I love emails with photos of WDTPRS stuff, coffee mugs and other swag… in the wild.
A seminarian reader sent a note:
Hi Father, I thought you’d appreciate this.
This is on the…wait for it…”liturgy fridge” that has the wine and hosts for Mass in it at IHM Seminary in Winona. Our priests, do, in fact “say the black and do the red.” We have some truly great priests here, for whom I am very thankful.
OORAH!
Don’t forget the Oremus pro Pontifice items!
Several readers have asked along these lines:
To get a plenary indulgence we have to be completely detached from sin, affection for sin, even venial sins. Since only Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother were perfectly free from attachment to sin, how can any of us ever gain a plenary indulgence? Doesn’t the Church set an impossibly high standard? Why bother trying?
First, having high standards is a good thing. Shouldn’t we be free from attachment to sin? To what degree is being attached to sin okay?
In the final analysis, perhaps we have to admit that gaining plenary indulgences is rarer than we would like.
That said, it is not impossible. And I don’t think we have to be a hermit living on top of a tree beating his head with a rock to be free of attachment to sin so as to gain this plenary or “full” indulgence.
Also, we do not know the degree to which a “partial” indulgence is “partial”. It could be a lot. That in itself is something which should spur us on!
Generally, if someone is motivated to obtain an indulgence, he does so from true piety, desire to please God and to help oneself and others.
When it comes to complete detachment from sin, even venial, few of us live in that state all the time. Nevertheless, there are times when we have been moved to sorrow for sin after examination of conscience, perhaps after an encounter with God as mystery in liturgical worship or in the presence of human suffering, that we come to a present horror and shame of sin that moves us to reject sin entirely. That doesn’t mean that we, in some Pelagian sense, have chosen to remain perfect from that point on or that by force of will we can chosen never to sin again. God is helping us with graces at that point, of course. But we do remain frail and weak.
But God reads our hearts.
Holy Church offers us many opportunities for indulgences. The presupposition is that Holy Church knows we can actually attain them. They can be partial (and we don’t know to what extent that is) and full or plenary. But they can be obtained by the faithful.
Holy Church is a good mother. She wouldn’t dangle before our eyes something that is impossible for us to attain. That doesn’t mean that a full indulgence is an easy thing. It does mean that we can do it. In fact, beatifications and canonizations have been more common in the last few decades and in previous centuries. The Church is showing us that it is possible for ordinary people to live a life of heroic virtue.
Therefore, keep your eyes fixed on the prize of indulgences. Never think that it is useless to try to get any indulgence, partial or full, just because
Perhaps you are not sure you can attain complete detachment from all sin, even venial. Before you perform the indulgenced work, ask God explicitly to take away any affection for sin you might be treasuring. Do this often and, over your lifetime, and you may find it easier and easier. Support your good project with good confessions and good communions. You need those graces.
A person does not become expert in worldly pursuits overnight or without effort. It takes time and practice to develop skills and virtues. It takes time to develop habits of the spirit as well.
We can do this. And when we fall short, we still have the joy of obtaining the partial indulgence and that’s not nothing.
Which it is great news.
From CNA:
Pope’s first words in Barcelona to be in Catalan
Rome, Italy, Nov 1, 2010 / 10:01 pm (CNA/Europa Press).- The first official words pronounced by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Barcelona on Nov. 7 will be in Catalan, at the Dedication Mass of the Church of the Holy Family.
The opening rites of the liturgy will be Catalan, as well as the readings for the Mass and the rite of consecration of the Church.
The Pope will also speak in Gallego—the local dialect in the Spanish region of Galicia–when he celebrates Mass Nov. 6 in Santiago de Compostela.
According to Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, the Mass at the Church of the Holy Family will be celebrated in Spanish, Catalan and Latin. The Gospel and the Communion rite will be in Spanish.
Father Lombardi said the Holy Father would deliver part of his homily in Catalan, but that most of the speeches during the visit would be delivered in Spanish.
He also said the Pope’s homily in Barcelona would include a reference to Antonio Gaudi, who designed the Church, and would focus on the relationship between art and faith, the Christian life and the family as the basic unit of society.
