DAILY ROME SHOT 950 & Fr. Z’s Kitchen

Posted on 24 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

I heard Patrick Madrid handle the objections of “Billy” from Indiana, a Bible-thumping but Bible-challenged anti-Catholic Protestant convinced of all manner of kooky things about Catholics, who are all going to Hell.   He throws one loopy thing at Patrick after another.   Deftly handled.  The recording is HERE.

It is incredible what this guy thinks.

In chessy news, the players set to play in all the events of the Grand Chess Tour were identified Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Anish, Giri, and Alireza “Puer” Firouzja.  The first event starts on 6 May in Warsaw, Poland.  I didn’t see Magnus in there.

Also, in chessy news… this is pretty cool and it gives older guys some encouragement… five time world chamo Vishy Anand defeated one of the 2024 candidates, the guy who is taking Carlsen’s slot, Nijat Abasov (2641) of Azerbajian.  With that win, Anand returns to the world top 10 in the live ratings. (I have a widget with that on the sidebar of this blog).  The game was part of the German Bundesliga.  HERE

 

Meanwhile, white to move and mate in 4.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

CLICK!

I am now a chess.com affiliate.   So, click and join!   Maybe we can build a fun and active Catholic Chess Club within Chess.com.  Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

Have a Catholic site or concern to build or maintain? ANY business Catholic or not? Make a bee line to… FEDERATED COMPUTER

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It is common to hear: “What’s the alternative!”

More HERE

You can help the wonderful Summit Dominicans by visiting their shop.

I haven’t been doing much cooking.  As a matter of fact, right now I’m down to a single meal a day.  Friday night I dumped some frozen mixed vegetables in to a pot of broth and added some left over chopped salad from one of those pre-washed bags you can often get BOGO at the grocer.  A little parmigiano and – ecco –sort of minstrone.  Sometimes its scrambled eggs or a piece of sausage and kimchi.

However, I did recently have to make a little room in the freezer and decided to use a marinated pork loin.  What to do?

First, I gave it some color with a little sizzle in a dutch oven.

Chop some onion.  And put them into the pan for some color also.

Add chunks of apples and juniper berries and put the loin back in.

Now… sour Kraut.  This is the company that makes the really good kimchi I’ve been eating a lot of.  Time to try it out.

A spash of a dry white wine.  Sauvignon blanc.

Cover and cook for a while.

This would have been a great meal for cold wintery day, though it isn’t particularly cold where I am these days.

My comments on this.  Yum and yum.   There was sweet and sour and tangy and soft and crunchy and savory and the occasional blast from a juniper berry. It hit the spot.

So easy.  I have enough for at least one more meal, probably two, but I think I’ll take the left over over to my mom.  I ask your prayers for her, too.  Thanks.

Finally, I must post this.   Hilarious.

Ceterum censeo Alirezam delendum esse.

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Friday of the 1st Week (after the 1st Sunday) in Lent: Feast of the Holy Lance and Nails

Posted on 23 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Before I forget, this is Ember Friday of Lent, but as the Friday of the 1st Week of Lent it is also the Feast of the Holy Lance (Spear of Longinus) and the Nails.  It was established by Pope Innocent VI (+1362).

The Spear of Longinus is kept at St. Peter’s Basilica and the Nails were in France with the Crown of Thorns but were lost during the Revolution. There are other fragments of the nails.

There are various Feasts concerning the Passion of the Lord found in the appendix of the Roman Missal, “In aliquibus locis” before 1962.   In other words another post-55 loss.

For example, the Feasts of the Prayer of Our Lord in the Garden (Tuesday after Septuagesima), of the Crown of Thorns (Friday after Ash-Wednesday), of the Holy Winding Sheet (Friday of the 2nd Week, of the Five Wounds (Friday of the 3rd Week, and the Precious Blood of Christ (Friday of the 4th Week.).

COLLECT:

Deus, qui in assumptae carnis infirmitate Clavis affigi, et Lancea vulnerari pro mundi salute voluisti: concede propitius; ut, qui eorundem Clavorum, et Lanceae solemnia veneremur in terris, de glorioso victoriae tuae triumpho gratulemur in caelis: Qui vivis et regnas.

O God, who in the weakness of the flesh that was assumed willed to be pierced by nails and wounded by a lance for the salvation of the world, graciously grant we beg,  that we who venerate the feast of the same nails and lance on earth, may rejoice over the glorious triumph of your victory in Heaven.

