ASK FATHER: When to sing the Christmas Proclamation

Posted on 22 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

The Christmas Proclamation (from the Martyrology). I know it is sung prior to Midnight Mass in the OF. Does it fit in the Traditional Mass, or is it relegated to the hour of Prime?

We are talking here about the Kalendas, the solemn announcement of the birth of the Savior. It was sung at Prime. Since Prime isn’t being sung in many places, and since we need to have these good customs in far greater use, I say go ahead and sing it before Midnight Mass in the Usus Antiquior.

In the proclamation, the birth of Christ follows a list of important events, set points in history, which therefore puts the birth of Christ into the context of the history of salvation, beginning with the Creation of the world and culminating in the Nativity.

Remember that in the ancient world there was no standard calendar. So, one way to pinpoint events was to say what else was going on at the time according to other reckonings of time. The overlap of the dates would then give you the desired result, like a chronological Venn Diagram. The overlapping of the dates of the events cited in the Proclamation results in an accurate dating of the Nativity, that is 3/2 BC. There is good scholarship that reinforces 3/2 BC and cleans up a dating error for the year of Herod’s death.

I wrote about it at some length last year and made a recording for those who had to practice it. HERE I found a good Gregorian notation for the 2018 Kalendas (for the 2019 dates) at the site of Cappella Gregoriana Sanctæ Cæciliæ olim Xicatunensis.

Here is a fast recording for this year.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ADVENTCAzT, ADVENTCAzT, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, PODCAzT, PRAYERCAzT: What Does The (Latin) Prayer Really Sound L | Tagged Christmas Proclamation, Kalendas
10 Comments

Wherein Francis gives Tanquerey as Tonic to the Curia

Posted on 22 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I must say that Francis hasn’t lost his penchant for springing surprises.

Yesterday was the annual audience with the Roman Curia for their exchange of Christmas greetings, etc. The “etc.” has also in years past included a couple of brutal verbal beatings. This year, he went on at length about types of abuse.

What left me rather gobsmacked was the gift Francis gave to everyone. HERE

A new edition of the Compendio di teologia ascetica e mistica di Adolphe Tanquerey. This would be, I think, The Spiritual Life: A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology. US HERE – UK HERE What Francis gave them is a new Italian edition by an auxiliary of Diocese of Rome and the spiritual director of the seminary.

He said, off the cuff, “Credo che è bene, magari non leggerlo tutto ma cercare nell’indice su questa virtù, su questo atteggiamento… I think it would be good, maybe not to read the whole thing but to look in the index for this or that virtue, this or that attitude…”. He made a connection between personal and then institutional reform, which is logical.

The works of Tanquerey are classics of early 20th c. French theology and spirituality, and the delight of unreconstructed ossified manualists, like myself.

In the background you see the books being distributed. I didn’t see any of them burst into flames at its touch.

Posted in Francis | Tagged Adolphe Tanquerey, Christmas Address
15 Comments

BURNING QUESTION REVISITED – The true plural of “Gin and Tonic” – POLL

Posted on 21 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

In the Christmas number of the UK’s (and now USA’s) best Catholic weekly, the Catholic Herald, there is a lighthearted feature in which notables are asked about “the perfect Catholic cocktail”. I sense that they didn’t ask me because my opinion would probably solved the mystery for good.

In any event, they did ask – and this strikes me as blatant journalistic nepotism – Michael Warren Davis, the US editor of the same CH, now being produced on both sides of the pond.

Here is his offering:

I come not to argue the merits of the venerable G&T, so much more than just a great summer drink… or breakfast drink for that matter… but call into question his choice of its plural: “Gin and tonics”.

IS THAT SO?

Some time ago – 2011! – I posted a POLL about this very topic and we had spirited responses.

What is the plural of the drink made from gin and tonic?

One is “a gin and tonic”.

Do we say two “gin and tonics” or “gins and tonic”?

One priest friend said “gins and tonics”, but that has to be wrong. No? Hmmm.

As I once posted, this question came to a head years ago on a Sunday when I was preparing supper. I made a G&T and stuck in a DVD of the great Inspector Morse series, and commenced my mise en place. Then I heard it. I couldn’t believe me ears. I had to go back and listen again.

