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{]:¬)

WDTPRS – 3rd Sunday of Easter (Novus Ordo): honey sweet summons

Posted on 22 April 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This Sunday, in the Novus Ordo calendar, is called the 3rd Sunday of Easter. Let’s have a look at the Collect.

This Sunday’s Collect, it seems to me, reflects a conscious attempt on the part of Holy Church to remind us of the Easter Vigil. As a matter of fact, let’s see if I can give you a new way to look at that Paschal candle which burns in the sanctuary during Mass in this Easter season.

The prayer has antecedents in both the Veronese and Gelasian sacramentaries, though it is not in pre-Conciliar editions of the Missale Romanum.

Semper exsultet populus tuus, Deus, renovata animae iuventute, ut, qui nunc laetatur in adoptionis se gloriam restitutum, resurrectionis diem spe certae gratulationis exspectet.

Vocabulary similar to our Collect is found in the works of St Ambrose (+397), such as his Exposition of Psalm 118 and his De mysteriis, a post-Easter explanation of the sacred, liturgical mysteries to the newly baptized. For example, “… adulescens vel certe renovatus aquilae iuventute per baptismatis sacramenta…” (ex. Ps. cxviii, 18, 26).

Adoptio is, of course, “adoption” in the sense of “to take as one’s child.” We find the phrase “adoptionem filiorum Dei … adoption of the sons of God” in the Latin Vulgate (cf Romans 8:23, Gal 4:5, Eph 1:5).

The words exsultet and adoptio bring our mind’s ear and eye to the Vigil of Easter, the deacon’s great moment to shine as he sings the Praeconium Paschale or Exsultet before the Paschal candle as the people hold their candles. The Vigil is when many new Christians are by baptism made the Father’s sons and daughters through a spiritual adoption.

The Exsultet was composed perhaps as early as the fifth century. Parts may go back to St Ambrose. In this great proclamation there are many images of light and darkness. One image concerns the fiery light of candles: beeswax nourishes the divided and yet undiminished flame. Pope Benedict in his sermon for the Easter Vigil of 2010 remarked that

“the cooperation of the living community of believers in the Church in some way resembles the activity of bees. It builds up the community of light. So the candle serves as a summons to us to become involved in the community of the Church, whose raison d’être is to let the light of Christ shine upon the world.”

VERY COOL POINT: Another meaning of adoptio in classical Latin is the “admission of a bee into a new hive.”

Look at what we lose when we lose our Latin.

What a marvelous way to think of sincere and observant Catholic Christians!

May all our works and words reflect the cooperation of God’s grace and love of neighbor!

May we be bright like kindled candles, honey sweet!

Some of you may be thinking, “But Father! But Father! This is over the top. You’ve gone too far this time in making those connections. All this… ancient stuff is not relevant to us. As a matter of fact, that was a time of PATRIARCHY, which is bad! “FATHERS” of the Church. Get it? You posts are triggering me! And I even called you “Father”! See what you’ve done? Your are an angry and hate-filled micro-aggressor and YOU HATE VATICAN II!”

Our prayers flow down to us from an ocean of ancient culture, pagan and Christian. Dare I say it flows down to us like honey from the comb?

Our vocabulary retains overtones of the Roman military, of agriculture, philosophy and religion. In previous centuries, people not yet gifted with glowing screens and text messaging more easily heard connections between fleeting phrases. They needed as a hook only a few words of a psalm, or even a single unusual word to evoke a massive interior meaning. For them, certain words and phrases were like the TARDIS: bigger on the inside. In the Gospels, Our Lord constantly alludes to psalms and the prophets. His (often hostile) listeners caught these allusions immediately. People of seemingly simpler oral/aural cultures are better at this than we O so technologically sophisticated denizens of the West. Our memories and attention spans are shrinking with each apparent advance.

But I digress. What was I talking about, again?

SLAVISHLY LITERAL ATTEMPT:

O God, let your people rejoice always, the youth of spirit having been renewed, so that they (the people) who rejoice now that they have been restored in the glory of spiritual adoption, may in the hope of true thanksgiving await the day of the resurrection.

OBSOLETE ICEL (1973):

God our Father, may we look forward with hope to our resurrection, for you have made us your sons and daughters, and restored the joy of our youth.

