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 – 1st Sunday of Lent (TLM): our season of transforming mystery

Posted on 25 February 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

With this 1st Sunday of Lent we are fully into our forty day season of purification and preparation.

Speaking of forty, the Latin for Lent is Quadragesima, “fortieth”. St Leo the Great (d 461) used the phrase quadragesimale ieiunium, “the Forty Fast”, for Lent. English “Lent” comes from Old English lencten for “spring”.

I have more pertinent things to say about Lent in another post wherein I look at the Collect for the Novus Ordo on this Sunday. HERE

Let’s see the Collect for Holy Mass in the traditional Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, in the 1962 Missale Romanum. This prayer was in the 8th century Liber Sacramentorum Engolismensis, the version of the Gregorian Sacramentum at Angoulême. Charlemagne (d 814) wanted to spread the use of the Roman Rite throughout his realm. He asked Pope Adrian I (d 795) for the Roman liturgical books. What Adrian sent was attributed to Gregory I (“the Great” d 604). These books were recopied many times with local variations. The Gallic changes and additions eventually returned to Rome, were interpolated into the Roman Rite and, therefore, are in the Roman Missals we use today.

Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam annua quadragesimali observatione purificas: praesta familiae tuae; ut, quod a te obtinere abstinendo nititur, hoc bonis operibus exsequatur.

LITERAL TRANSLATION:

O God, who purify Your Church by means of the annual forty-day Lenten observance: grant to Your family; that, what it strives to obtain from You by abstaining, may be achieved by good works.

All three major prayers for this Sunday contain the theme of purification (purificas, purgatos) and denial (abstinendo, restrictione). The discipline of self-denial and works of mercy help us to overcome temptations and to dispose ourselves to receive the graces God offers.

In his Message for Lent 2008, Pope Benedict offered that almsgiving,

“…represents a specific way to assist those in need and, at the same time, an exercise in self-denial to free us from attachment to worldly goods. The force of attraction to material riches, and just how categorical our decision must be not to make of them an idol, Jesus confirms in a resolute way: ‘You cannot serve God and mammon’ (Lk 16,13). Almsgiving helps us to overcome this constant temptation, teaching us to respond to our neighbor’s needs and to share with others whatever we possess through divine goodness. This is the aim of the special collections in favor of the poor, which are promoted during Lent in many parts of the world. In this way, inward cleansing is accompanied by a gesture of ecclesial communion…”.

Posted in LENT, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, WDTPRS | Tagged LENT
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From “The Private Diary of Bishop F. Atticus McButterpants” 23-02-25 “Cathedraticum”

Posted on 25 February 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Feb 25th 2023,

Dear Diary,

A strange thing happened today. I suddenly hear Fr. Tommy shouting something in Latin in his office over and over again. Chester was immediately on the case and I followed. There was Tommy with the new issue of the diocesan newspaper. He was shouting “it’s “CATH-EH-DRATIKUM” NOT JUST “DRATIKUM”! CATH-EH-DRATIKUM!” He looked like he was about to cry. Then he got on his phone and called someone. His therapist? Who knows. I told him later you can’t expect newspaper people to get things right all the time.

Next Finance Council meeting from hell, Im gonna ask how much that darn paper is costing us.

PS: Because of this I remembered that was the fancy name for the parish tax. Everything works out in the end!

Posted in Diary of Bp. McButterpants, SESSIUNCULA | Tagged Bp. Fatty McButterpants
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Daily Rome Shot 674

Posted on 25 February 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Photo by The Great Roman™

Welcome new registrant:

Miso Akita

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Meanwhile,…

White to move.

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

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. Even if you use SMILE, don’t worry! SMILE still gets the donation.

Yesterday the the Bulldogs beat the Bears and the Knights slayed the Unicorns (good) in which match Nakamura defeated Sam Shankland.

Prop Chess League action resumes on 28 Feb with the rise of the Capybaras v. Gnomes and Cobras v. Maniac Shrimps.

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Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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What Card. Müller said about changes to teaching on the death penalty wasn’t really about the death penalty, but something else

Posted on 24 February 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

This morning found me in a conversation between highly educated friends (among whom are former theologians of the CDF) about a LifeSite story saying that Cardinal Müller, the former Prefect of the CDF, “defended Pope Francis’ ability to change the teaching on the death penalty since it was ‘not a matter of divine revelation.’”.