Posted in Hard-Identity Catholicism, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 |
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DAILY ROME SHOT 949

Posted on 23 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

White to move and mate in 3.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

CLICK!

I am now a chess.com affiliate.   So, click and join!   Maybe we can build a fun and active Catholic Chess Club within Chess.com.  Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

In chessy news, there is a tournament going on at Chess.com wherein pairs of players take each other on as teams.  They can discuss moves.  Of course the other team can’t hear.  Yesterday, my guy Wesley So and IM Alice Lee (14 yrs) soundly defeated GM Peter Leko and GM Pia Cramling 2-0.  It seems that the players are encouraged to trash talk before and after games, but all four yesterday were so nice the trash turned out to be one compliment after another.  Wesley very gently poked a little but also excelled in kindness.  The games, however, were lethal.  So and Lee stomped all over Leko and Cramling, who, it seems to me, were not quite suited to each other or the format. They were reticent, discussed a little too much, and had time problems as a result.  Peter is rather voluble and Pia got a bit steamrollered.

Here is some post game analysis by all four.

YouTube thumbnailYouTube icon

Meanwhile, the monks of Norcia make really good beer! Help them out by enjoying some.

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WDTPRS 22 Feb – Feast of the Cathedra of Peter (2002MR): Antioch or Rome or… Texas?

Posted on 22 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Congratulations to all those who belong to the Ordinariate of the Chair of Peter a fine feast day.

Today is an opportunity to reflect of the will of the Savior about a necessary element for His Church: the Petrine Ministry.

Once upon a time, there were two feasts of Peter’s cathedra, chair, his official role as teacher who strengthens the brethren, etc.

On 18 January we would celebrate Peter’s cathedra in Rome.

On 22 February we would celebrated Peter’s cathedra in Antioch.

Peter went to Antioch, a key city in the East, and there had a disagreement with Paul.  Peter spent about 7 years in Antioch, guiding the church as its bishop, before he pulled up stakes, and… I guess… cathedra… and went to Rome.  He wouldn’t have taken a literal chair, but he did take his office and authority, given to him by Christ.   He had this office and authority before he went to Antioch, while he was at Antioch, when he left Antioch, when he got to Rome and when he died in Rome.

Because the Petrine Ministry is necessary for the Church, Christ made it obviously a “hereditary” office, just as the Davidic stewards enjoyed with the conferral of keys.  After Peter, another man held the Petrine Ministry and so on down to our day.   That would have happened whether Peter had stayed in Jerusalem, stayed in Antioch, or had gone to Luoyang in China of the Han Dynasty.

ASIDE: Based on Peter’s move from Antioch to Rome, there are those who say that there is nothing which absolutely connects being the Successor of Peter with being Bishop of Rome.  He was, after all, The Rock, when he was in Antioch.  He was Vicar of Christ before he went to Antioch.  He was Vicar of Christ when he was between Antioch and Rome.  For all practical purposes Petrine Ministry and office of Bishop of Rome now seem to be fused together.  Most authors think they are inseparable.  But… they weren’t, unless one thinks that Christ gave Peter His authority in view of Peter’s future in Rome.   Possible, but there’s no Biblical evidence for that.  On the surface, it looks like one could be Successor of Peter (who can be anywhere) and someone else Bishop of Rome (who should be in Rome).  The majority of theologians would, today, say that the Petrine Ministry, being Vicar of Christ, and being Bishop of Rome are now inseparable by the fact that Peter died in Rome.  It is not entirely clear to me how his death “sealed the deal”, as it were.

However, were we to consider the implications of Peter being Vicar of Christ before getting either to Antioch or Rome, one supposes that, in time of need, some Successor of Peter could move his see to, say, Texas.

In any event, that’s an interesting thing to reflect on today when we have Antioch and Rome together on one day instead of two.

Let’s see the Novus Ordo prayers for the feast.

COLLECT:

Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus,
ut nullis nos permittas perturbationibus concuti,
quos in apostolicae confessionis petra solidasti.

There is nothing especially difficult about the grammar and vocabulary of this prayer, though it is theologically profound. NB: the solidasti is really solidavisti, a “syncopated” form.

I’m sure some of you can come up with your smooth but accurate versions.

SUPER OBLATA:

Ecclesiae tuae, quaesumus, Domine,
preces et hostias benignus admitte,
ut, beato Petro pastore,
ad aeternam perveniat hereditatem,
quo docente fidei tenet integritatem.