CURRENT ICEL (2011):

May your people exult for ever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection.

Posted in EASTER, WDTPRS | Tagged honey
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ROME 23/04 – Day 21: Happy Birthday, Rome!

Posted on 21 April 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today: Sunrise 0619 – Sunset 1959 – Ave Maria 2015

Today is the 2776the Birthday of Rome

Alme Sol, curru nitido diem qui
promis et celas aliusque et idem
nasceris, possis nihil urbe Roma
visere maius.

Q. Horatius Flaccus
Carmen Saeculare

Photo from The Great Roman™

Welcome new registrant:

Firefly

The other day I was in Sant’Agostino. One of you readers asked if I would on 19 April go to San Pietro to pray for a young family man who has Parkinson’s. I don’t go to San Pietro these days if I can help it. So, I went to the tomb of a great favorite of mine, St. Monica, or in another spelling with 2-Ns, Monnica, the mother of St. Augustine and there prayed for the petitioner’s afflicted husband. A great saint who understands the need for diligent and confident prayer of petition.

During my visit to the church I also stopped for a moment to admire the funerary monument of the scholar who figured out the dating of the founding of Rome, the dates we often see with the abbreviation A.U.C. (Ab Urbe Condita). As you know that condita comes from condo, condere, cOnditum and not condio, condire, condItum. If not, we would be saying “From the (year) the City was pickled” rather than “From the (year) the City was founded”. We get “condiments” from the later. In Latin it is good to get the accents right, as in the Vespers hymn Conditor alme siderum, just to throw another “alme” in today for spice.

The tomb of Onofrio Panvinio (1529 Verona – 1568 Palermo). Admire his stony countenance captured in cold marble, and say a prayer for the repose of his soul.

Onofrio was an Augustinian and great scholar. He is the author of such page turners as the 1557 work Fasti et triumphi Rom. a Romulo rege vsque ad Carolum V. Caes. Aug.:Sive epitome regum, consulum, dictatorum, magistror. equitum, tribunorum militum consulari potestate, censorum, impp. & aliorum magistratuum Roman. cum orientalium tum occidentalium, ex antiquitatum monumentis maxima cum fide ac diligentia desumpta. A ripping yarn!

Here is his monument inscription. Go ahead and take a crack at it!

D.O.M.
F. ONVPHRIO PANVINIO VERONENSI
EREMITÆ AVGVSTINIANO
VIRO AD OMNES ET ROMANAS
ET ECCLESIASTICAS ANTIQVITATES
E TENEBRIS ERVENDAS NATO
QVI ALEXANDR FARN. CARD. VICECAN.
IN SICILIAM PROSEQVVTUS ALIENISSIMO
ET SIBI ET HISTORIÆ TEMPORE
PANORMI OBIIT XVIII KAL. APR. MDLXVIII
PRÆCLARIS MVLTIS ET PERFECTIS
ET INCHOATIS INDVSTRIÆ SVÆ
MONVMENTIS RELICTIS VIX. ANN. XXXIX.
AMICI HONORIS CAVSSA POSVERUNT.

I like that 2-S caussa.

Right click for a larger image.

Another gift to humanity is found in this church. Caravaggio’s magnificent painting of La Madonna di Loreto.

This in the Chapel of the Cavalletti Family, just inside the left door of the church. Ermete Cavalletti was a member of the Archconfraternity founded by St. Philp Neri at Ss. Trinità dei Pellegrini! Ermete died before Caravaggio painted this. It is probable that his widow and a couple of patrons of Caravaggio, who also belonged to Archconfraternity, commissioned it.

A masterpiece of “tenebrism” with unidealized confrontational figures right up against the viewed plane of the canvass.

