Your Sunday Sermon Notes – 5th Sunday after Easter (N.O.: 6th of) 2023

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It was the 5th Sunday after Easter in the Vetus Ordo and the 6th Sunday of Easter in the Novus Ordo.

Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Sunday Mass of obligation?

Tell about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass. I hear that it is growing. Of COURSE.

Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?

I have some thoughts about the Sunday reading HERE.

A taste:

[A] simple but effective and sometimes scary point of examination of conscience. It might be a good idea – think of what James said about deception – to ask:

What lies did I tell myself today?

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ROME 23/05 – Day 14: Torn in halves

A priest shows altar boys how to sing the Sunday Epistle in Latin.  Yes, they are singing.  Yes, they are singing Latin.  Yes, it’s from the Letter of the Apostle James and not something the boys already know.  Yes, it can be done.  No, Latin isn’t too hard.

Welcome registrants:

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At 05:49 the sun rose on Rome and it will slip beneath the horizon at 20:25.  The Ave Maria Bell is to ring at 20:45.

In the Novus Ordo calendar it is the Feast of St. Matthias.  I have a priest friend in Switzerland thusly named.  I hope he is well.

Today is the Feast of St. Corona, who was martyred with her husband Victor.  Victor and Corona… sounds like a couple of makes of cars… or beers.  Buy beer from the Benedictines.   Anyway, during not very entertaining COVID Theatre the great people Leaflet Missal in St. Paul make statues of St. Corona, who was torn in half between two trees that had been pulled over.  Not very nice.  The statue is nice, however.

You can get your statue of St. Corona.  HERE

From the sublime to the ridiculous, I made another little chicken last night, with bits and pieces of veg and herbs that needed using up.  Celery, tomatoes, onions, fennel, carrot.

Having extracted everything but the juices I reduced.   I didn’t like the look of this at all.

After I strained it, I tempered some wine and flour with warm juice and then started working it in.

Whack that little bird in half.  Scissors work.  Speaking of halves.

Some pane integrale di Lanuvio that was about to go into the “This Is Now Like Rock” bag, softened with gravy.

I’m back in the mode of never going out to eat.

Chesscomshop BannerI should constrain myself to go to a couple of places.

The Romanian stage of the Chess Tour is on and concludes today.   Alireza Firouza, ever more dangerous, gained on Fabiano Caruana by breaking through Ian Nepomniachtchi’s fortress. HERE Anish Giri took down Ding Liren with a knight sac. Bloody. There was wierd energy because Richard Rapport and Bogdan-Daniel Deac at the beginning when Richard didn’t retract the “guest first move” and Bogdan wanted him to. No handshake. Bog slapped the clock button and Rapport went to talk to the Arbiter. Wesley So. Let’s go, Wesley! Drew with Fabiano. Just didn’t want to fight.

Here’s a puzzle.

White is threatening mate.  Black to move… and mate!

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

As I said before. Buy some beer from the traditional Benedictine monks in Norcia. It is REALLY GOOD.

Finally, I saw a thing on Twitter, people posting contrasting images with the caption:

The two sides of my personality, constantly fighting.

Here’s my try.

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13 May 609: Dedication of the Roman Pantheon as “Santa Maria ad martyres”. Boniface IV’s exorcism of the temple, screaming of the demons.

Dear readers, this is the sort of thing that Popes do!  They fight against the forces of Hell and they work for the salvation of souls.

For example, when the ancient obelisk that was in the Circus of Caligula off to the side of St. Peter’s Basilica was moved to the center of the piazza in 1586, Pope Sixtus V caused to be inscribed on its base words from the Rite of Exorcism.  And he exorcized the thing to stand against the approach to the basilica of demons and the possessed  Priests were asked to repeat the words from the exorcism as they approached.   Pope Sixtus took a pagan thing, exorcized it, and made it a bulwark against the demonic.

That was then.

Now, demon idols are brought into the Basilica and placed on the ALTAR over the bones of the first Vicar of Christ.

