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{]:¬)

Benedict XVI to children: “When I receive Communion, …”

Posted on 20 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I have not been paying the greatest attention to Pope Benedict’s trip to Africa, though I have been scanning the reports and the new Post-Synodal Exhortation. Yesterday, however, His Holiness spoke to children at a parish in Cotonou in Benin. Here is the text sans intro with my comments and emphases:

God our Father has gathered us around his Son and our brother, Jesus Christ, who is present in the host consecrated during the Mass. This is a great mystery before which we worship and we believe. Jesus, who loves us very much, is truly present in the tabernacles of all the churches around the world, in the tabernacles of the churches in your neighbourhoods and in your parishes. I ask you to visit him often to tell him of your love for him.

Some of you have already made your First Holy Communion, and others are preparing for it. The day of my First Holy Communion was one of the most beautiful days of my life. It is the same for you, isn’t it? And why is that? It’s not only because of our nice clothes or the gifts we receive, nor even because of the parties! It is above all because, that day, we receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time! When I receive Communion, Jesus comes to live in me. I should welcome him with love and listen closely to him. [The most perfect form of “active participation” is the reception of Communion in the state of grace!] In the depths of my heart, I can tell him, for example: “Jesus, I know that you love me. Give me your love so that I can love you in return and love others with your love. I give you all my joys, my troubles and my future.” Do not hesitate, dear children, to speak of Jesus to others. He is a treasure whom you should share generously. Throughout the history of the Church, the love of Jesus has filled countless Christians, and even young people like yourselves, with courage and strength. In this way, Saint Kizito, a Ugandan boy, was put to death because he wanted to live according to the baptism which he had just received. Kizito prayed. He realized that God is not only important, but that he is everything.

What, then, is prayer? It is a cry of love directed to God our Father, with the will to imitate Jesus our brother. Jesus often went off by himself to pray. Like Jesus, I too can find a calm place to pray where I can quietly stand before a Cross or a holy picture in order to speak to Jesus and to listen to him. I can also use the Gospels. That way, I keep within my heart a passage which has touched me and which will guide me throughout the day. To stay with Jesus like this for a little while lets him fill me with his love, light and life! This love, which I receive in prayer, calls me in turn to give it to my parents, to my friends, to everyone with whom I live, even with those who do not like me, and those whom I do not appreciate enough. Dear young people, Jesus loves you. Ask your parents to pray with you! Sometimes you may even have to push them a little. But do not hesitate to do so. God is that important!

May the Virgin Mary, his Mother, teach you to love more and more through prayer, forgiveness and charity. I entrust you to her, together with your families and teachers. Look! I have this rosary in my pocket. The rosary is like a tool that we can use to pray. It is easy to pray the rosary. Maybe you know how already; if not, ask your parents to help you to learn how. At the end of this meeting, each one of you will receive a rosary. When you hold it in your hands, you can pray for the Pope, for the Church and for every important intention. And now, before I bless you all with great affection, let us pray together a Hail Mary for children throughout the world, especially for those who are sick, who are hungry and in places of war. Let us pray together: Hail Mary,…

Posted in Brick by Brick, Just Too Cool, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, The future and our choices | Tagged Benin, St. Kizito
13 Comments

Benedict XVI on Bishops

Posted on 20 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

As I write, Pope Benedict XVI is in Africa. For this trip his Post-Synodal Exhortation (following the Synod on Africa) has been released with the title Africae munus. It is a long, “omnibus” document. We can look at a few bits and pieces.

Here is one piece, on bishops, with my emphases:

I. Bishops

100. Dear brother bishops, the holiness to which the bishop is called requires the exercise of the virtues – in the first place, of the theological virtues – and the exercise of the evangelical counsels.[153] Your own holiness must be outstanding, to the benefit of those entrusted to your pastoral care, those whom you must serve. Your life of prayer will nourish your apostolate from within. The bishop must be someone in love with Christ. The moral authority and the prestige that uphold the exercise of your juridical power can only come from the holiness of your life.