It was a controversial painting in its day. When it was revealed the “popolani”, your basic Joe Bagodonuts, were pretty excited about it. Descriptions of the time say, “ne fu fatto un estremo schiamazzo… there was a real fracas”. It could partly be explain because some thought the model for the Blessed Mother was an not-unknown “call girl”. Whether … that, or an honest girl or Cavaraggio’s main “date” at the time, her name seems to have been “Lena” and she was also the model for Mary in the Madonna dei Palafrenieri in the Borghese collection in which Christ uses her foot to crush the head of a snake. Mighty powerful stuff. Some of the art experts and commentators of the time were outraged that there should be unidealized, strongly naturalistic figure, replete with wrinkles and dirt and tattered clothes. In fact, as one scholar of the painting I’ve read reveals, the model was an ancient sculpture known as the Tusnelda, which also helps to explain Mary’s ivory complexion… she who the Litany of Loreto names as “Tower of Ivory.” Her hands, holding the Child, are based on the hands of the ancient Venus pudica statues which calls to mind the overlapping concepts of both fertility and virginity. She is in a doorway, because if Christ is the primary door, she is the doorway to the doorway to heaven. Another Litany title for Mary is Ianua caeli… Gate of Heaven.

In fact, the man who paid for the chapel, the aforementioned Ermeto Cavalletti, in 1602 organized a walking pilgrimage for members of the Archconfraternity to Loreto, such was their devotion. IIt is not a coincidence that the two pilgrims are male and female, since the Archconfraternity had both male and female members as they do even today. The pilgrims are not incidental in any way, since it was the work of the Archconfraternity to take care of pilgrims: Thus… Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims.

That said, the painting is a visual rhapsody on humility. There is the upper level, of divine humility, incarnate, wrapped in the white cloth that foretells His funeral shroud, and the lower level of human humility with those all important dirty pilgrim feet that draw the eye and heart.

From what I have read, there was in Rome at the time a great deal of concern for and about “the poor”, since there was widespread, serious poverty exacerbated by floods of pilgrims. The Augustinians and many confraternities were heavily involved. This painting reflects a major concern of the time. Even spiritual greats like St. Robert Bellarmine explored the contrast of the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor and their places in society. Caravaggio’s painting of common people reflect those categories, in a sense. Compare his treatment of the “cardsharps” with the Loreto pilgrims.

But I digress.

Yesterday, in Game 8 Ding Liren was dealing Ian Nepomniachtchi a herculean beat-down but, collapsing under the psychological pressure of the moment, snatched a draw from the jaws of victory. It was hard to watch. Once again Ding got into serious time trouble and, again, seemed to freeze up as the clock ticked to FOUR seconds before he moved and made the time increment. Ian was cool and slowly crawled out of the grave as Ding made one inaccuracy after another. The video is bookmarked to the tense time moment.

Chess, my friends. Give this gift to yourselves and your children. Wherever chess boards break out, people stop looking at their phones and gather around to talk (or not, depending on the milieu) and watch. You don’t need electricity!

I ask prayers for my Roman Pied-à-terre. St. Joseph! St. Filipo!

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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From “The Private Diary of Bishop F. Atticus McButterpants” – 23-04-20 – Future financial trouble

Posted on 20 April 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

April 20th, 2023

Dear Diary,

Someone from some subcommittee or other of the USCCB came and gave a presentation. It was supposed to be for me, the priest council, and the clergy who are on my finance council. One of the guys on my finance council is a deacon, Jack – former CFO of some huge corporation. He has a massive estate over Spring Lake, with the private island. Fr. Tommy said I should have let him sit in, but the guy from the USCCB said they meant only priests, not lay deacons. The presentation started out decent. All the good things we’re doing here and I was smiling pretty broadly. Then it went sideways. He got into a whole thing on numbers and statistics, which always make my eyes glaze over. The bottom line was pretty scary. He said that our numbers are shrinking, particularly what he called our “donor class” those wealthy old folks who blindly give money to the Church. He said the younger rich are both less religious and are demanding transparency. He said we’re not really good at that. I objected that I tell Dcn Jack – well, he tells me – to put out a statement every year! It’s like I hadn’t said anything. Instead, he said we need to do a major push now to get as much as we can from those old folks before they pass away, in order to “secure our ministerial future.” Makes sense.

After a break with huge submarine sandwiches from Jenny’s Deli, we talked about names for this fund drive. Billy, in a bad mood, suggested we call it “Shearing the Sheep Before Bad Weather Sets in,” but Fr Tommy said that we might as well shorten it to “Fleecing the Flock.” The conference flunky said it should be some scripture phrase and it should be positive and forward-looking, happy sounding. Rich suggested seriously “Turn These Stones into Bread” symbolizing how people’s money could be turned into something useful, but then Tommy – always a snappy comment – pointed out who said that in the Gospel. We agreed that that might be distracting. We settled on, “A Future Full of Hope,” which came from Marv. The flunky then contacted a corporation other bishops use that’s good at this sort of thing. We agreed to their usual 30% contract. Once the design committee comes up with the catchy logo and materials, video ideas, we’ll roll it out this Fall. Another problem solved!