However, the spokesman explained, the motive behind the Pope’s visit “is not to support Gaudi’s cause for beatification,” but rather “to consecrate a magnificent work that has great meaning for the Church in Catalonia.”
Here is a WDTPRS poll intended for US citizens.
Given the way soon-to-be Card. Burke has been subjected to anti-Catholic reporting in the mainstream press (USAToday) and how he has been derided by the NCR (blog of a dissident woman religious), I think the best way that faithful Catholics can respond and, in a way “get even”, is to…
VOTE!
Moreover, vote in accordance with what Card. Burke explained.
You might even let the dissenters and anti-Catholics know what you did and why.
In the meantime, here is a WDTPRS POLL.
There could be other possible answers. Perhaps these options won’t perfectly describe you.
Nevertheless, please pick the answer that BEST describes you.
Please explain your choice in the combox below with all possible civility and using your God-given ability to self-edit.
For the US midterm elections:
Total Voters: 1,968
From Damian Thompson (who is in NYC and came to the solemn TLM at Holy Innocents yesterday):
The Church of England’s determination to wreck the Ordinariate plan needs to be emphasised again and again, despite the General Synod’s offer to departing Anglo-Catholics to allow them to carry on worshipping as Catholics in their old buildings (which will stay Anglican). The offer isn’t particularly radical – it would look terrible if the C of E refused permission, particularly as it allowed this arrangement to operate when a group of Anglicans from St Stephen’s, Gloucester Road, South Kensington, converted in the early 1990s. (Cardinal Basil Hume was persuaded by liberals to put an end to that experiment, I gather.)
I’m rather impressed by the panic in Anglican circles at the Pope’s plan, even though the people panicking simultaneously assure us that it will come to nothing. Amazingly, the Church of England is now dangling the carrot of the women bishops legislation not going through in front of potential Ordinariate supporters. But women bishops certainly will be ordained before long and, in strict Anglo-Catholic terms, any bishop in any sort of communion with them will be fatally compromised. It would be unkind to describe the attempt to confuse traditionalists as dirty tactics, though if I were a supporter of women’s ordination I might wonder what the hell was going on.
Benedict XVI is the Pope of Christian Unity.
From a reader.
Dennis Prager is one of the smartest people raising his voice in the public square.
While I believe the Soviet Army liberated Auschwitz, the US Army liberated other death camps. That slight error does not touch on the substance of what he is saying.
From a reader:
A parish close to us (not our parish, but one we go to for confession) has a centering prayer “ministry.” My understanding was that this was an extremely dangerous, if not forbidden practice, rooted in Buddhism.
The parish website says that it focuses on finding God within us.
Seems quite wrong for Catholics to be doing this, when we have God just over there in the tabernacle. Do you have any insight into this?
Should I bring this to the Bishop’s attention?
I don’t really know what “centering prayer” is. It is uninteresting, as far as I am concerning.
Some people say it is “extremely dangerous”.
It seems to me that it would be bad even if it were simply “dangerous” we might want to know what our bishop thinks about it.
There is not one exclusive method of Catholic prayer. Some seem to be effective for people, some less so. Some seem to be more in line with our Catholic traditions and the experience of saints, some less so.
People always have the right to request instruction from a bishop. That’s, among other things, what bishops are for. A respectful, super brief letter with a question, including a copy of the program or bulletin, is not out of line.
The bishop will, I am sure, appreciate your promise of prayers as well. They have a very heavy burden.
From a reader:
in one of your recent post, concerning “extra Ecclesiam nulla salus”, you have discussed an option, that actually, one might be saved outside the Catholic Church. Your proposition was also based on Augustin. Recently, however, I have found the following quotation from St. Augustin, which, as if contradicts your saying. It sounds as
follows: Extra Ecclesiam catholicam totum potest praeter salutem.
Potest habere honorem, potest habere Sacramenta, potest cantare Alleluia, potest respondere Amen, potest Evangelium tenere, potest in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus sancti fidem habere et praedicare:
sed nusquam nisi in Ecclesia catholica salutem poterit invenire (St.