101. Saint Cyprian of Carthage, in the middle of the third century, stated: “The Church rests on the bishops, and all her conduct follows the direction of those same rulers”.[154] Communion, unity and cooperation with the presbyterate will be a safeguard against the seeds of division and will assist you in listening together to the Holy Spirit. He will lead you on the right path (cf. Ps 22:3). Love and respect your priests! They are esteemed co-workers in your episcopal ministry. Imitate Christ! He created around himself a circle of friendship, fraternal affection and communion which he drew from the depths of the Trinitarian mystery. “I invite you to take continuous care to help your priests to live in intimate communion with Christ. Their spiritual life is the foundation of their apostolic life. Exhort them gently to daily prayer, to the worthy celebration of the sacraments, especially those of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, as Saint Francis de Sales did for his priests … Your priests need your affection, your encouragement and your concern.”[155]

102. Be one with the Successor of Peter, together with your priests and all the faithful. [NB:] Do not waste your human and pastoral energies in the vain search for answers to questions which are not of your direct competence, or in the twists and turns of a nationalism that can easily blind. It is easier to follow this idol, or to absolutize African culture, than to follow the demands of Christ. Such idols are illusions. Even more, they are a temptation, that believing that human efforts alone can bring the kingdom of eternal happiness to earth.

103. Your first duty is to bring the good news of salvation to all, and to offer the faithful a catechesis which leads them to a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ. See to it that laypeople acquire a genuine awareness of their ecclesial mission and encourage them to engage in it with responsibility, always seeking the common good. The permanent formation programmes offered to lay people, and above all to political or economic leaders, must insist on conversion as a necessary condition for the transformation of the world. It is fitting that they should begin with prayer and continue with a catechesis that will lead to concrete action. The creation of structures, if truly needed, will come later; since they can never replace the power of prayer!

104. Dear brother bishops, following in the footsteps of Christ the Good Shepherd, be good pastors and servants of the flock entrusted to your care, exemplary in life and conduct. The good administration of your dioceses requires your presence. To make your message credible, see to it that your dioceses become models in the conduct of personnel, in transparency and good financial management. Do not hesitate to seek help from experts in auditing, so as to give example to the faithful and to society at large. Promote the good functioning of the ecclesial bodies provided for by Church law on the diocesan and parochial level. To you in the first place belongs the task of seeking unity, justice and peace since you have the responsibility for the local Churches.

[…]

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Our Catholic Identity, Pope of Christian Unity, The Drill | Tagged Africae munus, bishops, St. Cyprian of Carthage
3 Comments

19 November 1863: The Gettysburg Address

Posted on 19 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Four and a half months after the Battle of Gettysburg, on the afternoon of Thursday 19 November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered a “few appropriate remarks” at the dedication of the cemetery for fallen soldiers.

After a 13,607 word speech by Edward Everett, the President’s address consisted of 10 sentences in 272 words.

Today is the 148th anniversary of the greatest pieces of public oratory in history.

Posted in Just Too Cool | Tagged Gettysburg Address, Pres. Lincoln
33 Comments

The Last Lame-Duck

Posted on 19 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

I just wanted to express my delight that I am about to go (at 6.00pm GMT here in England) to the last Mass I shall ever attend where the 1973 lame-duck translations of the propers are said.

Congratulations! Your American counterparts also have this joy.

However, if you think you are going to be wracked with nostalgia at the loss of the lame-duck translation, you could go to Mass during the week.

The new, corrected translation will be implemented in full on the 1st Sunday of Advent, and its anticipated Mass.

Posted in Lighter fare |
66 Comments

QUAERITUR: Mass obligation and crossing the International Date Line

Posted on 19 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

I plan a trip to New Zealand to attend a conference. Current travel plans call for leaving LAX Saturday evening. The flight crosses the international date line, and so it lands in Auckland on Monday morning. What becomes of my Sunday obligation? (Attending a Saturday vigil Mass, I suspect. will be impractical, as I’ll be flying into LA from the east coast.)