After the meeting, a bunch of us went out to that steakhouse down by the river. Their chateaubriand is to die for. Twelve of us there, too. Billy mumbled “Last Supper!” But things won’t get that bad. No matter what we’ll still be able to go out.

Posted in Diary of Bp. McButterpants, SESSIUNCULA | Tagged Bp. Fatty McButterpants
21 Comments

Anglicans given the altar of St John Lateran for their thingie. Hijinxs ensues.

Posted on 20 April 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The other day a wretchedly scandalous thing took place in the Lateran Basilica. A group of English Anglicans had their liturgy, like a Mass but of course invalid because they don’t have valid orders, at an altar in the apse of Rome’s cathedral, St. John Lateran. They were led by an Anglican “bishop” who is a highly elevated Mason, divorced and then civilly remarried.

While it seems that this is the perfect scenario for some of the things suggested in the synodal (“walking together”) process over the last 10 years, it seems that their use of the Lateran was just simple matter of screwed up comms.

The Lateran released this:

Rome, 20 April 2023
STATEMENT
The Lateran Chapter, in the person of His Excellency Bishop Guerino Di Tora, Chapter Vicar, expresses deep regret for what happened last Tuesday, 18 April, inside the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. In fact, a group of about 50 clergymen, accompanied by their bishop, all belonging to the Anglican communion, celebrated on the high altar of Rome’s cathedral, in contravention of canonical norms. Monsignor Di Tora also explained that the unfortunate episode was caused by a breakdown in communication,
His Excellency, Bishop Guerino Di Tora Vicar of the Archpriest of the Lateran Basilica

In sum:

“What we have here is a failure to communicate!”

One does not want to ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity. So, there is a probability that the no-doubt ultra-competent folks at the Lateran had no idea that these were not, in fact, just regular Catholic Brits in Rome for a Thing. Italians get a little star-struck by Brits for some reason I can’t fathom. “You lika da altare big? We givea you da altare!”

Of course had some group wanting to use the ROMAN RITE in the Basilica had come along they might not have been met with such a cordial welcome.

I can’t tell from the photos of the event if there were female “priestesses” or “deaconettes” among the Anglicans. That might have been a clue to the certainly ultra-observant folks at the Lateran. Or maybe not, given how things are going in that ecclesial community… roles tend to merge and verge, etc., and there are old women of both sexes even in the Catholic Church. Particularly. Widespread toxic masculinity is not really an Anglican thing right now, I believe.

Benedict XVI, the Pope of Christian Unity, didn’t have this sort of thing in mind when he set up the Ordinariates through Anglicanorum coetibus.

I suppose the German Lutherans will now show up and they will be taken for members of the ongoing SynodalWeg (“zusammen gehen”) and they will be allowed to use the Lateran’s central, papal altar. Note of sincere regrets to follow.

Meanwhile, Eccles has this report….

Vicar of St John Lateran apologises for Aztec Service

The vicar of the Basilica of St John Lateran, Rome, has expressed his “profound regret” that an Aztec service of human sacrifice was celebrated on the main altar on Tuesday, contrary to church law.

A Novus Ordo Aztec Sacrifice.

The service, conducted by Bishop Bakerhuatl and his colleague the beautiful Bishop Mullalotl, used the standard “Novus Ordo” Aztec liturgy out of consideration of Catholic sensibilities. Said Cardinal Roche on hearing of the event, “Well, at least it wasn’t an Extraordinary Form Sacrifice conducted in Latin!”

Church Law is very strict about which religions can use the Basilica of St John Lateran. For example, Anglican ceremonies would also be forbidden; this is because the Anglicans already use many churches that were built by Catholics for Catholics, and they have to be watched carefully in case they try to appropriate some more.

“Do you think they’ll notice if we change the locks on this church as well?”

The vicar explained that the Aztec service was permitted on account of a “miscommunication”. That is, Bishop Bakerhuatl made a friendly phone call asking how St John Lateran was coping with the latest dictates from Arthur Roche and was told “We must all make sacrifices these days”.

