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{]:¬)

The Party which walked in darkness….

Posted on 17 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

It is nice when wives are willing to demonstrate a measure of admiration of their husbands. This, however, is over the top.

It seems that Michelle Obama, during a campaign event in Nashville (NB: “campaign event” may be redundant. Has there been any other kind of event for this administration?) said of her husband, Pres. Obama

“I am going to be working so hard. We have an amazing story to tell. This president has brought us out of the dark and into the light.”

Do I hear an “Amen!”?

No. I thought not.

Mrs. Obama is clearly a smart woman. She probably spent a lot of time with her husband in the church of Jeremiah Wright, soaking up the strange Marxist cocktail called Black Liberation Theology, understands social and even theological questions in terms of structural relationships between two groups: victims and victimizers.

Sound familiar?

Anyone who has spent any time in any Christian church, even one on the fringe of reason and history, ought to know what Person this “out of the dark and into the light.” image invokes.

So, sing along! Everybody!

Obama heybama bama bama O
Bama hey bama Obama
Hey Barry Barry you’re alright by me
Bama Obama hey Superstar

Posted in Dogs and Fleas, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged Black Liberation Theology, Michelle Obama, Pres. Obama
46 Comments

QUAERITUR: Must I receive Communion under both kinds when offered?

Posted on 17 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

“You have written on reception of Communion under both kinds before, I have a question about this. In my diocese Holy Communion is under both kinds. As a lay person is it acceptable to receive under both kinds or should I refrain from receiving both?”

In this regard you are free to do as you please.

If Communion is offered under both kinds, or species, you may partake of the one, the other, or both as you think it best. You are not compelled to received under both kinds by the mere fact that both kinds are offered.

Neither are you compelled to receive Communion at all during Mass! I think that many less-than-well-catechized people today think that going to Communion is obligatory.

If you choose not to receive, you are free not to receive, as it is best for you. This is the case if, for example, you are conscious of un-confessed and un-absolved mortal sins and you know you shouldn’t receive.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged Communion, communion under both kinds, Eucharist
26 Comments

Bp. Jenky (D. Peoria) unloads about “Judas” Catholics and Pres. Obama

Posted on 17 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

When it comes to Pres. Obama’s attack on the 1st Amendment and his HHS mandate, His Excellency Most Rev. Daniel R. Jenky is not kidding around.

The Bishop of Peoria has the full text of a sermon he delivered on 14 April for a conference called “A Call to Catholic Men of Faith”. A podcast audio version of the homily is available at The Bishop’s Podcasts.

Here are a couple excerpts (for the whole thing click HERE):

“May God have mercy on the souls of those politicians who pretend to be Catholic in church, but in their public lives, rather like Judas Iscariot, betray Jesus Christ by how they vote and how they willingly cooperate with intrinsic evil.”
. . . . .

“Hitler and Stalin, at their better moments, would just barely tolerate some churches remaining open, but would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services, and health care. In clear violation of our First Amendment rights, Barack Obama – with his radical, pro abortion and extreme secularist agenda, now seems intent on following a similar path.”
. . . . .

“No matter what happens in this passing moment, at the end of time and history, our God is God and Jesus is Lord, forever and ever.

Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat!”

OORAH!

WDTPRS kudos to Bp. Jenky.

Posted in Brick by Brick, Dogs and Fleas, Emanations from Penumbras, Fr. Z KUDOS, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, Priests and Priesthood, Religious Liberty, The Drill, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice | Tagged Bp. Jenky, D. Peoria, HHS mandate, men, Pres. Obama, real men
32 Comments

Of Vocanos and Vorris. New video on the tectonic shift going on in the Church. (A volcano really is involved. No! Really!)

Posted on 17 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Here is a new video from Michael Vorris. He applies his usual soothing vocabulary, squishy analogies, hedging, non-committal indifferentism.

If only Mr. Vorris would take a stand on something and start saying what he really thinks!

o{];¬)

[wp_youtube]GmyI3KmWNXU[/wp_youtube]

There.

Now that you’ve watched it…

Pretty upbeat, no?

Vorris brings up quite a few points that I have hammered away at over the years. See if you can count them.

One of the things that he touches on is the war of attrition that is going on.

Is he on target? Was he just waxing overly optimistic?

Posted in Brick by Brick, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, The future and our choices | Tagged Michael Vorris, volcano
22 Comments

QUAERITUR: To clink or not to clink. WDTPRS POLL

Posted on 17 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

I had the privilege of attending a wonderful EF Mass for Easter, and on the way back we were engaged in a discussion as to whether whoever is doing the incense is required to try to cause the chain to clink.
Is there a rubric regarding incensing and noise-making? I’d be curious about both forms.

