Fr. Z's Blog | Catholic commentary by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Priest invalidly baptized for 27 years. But those “rigid”, traditional priests who stick to the words are the problem! It’s a Vatican 2 thing.

Posted on 15 February 2022 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I’ve probably had half a dozen emails about this disaster today, so I will post on it and comment.

It is reported at lib outlets CNN and NPR, that a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix ordained in 1995, 27 years or so, for his entire priesthood has been using an invalid form for baptism.

This priest, Fr. Andres Arango, “baptized” saying, “WE baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith determined that in the Latin Church this is an INVALID form for the sacrament. The person who administers baptism must say, “I baptize you…”. That means that all those people were, technically and really not receiving the graces of the other sacraments they received. Baptism is the foundational sacrament which make you able to receive the other sacraments.

The stories say that he originally in Brazil. I can only guess at the disastrous formation this priest received in Brazil in the 90’s. He was some 20 years in Brazil before going to Phoenix.

This raises some points.

Firstly, YOU lay people have to know what is what when you go to receive a sacrament. You have to study in advance and KNOW what the MATTER and FORM of sacraments are. You should know the form for the two-fold consecration of the Eucharist, the words of absolution (at least the minimum), the words for baptism, etc. Is confirmation important enough to you to study about it ahead of time? Matrimony? When you love you long to know. However, added motivation is now self-defense. WHO CAN TELL what sort of B as in B, S as in S, priests got in seminary. If it was anything like what we got, in the hell that was my modernist, morally compromised seminary… watch out! Folks, you need to know what’s what.

Secondly, I say this with respect to bishops who accept new priests, pastors of parishes who get a new assistant or even a visiting priest on a “mission” weekend. Find out it they know what they are doing. Bishops, check that the priest knows the words of absolution. That might create an awkward moment or two, depending on the priest. The well-formed priest will understand exactly why he is being quizzed and will readily accept it. Anyone who get’s his back up… watch out. Check the words of consecration and the form of absolution. I have gotten into the box with a priest visiting to preach for a mission weekend. I literally had to drag him through the correct form of absolution with a not too subtle suggestion that, if he didn’t use the right form (which I provided) he would be hearing from someone else. That’s a priest to priest thing. Be careful if Father get’s it wrong, but don’t take it if he doesn’t say the proper form, either. Anyway, you pastors, who knows what sort of crazy is happening in the confessional when a visit comes: it’s best to lay down the parameters: “Father, thank you. You are welcome here. Thanks for being willing to hear confessions. People here need be sure that the proper form of absolution is used, and not some personal formula. Please use only and exactly the approved form for every absolution. Thanks!”

Thirdly, Bishops, if you are the sort who has his panties in a twist about the TLM, maybe you should rethink your position. Are the guys using the traditional books likely every to go astray when it comes to matter and form? On the other hand, are you sure you know what’s going on at St. Idealia where the priest has for years been using Welch’s grape juice for Mass (true story). Do you know what the “Eucharistic bread” is made of at “Sing A New Faith Community Into Being Faith Community”? Do you know for sure what form of absolution is being used at “Engendering Togetherness Community of Welcome” when “reconciliation” is celebrated with deep, cleansing breaths and yoga pants on the 5th Saturday of the month when the moon is full?

Fourth, if you have videos of baptisms, review them. No. Really. Review them.

Fifth, if you are a priest who is making things up… KNOCK IT OFF.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, B as in B. S as in S., GO TO CONFESSION, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Save The Liturgy - Save The World | Tagged baptism, D. Phoenix, invalidity
29 Comments

Daily Rome Shot 418, etc.

Posted on 15 February 2022 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Daily Rome Shot 418, etc.

Latin was hard today.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged Rome Shot, Wordle
4 Comments

ASK FATHER: Is it a sin to ask God to strike down an enemy of the Church?

Posted on 15 February 2022 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader:

Is it a sin to ask God to strike down an enemy of the Church?

Christ the Lord has commanded us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Love for “enemy” comes in different forms. It can be expressed different ways. We all know about “tough love”.

That said, we must be vigilant that hatred toward our enemies is vigorously resisted. We obey Our Lord.