I’m sure the question must have come up before; is there any authoritative answer?

If there is no Mass where you are on a day of precept, and you are there for a good reason and not to avoid going to Mass, then you cannot fulfill the obligation. If you cannot do it, because it is not possible, then you are not culpable for not not fulfilling the obligation.

This would apply also to astronauts on the International Space Station. I am not sure you can even tell, easily, what day it is there, since it is moving across the date line often during a terran day. Unless, perhaps, they are working from, say, UTC? Even then, unless they have a chaplain aboard, they can’t go to Mass.

Which of course raises the issue of how to follow the rubric about the priest raising his eyes heavenward,… not to mention the pouring of wine and water, etc. But I digress.

If you can’t get to Mass, really, then you haven’t committed a sin.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box |
29 Comments

QUAERITUR: “Thee” instead of “you” in the form for baptism

Posted on 19 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

I understand that there is a number of traslations of the traditional
form of Baptism, which can be used instead of the Latin.

However some translate the baptism as “I baptize you” while others “I
baptize thee”

It may sound trivial, but one can never be to sure about this one.

Are they both valid and licit?

Yes, both “you” and “thee” are fine. The form of baptism is valid if either are used.

“Thee” is the object of “thou”, which was the singular to the plural “ye”. “Thou” evolved to express familiarity, while “ye” or “you” became more formal, in a way similar to German “du” and “sie”, Italian “tu” and “voi” or “Lei”, etc. In religious

Of course the priest could simply use Latin.

But saying “I baptize thee… “, or “I absolve thee…”, would be valid.

Posted in ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged thee, thou, ye, you
14 Comments

Strange Medjugorje news

Posted on 18 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I prefer to keep WDTPRS a fairly “Medjugorje Free Zone”. It’s all too strange for me, I’m afraid. That said, a while ago I had a note from someone declaring that if the Holy See gives approval to the Medjugorje “apparitions”,

“I will seriously take a step backwards from my Catholic Church. I am afraid that I cannot take this nonsense, and can no longer attend Mass. If it is approved.”

First, I don’t think there is any chance that the Medjugorje… I don’t know what to call it… phenomenon? … will obtain official approval.

Second, we are not bound to give assent of faith to messages or revelations delivered in apparitions. Approval or recognition from the Church gives us the freedom to accept them or not according as our lights and inclinations guide us. Leaving the Church because the Church gives approval to this or that apparition is short-sighted. Were the Church to ask (impossibly) you to believe that there are four persons of the Quaternity or that women can be ordained priests or that the Lord did not rise from the dead, then we might have a problem. But that won’t happen because the Church cannot teach errors about those things.

Were anything going on at Medjugorje to obtain some approval at some level, I would shrug and go about my day. Well… I might write a blog post about it and then add a note about Mystic Monk Coffee, a far more interesting topic.

With that, I bring you this weird story from CWN.

Cardinal Schönborn again hosts Medjugorje ‘seers’ in Vienna cathedral
November 17, 2011

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn celebrated Mass at Vienna’s cathedral of St. Stephen on November 17, as part of a televised event that included testimony from a Medjugorje “seer,” who promised an apparition of the Virgin Mary immediately before the Mass.Ivan Dragicevic, one of the “seers” who claim to have been receiving regular apparitions of the Virgin May for decades, spoke in the cathedral, in an event that was offered on live streaming video broadcast. The schedule called for an apparition at 6:40 pm, Vienna time. [?!?] Dragicevic said that the Mother of God would bless all those present—and that this blessing would extend to those watching the internet broadcast.

The event in the Vienna cathedral caused consternation among Catholics who have questioned the validity of the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje. Bishops in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where Medjugorje is located, have strongly discouraged interest in the “Medjugorje phenomenon.” Still the alleged seers have continued to make public appearances in Catholic churches around the world, with the apparent approval of other bishops.