Ah! The really important questions for the future of the New Evangelization! I consider this matter to be right up there with the proper use of the liturgical Berreta.

No, to my knowledge there is no rubric (in either the Ordinary or Extraordinary Form) that speaks to the clinking of the thurible against its chain(s) during incensation.

That said, I recall having read in one liturgical manual or another the author’s snarky comment along the lines that some find the noise pleasant. He, apparently, did not. In fact, sometimes all you get is a grating clack.

If you are the sort of priest or deacon or server who likes to rattle the ol’ chain, as it were, you will know that it is easier to do (or harder to avoid?) depending on the design of the gadget, the quality of its materials, the length and therefore slack of the chains, etc.

Good incensation takes a bit of concentration, attention to detail, and practice. You can’t get in there and lob the flaming gizmo around. People get singed, carpets get burned, fire extinguishers are sought, mothers get angry, hijinx ensues.

It is, i believe in my heart, for this reason that His Hermeneuticalness holds extinguisher drills with his servers. QUAERITUR: Is H.H. notoriously bad at incensation? So the drills would suggest. But I digress.

This is a good opportunity for a WDTPRS poll.

Pick your answer and give your reasons and comments in the combox. Whereas with less important questions, such as the relation of the two natures of Christ or whether Communion in the hand should be abolished, I ask people to refrain from engaging each other directly, since this is of such great significance, since we have to get to the bottom of the question once and for all time, go ahead and duke it out.

UPDATE:

And then there’s this.

[wp_youtube]XpvHaH36anA[/wp_youtube]

And listen to the hijinx of the Parisian Lefebvrites! (tune in at 3:30 especially)

[wp_youtube]mA5BCu2N19I[/wp_youtube]

And on the other side of the Channel

[wp_youtube]Vzq6_IkqWrI[/wp_youtube]

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Lighter fare, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity, POLLS, Priests and Priesthood, The Drill | Tagged berreta, chain, clink, fire extinguishers, incensation, incense, liturgy, poll, thurible, worship
93 Comments

My Eggs Benedict roundup with obiter dicta

Posted on 17 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

To observe both Pope Benedict’s Birthday and National Eggs Benedict Day (coincidence?) I made… wait for it… Eggs Benedict. Thank you to the few, you happy few, who sent donations for groceries. I thought of you as I shopped and cooked.

The main ingredients: room-temperature farm-fresh eggs, English muffin, clarified butter, Canadian bacon, lemon. You don’t have to use clarified butter. As a matter of fact, the milk fat in unclarified butter can be a plus! I just wanted to use up the clarified butter I had. FYI: clarified butter has a higher burn point, around 450F, and so it can be useful when frying or sauté.

I gently warmed the bacon in the clarified butter. Don’t treat this stuff like regular bacon or it turns into something like a pub coaster.

Hollandaise sauce begins with egg yolks and a tiny bit of cold water, beaten with a wire or plastic whip in a pan or bowl or pot that can be placed on top of a pot of boiling water. Beat the eggs up so that they froth and increase in volume.

Place your pan with the beaten frothy eggs over your briskly bubbling pot of water and keep beating. It can be handy to have a bowl of cold water near the stove. If your pot gets too warm and the eggs look as if they are going to scramble set the pan, bowl, etc. into the cold water. The idea with a double-boiler set up is control of the heat so that your eggs don’t just scramble on you.

Be ready to move your container with the eggs off from the steam frequently. Control that temp!

Begin adding unsalted butter. You can use soft butter or clarified. I had some clarified on hand so I used that.

As you beat the butter into the eggs, a little at a time, the combination will emulsify and become velvety.

When the consistency is about right, and you will know when it is, or maybe just a little tighter than you think a sauce should be, season with lemon juice (which will loosen it up again), pepper (white is better – I didn’t have any) and even a pinch of cayenne pepper. Beat it together thoroughly. You can keep your sauce on hand for only a short time. I don’t recommend more than about 20 minutes. Once that sauce is done, keep it warm, not hot, or it may “break” and separate or clot. You can revive it with a touch of water.

I use a water temp of around 170-180F for 3 minutes. Do NOT boil the water. The higher (not boiling) temp and putting a little vinegar in the water helps the whites stay together.