If they are our enemies because they are opposed to the Church, opposed to goodness, then our love for them means that we desire they be converted. When and if they do, we must be ready, not to forget but to forgive. The one thing the Lord went back to explain in teaching His disciples how to pray, is the need to forgive, and that if we do not forgive, we shall not be forgiven.

I forgive my enemies. I forgive you for what you have done to me. I forgive you for your evil deeds against the Faith. Convert or risk Hell. I’d rather see you in Heaven. Therefore, I pray that God will visit upon you exactly what is the very best for your soul. I pray that you will accept it. He knows all of us better than we know ourselves.

Love for our enemies means that we will their good. That is, we will their salvation.

There are many enemies. They are personal, human and angelic. Angels cannot change their minds, so praying for fallen angels is pointless.

Living breathing human beings can change. Praying for them is obligatory.

Can we – ought we – pray that God strike down the enemies of the Church?

Yes.

Consider the Book of Psalms.

The unfashionable “maledictory – cursing – psalms” (5, 6, 11, 12, 35, 37, 40 52, 54, 56, 58, 69, 79, 83, 137, 139, and 143) call for judgment and disaster to fall upon the enemies of God and God’s people.

Some of the “maledictory psalms” were edited or even wholly excluded from the revised psalter used in the Novus Ordo Liturgy of the Hours, but that’s a different crock of bagna cauda.

Some of these psalms, when we pray them, will probably reduce the thoughtful Christian to tears and true reverent fear of God, knowing that there but for God’s grace go we, sinners all.

Holy Scripture is full of prayers offered for the defeat of the enemies of God. Some will sputter that that was then and this is now. That was the Old Testament and this is the New Testament. Those people are virtually Marcionites.

We certainly are within our rights to use the psalms in our prayers. All of them.

You know what? Living is hard and there are dangers for us in the Church Militant, in this vale of… what was it a vale of again? “Mourning and weeping in this vale of… vale of… of… hugs, fluffy kitties and daisies! That’s it!”

There really are enemies of things good, true and beautiful who wish us harm.

There are many traditional prayers that ask God to visit calamity upon our enemies, not out of hatred or vengeance, but out of legitimate desire for peace and their their good. True charity aims at the good of the other. Therefore, sometimes we wish calamity on people if that is what it will take to turn them around and amend their lives.

Strong stuff. We are not use to this sort of thing these days.

For example, in the traditional Missal we have the Mass “Pro defensione ab hostibus… For defense from enemies“. Here is the Collect, in my translation:

Shatter to pieces, we beseech Thee O Lord, our enemies’ pride and by the might of Thy hand throw to the ground their insolence.

Some might object that we should, because the Lord says to “turn the other cheek”, simply allow ourselves to be attacked, allow the wicked to rise up in the Church and to abuse the faithful, twist the Church’s teaching and worship. It is one thing to turn one’s own cheek. It is another to turn the cheeks of your wife and child and all your neighbors, brothers and sisters in the Faith. Depending on one’s state in life, some must rise and resist.

Can we argue that, by being somewhat passive, as if we were being like a lamb before the shearers (Is 53:7), we are being more Christ-like? Sure. I had an email not long ago that suggested Benedict XVI gave up his active ministry in the Church, that he finally did “run from the wolves”, precisely because by doing so the wolves and their wolfish plots would be exposed to the light of day. Similarly in Robert Graves novel I Claudius the old Emperor does nothing to stop the vile predations of the up and coming Nero precisely because he knows that when people saw him for what he was, they would rise up and restore the Republic. “Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud, hatch out.” That was a fantasy, of course. It didn’t work.

Truckers in Canada and 9.7% inflation in these USA might produce some action, however. But I digress.

No matter what, we can and must pray and fast for and against enemies: for their conversion and against their plans. We pray for the protection of Our Holy Mother the Church against all enemies. We pray that those who oppose Her to be stopped.

Stopped. That’s the first step. In the Collect, above, we ask God to throw down their insolence and pride. If it takes throwing them down to get through to that pride, then so be it. Whatever it takes to remove the threat they represent and to secure for ourselves peace so that we can live our vocations properly.

As it says in the Post Communion for the same Mass:

O God, our Protector, look down and defend us from the perils of our enemies: so that, once all trouble is removed, we may with free minds serve Thee.