Woman: I don’t know. I’d had one or two g and t’s by that time. Or should I say g’s and t?

Inspector Morse: Oh, g’s and t. Definitely.

That strikes me as fairly definitive. It is, after, Inspector Endeavour Morse.

We must revisit. I’ll switch off the old poll so this can be as fresh as the drink.

What is your opinion on this issue of very great importance?

I usually caution voters to be sensitive to each other in the combox. This time? Heh… have at. Make your best arguments for your position on this matter of grave importance.

Vote and defend your choice!

UPDATE:

From my recent NYC trip, which of these three Gins and Tonic is mine?

And can you tell from the shade of the gin which gin it is?

Posted in Lighter fare, POLLS | Tagged poll
62 Comments

Wherein Fr. Z is disgusted

Posted on 21 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I received this from a reader, photos and text.

First, some photos.

It’s good to go to confession at this time of the year, please consider doing so. If it has been many years, no worry, just ask the priest to help you and he will take you step by step, you will feel like a new person afterwards.

Our photos show two confessionals which were repurposed. Sooo sad. Normally I would blame this on Fr. Feelgood and Sister Newage and their associates who have been hellbent on destroying our church for the last forty years. I would be correct in doing so, but we are also responsible to some extent because many of us turned our backs on this important sacrament. Our holy priests were in there waiting for years but we never came. These ordained men forgive our sins not with their power but with the power of Christ which He gave then in the Upper Room 2000 years ago. Go to confession now, life is short. This would be a perfect way to celebrate His birthday.

So… friends…

GO TO CONFESSION.

Fathers, if you have done this to confessionals… I think you might merit eternal perdition. However, you could tidy them up again, get in, and turn on the light.

Posted in Liberals, You must be joking! | Tagged confessionals, sacrament of penance
38 Comments

My View For Awhile: Ultimate Edition

Posted on 20 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I am on my way home from the nation’s capital. Hopefully, the last flight of the year.

Some of you wrote to ask my why I would go on a trip after getting banged up a couple weeks ago.

This is why.

Furthermore, through a contact in the aforementioned building, I was pleased to be able to give the President and Mrs. Trump a pair of matching rosaries, made by Marian, daughter of Gayle, of the finest rosaries I have every seen. HERE

They were exquisite.

Anyway, I stayed at the Army and Navy Club, near to the White House. Very handy and fascinating. They have a stunning military library. Which those are the Aubrey/Maturin books on the end of the table!

I met priest friends from the Archdiocese for the Military there for supper and we had a grand time in a grand dining room.

In one of the halls, a signed art portrayal of the company of the 101st featured in Band Of Brothers.

Meanwhile, at the White House, the decorations were great.

Alas, the lighting and my position leaning against a wall for to support my foot as long as I could didn’t get me into the best position for POTUS and FLOTUS coming down the stairway. But my view was pretty good. I opted for just a couple shots and then just took it all in. It doesn’t make sense to watch it on a screen when you are there!!

Afterword, my friend, who went with me, and I return to the club for libations.

So, I await my last flight, I hope, of the year.

Posted in On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged rosaries
40 Comments

ACTION ITEM! Please help Our Lady of Hope Clinic – MATCHING GRANT

Posted on 20 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Sometimes people have a hard time finding causes to support. I have a few organizations which I trust 100% for my own charitable giving.

This is one of them that I admire. And, when I got home after being banged up by that motorcycle a couple of weeks ago, they were really good to me. The doctor even made a house call! He didn’t have a little black leather bag, however.

Our Lady of Hope Clinic is a CATHOLIC clinic, that practices medicine in keeping with the teachings of the Church. Of course they treat everyone.

RIGHT NOW… they have a “matching grant” going on. Your TAX DEDUCTIBLE donation to the clinic from now to the end of the year will be matched, so your donation does double duty.

I have written about Our Lady of Hope Clinic before.

They have a DONATION page.

Please tell them Fr. Z sent you.

QUESTIONS? Contact Julie Jensen, Director of Development, at Julie@ourladyofhopeclinic.org, or by calling (608) 957-1137.

In the clinic you see a sign on the wall explaining that

“Our Lady of Hope Clinic practices medicine consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church”

Therefore, they will not refer for abortion, prescribe contraception, refer for sterilization, refer for in vitro fertilization, etc.