He naturally understood this as an instruction to go ahead.

Staff from Guinness World Records are rushing to Rome to confirm that an apology has actually taken place. “If so, it will be the first apology we’ve received from the Vatican since 2013,” explained one staff member.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged Anglicanorum coetibus
23 Comments

ROME 23/04 – Day 20: Mysteria and wysteria

Posted on 20 April 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

In Roma in this 110th day of the year, the sunset will be at 1958, having risen at 0621.

The Ave Maria ought to chime, but in the place most worthy of its sounding it won’t, at 2015.

Welcome new registrant:

Paul Schoppe

Today is the anniversary of the death of Msgr. Richard J. Schuler, olim pastor of St. Agnes in St. Paul MN, to whom so many owe so much. His legacy is still being lived and the fruits of his labors are still being harvested. Very much missed.

Yesterday evening I met friends for preprandials.

Which drink is mine, in this moment before taking possession of the new book in English from Card. Muller?

Later, off to supper. This is a good season for vignarola.

My dining companion was looking forward to MEAT, so MEAT was meet and met.

A great evening and long conversation. I’m grateful for his friendship and all he is doing for priests.

A nice corner. It’s like a scene from a murder mystery…

It’s the 18th century and a body has been deposited under a “no dumping… mondazzaro” sign. Immediately a note was sent to alert the Most Reverend Most Illustrious Monsignor President of the Streets about this obviously strangled corpse. News arrived as he was dining with a visitor, Msgr. Domenico Ponziani, Vicar General of Modena and a world famous chess player. Returning to the dining salon, the President declares, “Monsignore Domenico, I may have something that will interest you.” Circling the table, he extends his bony hand, the large episcopal ring catching the candles. With a flourish, L’Illustrissimo places an object on his guest’s now empty plate: an elegantly carved ivory chess piece… a bishop, crusted with dried blood. “Monsignor Crepaldi is dead. This was in his hand.” “How dreadful, Monsignore!” “Curious, though, Domenico. There wasn’t a cut on his body. This is not his own blood!”

The Roman streets are filled with mysteries.

About the book I was holding up. This is the English version of a work by Gerhard Ludwig Card. Müller.

US HERE and UK HERE

True and False Reform: What It Means to Be Catholic

I noted with interest two things while sitting at the table with those drinks, which were a variant of a Manhattan, though somewhat more aromatic. I was told that it had been blended and stored for two months and yesterday was its first appearance.

The Cocktail Culture has hit Rome.

But I digress.

The first thing I noticed is that the 2021 German title was: Was ist katholisch. The title suggests to me that Germany is so far gone that that simple title is necessary.

The second thing I noticed is the page with some introductory quotes. The final one, really caught my eye as a sharp opening blast. The very mention of the late Card. Hosius is enough, but his epitaph is a thunderclap.

During my last Roman Sojourn I wrote about Stanislaus Hosius (1505-1579). Just as F. Atticus McButterpants has heraldic pants on his coat of arms, Hosius has hose. Hosius was Major Penitentiary and Card. Priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere.. His funerary monument is to the right of the sanctuary Polish… actually Prussian. He was a fierce opponent of the Protestant Revolt.

The epitaph itself:

I am writing these things about those who are seducing you:

Whoever is out of harmony with the Roman Church in the doctrine of the Faith is not Catholic.

So, Müller has planted his flag. More on this in the days to come.

After Holy Mass this morning, with a couple visiting from Stateside, we strolled up to the edge of the Campo de’ Fiori where you can see, these days, this lovely sight.

Yesterday I said a Votive Mass of St. Joseph to ask him to get involved with my finding a place here. Today, I also offered this idea to the High Priest with His votive Mass on Thursday. Also, this morning, at the beginning of the Via dei Cappellari, I noted that an enterprising devotee of Our Lady has given her some wysteria, which is coming in right now. I had a chat with her, too, given that a place that seemed enticing was in this very street and under her mantle.

Meanwhile, here is a puzzle for you today.

Black’s Queen has too much to do.

White to play.

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

As I write, I also have the nail-biter Gam 8 of 14 on and with crazy clock management, wild pawn structures, with lunch… caprese.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
10 Comments

FATHERS! Called into the chancery? Possible trouble? The first 24 HOURS are critically important. Be CAREFUL. TAKE ADVICE.