If the actions of enemies reveal that we (Church, country, families) won’t be safe without them losing the ability to breathe… then we purify our motives, ask God for help (for us to be effective and to not sin, and against or upon them to give them graces and/or sufferings adequate to change their minds and hearts.

Adequate. Not more than is necessary. As in what one learns in firearms training, first try to avoid conflict, then try to deescalate, and if there is no other option and you truly fear for your life or the lives of others, then you can use adequate force to stop the threat. Once the threat is stopped, you stop using force. If a punch will work, you don’t use a gun. If the threat runs, you don’t shoot him in the back. If it requires deadly force, you don’t keep shooting once the threat is down.

Purify our motives. In the Secret for the Mass for Defense from Enemies, the priest prays:

O Lord, by the power of this mystery, may we be cleansed from our own hidden sins and delivered from the snares of our enemies.

In our prayer we desire the conversion of hearts. When our enemies do convert, rather than continuing to seek bloody revenge, we rejoice in the magnificent grace of Almighty God who desires not the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live. (Ezekiel 33:11)

We must examine our consciences and purify them.

Meanwhile:

Aedificantium enim unusquisque gladio erat accinctus.

And now, a prayer. It’s from a movie, but it has some great elements.

Moderation is ON.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Pò sì jiù, Si vis pacem para bellum!, The Coming Storm, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged enemies, Maledictory Psalms
12 Comments

Daily Rome Shot 417, etc.

Posted on 14 February 2022 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today’s Fervorino.

WORDLE 02

For 10% off use the code:
FATHERZ10

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Rome Shot, sermon, Wordle
2 Comments

Wordle 01

Posted on 13 February 2022 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I have discovered Wordle. I saw that eminent canonist Ed Peters was doing this, but it took a while for me to take that first step and even see what it was about. It took longer for me to try it.

My first attempt

So… Wordle. I sometimes do Sudoku on my phone. Of course I play a lot of chess and am studying a new language (animi caussa). Gotta keep my mind working.

Posted in Lighter fare | Tagged Wordle
17 Comments

CQ CQ CQ: Ham Radio – #ZedNet reminder – 13 February ’22

Posted on 13 February 2022 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fellow hams, here’s a reminder about ZedNet for Sunday 13 February ’22 – evening at 2000h EST. (0100h ZULU Monday).

We now have the site running: http://zednet.xyz

Zednet exists on the…

Yaesu System Fusion (Wires-X) “room” 28598, and 83466 which is cross-linked to
Brandmeister (BM) DMR worldwide talkgroup 31429 (More HERE)
Echolink WB0YLE-R

Fellow hams who have access locally to a Yaesu System Fusion repeater, a repeater on the BM network, or a multi-mode hotspot registered with BM can get on and have a rag chew…. 24/7/365

Want to get involved? WB0YLE provided a Bill Of Materials, with links, for what you need. HERE THIS WAS UPDATED on 22 March 2021

I created a page for the List of YOUR callsigns. HERE Chime in or drop me a note if your call doesn’t appear in the list.

Posted in Ham Radio | Tagged CQ, Ham radio, ZedNet
1 Comment

In D. London – “Smash the Olds! Replace them with the News!”

Posted on 13 February 2022 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Do you long-time readers remember how, back in the 1990’s, bishops refused to obey the commands of John Paul II regarding generosity in the application of legislation in force at that time concerning the Vetus Ordo? How they refused to follow his command, by his Apostolic authority, to show respect to those who were attached to traditional forms of liturgical worship? They dug in their little feetsies and, with crossed-arm pouty-face, they would not properly implement the 1988 Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei adflicta.

Sad years.

Then, in 2007, came the game changing Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, Benedict XVI’s “emancipation proclamation”, freeing priests and the Catholic faithful from the chains of the stingy bishops. The result, bishops were suddenly eager to implement the Motu Proprio… Ecclesia Dei adflicta, that is.

As the years went on, in the first 10 years after the promulgation of Benedict’s deft juridical solution, we saw in these USA a 500% growth in the numbers of places where the TLM was offered. “Trads” of the “rad” and the “mad” stripe were unclenching. Gladness was on the rise, vocations were multiplying, young families were flourishing.

Then Benedict ran from the wolves and the wolves took over the flock of the pasture.