This is harder than the Collect. From the point of view of vocabulary, trying to get the right sense of admitto helps to establish the “mood” of the prayer. Admitto carries the weight of “suffering” or “allowing” something to enter into one’s presence. “Admit” is more eloquent than just “receive”. Admitto immediately lends a sense of God’s highness and our needy lowliness, waiting upon God’s good pleasure. Grammatically, you have to get that quo docente right, or nothing else works. I think the trick here is to avoid taking quo docente as an ablative absolute (which is what beato Petro pastore clearly is) and instead see it as an ablative of “agent”.

SLAVISHLY LITERAL RENDERING

O Lord, we beseech Thee,
kindly suffer to receive the prayers and sacrificial offerings of Thy Church,
so that, blessed Peter being Her shepherd,
and, by whom as he is teaching holds fast to the integritry of the Faith,
She may attain to the eternal inheritance.

POST COMMUNION:

Deus, qui nos,
beati Petri apostoli festivitatem celebrantes,
Christi Corporis et Sanguinis communione vegetasti,
praesta, quaesumus,
ut hoc redemptionis commercium
sit sacramentum nobis unitatis et pacis.

Commercium is a loaded word. It means “exchange”. It has a theological, not a mercantile sense, of course. Bread and wine were chosen by God, from all gifts He gave us, to be transformed into His Body and Blood.

LITERAL TRANSLATION:

O God, who with the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ,
has nourished us celebrating the feast of the blessed Apostle Peter,
grant, we beseech Thee,
that this sacred exchange of redemption
be for us a sacramental sign of unity and peace.

We chose from among those gifts of bread and wine, those concrete gifts which we offered at this particular Mass. They were a symbol of something from to be offered ourselves, to be returned to the one who gave them. God accepted them, and transformed them through His Spirit into the Body and Blood of Christ. Then gave them back to us, so that we, through them might be transformed more and more into what they are. This is an amazing interchange of gifts, God always having logical priority over the giving and the given. Thus, in the process, we are united to God and each other in a marvelous sacred “exchange”.

The current ICEL versions (biretta tip to HE):

Collect
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that no tempests may disturb us,
for you have set us fast
on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith.

Prayer over the Offerings
Accept with favor, O Lord, we pray,
the prayers and offerings of your Church,
that, with Saint Peter as her shepherd,
she may come to an eternal inheritance,
for it is through his teaching
that she holds the faith in its integrity.

Prayer after Communion
O God, who at our celebration
of the feast day of the blessed Apostle Peter
have nourished us by communion in the Body and Blood of Christ,
grant, we pray, that this redeeming exchange
may be for us a Sacrament of unity and peace.

As a bonus… here are a few photos of St. Peter’s shot some years ago on this Feast of the Cathedra of St. Peter.

It is pretty dark in the Basilica, so steady is the name of the game. Here is a shot through the columns over the main altar toward the apse, where you can see the candles arrayed around the magnificent bronze by Bernini.

A closer view.

The bronze Cathedra is decorated with lighted candles only once a year, today.

The black bronze statue of St. Peter attributed to the marvelous Arnulfo di Cambio was always dressed up in his cope and tiara, with a ring on his finger and pectoral Cross on two days, 29 June and today. Then the modernists in the Fabrica started fooling around. Too triumphalistic. They started cutting out elements. But all of them were back the day I shot these except for the griccia alb, which I can live without I guess. I don’t know if it is back this year or not.

And ….

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DAILY ROME SHOT 948

Posted on 22 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

Welcome registrants:
justadeacon
Ianbothy

HEY!
j********.p****@talktalk.net
h.*************@eib.org

My thank you notes were kicked back to me as undeliverable. New email addresses?

Meanwhile, white to move. Interesting.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

CLICK!

I am now a chess.com affiliate.   So, click and join!   Maybe we can build a fun and active Catholic Chess Club within Chess.com.  Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

In chessy news, there is a new tournament at Chess.com wherein pairs of players take each other on.  They can discuss moves so it isn’t “brain and hand”, in which the “brain” player says a name of a piece, like “bishop” without specifying and the “hand” has to figure out the best thing to do with it.  This new form is full discussion between the teammates and the lower rated player makes the moves. Yesterday, Fabiano Caruana and GM Cristian Chirila (they have a podcast together) beat Anish Giri and IM Danny Rensch 2-0. I believe trash talk is encouraged between games. Today, my guy Wesley So with fellow Minnesotan young Alice Lee are up against the dangerous Peter Leko and Pia Cramling. That should be a brawl.