This headline will cause consternation because a Pope cannot change the Church’s teaching on the death penalty in such a way that the Church now says that the death penalty is “intrinsically evil”. After all, God commanded the death penalty and God cannot command what is intrinsically evil. Hence, all application of the death penalty must be bound up with prudential judgment. The parameters of prudential judgment can shift over time.

Part of the problem surrounding this issue is that what Francis said about it and imposed on the Catechism of the Catholic Church is as clear as mud. If we scrape away enough mud what we wind up with is not that Francis CHANGED the Church’s teaching about the capital punishment but rather that he “tweaked” John Paul II’s admonition about it in Evangelium vitae.

Francis didn’t change the Church’s teaching on the death penalty even if he thinks he did.

Müller treats it as a prudential judgment, even if he doesn’t say so.

The LifeSite headline, in all its clicky glory:

Cdl. Müller says Pope Francis has the ability to change Church teaching on the death penalty

Müller, however, had a different objective in his comments to Lifesite. The real objective was not to talk about a change to doctrine on capital punishment.

The real objective was to say that the Church’s teaching on homosexuality cannot be changed.

From LifeSite. Look what happens here… my emphases:

His comments came in response to a question from Giansoldati about whether the teaching on homosexuality in the Catechism could be changed, along with the issue of same-sex “blessings.” Pursuing this line of questioning, Giansoldati asked how “if from a theological point of view there is no space to change the Catechism in the part about homosexuality, giving the possibility to two Catholic men or women who love each other to live their sexuality without moral condemnation from the Church, what can be done?”

To this Müller replied that “[t]here are things that can be revised, but on this point the profession of faith cannot be changed.”

Continuing, though, he appeared to explain how Catholic teaching on homosexuality could not change, whilst also defending Francis’ position – contrary to Catholic Tradition – attacking the death penalty. Müller stated that:

The Catechism is no longer taught in the version drafted by the Council of Trent, the method of study has changed while its structure has remained intact, the Ten Commandments are intact. The Pope, for example, intervened on the death penalty stating that in the past it was accepted in determined circumstances, while now there is a belief that there are too many innocent people condemned in the world in dictatorial states.

The change was possible because it was not a matter of divine revelation. If it is a matter of social doctrine, theology can also study a different path, adapted to the changing general situation and in the higher purpose of adapting moral principles.

Müller thus posited the teaching on homosexuality in contrast to the teaching on the death penalty, in that he defended the unchanging nature of the Catholic teaching on homosexuality but allowed for a change in the death penalty teaching.

He added that the Catechism’s teaching on homosexuality could not change, since the text was not something which was updated with the changing times: “So it is clear that we cannot change the Catechism on the homosexual issue since it directly concerns the doctrine revealed…The Catechism therefore expresses revealed doctrine and cannot be subjected to the winds of fashion.”

So, confusing reporting about confusing topics. The headline lead one way, but the body of the piece lead another.

Bottom line: Jesuits far and wide are again gnashing their teeth today.

By the way, the “last word” on the death penalty issue was penned by Ed Feser.

US HERE – UK HERE

Feser is also a contributor to the NEW and IMPORTANT BOOK:

PRE-ORDER for 27 March ’23 – US HERE – UK HERE (that’s the page, but it isn’t yet available)

Feser’s contribution deals with the Church’s Magisterium. He presents a strong challenge to what is coming out of Rome these days.

Posted in Sin That Cries To Heaven, The Drill | Tagged capital punishment, death penalty, Edward Feser, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, homosexuality
9 Comments

From “The Private Diary of Bishop F. Atticus McButterpants” – 23-02-24 Priests retiring.

Posted on 24 February 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

24 Febuary ’23

Dear Diary,

DANG! Three more priests opting for retirement this year. Granted, one of them is 87 and another is 79, but they’re reliable and -more important – they don’t cause me a lot of trouble. They don’t stir the pot. They keep the bluehairs happy with their homilies and music choice. They’re even good bridge players, too. There’s no way I’m going to give St. Catherine dei Ricci (“Katie of the Rich”) to one of these punks who’ll try and bring in Latin and hellfire and cause me to get a bunch of letters. Good ol’ Billy has done such a good job keeping things quiet there for the past 20 years that I haven’t even had to go there for confirmation in about … 8 years? Not that I’ve neglected them. I always go for their awesome Las Vegas night, and for Bruce’s summer clergy pool party.

