Please remember me when CHRISTMAS shopping online. Thanks in advance. US HERE – UK HERE These links take you to a generic “catholic” search in Amazon. Amazon remembers that you used my link and I get the credit. WHY? This helps to pay for insurance (massively hiked for next year), utilities, groceries, all the necessities. You get the items you need and, at no extra cost to you, you provide important help for which I am grateful.
I think you know me well enough to know what I think about this new document which deals with blessings for those engaged in a sin that “cries to Heaven” (cf. Jude 1:7).
More than ever there is greater need and urgency that we make sure our own “houses are in order”. If you don’t already,…
If it takes 5000 words to say:
Blessings can be given to individuals who ask for them with apparent sincerity and right intention.
Blessings cannot be given to couples/”unions” that are not a sacramentally married husband/wife.
Then we have reason to suspect the worst.
— Carl E. Olson (@carleolson) December 18, 2023
The document allows – perhaps encourages – priests to bless a homosexual union saying that they are not treating it like a marriage even though in the eyes of the world they are doing exactly that.
Start the countdown to a case brought against a priest (maybe even within the Church!) because a “couple” was denied a blessing.
The USCCB has released a statement HERE
This is a helpful video…
UPDATE:
A lot of people are pretty upset, and rightly so. However, please be considerate when posting in my combox. To those who do not at all like me, your comments can be weaponized against me. So, please think before posting and leave the rage and name calling out of it.
If not, I’ll have to shut down the comments.
Today is 18 December, the Feast of the Old Testament Prophet St. Malachi.
Since the beginning of December, Holy Mother Church has been imitating the Lord on the Road to Emmaus.
She has been reminding us of all the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah who would also be incarnate God.
She has done this subtly, through feast days, but feasts that are not generally visible to most of us. Holy Mother Church has used her “album of the saints”, the Roman Martyrology, to teach about the Old Testament Prophets.
Sometimes you hear people – even priests, for shame – use the word “liturgy” when they mean “Mass”. “In today’s ‘liturgy’…”, they say.
No. The Mass is the greatest expression of the Church’s liturgy, but it is not all there is. There are also the canonical hours of the divine Office. The Office also makes use of the liturgical book called the Roman Martyrology.
Paging through the 2005 Martyrology, we find that many Old Testament figures are counted as saints.
If the general calendar of the Church permits, it would even be possible to celebrate them for Mass!
Today, for example, St. Malachi who pointed to the forerunner of Christ, St. John the Baptist who heralded the coming of the Lord. Christ quotes Malachi on this in Matthew 11.
In a few days we have the Winter Solstice and the Feast of St. Micah. Micah said (5:2)
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
About those Old Testament prophets…
Keep in mind that in earlier days, Advent was longer than it is now, from Martinmas. Prophets start popping up in the calendar in the 2005 Martyrology.
19 Nov – Abdia or Obediah. (RomMart 2005, p. 632)
1 Dec – Nahum (p. 652)
2 Dec – Habakkuk (p. 654)
3 Dec – Sophonius or Zephaniah (p. 655)
16 Dec – Haggai (p. 674) and some sources David (others have David on 29 Dec)
18 Dec – Malachi (p. 677)
21 Dec – Micah (p. 680)
24 Dec – “Commemoratio omnium sanctorum avorum Iesu Christi, filii, David, filii Abraham, filii Adam…” (p. 684) Commemoration of all the holy “ancestors” (lit. grandfathers) of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham, son of Adam
Just a little public service announcement.
FYI… other prophets
1 May – Jeremiah (p. 263)
9 May – Isaiah (p. 277)
15 June – Amos (p. 338)
20 July – Elijah (p. 401)
21 July – Daniel (1878 MartRom)
23 July – Ezekiel (p. 408)
4 Sept – Moses (1878 MartRom)
6 Sept – Zachariah (1878 MartRom)
21 Sept – Jonah (p. 528)
17 Oct – Hosea (p. 575)
19 Oct – Joel (p. 579)
It was the 3rdd Sunday of Advent.
Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Sunday Mass of obligation?
Share the good stuff. Quite a few people are forced to sit through really bad preaching. Even though you can usually find – if you are willing to try – at least one good point in a really bad sermon, that can be a trial. So… SHARE THE GOOD STUFF which you were fortunate enough to receive!
Tell about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass. I hear that it is growing. Of COURSE.
Any local changes or (hopefully good) news? We really need good news.
I have some thoughts posted at One Peter Five.
We have deep holes in which darknesses are harbored, memories which need purification and healing. We have artificial constructs of pride about ourselves, which might manifest in presumption, haughtiness, or false humility. Christ is going to raise those holes and press down those mountains whether we have tried in advance to do so. He offers us the help of actual graces and the sacraments and the examples of saints in the Church. But it is going to happen. One day.