Here’s another things Popes do.  In 609 Pope Boniface IV took a pagan thing… the pagan thing… exorcised it and made it into a church!     This is the pattern, by the way.  One might say, “This is the way.”  Before things are consecrated, they are exorcized.   If you watched the video of the consecration of the new church Kansas that the SSPX built, you see the pattern in all they do.  Even in the Traditional Mass the pattern is there before the reading of the Gospel: purification and then the blessing.  I digress.

This is something I have posted before.

In keeping with a couple of other recent posts about the supernatural battle going on around us, between the holy angels and apostate demons, here is something to chew on for your Catholic identity.

In 609 the Emperor Phocas gave the magnificent ancient Roman Pantheon, the temple to “all the gods” to the Church. Pope Boniface IV got rid of all the pagan stuff and consecrated it to the Mother of God and the martyrs on this day, 13 May.

Of course before anything is to be consecrated, it first had to be exorcized. This is especially the case with church buildings. And the Pantheon had been a pagan temple dedicated in reality to demons.

We have an account of the exorcism of the Pantheon before it was consecrated this day.  In Italian HERE.

“In 608 the Byzantine emperor Phoca gave [the temple] to Pope Boniface IV and there was organized an evocative ceremony to consecrate it to the Christian God.   On 13 May 609 a huge crowd gathered near the Pantheon to witness the event. Chronicles recount chaos and chilling screams that were felt from within: the pagan demons were aware of what was about to happen. The doors were thrown open and the Pope, in front of the entrance, began to recite the formulas for the exorcism. The screams from the idols increased in intensity, and the commotion deafened the ears of the onlookers.  Fear gripped the crowd and no one was able to stand on their feet, looking and hearing that terrible spectacle. Only Boniface IV resisted and, undaunted, prayed and consecrated the Pantheon to Christ. It is said that the demons left the ancient temple chaotically and with a great din, fleeing from the open “eye” of the dome or from the main doors.  Once the ceremony was over, the Pope dedicated the building to the Madonna dei Martiri, in memory, perhaps, of the many Christians killed in honor of those filthy idols … “

Messa in Latino also calls to mind a vision of Catherine Ann Emerich:

One of the visions of Bl. Catherine Emmerich was precisely about the exorcism and consecration of the Pantheon: “…  I saw again the whole ceremony of the consecration of the temple: the holy martyrs assisted with Mary at their head.  The altar was not placed in the middle, but was was up against the wall.  I saw carried into church more than 30 carts of holy bones.  Many of these were put into the walls.  Others could be seen, where there were round holes in the wall, closed up with something that looked like glass. (p. Schmoeger, ‘Vie d’Anne Catherine Emmerich’, tomo III, pp. da 69 a 71)

Battles with the Enemy are fought on many levels.  Let us not forget that demons are territorial and legalistic.  Once they claim a toehold, it requires effort to break their hold and get rid of them from places, things and persons.

And Pachamama is a DEMON and use of those demon idols was idolatry.

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ROME 23/05 – Day 13: Bunches

I did not see the sunrise at 05:50, because it was cloudy.  I doubt I will see the sunset at 20:24 because it will still be cloudy.  The Ave Maria won’t be heard at 20:30 even though it is scheduled to ring at that time

It is the Feast of the Dedication of S. Maria “ad Martyres” (the Pantheon) which occurred in +609 after a harrowing exorcism of the place.  More on that in another post.

It is also the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, marking the first apparition to the three children.  As Joseph Ratzinger once remarked, the Fatima “event” is an ongoing “event” in some ways.  I am sure this is the case even from the perspective of ongoing controversies.  For example, have we really been told everything about the “third secret”?  I don’t think so.  Was at some point did an imposter replace Sr. Lucia, the last living seer of the apparitions?  There is some rather compelling evidence.  Accept those things or not, place great stock in the messages of Fatima or not, one thing is for sure.  We cannot give Our Lady enough or adequate honor and praise.