Cardinal Schönborn has a history of showing support for the Medjugorje “seers.” Early in 2010, he was forced to apologize to Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar (the local diocese) for creating difficulties with his public expressions of support during a “private” visit to Medjugorje in December 2009. Later in the year, however, he welcomed the “seers” to Vienna and praised their efforts.

Last year the Vatican created a special commission to study the Medjugorje phenomenon, in response to pleas for a definitive statement from the Holy See on the alleged apparitions. The commission–chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the retired vicar of the Rome diocese—has held meetings and interviews but has not issued any public statement.

Posted in Throwing a Nutty | Tagged Card. Schönborn, Medjugorje
133 Comments

I guess it’s a “conscience thing”

Posted on 18 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From the delightfully-named Weasel Zippers comes this:

[Former Speaker of the House and catholic Nancy] Pelosi [D-CA8] on Catholic’s Being Anti-Abortion: “They Have This Conscience Thing”…

And she called Cain “clueless?”

Via WaPo:

. . . Pelosi recently was criticized for the way she characterized a bill to amend Republican-proposed conscience exemptions for health-care reform that allow providers to refuse to perform abortions. Pelosi called the measure, which passed last month with some help from Democrats, “savage,’’ and said, “When the Republicans vote for this bill today, they will be voting to say that women can die on the floor and health-care providers do not have to intervene, if this bill is passed. It’s just appalling.”

In retrospect, does she think that assessment went too far? Not at all, she said: “They would” let women die on the floor, she said. “They would! Again, whatever their intention is, this is the effect.’’

Catholic health-care providers in particular have long said they’d have to go out of business without the conscience protections that Pelosi says amount to letting hospitals “say to a woman, ‘I’m sorry you could die’ if you don’t get an abortion.” Those who dispute that characterization “may not like the language,’’ she said, “but the truth is what I said. I’m a devout Catholic and I honor my faith and love it .?.?. but they have this conscience thing’’ that she insists put women at physical risk, although Catholic providers strongly disagree.

Posted in Emanations from Penumbras, The Drill, Throwing a Nutty | Tagged Nancy Pelosi
37 Comments

What I think about that!

Posted on 18 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This echoes something of my thought about the new Shakespeare movie which I don’t intend to pay to see.

Posted in Lighter fare | Tagged Shakespeare
20 Comments

QUAERITUR: Saying “for all” even after the new translation is in force.

Posted on 18 November 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

I was wondering what the mind of Catholics ought to be toward the validity of Masses which are celebrated after the implementation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal by certain Priests who may dare to continue using the Second Edition. [I think what we are talking about is the new, corrected translation v. the 1973 ICEL version.] Namely, in view of the new (happily, more accurate) translation of “pro multis,” and the opinion of some theologians that the only thing which has saved Masses said in English with the “for all” translation of “pro multis” is the virtual intention of the celebrant to said what the Latin says, can Catholics safely judge as valid Masses said by Priests who defiantly continue to use this translation?

No, I don’t think the “virtual intention” argument is the best approach. I think the truth of the matter is that saying “for all” was valid. I don’t think a priest had/has to have the intention along the lines “Lord, I know that I am about to say ‘for all’, but I really mean ‘for many’. Thanks, Lord, and let this be my virtual intention in case I forget to remember.”

Saying “for all” before the implementation of the new translation was valid. The priest says, “This is my Body… this is my Blood”. Saying “for all” after the implementation of the new translation would be valid. I hope no priest does that, but I am sure there will be a few malcontents. I don’t like the focus on the bare minimum for validity, for I think it leads to other abuses. However, when malcontents and dimwits screw around with the form of sacraments and leave people wondering, we have to consider what the bare minimum is for validity.

Were a priest to do this, were a priest to refuse to implement the new translation, I would write a short and polite note to him that his choice not to follow the text of the Roman Missal disturbs and distracts you. Send a copy of your note to the local bishop. If that doesn’t produce results, then send copies to the Congregation for Divine Worship in Rome.