Here’s a poll. Anyone can vote. Only registered and approved participants can comment, and I hope you do. The SHADE of rose would be interesting to know.
The O Antiphons: 18 December – O Adonai
LATIN: O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.
ENGLISH: O Lord and Ruler the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and redeem us with outstretched arms.
Scripture References:
Exodus 3
Micah 5:2
Matthew 2:6
Relevant verse of Veni, Veni Emmanuel:
O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty, and awe.
“Adonai” is “LORD.” It was the Hebrew word that the Jews used when they found the four-lettered word for God’s name which they held to be too sacred to pronounce aloud. The four letter word for God’s Name, the Tetragrammaton, is still venerated by us to the point that Holy Church asks us not to use it in liturgical song.
Christ is Lord, Lord of Creation. We sang this yesterday in the antiphon “O Sapientia“. Christ is also Lord of the Covenant with the People He chose.
The Lord made covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses. He guided them and all the People. He gave them Law. He protected and feed them. The Lord delivered them from bondage to Pharaoh and unending slavery. He went before them with arm outstretched.
This was all a pre-figuring of the great work of redemption that Christ would work on the Cross. He redeemed us His People from Satan and the eternal damnation of hell.
He once appeared clothed in the burning bush that was not consumed by fire.
He is about to appear again clothed in flesh in our liturgical celebration of Christmas.
He will appear again one day in the future to judge the living and the dead.
He appears to us each day in the person of our neighbor.
What amazing contrasts we find in our Lord! He came in thunder and lightening to give the Law on Mt. Sinai. He comes now in swaddling clothes. He will come again in glory. He comes humbly in the appearance of Bread and Wine.
He still goes before us with outstretched arm and our foes are put to flight at the sight of His banner!
Shall we hear the Benedictines of Le Barroux sing the O Antiphon and Magnificat?
On December 17th we enter into that final stretch of our Advent preparation. In the Church’s solemn prayer of the hours, at Vespers, the great “O Antiphons” are sung. Today we have the first.
Years ago, I made a little webpage for the O Antiphons. It might be useful.
By way of introduction, here are a few points every Catholic should know.
First, the song Veni, veni Emmanuel is a musical presentation of the themes of the O Antiphons.
Second, the first letters of the “addressee” of the Antiphon, arranged backward spell out “Ero cras… I will be (there) tomorrow”. So, there is a clever “count-down” in the antiphons.
Third, each of the “O Antiphons” carries Old Testament biblical figures. At the same time each one carries an element of the New Covenant. These two characteristics are juxtaposed and a third dimension emerges which serves as a point of meditation when considering the Incarnate Word, the Son of God made flesh.
Today’s O Antiphon is O Sapientia.
LATIN: O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodidisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviter disponensque omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
ENGLISH: O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come, and teach us the way of prudence.
Scripture References:
Proverbs 1:20; 8; 9
I Corinthians 1:30
Relevant verse of Veni, Veni Emmanuel:
O come, O Wisdom from on high,
who orders all things mightily,
to us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
In today’s “O Antiphon” – “O Sapientia” – we are drawn into the Old Testament’s wisdom literature. Wisdom is a divine attribute. The divine Wisdom is personified. Wisdom is the beloved daughter who was before Creation, Wisdom is the breath of God’s power, Wisdom is the shining of God’s (transforming) glory. (See Sirach 24:3 and Wisdom 8:1.)
Wisdom is also something which we deeply desire. It is also a human attribute, not just a divine attribute, though authentic human wisdom is never separated from a relationship with God. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, as we learn from the psalms as well as the school of personal hard-knocks. From this convergence of awesome respect for God with the experience of learning through life’s mysterious calendar, we understand (if we are wise) that wisdom is more than mere knowledge. It is something more than love. It is something more than just a special astuteness regarding how to get along in life, a certain kind of savior faire. Rooted as it is in fear of the Lord, true human wisdom is both love and that knowledge of God that seeks to understand, the knowledge that is completed by faith.
The Prologue of John’s Gospel refers to the “Verbum caro factum...the Word made flesh”. He is the divine Logos… the eternal thought/word/reason. Through Him all things were made. Without Him nothing can be. So, the New Testament image in the Prologue of John brings to completion the imagery of Wisdom. He, the Word, is the archetype of the material universe. All things are ordered in and to Him.
Our lives, to be happy, need order. Our individual private lives and our collective lives in larger society must have structure and order. They must be disposed in such a way that the real and genuine good of all is fostered and promoted. Thus, in human governance we struggle to find the proper balance of exercise of power (without which governance and order is not possible) and gentle concern for the individual and community (without which there is mere imposition and tyranny and exploitation for some end material or ideological). Wisdom permits the balance of these.