I am pleased to report that plenty of money has been pledged for vestments for Ss. Trinità dei Pellegrini.  I can get that going with a visit to Gammarelli on Monday.  There will be enough money for a few black sets along with the six red I have planned.  Then: purple or violet or Roman purple… I must consult.

This white set, which I used today, gives an idea of the pattern of the damask and the trim.  The white sets are in pretty good shape.

Also in good shape was this big bowl of spaghetti alle vongole which I made last night.  Very good indeed.  I have this one down.

Of course, finish cooking the pasta in that juice!

The jasmine is coming out… a whole bunch of it.  And I don’t mean that dreadful Jesuit… coming out.

Beautiful.  And so fragrant, especially in the evening.  I’d like to find a strain as fragrant as this and plant some at home.

In my rental apartment – shall I, O St. Philip?  O St. Joseph? O Ven Mary Ward? have one of my own? – there is this chair, which I use for all my writing and online chess forays.

Why am I showing you that chair?  Because this.   The last two peonies (they’ll surely be done by tonight) and a bunch of alstroemeria, which is what that chair looks like, no?  Lower down there are a couple of others, I think.  But… no?

Here’s a whole bunch of fishes.  The ugly red ones are gallinella.  They are used for soups and stews, having very soft flesh.  You would not want to even try to grill.  Whatever they are used for, they aren’t cheap at €45/kg.

Yesterday, in 2023 Pro Chess League action, the all-Indian Team MGD1 and Indian Yogis defeated respectively the Levitov Chess Wizards and Blitz, to move into the Semifinals which will be today: the Yogis vs. Shanghai Tigers at 15:30 CEST, followed by the Gotham Knights vs. Team MGD1 at 18:00 CEST.  HERE

The World Chess Tour classic in Romania is winding up soon.  Yesterday Fabiano Caruana blundered his game against the dangerous youngster Alireza Firouzja in round six. Wesley So – my favorite player in the event  went for a draw by repetition against Ding Liren.  Wesley should have played it out.  He should have won that one.   Round seven continues today at 14:00 CEST.  Yes, I’m giving times in Central European Time, ’cause that’s where I am.   For Eastern, subtract 6.

Black to move and win, if you don’t lose big time, that is.

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

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From “The Private Diary of Bishop F. Atticus McButterpants” – 23-05-07 – Fr. Tommy’s spiritual retreat

EDITOR’S NOTE: Our “mole” on the inside had a family emergency [That part is now invisible and can’t be read.] and was away for a while.  Hopefully we will get some more interim pages and get caught up.


May 7th, 2023

Dear Diary,

Since Fr. Tommy had his incident with Chester and can’t drive me around, he’s been asking to let him use his down time to make a spiritual retreat.  They still have the seminarians do those, I think and there are ads for them in places over in Black Duck. I told Tommy to go ahead and the chancery will pick up the bill.  Darned if he didn’t choose a 30-day “Ignition Exercises” retreat.  Great — just what he needs, like he’s not skinny enough!   And how is he going to manage with that ankle the way it is?  Me?  I do not want ANY exercise on my retreat.  No way!  Not that I have time for one.

Dear Diary,

About Fr. Gilbert.  He’s starting to get on my nerves a little.   He walked in the other day with a plate of cookies one of the gals over in the evang office baked for him.  For him.  Gotta admit they were pretty good, the big oatmeals in particular.  But, really?   For him and not for, well, me?  And there’s Chester. He thumps the floor with his tail when G comes in and sort of crawls over to him.  I wonder if when Fr. Tommy got all tangled and fell he didn’t hit Chester’s head.  Otherwise, he’s normal. He got hold of my new copy of America and peed on it after ripping it to shreds.

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ROME 23/05 – Day 12: Clams, Coffee Makers and Cedri

The Ave Maria Bell is now in 20:30 mode.

In some hours the sun will set at 20:22 having risen at 05:51.

We celebrated St. Nereus and Achilleus and Flavia Domatilla and Pancratius today.

I with tattered vestments. Not for long!