Posted on 20 April 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

One of the advantages to being in Rome is that I can catch up with friends and acquaintances who come for pleasure or for work. What work? Sometimes journalistic. Often canonical. There are canon lawyers who come to Rome for various reasons. Some of the better ones come because they are defending priests.

Over the last couple of days I’ve had conversations from advocates of priests that both make your hands ball up into fists and bring tears to your eyes from alternating sadness and compassion. Mind you: none of the canonists have betrayed anyone’s identity or location. In the canonical realm you get good at “anonymizing”.

Such are the things I’ve been reminded of lately, both good developments and also dire, prompted me last night over a languid Roman supper to celebrate Mass this morning for the intention of “cancelled priests”.

There are so many, and many of them have been treated with appalling disregard for rights and canonical procedure. Some situations are heartbreaking.

His dictis, I’ll perform a service here to all the brethren.

FATHERS…

In the case that you – God forbid – get called into the bishop’s office because of an “accusation”, remember this, above all:

It is vital that you have the advice of a good canonist before heading in for the meeting.
The first hours after an accusation is made are critical.

Mind you, this is not advice automatically to “lawyer up” and go into the meeting with your canon lawyer at your side, guns blazing. It could be that that is the best way forward. Otherwise, it could be that the canonist will advise you to go, but to prep you about how to respond or not respond. You don’t want to ratchet up the temperature needlessly. You also don’t want to be bullied into doing something that hurts your case because you were caught off guard and in a state of adrenaline fueled surprise and anxiety.

I hear again and again about how bishops/chanceries steam-roller priests, all semblance of process tossed under the roller with the priest in question.

This is terribly cynical perhaps, and one size does not fit all. However, the adage si vis pacem, para bellum has many applications, the desire for ultimate peace having the logical priority. Peace, but not at the expense of justice.

Lastly, I’ll remind you, Fathers, of a good book by a canonist Michael J. Mazza, JD, JCD of canonicaladvocacy.com

The Right of a Cleric to Bona Fama

Everyone, priests too, have the right to a good reputation.

UPDATE:

From a priest friend:

A friend of many years was called in to see his bishop. I told him, “Do not go alone. There is no reason you need to go alone. You can bet the bishop will not be alone! Take someone with you, a priest friend or a lay friend.”

He took a friend who was a retired judge. To this day he says it was the best advice he ever got.

The bishops (who are so fond of beginning their letters with Dear brother priests) have insulated themselves on Mount Olympus with layer ion layer of bureaucracy.

Posted in ACTION ITEM!, Cancelled Priests, Canon Law, Priests and Priesthood, Si vis pacem para bellum! | Tagged Michael Mazza
5 Comments

ROME 23/04 – Day 19: Gotta hand it to ya

Posted on 19 April 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This got me thinking.

In Rome you see lots of stylized and highly expressive hands. For example…

And here St. Thomas Villanova is giving heresy something to chew over.

There’s talking with your hands, and there’s not talking at all… not-talking.. with your hand. Get it?

Discretion.

One could make a study of hands.

Meanwhile, here’s a lovely view.

Welcome new registrant:

Jgonzo566

Meanwhile,…
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Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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From “The Private Diary of Bishop F. Atticus McButterpants” – 23-04-18 – Letter from the Nuncio and Reconciliation Fallout

Posted on 18 April 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

April 18th, 2023

Dear Diary,

There outta be an air raid siren when one of these comes in….a letter from the Noonch [Nuncio… ed.]. I hate these! They are ALWAYS a ton of work. And usually for nothing. This is about a grumpy couple that wants to get married at one of our parishes, but claim they are being given the run around from the pastor and the deacons and parish staff. I gave it to the Chancellor of Vice. He’s usually good at the dirty work, but this time he handed it off to the Annoying Canon Law Undesirables down the hall! Now its a canon law problem!!! Last thing I need. Must get Vice to get after the ACLU for an answer asap. Vice better fix this soon. Gotta stay under the Nooch’s radar.