This first “O Antiphon” shows us the Creator of all that is invisible and visible, the whole of spiritual and material creation. Creation is moving according to an eternally disposed plan of divine Providence toward an inexorable end: that God may be all in all. In this end the blessed elect will participate. We have had the way opened for us toward this end by the Word (divine) made flesh (human). Our humanity now sits in transformed glory at the right hand of the Father in an indestructible bond with the Son’s divinity. The risen Christ is the new Adam…the new Creation. With unspeakable sweetness He orders our salvation. With irresistible power all things exist and move according to His will. Our lives have meaning only in Him, according to His guidance, who handles us “suaviter et fortiter“.
Our Old Testament and New Testament figures and images merge into a new point of reflection for our lives which today’s “O Antiphon” underscores as “prudence” – “Come…Teach us the way of prudence!”
“Prudence” comes from the Latin “to see/look ahead”. It is one of the four “cardinal” virtues, the one upon which the other virtues depend. Prudence is a habit of the intellect that allows us to see in any circumstance what is virtuous and what is not. Prudence helps us to seek what is virtuous and avoid what is not. Prudence perfects the intellect (rather than the will) in practical decisions. It determines which course of action must be taken. It indicates what the golden mean is hic et nunc…here and now. This mean is at the core of every virtue. Without the virtue of prudence courage becomes foolhardiness… rushing in to the wrong danger in the wrong way at the wrong time. Without the governing of prudence mercy devolves into slackness and enervated weakness, spinelessness.
But this is still a kind of prudence which is merely human prudence, not looking beyond the issues of daily life. We must also look beyond this vale of tears. In addition to the prudence which grows out of the school of hard-knocks and which becomes a sound and good habit through repeated acts, there is another prudence, an “infused” prudence. This kind of prudence is a grace given us by God out of His merciful love. This greater prudence, which governs other grace-filled virtues, cannot be separated from the life of grace. It is exercised in the state of grace. Mortal sin is its enemy. This higher kind of prudence helps us to determine the proper things that help us to salvation. It helps us to avoid things that slam the door that Christ opened (mortal sin). Thus, prudence cannot be separated from charity, which is in the soul as a characteristic of sanctifying (habitual) grace.
Today in the opening “O Antiphon” we sing to Emmanuel who is coming. We plead with Him, for He orders all things “sweetly and strongly.” He teaches us how to avoid things that harm us, both in material concerns and in our pursuit of the happiness of heaven. He teaches us true prudence.
Take stock: is there something going on in my life that needs to be examined in prudence? Am I doing something which is going to be an obstacle to the happiness of heaven? Christ is coming, both at Christmas as the infant King and the end of the world as the Judge and King of fearful majesty. This is a cause to rejoice. But it is also cause to prepare prudently and well the way of the Lord and make straight His paths before He comes, as we heard about on “Gaudete” (“Rejoice!) Sunday of Advent.
Listen to the monks at Le Barroux sing this antiphon and the Magnificat with which it is inextricably bound:
Please remember me when CHRISTMAS shopping online. Thanks in advance. US HERE – UK HERE These links take you to a generic “catholic” search in Amazon. Amazon remembers that you used my link and I get the credit. WHY? This helps to pay for insurance (massively hiked for next year), utilities, groceries, all the necessities. You get the items you need and, at no extra cost to you, you provide important help for which I am grateful.
Another shot from the beautiful presepio at Ss. Trinità.
Spectacular.
Speaking of spectacular, yesterday Magnus defeated my guy Wesley So to take 1st in the tournament in Toronto. Oh well. However, there was a game that blew my socks off. Wesley got into real trouble. Then he unleashed his inner Kraken at the end and took down an angry and frustrated Magnus. The short video starts a little slow, but – wow – does it pick up, players blitzing their moves at the end with scant seconds on their clocks.
Meanwhile, I had a complaint from a couple readers that I wasn’t posting about food. There’s a good reason for that: I haven’t had anything interesting for a long time. Lot’s of soup. I haven’t been very ambitious. However, the other day I got a grocery store rotisserie chicken – several meals from one of those and then soup – and decided to have stove-top dressing/stuffing with it. I wound up with left over dressing. Yesterday evening I had a craving for a cheeseburger, but I had no bread or buns and I didn’t want to go out to get anything. Adapt – Improvise – Overcome. I used the left-over stuffing as the basis of a “patty melt”.
Really good pickles from a company in Brooklyn, Grillo, not to be confused with the malevolent liturgist.
Building it up with Pommery mustard (which I’ve put back on my wishlist).
And voilà the final product. Munster. Cherry tomatoes. Pepperjack or Havarti dill could have been good with this. I used what I had.