Try to compress the time between completing the Hollandaise and starting the eggs a’poachin’. Lift them out with a slotted spoon. It helps to have some paper towel on hand to dab and soak up water from off and from around the eggs.

Assemble. I like English muffins well-toasted. Thanks to reader KA for the toaster from my amazon wish list, btw. I now toast, rather than incinerate, in style.

You will usually see the bacon go onto the muffin first, then the egg, topped with sauce. I put a slice beneath and above so you could see it better. The visual is important!

I made some fried potatoes.

I added the chives to annoy liberals. Come to think of it they also annoy some traddies. Liberals and the really hardcore traddies can be alike in many ways, mirabile scriptu. Whenever I post about even rather simple meals – made to look nice with the application of sprigs of “personality” – I inevitably get hate mail. A chive placed at an angle seems to just set them off…. to my joy! A little touch of “personality” on a plate of even very simple fare – and Eggs Benedict is very simple fare – can go a long way to demonstrating respect for the process, for the ingredients which God provides, and for the people to whom you serve your food.

Other than the friend potatoes, which I started way in advance, this whole thing should take about 15 minutes if you prep your space and get the water going ahead of time and get everything set up, that whole mise en place thing.

And so I made, and ate, Eggs Benedict yesterday evening, probably sending them straight to my LAD.

As I ate I wished His Holiness a happy birthday and then I amused myself for the balance of the meal with charts of amateur radio bands.

QRU.

Posted in Fr. Z's Kitchen, Lighter fare | Tagged Canadian bacon, chives, Eggs Benedict, English muffin, Ham radio, Hollandaise sauce, lemon, QRU
10 Comments

Of things Lyrid, Saturnine, Solar and TEOTWAWKI

Posted on 16 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From Spaceweather comes, first, benign news and, then, news that one of these days is going to precede TEOTWAWKI:

LYRID METEOR SHOWER: Earth is approaching the debris field of ancient Comet Thatcher, source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on April 21-22; a nearly-new moon on those dates will provide perfect dark-sky conditions for meteor watching. Usually the shower is mild (10-20 meteors per hour) but unmapped filaments of dust in the comet’s tail sometimes trigger outbursts 10 times stronger.

It’s called the Lyrid shower because the meteors appear to spoke out from the constellation Lyra.

SATURN’S RINGS AT THEIR BEST: This week Saturn is at opposition–directly opposite the sun in the skies of Earth. The ringed planet rises at sunset and soars high in the sky at midnight, up all night long. Opposition is the time when Saturn’s rings are at their best. From the point of view of Earth, shadows in the ring plane almost completely disappear (just as your own shadow tries to hide beneath your feet at noon) and sunlight is directly backscattered by icy ring particles toward our planet.

From our perspective, Saturn has a wobble over a long arc of time. Therefore we sometimes have to look at him direct on, so that we can barely see the rings. At other times, Saturn is tilted toward or away from us and we get a better view.

And then there’s… this:

SPECTACULAR EXPLOSION: Magnetic fields on the sun’s northeastern limb erupted around 17:45 UT on April 16th, producing one of the most visually-spectacular explosions in years. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the blast at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths:

The explosion, which registered M1.7 on the Richter Scale of solar flares, was not Earth-directed. [This time.] A CME produced by the blast is likely to hit NASA’s STEREO-B spacecraft, but probably no planets.

This event confirms suspicions that an active region of significance is rotating onto the Earth-facing side of the sun. [DUM DUM DAAAAAAAH! I would start stocking up on Mystic Monk Coffee, friends. Don’t think ponder it. Just do it.] Stay tuned for updates. Solar flare alerts:text,phone.

One of these days, something reeeeallly bog blasted out of the Sun will strike the earth, and our lives will dramatically change.

If you are responsible for anyone else, and if you don’t think about these things from time to time, you are nuts.

Have a nice day!

I’m going to celebrate today’s narrow dodge of life-altering doom by observing National Eggs Benedict Day.

Posted in Global Killer Asteroid Questions, Just Too Cool, Look! Up in the sky!, TEOTWAWKI, The future and our choices | Tagged Lyriad, solar flare, TEOTWAWKI
12 Comments

National Eggs Benedict Day … Coincidence?

Posted on 16 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A friend has informed me that, in addition to it being Pope Benedict’s 85th birthday, it is also.. and I didn’t know this… National Eggs Benedict Day.

Coincidence? I think not.

Thus, I urge you all to make or to eat Eggs Benedict today. If you wish, send in some photos.

I must go to the grocery store later and I will get ingredients.