Welcome registrant:

cswifemom

I swapped out the gasket in the apartment’s coffee maker, even though I don’t use.  When you see a small thin that needs doing, just do it.

Here’s a small thing that needed posting.

I went to the fishmonger this morning after Mass for to buy me some clams, vongole veraci.   This was shot immediately before a serious rude Japanese couple literally elbowed me out of the way to shoot their own photos.  LOL.

At my usually veg and fruit stand, I saw a cedra.  This is what Tassoni makes Cedrata from.  I had that on my wishlist for a long time.

Right now the clams are “spurging” in the kitchen and I am about to undertake some chess puzzles and then try to play through and analyze a game.  I think I found a flaw in my approach to play.   Must put it to a test against a strong engine.

Weather… large clouds scudding, white with dark over layered, with patches of bright sky.  Quite breezy.  It feels like rain.

Here’s a puzzle.

White to move.

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

Interested in learning? This guy helped my game.  Try THIS

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Two things: Part 3 of Bp. Huonder’s VIDEO and what Francis said to Jesuits in Hungary.

Two things.

First, Swiss Bishop Vitus Huonder has released the third in a series of videos about the undeniable crisis in the Church.

It is in German with subtitles.

Put down or put aside other things. Click. Fold your hands and watch this attentively. No. Really. Resist the temptation, beaten into us now, to succumb to our shortened attention spans… which is a tactic of the Devil, for sure. Am I wrong?

YouTube thumbnailYouTube icon

I juxtapose that with this.

It seems that every time Francis goes somewhere he gets together with Jesuits. I suppose it is too much to hope that he will suppress them. Yeah, that’s not going to happen for a while yet.

Also, it seems when he gets together with Jesuits he has to insult people who desire the traditional sacred worship of the Roman Catholic Church.

Bp. Huonder put a question via video to Francis.  It seems that putting questions to Francis is a legitimate thing.   (So long as it isn’t from certain people or a certain kind of dubia…. that’s when the rules about frankness, dialogue and accompaniment change.)

Here was the question put to Francis by a Jesuit in Hungary:

The Second Vatican Council talks about the relationship between the Church and the modern world. How can we reconcile the Church and the reality that is already beyond the modern? How do we find God’s voice while loving our time?

Here was the answer.  Ask yourself how much the answer truly responded to the question.

I wouldn’t know how to answer that theoretically, but I certainly know that the Council is still being applied. It takes a century for a Council to be assimilated, they say. And I know the resistance to its decrees is terrible. There is unbelievable restorationism, what I call “indietrismo” (backwardness), as the Letter to the Hebrews (10:39) says: “But we do not belong to those who shrink back.” The flow of history and grace goes from the roots upward like the sap of a tree that bears fruit. But without this flow you remain a mummy. Going backwards does not preserve life, ever. You must change, as St. Vincent of Lérins wrote in his Commonitory when he remarked that even the dogma of the Christian religion progresses, consolidating over the years, developing with time, deepening with age. But this is a change from the bottom up. The danger today is indietrismo, the reaction against the modern. It is a nostalgic disease. This is why I decided that now the permission to celebrate according to the Roman Missal of 1962 is mandatory for all newly consecrated priests. After all the necessary consultations, I decided this because I saw that the good pastoral measures put in place by John Paul II and Benedict XVI were being used in an ideological way, to go backward. It was necessary to stop this indietrismo, which was not in the pastoral vision of my predecessors.

“I don’t know how to respond ‘theoretically’… but this is what I have done practically. I’m restricting the TLM, etc.”

So, he can’t describe the reason for doing it “theoretically”, which I think is code for “theologically”.  He just wants to do it.  It is his will.  That’s enough.

Note that this time Francis said that the people who want the TLM were diseased, they have “nostalgiac disease”. That would make them … “sick”?

He again used the ridiculous description “backwardism”.  Contrast that with the situation you heard in Bp. Huonder’s video.

In one telling comment, however, he said:

“I know the resistance to its decrees is terrible. There is incredible support for restorationism, what I call ‘indietrismo’ (backwardness), as the Letter to the Hebrews (10:39) says: ‘But we do not belong to those who shrink back.’”