Savory and satisfying.
Let’s have a poll… anyone can vote, but only registered and approved participants can comment.
Meanwhile, white to play and gain material and winning position.
1. Nd4 Nxb3+ 2. Qxb3 Rxb3 3. Bxe7
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.
Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE
FSSP seminarians singing Christmas carols. Nice! Remember the “Soap Sisters” of Summit for gifts.
By FSSP seminarians
Previous… HERE. I guess there is something in the air these days about the Sacrament of Penance.
December 13th 2023
Dear Diary,
I am pissed off at Fr. Tommy. I’m pissed at Vice. I’m pissed at the ST rector.* I’m pissed at myself. After the kertussle over that lying couple and the whole marriage blessing at the communal recon service thing – thank God that’s over – I told Vice to restore for use those old fashioned confessionals at ST cathedral. BEFORE ADVENT. I told Vice to get it done. I told the rector. Why O why did I DO THAT? Sure, Fr. Tommy said that if we had been using, how did he put it? “real” confessionals that couple could never have pulled off that scam. And so I spouted off, get em fixed up before Advent. Now Advent is here. Heck its half over and every day for a about a month Fr. Tommy has been dropping the word “confessional” into some remark at least once a day. He had reminded me about it a couple times during the year but we laughed and I forget about it. Or I did. But today… o he really got under my skin with these stupid puns… he said, “Sorry, Your Excellency” – he knows I don’t like that it’s just bishop or something like that – “I guess reminding you about what you commanded really grates on you.” GRATES. Even I got it. Like in those old confessionals!!! I heard Mrs. Kennedy giggle in the outer office Later in the day when I was telling Sr. Randi some notes for a letter, she cocked her head and listened just like priests use to do! And she said in a calm voice, “Can you remember anything else?” They’re all in on it I swear! I’ve gotta get on the horn and get this damn thing done. How hard can it be? HARD! McSwiney’s gonna softly drag his feet. It’s Christmas and I want to be happy and have everyone not nagging me about this. I mean, sure, they’re happy too, but are they also happy because they know they’re getting my dandruff up. They’re all against me on this I know it. Right after Fr. Tommy made the grate crack I noticed Chester in the corner who was ripping up one of the carpet squares and got revenge by telling him to take him for a walk which he cheerfully jumped up to do. He whistled a here boy. Chester looked back and forth between us a few times and happily trotted over to Tommy. I could’ve shot him the traitor but then I’d have to go to confession in one of those damn boxes. Dozer is going to have a fit. Jude will just grin and that’ll be worse. I hit the xmas cookies pretty hard this evening. And EGG NOG! I love Christmas. I just want this confessional thing back in the BOX. HA! I crack myself up.
*Libville’s “Spirit and Truth” Cathedral is really St. Telesphorus. They didn’t want Telesphorus after he was removed from the calendar in 1970 so they called it “Spirit and Truth” because Fatty’s predecessor wanted the cathedral rectory’s engraved silverware and place settings to have the same initials, ST for Saint Telephrous. The rector at S and T is Msgr. Seamus Patrick McSwiney (aka “The Irish Setter”), still there from Fatty’s predecessor. His overarching strategy in pastoral life is to do as much nothing as possible.
Please remember me when CHRISTMAS shopping online. Thanks in advance. US HERE – UK HERE These links take you to a generic “catholic” search in Amazon. Amazon remembers that you used my link and I get the credit. WHY? This helps to pay for insurance (massively hiked for next year), utilities, groceries, all the necessities. You get the items you need and, at no extra cost to you, you provide important help for which I am grateful.
You got used to my Roman street shots in my neighborhood in Rome. From the wonderful presepio of Ss. Trinità dei Pellegrini.
OPPORTUNITY
10% off with code:
FATHERZ10
Yesterday, Magnus went ahead in the first set (sort of like tennis) in the Final of the Chess Champions match in Toronto. Wesley has to come back today! $200,000 to the winner and $100,000 for second. At least Magnus remembered what a comb is.
The traditional monks of Le Barroux make wine from the revived ancient vineyards of the Avignon Popes. I’ve had most of their selection and it is quite good. Right now they want to sell more wine because they need a new tractor. The one they have, they say, is good but it is getting dangerous to use. Video below. Buy a whole bunch of wine. Give some to your priests. With my code, 10% off. FATHERZ10
Meanwhile, white to move and mate in two. How long will it take you?
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.
Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE
Today is the Octave of the Immaculate Conception. As a BONUS Rome Shot, this is from The Great Roman™. Note that the crescent Moon and Venus, separated by that wonderful Roman column are under the Virgin’s feet. “Ipsa conteret!”
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
A Daily Prayer for Priests
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