sucking smoke into your lungs will kill you.

BERTIE: My physicians say it relaxes the throat.

LIONEL: They’re idiots.

BERTIE: They’ve all been knighted.

LIONEL: Makes it official then. My “castle,” my rules.

And the scene when Myrtle comes home early… brilliant.

As the new King is watching a film reel of Hitler during a rally, little future Queen Elizabeth asks what he is saying. Bertie says, “I don’t know, but he seems to be saying it rather well.” With something of the Faramir about him, he watches with riveted and knowing trepidation.

Another point: the abdication of Edward. The film underscores the contrast of duty and selfishness. Edward (David) is set to do something that his Church – of which he is laughably the head – is wrong. If he cannot force the Church to conform to him, he will abandon his duty. Of course the Church of England, tied to the state, must inevitably follow common mores and trends. Damning, really. But I digress.

There are, by the way, good recordings of the real players available on YouTube. Fascinating. And still in living history, though fading.

Back to sorting and the Olympics.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Fr. Z's Kitchen |
26 Comments

A GREAT idea in The Catholic Herald: Benedictine call for the donation of relics.

Posted on 3 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

For both your Just Too Cool file and your Brick by Brick file, this comes from the full, online digital edition of the UK’s best Catholic weekly, the Catholic Herald.

For Catholic Herald Digital:

£40 for an annual subscription. (I am working on getting a promo code for Fr. Z readers!)

Go to: http://www.exacteditions.com

For more info: subscriptions@catholicherald.co.uk

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Brick by Brick, Just Too Cool, Our Catholic Identity, The Campus Telephone Pole | Tagged Benedictine, Farnborough Abbey, relics
6 Comments

“There is only one problem in the whole world….” Wherein Fr. Z has a mini-rant.

Posted on 3 August 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

“There is only one problem in the whole world: restoring spiritual sense in people. Showering on them something like a Gregorian chant.” – Saint-Exupéry

Simple? Too simple? Perhaps. Faith is the last thing that sinners lose, after charity, first, and then hope. Believers sin all the time.

Ven. Pius XII said that the sin of the 20th century was the loss of the sense of sin. We have to restore a “spiritual sense”, which includes a sense of sin and a sense of the transcendent. Both of these have been undermined for many decades now, first by the horrors of the 20th century and the cynicism that resulted from post-war prosperity, and, within Holy Church herself, from disobedience to God and through the hijacking of the Second Vatican Council. In short, we are spiritually crippled because of attacks on our identity from without and from within. Many have become spiritual and temporal cripples without a sense of the transcendent and without a sense of sin… and without love or hope of faith.

Holy Catholic Church is the only structure in the world proportioned to the task of addressing our metastasizing spiritual cancer. Only the Church, whose constitution is divine, can bring the Saviour’s healing and purifiying words and deeds into the public square and propose them as an alternative to the culture of death that now reigns.

The Church, however, cannot make effective contribution in the public square if we Catholics don’t know who we are and do not put our identity into concrete living.

We cannot recover our Catholic identity without true worship of God as Catholics.

A revitalization of our Catholic worship is the sine qua non for the renewal of our Church, our voice in the public square, and the New Evangelization.

Why would we pursue such a project? Not because of societal artifacts or knock-on effects in cultural, or good taste, or even for the sake of safety.

We must do this in charity, in imitation of Christ’s own Sacrifical love demonstrated on the Cross.

So, why do any of this? Why take on the challenges and subject ourselves to the work and ridicule?

Because we want to keep as many people out of Hell as possible.

We want to share the happiness of heaven with as many of our neighbors as possible, so that God’s glory maybe magnified by that many more joyous hearts fulfilled.

We must reclaim our worship, our identity, and our voice in the public square so that we can carry out the work Christ entrusted to Holy Church: the salvation of souls.