The implication is that people who want tradition are cowards (ouk esmen hypostoles).

But don’t bury the important part: “incredible support for restorationism”.

Hmmm… maybe if there is incredible support for it, it could be a good idea?

“Incredible” can mean “a great number of people” are for it or it maybe can be “unbelievable”, in that, “I don’t understand why how many… I don’t believe it….”

That line from Hebrews is in a chapter comes just after a description by Paul of how believers were persecuted and the need to persevere. So, the sense of Hebrews is that the ones who were being persecuted were not cowards who were timidly falling away.  The people who want traditional worship are the ones being persecuted, really and actually. Cherry picking is a problem.

Since he made this mistake another time, inexplicable was his mention of Vincent of Lerin.  Francissaid: “You must change, as St. Vincent of Lérins wrote in his Commonitory when he remarked that even the dogma of the Christian religion progresses, consolidating over the years, developing with time, deepening with age”.  I note that the reportage was from Antonio Spadaro (SJ) who once flew as high as Peter Pan and now is just one of the Lost Boys in the Vatican Neverland.  Spadaro, I believe, still maintains the website in honor of the Italian homoerotic writer.  HERE

QUAERITUR: How much of what Francis said to the Jesuits is boilerplate pulled from the old files?

This must be asked because the use of Vincent of Lérins in support of Francis’ (?) position, if he really has a position that is his own and isn’t that of someone else, seems to undermine what Francis claims.

What did Vincent of Lérins really say? Allow me a slight editing choice from “he” to “you”… which doesn’t change the sense at all!

“….he is the true and genuine Catholic who loves the truth of God, who loves the Church, who loves the Body of Christ, who esteems divine religion and the Catholic Faith above every thing, above the authority, above the regard, above the genius, above the eloquence, above the philosophy, of every man whatsoever; who set light by all of these, and continuing steadfast and established in the faith, resolves that he will believe that, and that only, which he is sure the Catholic Church has held universally and from ancient time; [Here start reading aloud…] but that whatsoever new and unheard-of doctrine you shall find to have been furtively introduced by some one or another, besides that of all or contrary to that of all the saints, this, you will understand, does not pertain to religion, but is permitted as a trial, being instructed especially by the words of the blessed Apostle Paul, who writes thus in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, ‘There must needs be heresies, that they who are approved may be made manifest among you:’ as though he should say, This is the reason why the authors of Heresies are not forthwith rooted up by God, namely, that they who are approved may be made manifest; that is, that it may be apparent of each individual, how tenacious and faithful and steadfast he is in his love of the Catholic faith.” Commonitorium 20.48

As you read this and reflect on how sick in the head you are, how nostalgically diseased you have become, consider that in a parish in New York a display was set up claiming that God is “trans” and “queer”.  Think about what Germans are doing.  Think about Pachamama.  Think about the equivalence of all religions.

But, no!   The Latin Mass needs snuffing out.

Posted in Francis, The Coming Storm, The Drill, The future and our choices, Vatican II | Tagged
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ROME 23/05 – Day 11: Feasting on rabbit

At 05:52 the sun rose over Rome.  At 20:21 the sun will un-rise over Rome.

HOWEVER… the Ave Maria Bell is now in it’s next bracket, scheduled to ring forth at 20:45.

Welcome registrant:

Monete
Fr. No Dog In The Fight
WyoJim

Here is the first entry in the older, traditional Roman Martyrology for today:

AT Rome, on the Salarian road, the birthday of blessed Anthimus, priest, who, after having distinguished himself by his virtues and preaching, was precipitated into the Tiber, in the persecution of Diocletian. He was rescued by an angel, and restored to his oratory. Being afterwards decapitated, he went victoriously to heaven.

Try to avoid, as I do, getting precipitated, either when something is falling on me, such as rain, or I am the one doing the falling, as into the Tiber, the very thought of which makes me throw up a little given its present state.