NOTE: Have Mrs. Kennedy draft a letter right away to the Nuncio to get him off my back… “Rest assured… doing all we can to help this couple…”

More about that couple who wanted a blessing instead of confession at the reconciliation service during Lent. Vice found their facebook page… as usual. He’s constantly on social media and snarling about “docksing”, whatever that is. Vice showed me their facebook. “The bishop blessed our marriage!” For crying out loud. Okay, the woman was wearing a white pantsuit. How was I to know? They had a friend taking photos with a phone so it looked like a “wedding”, never mind I had a purple stole on. They wrote, “See, guys? We didn’t need our previous marriages annulled after all! The bishop himself blessed our marriage!”

Well, once burned twice that other thing. These reconciliation nights at the cathedral are too unpredictable! Can’t have THAT happen again. Fr. Tommy said that it could have been avoided if we used the old box confessionals. Gotta admit he’s right. The cathedral has six of them. The janitors and plant ladies use them for storage. Old confessionals. That brings back memories. I know what would happen at the next meeting of the province. Jude would give me one of those knowing looks and Dozer would have a fit… which would make it worth it.

NOTE: Tell Vice to tell the rector to fix up those confessionals before Advent.

Posted in Diary of Bp. McButterpants |
6 Comments

ROME 23/04 – Day 18: Viewed from afar

Posted on 18 April 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The sun rose at 0624 and set at 1956. The Ave Maria is at 2015.

Weather in Rome has been… unpleasant. Very cool, breezy and off and on rainy. So, you can’t plan easily.

Tomorrow should be nicer. I hope to get out for a real leg stretch.

I’ve had a strong fatigue I’ve been fighting. Spiritual? Could be… Rome is… off.

I’ve been going early in the morning to say Mass. Coming back to the sacristy, a young priest was waiting while one of our brothers was at the consecration at the sacristy altar.

It seems like today I’ve run into this lovely saint everywhere.

Light meal. That’s finocchiona and gorgonzola picante.

I mentioned images with votives.

I’d like to buy this and, in the business section, open a chess cafe. (Or not have a biz part at all.) Good location. Perfect.

This is for a friend of mine, MF.

St. Joseph, give me a hand with the Rome thing. This is not just a whim now.

Meanwhile, today Ding with the black pieces used the French Defense and almost gave the commentators a heart attack. The game seesawed and, at the end, when it looked like Ding had fought off Nepo’s vicious kingside attack, … he just froze. He went into total brain freeze and paralysis. Couldn’t move. It was dramatic, shout at the screen stuff. HERE. So sad. Anish Giri literally got up and walked off camera.

I’m a bit muted this evening frankly, after the roller coaster Game 7 and also my first foray into Robert Card. Sarah’s new book, which addresses the crisis in the Church in the priesthood. Friends, make no mistake. The Enemy hates priests with a savagery no human can truly grasp. The Enemy knows that individual priests and the very concept of priesthood must be warped. We are seeing that in our day, especially with the attack on the Traditional Latin Mass, which teaches priests more about being priests than most courses on priesthood could do.

From Card. Sarah:

This is the situation with the priesthood. Christ Jesus gave us a very beautiful, luminous, and clear icon of His priestly being: the Sacrament of Holy Orders is this icon of Jesus, the High Priest. But our compromises with the world have added layers of mediocre quality paint on the divine work of art. The work has lost its brilliance. It is therefore advisable to restore it, and to do that, we must strip away these additions so as to rediscover the original. Benedict XVI and I had intended to invite priests to this work of reform, of return to the form intended by God, in publishing From the Depths of Our Hearts. In this book, each of us had opened up paths toward a restoration of a fully sacerdotal way of life for priests. Some of its proposals were daring. Unfortunately, many people remembered only the most polemical and most political interpretations of those lines. Nevertheless, the book found an attentive, benevolent reader in the person of Pope Francis, who has unceasingly invited priests to renew their deepest being. In asking us to break with self-referentiality, the pope invites us to rediscover a priesthood that does not refer to itself but is an icon of Christ the Priest. [Polite.]

How is this restoration to be carried out? How can the accumulated layers of paint and varnish be stripped off? In this book, I propose to you a simple method: Let the Church speak! Let Her saints and Her Doctors speak. Let us espouse their way of looking at things so as to renew our perspectives.

For Eternity.

US HERE – UK HERE

Please pray for cancelled priests.

Posted in Cancelled Priests, Priests and Priesthood, SESSIUNCULA |
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