Augustin, Sermo ad Caesareensis ecclesiae, Patrologia Latina, t. 43, kol. 695.). Could you comment once more the issue. Thank you in advance.
Sigh.
First, that sermon of Augustine is spurious. It was attributed to Augustine, but it isn’t by him.
This is something people have to pay attention to when they pull up quotes, especially from older sources, and especially when they refer back to PL. Some sermons attributed to Augustine over the centuries have been determined not to be his. The very style of the Latin is the first clue. Then when you check this against what is accepted in the authentic collection of Augustine’s sermons, it is not to be found.
Augustine didn’t write that. We don’t care who wrote it.
Next question?
Seriously, I will say what I said clearly elsewhere. God can save whom it pleaseth God to save. How He does that apart from the sacraments and formal membership of the Church is a mystery to me. All I know is that if someone can be saved at all, he is saved solely through the merits if Christ’s Sacrifice. The merits of Christ’s Sacrifice, all graces, everything for our salvation is mysteriously mediated through the Church Christ founded, the Catholic Church. Any person who doesn’t belong to the Church but comes to salvation nevertheless receives whatever was sufficient through the mysterious mediation God has willed through the Catholic Church. In that sense, outside the Church there is no salvation.
From a reader:
Can you give insight regarding All Saints not being a Holy Day of Obligation? This was announced at a Mass my husband attended today in our diocese. It is also posted on Diocese website. There isn’t elaboration. I looked it up an apparently our American Bishops decided in 1991 to “abrogate the precept” to attend Mass for All Saints if it falls on a Sat or Mon.
My question is, does this abrogation make it no longer a Holy Day of Obligation? Second, why did they do that?
It is still a Holy Day. It just isn’t – I guess – a Holy Day of Obligation.
Go figure.
If I were Pope, I would wonder to myself whether it is a good idea allow the shifting of feast days (e.g., Ascension Thursday Sunday). I would wonder if it was a good idea to give people the impression that they only have to be Catholic on Saturday Evening and Sunday by eliminating the obligation to participate at Mass on other important feasts… feasts important for our identity as Catholics.
I think ALL SAINTS is important for understanding who we are as members of a Church Militant, still connected to the Church Triumphant.\
Apparently it is an undue burden to oblige Catholics to make room in their oh-so-busy lives for the worship of God and worthy reception of the Eucharist.
At the same time, I believe that bishops can, in their own dioceses, maintain the obligations. Perhaps a canonist can help, but I believe that to be the case. Conferences can’t bind bishops in their diocese.
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
emmatag1126 on Thoughts about the collision of the Holy See and the SSPX. Wherein Fr. Z rants.: “Also, the Declaration said that we can be saved only through the Roman Catholic Church, which unfortunately leaves out my…” on Thoughts about the collision of the Holy See and the SSPX. Wherein Fr. Z rants.: “I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your charity and well-worded wishes/prayers for hearts to change. Whenever I’m…”
on ROME 26/5– Day 52: lace imitates God’s beauty enlaced in flowers: “Fr. Z: It wasn’t until I started reading your writings a few years back that I realized how important vestments…” on ROME 26/5– Day 52: lace imitates God’s beauty enlaced in flowers: “Speaking of age, I think I am lucky not to be in my teens or even early twenties right now.…”
on ROME 26/5– Day 52: lace imitates God’s beauty enlaced in flowers: “The “seriously cool APP” Father Z is referring to is the Ava Maria Clock which if you have not downloaded…”
on ROME 26/5– Day 53: Persevere!: “Black to move and mate in 4 1) … Qd1+ 2) RxQd1 (or Kh2) RxRd1+ 3) Kh2 (forced) Be5+ 4)…”
on ROME 26/5– Day 52: lace imitates God’s beauty enlaced in flowers: “@Charivari Rob: How about calling it the Old Chestnut Award? It will probably only be slightly less feared than the…”
A Daily Prayer for Priests
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