“Whatever they don’t like, whatever they don’t understand, is a heresy.”

Posted on 7 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Via the Laudator:

Erasmus, letter to Albert of Brandenburg (November 1, 1519), tr. Robert Blackley Drummond:

Nunc alia res est haereseos crimen, et tamen ob quamlibet levem causam, hoc statim habent in ore, ‘Haeresis est, haeresis est.’ Olim haereticus habebatur qui dissentiebat ab Evangeliis, ab articulis fidei, aut iis que cum his parem obtinerent authoritatem. Nunc si quis usquam dissentiat a Thoma, vocatur haereticus; imo si quis a commenticia rations, quam heri sophista quispiam in scholis commentus est. Quicquid non placet, quicquid non intelligunt, haeresis est. Graece scire haeresis est. Expolite loqui haeresis est. Quicquid ipsi non faciunt, haeresis est. Fateor grave crimen esse vitiatae fidei, sed non oportet quidvis trahere in quaestionem fidei.

Now the charge of heresy is another thing, and yet for any light cause they take the cry on their lips, ‘It is a heresy.’ Formerly he was considered a heretic who dissented from the Gospels, from the Articles of Faith, or from those doctrines which enjoyed equal authority with them. Now if any one dissents from Aquinas he is denounced as a heretic; nay, he is so if he dissents from any piece of reasoning which any sophist fabricated yesterday in the schools. Whatever they don’t like, whatever they don’t understand, is a heresy; to know Greek is a heresy; to speak with a good accent is a heresy; whatever they do not do themselves is a heresy. I confess it is a grave crime to corrupt the faith, but every subject ought not to be made a question of faith.

I enjoy Erasmus, by the way.  I’ve read letters and a couple works along the way, mostly with the distinguish Latinist, Fr. Reginald Foster.  I have wonderful memories of reading his Stultitiae Laus while sitting under the great Roman pines on summer evenings, sipping cold white wine.  We read his letters to such as Thomas More, Henry VIII, Martin Luther.  Everyone wanted correspondence with Erasmus.  His Latin is polished an marvelous and is wit like a razor.

One of these days I will dig up some of the images of etchings for Praise of Folly from a famous edition of his complete works.

Posted in Our Catholic Identity, The Drill | Tagged , , , ,
7 Comments

Note to priest abusers: You cannot hide!

Posted on 6 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A reader sent this from Boston Daily:

Learning to become a Catholic priest, unsurprisingly, takes a long time—you have 2,000 years of history to cover, not to mention philosophy, theology, and a foreign language to learn before you can be ordained. [Although it takes about five minutes to learn to say Mass… with the Ordinary Form, that is.] The first few years of coursework are introductory, but by the end, seminary students are getting deep into the practical aspects of being a priest, including counseling and the sacraments. The ultimate goal: Educating someone to be a philosopher, theologian, teacher, counselor, and businessman.[They could use workshops in cooking and sewing, too.]

This past spring, while reporting “Resurrection,” my story about the Archdiocese of Boston’s recovery from the 2002 sex abuse scandal, I had the chance to attend a few classes for aspiring priests at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton. It was pretty interesting for a lay person. The first-year course on “Metaphysics” felt like college-level philosophy—with the very funny Father Joseph Scorzello using baseball analogies to explain philosophical definitions—while the final year course of the “Sacraments of Healing” taught soon-to-be priests, including the story’s subject, Eric Cadin, how to deliver [?] the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

The most interesting and entertaining class I attended, though, was the one that covered acculturation, [inculturation?] which is how the Church interacts with and adapts to a local culture. […]

But while adaptation to a local culture is a good thing, it can sometimes go too far. Monsignor Moroney, who’s now the rector of St. John’s, talked to his students about the history behind Church’s involvement in the quinceanera—the celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday in many Latin American cultures—as well as the unity candle, which is often lit by the bride and groom (and/or their families) at Catholic weddings. “The unity candle,” Monsignor Moroney said, “was largely invented by Hallmark 25 years ago. Wedding photographers love the moment.” [Good for him!]