Also, I am back to playing … not so well again. Rather, I play well and then I become stupid. I am starting to wonder if I overthink things.

All this and the MOON LANDING too, today!

The wonderful nuns of Gower Abbey, the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, have a new disc and digital download:

Tenebrae at Ephesus

US HERE – UK HERE

These are the RESPONSORIES of Tenebrae for all three days of the Triduum.  They are, arguably, the most beautiful chants of the entire liturgical year.

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20 Feb – Feast of Sts Francisco and Jacinta of Fatima – We need their intercession now more than ever.

Posted on 20 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Young Jacinta and Francisco, the seers of Fatima were canonized in 2017. They are, I believe, the youngest canonized non-martyr saints on the calendar.

“On the calendar…”.  They aren’t on the traditional Roman calendar. However, perhaps there is a way with Cum sanctissima to celebrate them… if the liturgical day does not outweigh them.

In May 2017 I wrote about the miracle for the canonization of the two young saints.  HERE

We need their intercession NOW more than ever.  Think about the message of Our Lady at Fatima.   Think about where we are in modern society with its trends, trends so massively offensive to God.  Think about how some in the Church, in positions of real influence and power, have caved into those trends and either step aside for the juggernaut or actively join in pushing it forward.

Have an image of the vision the children were shown of souls falling into Hell, the same image which the amazing St. Veronica Giuliani was shown during her brief translation to Hell.

Souls falling into Hell like snow flakes… like rain.

Sts. Jacinta and Francisco, PRAY FOR US.

 

Posted in Saints: Stories & Symbols, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices | Tagged ,
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VIDEO: Here’s a view of Communion time in a German church.

Posted on 20 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Remember… there’s only one expression of the Roman Rite and the Traditional Latin Mass and every person who wants it must be suppressed and marginalized.

With that in mind, here’s a view of Communion time in a German church. The horror! They are using RECORDED music which is strictly VERBOTEN!

Yeah.. maybe it’s not just that the music is recorded.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
18 Comments

Happy Eleutherii Day in Prime Time!

Posted on 19 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

It’s 19 February and time again – indeed prime time – to recall the three Eleutherii.

In the Vetus Ordo office of Prime – straight up cancelled, like a priest, in the Novus Ordo – there are on this date three different saints named Eleutherius mentioned in the anticipated Martyrology reading.

Eleutherius of Constantinople, Bishop and Martyr
Eleutherius of Persia, Bishop and Martyr
Eleutherius of Tounai, Bishop and Confessor

I figured that you have your own celebrations planned.

BTW… I looked in the 2005 Martyrologium Romanum and there is not even one Eleutherius in the index.  Cancelled, like a priest… like a priest in his prime!  They are not in the older MartRom‘s index either.  BUT… there they are!

Forget that.  I must have had a monsignor moment.  In the 2005 MartRom, the three are there, but with different feasts:

Eleutherius, ep. Autissiodoren., 26 August. (s. VI)
Eleutherius, ep. Tornacen., 20 February. (ca. 530)
Eleutherius, m. Nicomediae., 2 October.  (s. III/IV)

I looked in my 1878 MartRom and found 11!

Eleutherius Episc. Constantinopolit. et mart. 20. Februarii
Eleutherius Episcopus Tornacens. 20. Februaiii.
Eleutherius Episcopus Illyrici, et Anthia mart. Messanae sub Hadriano. 18. Aprilis.
Eleutherius Papa et mart. Romae 26. Maji. [With Philip Neri!  I guess I knew that.]
Eleutherius Conf. in Latio. 29. Maji.
Eleutherius mart. Constantinopoli sub Maximiano. 4. Augusti.
Eleutherius et Leonides mart. 8. Augusti.
Eleutherius Episcopus Antisiodoren. 16. Augusti.
Eleutherius Abbas, Romae. 6. Septembris.
Eleutherius miles mart. Nicomediae cum allis innumeris sub Diocletiano. 2. Octobris.
Eleutherius Diaconus mart. Lutetiae, supra cum Dionysio. 9. Octobris.

A comment, below, says there are 6 in the 2001 MartRom.

So… 11 to 6 to 3.

Eleutherii are, in fact, being cancelled and/or moved around.

Also, I see a discrepancy of Eleutherii.  One is “Autissiodoren”, which is “Autissiodorensis” which is the suppressed Diocese of Auxerre.  Another is “Antissiodoren.”  The same, I guess. which is I also found a Altissiodorensis.  Again.