I like that tossed off, “He was rescued by an angel.”

This bunny was rescued into death and deboning so that it could fulfill its highest possible destiny, for rabbits do not have immortal souls and will not experience the Beatific Vision.

I decided to stuff and truss.   Lay it out and use prosciutto to block any gaps.  And it tastes good.

I thought fennel would be nice, but since it is dense, I got it going in the pan with some oil and, later, diced carrot.

Garlic.  Rosemary.

The stuffing included this pork sausage with parmigiano.

Get it out of the casing.

Combining with bread crumbs and egg.  I understand that in Sicily, it is more common to use rice.  At least that is what I was told by a Sicilian.  True?  Could be.

The addition of leaves of sage along it’s length.

Also, at the last minute I added some pickles, in honor of my old pastor Msgr Schuler who used to make rouladen.

I would have included shots of the trussing part, but it was messy and I needed a third hand for the camera.

Setting the stage for supper with The Great Roman™.  We wound up eating the entire thing in two stages followed by dessert which was talegio and a ripe pear.  Amaro Nonino, which I reassure readers in Chicago does, in fact, still exist.

The wine was very good.  And you can order very good wine from the traditional Benedictines of Le Barroux, who have revived the ancient papal vineyards used by the Avignon Popes.

And please use my Amazon affiliate links when shopping online. Thanks in advance. US HERE – UK HERE

Here’s a puzzle.

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

Pro Chess League action is back.  The new line up as we head to a conclusion:

Shanghai Tigers vs. Norway Gnomes
Gotham Knights (Hikaru) vs Saint Louis Arch Bishops (Fabi and Alice Lee)
Levitov Chess Wizards vs. Team MGD1 (Arjun Erigaisi)
Indian Yogis (Vidit) vs. Blitz (Grischuk)

Should be good.

In Titled Tuesday Carlsen showed up to win the first wave. In the late wave, against Hikaru there was a strange opening.

Have you been following the tournament in Romania? Round Five yesterday. There are strong players there, including the new champ, Ding, and his vanquished adversary Nepo.  My guy Wesley So is there as is Alireza and Fabi and Richie and MVL and all the gang.  Not all.  Magnus is not there.   This is part of the World Chess Tour.   Last years WCT winner Alireza Firouza, youngest player to break 2800, defeated world champ Ding Liren.  Fabiano Caruana is in the lead and Firouza, So, and Rapport are tied for 2nd.    Alireza and Din had quite the game.  I tuned into the coverage at one point and I had to look carefully at the board to see if I really saw what I saw, a queen v. rook and bishop end game.

I tuned in at about move 36. Ding’s pawn was a real danger.

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ROME 23/05 – Day 10: Hardness of water and freshness of brains

05:53

and 20:20

and 20:30

and it is the Feast of St. Isidore the Worker, the same who was canonized on that fateful day, 12 March 1622 by Gregory XV along with Sts. Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier (aka “the real thing”), St. Theresa of Avila (patroness of chess players), and Philip Neri (please, Pippo! Help with the project!  PLEASE!).

It is also the Feast of St. Job, Old Testament figure.

Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance. US HERE – UK HERE  These links take you to a generic “catholic” search in Amazon, but, once in and browsing or searching, Amazon remembers that you used my link and I get the credit.

My email is flooded every day with the same question: “But Father! But Father!  How hard is the water in Rome?”

The Roman water is so hard that you can break your teeth on it when you chew it… before it’s frozen.   The Roman water is so hard, that can use it and only it to sand down terracotta tiles.   The Roman water is so hard, that…

Frankly, I made up that part about the email.  I don’t get any questions about the hardness Roman water, or any other characteristic of the water in Rome other than if it can be drunk safely from the street fountains, the “nasoni”, around town.  The answer to that us a resounding yes.   And most of the time, though it depends on the source of the water, you will find that it is rather “sweet”.

But, to answer the question about how hard the water is, I’ll show you.

I was going to make some pasta yesterday and then changed my mind.  I turned off the heat when the water started to boil and left the pan to cool.   This is the result.