[…]

The best part of class, though, were the YouTube videos of rogue Catholic priests. These priests, in saying Mass in their various churches, had gone well beyond what was acceptable in variation to the Church. For Catholics used to a highly ritualized Mass—like, say, seminary students—these are bizarre adaptations that are clearly beyond the bounds of the Church. Highlight No. 1 was Father Michael Pfleger, who made some unsanctioned adaptations to a Holy Thursday Mass:

[…]

There follow some videos, including by contrast one of a three-year old (which I posted here some time ago) doing a better job than some of those clowns out there.

To priests who want to abuse the faithful by making it up as you go: mobile phones record video.

Posted in Seminarians and Seminaries | Tagged , ,
3 Comments

CNS VIDEO about the Pontifical Mass in St Peter’s

Posted on 6 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Each time I see a CNS Video I muse, “is this the same CNS I know?

It seems to be!

Enjoy!

[wp_youtube]UGnVwoJtnz4[/wp_youtube]

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Just Too Cool, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM, The future and our choices, Vatican II, Year of Faith | Tagged , , ,
9 Comments

More birettaquette

Posted on 6 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Moving away for a moment from the less important issues, such as the fate of the USA, nay rather, the world and the American election, let’s turn our attention to use of the biretta.

More birettaquetteThe other day I was in the procession from San Salvatore in Lauro to San Pietro.  We priests wore our birettas in procession, since the Blessed Sacrament, etc., was not involved.

This is a point of birettaquette, how to use the biretta properly.

I was glad to get a note from the fellow who runs Romanitas Press about the proper use of the biretta.  I think my moniker might be getting around.

The post has some information about the proper use of a biretta at grave-side.  Priests will want to review this.

FYI

Let the New Evangelization continue biretta by biretta!

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization | Tagged ,
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Year of Faith Indulgence for renewing baptismal promises… for converts. What to do?

Posted on 6 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Think about indulgences. Think about them all the time.

Even as I reminded you that you can obtain indulgences, under the usual conditions, during this week following All Saints and All Souls, don’t forget that during the Year of Faith there are other opportunities to gain indulgences. I wrote about that HERE.

Nota bene that one of the concessions involves visiting your church or baptistery of baptism and renew your baptismal vows.

“On any day they chose, during the Year of Faith, if they make a pious visit to the baptistery, or other place in which they received the Sacrament of Baptism, and there renew their baptismal promises in any legitimate form.”

First, I supposed “any legitimate” form could in a pinch include the Creed or some profession of faith we use on Holy Saturday or in the Rite of Baptism itself. Easy.

However, what happens if you are a convert, like me?

I was baptized in a Lutheran church. Can I … do I… go there? Can I get the indulgence?

No.

The Apostolic Penitentiary answered a question about this.

You can go to the church where you were received into the embrace of our Holy Mother:

Year of Faith Indulgence for renewing baptismal promises... for converts. What to do?

By the way, gaining an indulgence is probably going to involve – for most of us – going to confession. So…

GO TO CONFESSION!

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, GO TO CONFESSION, Year of Faith | Tagged , , , , , ,
21 Comments

Vote!

Posted on 6 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I did… before I left for Rome.

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Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
74 Comments

How times have changed!

Posted on 6 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

When I first came to Rome, lo those decades ago, it was nearly impossible to find any beautiful sacred vessel in the shops. Market forces, however, have shifted inventories decisively away from the hideous globs of who-knows-what gray metal covered with abstract representations of who-knows-what worthy of any pre-school classroom shelf.

Market forces have followed the workings of the Biological Solution.

The younger men, not inebriated or hung-over from the heady wine of those halcyon conciliar days, didn’t have that iconoclastic streak of the previous generation. They wanted – want – things that are worthy of the altar.

In any event, I am killing some time before an appointment. Here are some shots of stuff in windows of clerical shops near San Pietro.

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There are the biological throwbacks, of course… or remnants?

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Here is something nice. Host irons!