Anyway, looks like I’m going to have to call up one of those bishops in Nigeria or India or Colombia to get us a few more priests to fill the slots. It’s a hassle with the immigration, but I don’t have to do the paperwork! That’s the VG’s problem. And Tommy’s! HA! I know some of these foreign guys are working the system although more and more of even the imports are preaching about sin and the Last Thing crap that get’s everyone upset. What’s wrong with making people happy when they leave church? Foreigners at least’ll keep these young priests I’ve got to deal with as associates – parocheal vicars, or whatever they called now! for a few more years. Hopefully until I retire. The next guy can deal with it.

Last thoughts about St. Katie’s. I’ve never understood how Billy can have so few young people coming to the parish, but always manages to get four or five good-looking college guys to serve drinks poolside at his parties. Nice kids.

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

Daily Rome Shot 673

Posted on 24 February 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Open in new tab for larger.

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Meanwhile…

The Shanghai Tigers took down the Blitz (French) yesterday the the Indian team MDG1 beat the Arch Bishops of St. Louis. Today Berlin’s Bears v. Croatia Bulldogs and Gotham Knights v. California Unicorns (booo). The WR Chess Masters are heating up in Dusseldorf. Really strong players there including Vincent Keymer, Anish Giri, Levon Aronian, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa R, Wesley So (YAY!), Andrey Esipenko, Gukesh D, and Jan-Krysztof Duda.

Black to move.

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

The Dominicans of Summit have more than just soap. Visit them.

And don’t forget this.

PRE-ORDER for 27 March ’23 – US HERE – UK HERE (that’s the page, but it isn’t yet available)

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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From “The Private Diary of Bishop F. Atticus McButterpants” – 23-02-23 Finance meeting

Posted on 23 February 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A fresh entry has arrived.

23 February 2023

Dear Diary,

Another Finance Council meeting from hell yesterday. Parishes whining about how much of their collection they have to forward to the diocese. It’s Lent, after all. I’d like to “offer it up” but, dang!, it was awful.

When I became bishop, the parish tax – or better “contribution” – was only about 20%. Been that way for ages, so at the beginning of the year I decided to up it to 30%. The whining rose by even more than 10… umm, yeah, 10%! Who’s kidding who? They’ve got lots left over! Even if they didn’t, it keeps our offices well-staffed with… well… staff! I stroll around the halls of the chancery and I honestly have no idea what some of these people do all day, but boy do they have great office furniture! The offices for Leaders of Tomorrow Church have bigger desks and nicer rugs than in my office, that’s for sure. Really plush! Yeah, we’re getting a lot done even if its hard to say what it is. Busy workers in the harvest.

[later]

Dear Diary,

PS: Parish tax. There’s another fancy name for it which escapes me right now but I think it has to do with that nice furniture.

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

“Deny Holy Communion?”: a BOOK from Card. Burke about can. 915, etc. Free for BISHOPS, priests and seminarians!

Posted on 23 February 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Catholic Action for Faith and Family has republished a work by His Eminence Raymond Leo Card. Burke, one of the most capable canonists in the world.

Deny Holy Communion explains the theology, history and law, the reasons for denial of Holy Communion to those who are manifestly and persistently committing public scandal by their actions.

The book, originally published as “The Discipline Regarding the Denial of Holy Communion to Those Obstinately Persevering in Manifest Grave Sin” (in the journal Periodica de Re Canonica. Roma: Pontificia Università Gregoriana, vol. 96 (2007), 3-58) is brief, tightly argued, replete with sources, and as inescapable as a massive iron snap trap for the elephant in the room.

The publisher told me that copies have been sent to 42000 priests and bishops in these USA and that if seminarians should write to them, they, too would receive a free copy.

Seminarians (and priests and bishops who did not get one) should write to them HERE.

If we believe that the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of our Catholic lives, then what damage is done to our Catholic identity by the multiplication of sacrilegious Communions. Sacrilegious Communions which have the explicit or tacit approval of the very prelates and priests whose task it is to safeguard the Eucharist from abuse, and to help souls to Heaven by avoid sin or repenting when they don’t?

This is not hard. Not really. But the savage tenacity of those who will not accept common sense is a mark of the times and the depth of the depravity that the Enemy can sew in the institution he hates more than any other.

PS: I note that Catholic Action for Faith and Family publishes from San Diego. Curiously, I did not see an imprimatur from Card. McElroy. Go figure.

(On the other hand, it had already been published by the Gregorian University, a Jesuit school to be sure, but even blind squirrels…. etc.)