Progress continued under Summorum Pontificum until finally the wolves realized that their wolfish plans were going to be thwarted through the ticking of the clock and the demographic sink hole opening under the Church. I suspect that the realization that evangelical converts as well as charismatics were discovering the TLM quite simply freaked them out.

The awesome Vatican II springtime of awesomeness turned out to be no so awesome after all and, hence, their powerbase, their raison d’être, was about to slip under the sands.

So, an enemy was identified and the Struggle against that enemy was planned and implemented.

The Struggle’s success would depend on a few key factors. First, speed. Second, lies. As Clausewitz famously said, “The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy.” Thus, a “survey” of bishops was put into circulation. When the “results” came back, they hid the feedback, lied about the feedback, and used that lie as an excuse for a speedy strike.

Third, a false hermeneutic was needed to shift the terrain. That hermeneutic concerns the Second Vatican Council as the new interpretive lens through which all of Tradition, Doctrine, Law, Cult – everything – was subject not to interpretation but to reinterpretation. Whatever is old is deemed to be against what the spirit of the Council wanted. Whatever is old is holding back the Council from finally being implemented. Whatever is old has to go. Whomever grasps after what is old must be dealt with accordingly as a grave danger.

Smash the Olds! Replace them with the News!

Down with the Olds! Latin! Ad orientem! Cassock! Kneeling for Communion!

Up with the News! Pachamama! Synods! (walking together) Global Government! Novus Ordo!

With that as a kind of slogan poster, akin the Cultural Revolution, anyone who strays from Bergoglio Thought, and foundations like Spadaro Thought, Grillo Thought, etc., could be labelled “reactionaries against the Council”. The result is that local leaders, diocesan “gamma” bishops, like quivering gerbils in the view of a hawk, wait for a “beta” bishop or two to implement something on the basis of the utterly incoherent Traditionis custodes and the Dubious Dubia, cobbled up for the sake of that speedy initial strike. Then the gerbils, confident at last that it is okay to start running on their wheels too, issue their ever-so-pastoral directives, all clearly designed in intent to hurt the people who want the Olds.

On that note, here is the letter of the Bishop of London, Ontario about Traditionis custodes, which is for a change accurately spelled.

A few notes, in no particular order.

Note the stress on “I”, “me”. I guess the moment he is transferred or dies this is null and void. Otherwise, it gives the impression that this is all about the power the bishop has over people. It smacks of lording it over them.

It is FALSE that under Summorum Pontificum the priest could act “without reference to the Diocesan Bishop”.

Art. 5, § 1. In parishes, where there is stably present a group of the faithful attached to the previous liturgical tradition, let the pastor willingly receive their petitions that Mass be celebrated according to the Rite of the Missale Romanum issued in 1962. Let him see to it that the good of these faithful be harmoniously brought into accord with the ordinary pastoral care of the parish, under the governance of the Bishop according to canon 392, by avoiding discord and by fostering the unity of the whole Church.

It is FALSE that the bishop has “exclusive competence”. There’s Rome.

It is FALSE that he “needs” to seek a dispensation from the CDW for the TLM to continue in parish churches. He can apply can apply can. 87. Also, what happened to “exclusive competence”?

It is FALSE that Francis’ Motu Proprio TC abrogated the legislation of Benedict XVI in regard to the Vetus Ordo. TC says, “Art. 8. Previous norms, instructions, permissions, and custom that do not conform to the provisions of the present Motu Proprio are abrogated.”

It is FALSE that the Novus Ordo is the “unique expression” of the lex orandi of the Latin Church. First, there are the Ambrosian Rite and the Rite of the Anglican Ordinariates. Also, the Vetus Ordo is STILL IN USE, which in his letter is clear. However, I will stipulate that the Novus Ordo is, indeed, “unique” amongst the Rites of the Latin Church. It’s unique, alright.

In the penultimate paragraph we find a real howler. He struts and postures about how the GRIM must be obeyed! We saw the Bishop of Venice do that, too. Then that infamous, embarrassing video emerged.

Finally, look at the buzz words and disclaimers. “This isn’t about demeaning the faithful who want the TLM! NO! NO! This is only about marginalizing and demoralizing them to the point where they either, “Go away so I don’t have to pretend to be pastoral!” or they give in, “So I don’t have to pretend to be pastoral!”