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Posted in Brick by Brick, Just Too Cool, SESSIUNCULA | Tagged
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Of Cats and Caesar and City Limits

Posted on 6 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I suspect a few of you are cat lovers.  Check out The History Blog for a piece about cats in Rome and the crazy people who take care of them.

At the end of that piece is – oddly – something about the assassination of Julius Caesar.  The last time I was in Rome, only about a month ago, I posted about the street which is thought to correspond to the area by portico of Pompey’s Theatre where Caesar was killed.  There is an inscription along the building.  It’s still there!

Of Cats and Caesar and City Limits

It is commonly said that Caesar was killed in the Senate, under a statue of Pompey the Great, with whom Julius had had a bit of a war.  More accurately, Caesar was killed at a meeting of the Senate held at the chamber for Senate meetings Pompey had built at his mansion/theatre complex outside the Pomerium, the inner city border which no general with imperium could cross.  The Senate could meet in the different places, including various temples.  And since the old Senate house had burned down in a night of tumult (the Clodius and Milo affair) they were meeting out at Pompey’s old place.

Here is a shot of a surviving marker for the Pomerium from the time of the Emperor Claudius.  I took this the other night while walking home from the Requiem Mass I posted about.

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If memory serves, there is another Pomerium stone in the entry gate to S. Cecilia in Trastevere.

In any event, perhaps today is a good day to read about the removal of a leader, not with knives, bu by ballot.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged , , ,
9 Comments

I hope I feel this way…

Posted on 6 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

… when the polls close!

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UPDATE HERE

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
13 Comments

For you pro-Obama Catholics, something to consider before voting

Posted on 5 November 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This came to my email from the Dignitatis Humanae Institute:

The much publicised claim of Planned Parenthood to not only provide abortions but also health services such as mammograms have been proven as false. Following President Obama’s repeated assertion of the claim [falsehood] in the second Presidential Debate, observers from all sides were quick to point out that Planned Parenthood owns no mammogram equipment and has never provided this service. Indeed, a Freedom of Information request from as far back as June confirmed this.

Planned Parenthood’s imaginary provision of such health services for women has been repeatedly used by abortion supporters to portray pro-life and pro-religious freedom activists as ‘anti-women’. Yet despite the feverous nature of this assertion in the past, even former director of Planned Parenthood, Abby Johnson, has stated that this has never been the case. To further demonstrate this, Abby Johnson, now a pro-life campaigner, coordinated a campaign where thousands of women made telephone calls to Planned Parenthood clinics across the country, requesting mammograms.

The dismantling of yet another false claim from Planned Parenthood is crucial in the battle to show that not only does Planned Parenthood end the lives of unborn children; they do not provide the health care which is referenced to justify the gross amount of federal funding which they receive. Abortion is their primary concern; this should not be forgotten. The cynical trick of portraying an abortion company as a health care provider demonstrates the deluge of false information used to create a smokescreen, a manipulative ploy designed to avoid the real issue.

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura and Dignitatis Humanae Institute Advisory Board Member, spoke on behalf of the Institute of his hope for truth and clarity going forward:

“This debate is not something that should be marginalised or in any way distorted. The deliberate choice of who lives and who dies is a fundamental issue that cannot be hidden away behind slogans – because it goes straight to the heart of the matter: do we recognise the inviolable human dignity of the most vulnerable and voiceless in our society or not? Going forward, we must seek to promote a culture of life, and ensure that expectant mothers receive the support and all of the counseling they require.”

Abortion is not a women’s issue.  It is a fundamental issue of justice.  The right to be born must be defended before any other legitimate right can be promoted.   Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that resistance to abortion on demand, especially funded by tax-payer money, makes you or anyone else a narrow “single issue voter”.  Without supporting the right to life, no other post-birth right makes much sense.  If someone can kill you before you are born, then someone can do anything else to you after you are born.

Pres. Obama and his administration aggressively push abortion around the world, not just in the USA.  Pres. Obama even voted in favor of infanticide when he was an Illinois state senator.  What sort of respect for human rights does that imply?

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged , , , , , ,
20 Comments