And…

“We will practice in complete accord with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.”

It doesn’t get better than that.

Posted in ACTION ITEM! | Tagged Our Lady of Hope Clinic
Comments Off

ASK FATHER: Exposition on a “makeshift” altar and lay testimonies

Posted on 19 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

I was at a CRHP (Christ Renews His Parish) “evangelization of the faithful” retreat not long ago, where parishioners give their
testimony and conversion stories to other parishioners. One such testimony of about 30 minutes took place at a podium to the side of a makeshift altar, while the Eucharist was exposed in a monstrance on the altar. No priest was around at the time. This is apparently the usual practice for this frequently recurring retreat. I explained the situation to our priest, and voiced my concerns. He is a Novus Ordo pastor of a huge parish near ___ and, as far as I can tell, a faithful priest. He said it was fine and that was the way it was done. Could this possibly be correct? I thought when Jesus was exposed on the altar, then only worship and adoration should be going on at that time. Thank you very much for clarity on this subject, and for your priesthood and blog. You are in my prayers twice every day.

The rules for exposition in the post-Conciliar manner of things are rather vague. However, there can be readings, hymns and sermons during exposition.

However, in the spirit of mutual enrichment we might take a clue from the traditional way of doing things.

Even in the most solemn way of exposition the Blessed Sacrament, 40 Hours Devotion, during the Mass celebrated in the midst of 40 Hours, sermons were only “tolerated” and it would have been unthinkable for the sermon not to have been by a bishop or priest. The moment of the “tolerated” sermon would have been fully liturgical, no question.

It seems to me that a “makeshift” altar and testimonies by lay people are not the sort of context that the custom of exposition foresees. It seems rather to lessen attention on the Blessed Sacrament, doesn’t it?

This in no way diminishes the sincerity or utility of testimonies. But, perhaps they should be given before exposition, rather than after. And the monstrance needs something more than a “makeshift” altar, don’t you think?

Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes, for Eucharistic processions, we set up “makeshift” altars. But in general they are beautiful, even sometimes over the top.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
12 Comments

Fishwrap’s MSW v. EWTN – paragon of self-parody

Posted on 19 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

At Fishwrap (aka National Schismatic Reporter) Madame Defarge (aka Michael Sean Winters – Tricoteuse of the New catholic Red Guard – aka Wile E. Coyote of the catholic Left) has produced another masterpiece of irony.

Madame, who wants to watch his opponents guillotined or wants them to lose at least the livelihoods – in mercy – and who thinks that converts shouldn’t be allowed a voice in the Church, really hates EWTN.

You can guess why.

Anyway, to the irony….

He wrote:

There is nothing to be done about Fox News, but EWTN pretends to be Catholic. Is there no ecclesial mechanism for insisting that it not distort Catholic teaching so egregiously? Is there to be no accountability for its star’s hateful rhetoric?

It’s EWTN that pretends to be Catholic. ROFL! MSW is concerned about distortions of Catholic teaching? This from a writer for the FISHWRAP? Fishwrap never loses an opportunity to push the ordination of women and the normalization of sodomy. If there were a primary example of an egregious dissenting publication in these USA, it would have to be the NCR. As a matter of fact, in past they were ordered by the local bishop where it is produced and published not to use the word “Catholic” in their title, but they basically gave him the finger and did – and do – whatever the hell they want without any regard for authority.

And here is MSW lamenting that there is no mechanism to stop distortion of Catholic teaching.

Then there is his accusation about “hateful rhetoric”. Please. Friends, take a moment and go over to Real Clear Religion and read Nicholas G. Hahn’s 2013 piece specifically about the venom that Winters pours out on anyone he disagrees with. HERE

Here’s a taste.

A cursory review of Mr. Winters’s posts reveals him to be a habitual name-caller. Papal biographer and theologian George Weigel is “noxious.” Bishop Thomas Paprocki is “pathetic.” The National Rifle Association is “poisonous.” Canon lawyer Ed Peters is “pernicious.” Catholics who opposed Pope Francis’s washing of female feet on Holy Thursday were “insane” and “crazy.” (Although, he may have a point there, as this website’s editor Jeremy Lott also ridiculed fears of this “dangerous bisexual foot-washing anarchy.”)