To that end, I will shamelessly add my donation button because… I am shameless in the adding of my donation button. I find that when I make it visible, donations come in.

[wp_youtube]IRoh62wRgkc[/wp_youtube]

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Fr. Z's Kitchen, Lighter fare | Tagged Eggs Benedict
11 Comments

QUAERITUR: Priests, valid absolution of sins, and the faculty to receive sacrament confessions

Posted on 16 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader about something I raised HERE.

In a recent post you wrote, “bishops and priests have Christ’s own power to forgive sins and they do so validly with the Church’s permission, indicated by a ‘faculty.'” Does this mean that a priest who lacked the faculty to hear confessions could not validly absolve, or would such an absolution be valid but illicit?

The 1983 Code of Canon Law says that:

Can. 966 §1 For the valid absolution of sins, it is required that, in addition to the power of order, the minister has the faculty to exercise that power in respect of the faithful to whom he gives absolution.
§2 A priest can be given this faculty either by the law itself, or by a concession issued by the competent authority in accordance with can. 969.

From this we see that priests must have permission of the Church to absolve sins. The Church, by the way, gets to determine how the sacraments are administered.

The business about “the law itself” giving the faculty to absolve validly pertains, for example, to situations of danger of death. Consider the situation in which a priest who has, for any reason at all, no longer in active ministry and, therefore, no longer has any faculties to function as a priest. If a person is in danger of dying, that ex-priest would in those circumstances have the faculty to absolve validly, even if there were another, active priest in good standing there present also.

But in normal circumstances, if a priest does not have the faculty to receive sacramental confessions, for whatever reason, the absolution is invalid.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Linking Back, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Priests and Priesthood, The Drill | Tagged absolution, can. 966, canon law, confession, reconciliation, sacrament of penance, validity
15 Comments

SSPX options and the Pope of Christian Unity

Posted on 16 April 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Benedict XVI is the Pope of Christian Unity.

From the intrepid Andrea Tornielli’s Vatican Insider of the Italian daily La Stampa. My emphases and comments.

The Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X writes to his priests: “We are waiting, an agreement will happen if concessions which touch upon the faith are not asked from us and if we are assured true freedom“

Andrea Tornielli
Vatican City

The Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X , Bishop Bernad Fellay, in the evening of the 14th of April took hold of paper and pen to send a message reserved to the other three bishops and to all priests belonging to the Lefebvrist group, confirming the state of relations with the Holy See.

Fellay, in reference to the media rumours on a possible positive outcome of the dialogue with Rome, would have explained that, for the time being, nothing of a definitive nature has yet taken place, neither in the direction of a canonical recognition, not in the direction of a rupture, and it is therefore time to wait and see.

The bishop, according to the rumours gathered by Vatican Insider, wished to confirm to the priests of the Society that which he had already written a few days ago, recalling the two principles that guide the Lefebvrians in the relations with Rome: the first is that no concessions be asked from the Society that touch upon the faith and that which derives from it (liturgy, sacraments, morals, and discipline); [A possible problem here is that if hard-liners within the SSPX insist on some “deal-killer” this whole thing grinds to a halt. The SSPXers have been doing their own thing for a long time now. Some of them have never known unity with the See of Peter. Such a “deal killer” could be, for example, insisting that the Holy Father repudiate the Council’s documents which, obviously, ain’t gonna happen, thus freezing in amber the SSPX’s status. If, however, they say that they want to have some freedom in the matter of interpretation of the Church’s teaching on religious liberty, I don’t see why that could not be conceded. Fr. Feeney was reconciled over a very thorny question of salvation outside the Church without having to abjure his position. Why not the SSPX on a question that is by no means cut and dried?] the second, that true freedom and autonomy of action be granted to the Society of Saint Pius X, which would allow it to grow and develop. [That could be accomplished fairly easily, with the provisos that somewhere along the lines they cannot just ignore diocesan bishops (who have, among other things, tribunals.]

How to interpret this message of the General Superior? Above all, it is interesting to note that the possibility of a positive outcome – which many sources, both those close to the Society of Saint Pius X and those within Vatican, consider at this moment probable and imminent – is not denied at all. Fellay, who is aware that there is a group within the Society that is outspokenly opposed to the agreement (approximately 25% of the Society, including the other three bishops, Williamson, Tissier de Mallerais and Galarreta, though with different positions among themselves), probably wanted to reassure his partners that the canonical setting and the re-entry into full communion will take place according to those two conditions already made public by him in the past few weeks.