Yes, the Martyrology did need work.

Posted in Lighter fare, Saints: Stories & Symbols | Tagged
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DAILY ROME SHOT 947

Posted on 19 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Please remember me when shopping online and use my affiliate links.  US HERE – UK HERE  WHY?  This helps to pay for health insurance (massively hiked for this new year of surprises), utilities, groceries, etc..  At no extra cost, you provide help for which I am grateful.

Meanwhile, white to move. Interesting.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Interested in learning?  Try THIS.

CLICK!

I am now a chess.com affiliate.   So, click and join!   Maybe we can build a fun and active Catholic Chess Club within Chess.com.  Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

In chessy news… nope. Still nothing.

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From “The Private Diary of Bishop F. Atticus McButterpants” – 24-02-08

Posted on 18 February 2024 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Febuary 8th, 2024

Dear Diary,

Upcoming series of FCMH one each week for the next few weeks. Several hours of boredom punctuated by a few moments of sheer terror. They gave me the reports and the materials ahead of time. It makes your eyes glaze over, but one thing caught my attention: officially we have somewhere around an estimated 200,000 Catholics in the diocese. They tell me that maybe only 15 to 17 percent practice or show up regularly on Sundays. I think it’s more than that, but hey – they are the numbers guys.

Even if it’s more like 20% routinely attending and paying that’s only about 40K who are regulars. And if that’s true, it almost makes the math easy even for me! If we have 40K Catholics in the pews on Sundays diocese wide, and they each throw a dollar in the basket that’s 40K per week, times 52 Sundays and some Holy Days. But that’s only….2 million.  And we cancelled or move Holy Days to Sundays!  Not very helpful.

If they drop in two bucks, that’s only 4 mil.

I remember my old pastor back when they rolled out the $2 bill.  He thought that was going to be the salvation of the church.

Dang. This is really scary. What the heck happened to tyething? Did they throw that out with all the Latin and lace? No wonder I gotta spend a fortune on my development office.

We are also facing another big payout because of a priest that Feel The Byrne brought in years ago from – where? Not one of our guys from India, though that was Byrne’s preference when he was hard up to fill a parish slot (“gotta buy another Indian this year!”). The ‘Oly Ghost Msgr Geist [the Judicial Vicar or JV – editor] is rumored to be showing up for this one. Actually have not seen him face to face since I dunno when.

One of the money guys used the dreaded word “shortfall.” This was so stressful to think about that I called Dozer and basically invited myself over Super Bowl weekend. It’s been darn cold out but Dozer’s got that heated pool he keeps going all year. I just stroll out through the covered patio and do a “short fall” into the pool. Aaaaah.

I hate worrying about money. When I went over to the synagogue for Katie’s wedding last year to that nice Jewish boy, I looked around and that place was sparkling and had all the latest tech. I asked Fr. Tommy at the nosh to find out stuff. He talked to the twinkly old rabbi. Turns out they don’t do a collection. They just figure out how much it costs to keep the whole thing running, divide that up by the number of registered congregation members, and send everyone a bill for their share! Why can’t we do that? Don’t some Protestant churches do that too?

I gotta keep Chester in biscuits! And the shockingly pricey vet.

Gotta be careful with that word, even writing it.  Cuz you can’t say The V Word or Chester will turn into a tamzanian devil Tommy tried saying “the Roman numeral five, first letter for your title in Latin, and what looks like a Cross.” It took me ages to figure what the heck he was talking about.  Then I got it.  Chester figured it out faster than I did.  It didn’t work out that well.

Check with Mrs. Kennedy about the “Super Flumina” prayer group. I’m invited to do an event with them, mostly young people, I think. Sounds “super”! Looking forward to it.  I hope it isn’t this weekend.  Dozer is stocking up.  Check Sr. Randi for minding Chester.  I’ll owe her big time, but I’ve gotta get outa here and Chester and Dozer, well.

Editor’s Note: +F. Atticus’ (“Fatty’s”) loathsome and somewhat deformed dog Chester once bit his friend Bp. Antuninu “Dozer” Rupse of Pie Town in the inside of the thigh, rather high up, requiring a humiliating visit to the ER and the ministrations of thick-forearmed nurse who had a lot of questions.

We are glad to see that mole has returned from the family emergency or whatever it was.  Can’t be too careful right now.  His Excellency is on edge.  Especially with rumors about his neighbor the Archbishop, John “Jack” Daniels.

Posted in Diary of Bp. McButterpants | Tagged
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