You can see the sediment from the separated minerals.  I didn’t put anything into it, such as salt.  This is just from the water.

You might see it better in a video.

So… how hard is the Roman water?   It is so hard that if you leave it to sit, it’ll form a white crust on the inside of your glass.  True.

I use a vinegar from alcohol to clean off all the “calco”, especially in the electric kettle.

Meanwhile, no wonder our breads and doughs are as they are and … the flowers are so beautiful.

We have spectacular peonies right now.   I’ll put up the wavvy flag and hope.

I have a hankering for rabbit, which took me to a specific butcher shop.   Meat cases here are quite different from those in the USA.

Yes, those are what you think they are.

I’ve struggled for years with the names of the cuts of meat here.   Sometimes it isn’t my fault since the cutting or chopping can be a little irregular.  However, here is a chart showing the names of the same cuts in different regions.  There’s a little of that in the States, but not like this.

You should be able to right click for a larger image.

Later tonight I expect that The Great Roman™ may come by for some rabbit.  The plan is debone, stuff, tie and roast.  I have yet to assemble all the parts but that’s the idea.  It’ll develop once I actually start the process.   I’m thinking, sausage, savory herbs, bread crumbs.  They guys in the butcher shop suggested the addition of pistachio and pieces of plum!  Veg is determined, however: cicoria in padella.

A primo?   A little aglio, olio, pepperoncino?  Nibbles will be little marinated anchovies and small stuff sweet peppers.  Gins and tonic.   I need limes for that.

Time to go to the shops.

Here’s a puzzle.

White to move.  Be sneaky, pick up a piece and break your opponent’s will to continue.

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

UPDATE on the new book from the the wonderful Benedictine nuns of Gower Abbey, who have the great music albums. They have a book for girls about the religious life they live. The story is about a postulant being introduced to all the aspects of life of the nuns at the Abbey. It is very sweet.  I am reminded of one of my favorite books Little Saint Placid, though it isn’t really for children.

Brides of Christ.

US HERE – UK HERE (now available to order in the UK for release on 16 May.)

Posted in Fr. Z's Kitchen, On the road, SESSIUNCULA |
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ROME 23/05 – Day 09: Bronze, silver, and gold

To get high the sky over Rome, the Sun had to rise at 05:55. It will decline to the horizon line at 20: 19.

The Ave Maria Bell is at 20:30.

Today is, among others, the Feast of the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah.

Most, if not all, of the Old Testament prophets have a feast in the Roman calendar, listed in the Martyrology if not in the Missal.  I am not sure what text, what Mass formula one would use for Isaiah.  Doctor?

After Mass today, I had a chat with Our Lord and did not forget to admire the beautiful flowers that the faithful have given, roses and peonies.

I had breakfast with a couple of priests and then started a stroll to Gammarelli to get the estimates for the vestments for Ss. Trinità.   I cut through a little passage to get over to this famous fountain, a gift from Alexander VII.

It is too nice not to share more fully.

At Gammarelli, we looked at my photos from the other day in the sacristy and the great Max instantly knew the fabric.    We took a look at trim options.   It’s the trim that really changes the range in prices.   One or another could swing a single vestment a couple hundred euro!    I have to talk to the parish priest again about this, whether he wouldn’t be okay with synthetic for the daily use of priests who come and go, since it would be tougher, more resistant to daily use, getting out of drawer, laying out, leaning on the altar, drawing the maniple over the edge of the altar, putting away, etc.

I should have estimate on silk-blend tonight sometime after Max gets the price on putting my coat-of-arms on the back.  I’ll reach out to some of you who have written already.  Soon.

On the way back to the Campo to buy myself flowers for the apartment, I saw the tiny church of San Giuliano was open, national church of the Flemish.

It is a sweet little church, neo-classical baroque in its decoration.  It has a stupid altar, but that can be taken care of my a couple of men, crowbars, and a cart.  The supports could go back to being altar rails (I think).

Here’s something for you.

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

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