Winters’s trademark retort to conservatives is to denounce them as “venomous.” Winters’s favorite foe is George Weigel, who he claimed had “special venom” for former Democratic congressman Fr. Robert Drinan. Then, there are the predictable culprits: Vice President Dick Cheney, venomous. The Tea Party, venomous. The Thomas More Law Center, venomous. Audit the Catholic Campaign for Human Development? Venomous. Winters again used the moniker, “venom,” for National Review editors who opined against comprehensive immigration reform. Archbishop Charles Chaput, and others, spat “venom” when they criticized Notre Dame University’s decision to bestow an honorary degree on President Barack Obama. Almost any criticism, for that matter, was “venomous.”

And some of his quips about me are happily enshrined on the right side bar of this blog.

MSW, ladies and gentlemen. A paragon of self-parody.

Sapienti pauca.

Posted in Liberals, You must be joking! | Tagged EWTN, Fishwrap, Madame Defarge, Michael Sean Winters, National Catholic Reporter, Tricoteuse, venom, Wile E. Coyote
15 Comments

More news from Rome concerning communications

Posted on 18 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

As the text messages from across the pond started to come in this morning, I did as I more and more often now do. With a groan I put on my cheaters and grump, “What fresh hell is this?”

Today I received an article from Avvenire (daily organ of the Italian Bishops Conference) saying that there is a new guy, Andrea Monda, running L’Osservatore Romano and that Andrea Tornielli is nominated to the editorial section of the Dicastery for Communication. One of the presenters of Monda’s recent book was the Jesuit, Antonio “2=2=5” Spadaro. Monda also worked for Avvenire.

Bolletino HERE.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with these entities, here are some parallels. Just as Isvestia was the paper of record of the Supreme Soviet, L’Osservatore Romano is the paper of the Holy See. That would make Avvenire like to Pravda, the official paper of the Party. The Dicastery for Communication might be something like the General Directorate for the Protection of State Secrets in the Press, with various departments under it, such as Goskomizdat (censored printed matter: fiction, poetry, etc.), Goskino (films) and Gosteleradio (radio and TV). These parallels limp a bit, and I don’t necessary intend to give Isvestia and Pravda a bad name.

Now we have the likes of Tornielli in Rome and Jesuit Martin appointed as a consultor to the Dicastery.

Posted in Liberals, The Coming Storm, The Drill | Tagged Avvenire, Dicastery for Communication
12 Comments

Development of Doctrine? Fr. Hunwicke breaks it down barney style.

Posted on 18 December 2018 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Hunwicke, at his esteemed page, has a cold look at what “development of doctrine” might mean over the last few years. Accepting, of course, that doctrine can develop, one can ask the question: how much time does it take?

How and how speedily does the Teaching of the Church “develop”?

[…]

TIMELINE

(1) Familiaris consortio was published in 1981; it repeated the Biblical precepts which for centuries had underpinned the Church’s conviction that the Holy Euchatist ought not to be administered to “remarried” divorcees.
(2) Sacramentum caritatis, 2005, repeated this teaching.
(3) Amoris laetitia is dated 19 March 2016, and was released 8 April 2016.
(4) On 5 September 2016 ‘Guidelines’ published by a group of Argentine bishops reached PF. These guidelines are commonly interpreted as allowing some ‘remarried’ divorcees to approach the Sacraments.
(5) On the same day, PF replied to this group of bishops praising their ‘Guidelines’ and saying “There is no other interpretation”.
(6) On 5 June 2017, PF formally instructed Cardinal Parolin in audientia to have these texts published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis as being “Authentic Magisterium”.
(7) They duly appeared in AAS together with the Rescriptum ex audientia Sanctissimi.
(8) Cardinal Kasper, a Great Theologian, subsequently explained that the question was now authoritatively closed. Roma locuta est …

JOHN HENRY NEWMAN …

… gave a rather different, and more painstaking, historical perspective. I expect he was a Silly Fellow, too.

” … the Church of Rome has originated nothing …

” … all through Church history from the first, how slow is authority in intervening! Perhaps a local teacher, or a doctor in some local school, hazards a proposition, and a controversy ensues. It smoulders or burns in one place, no one interposing; Rome simply lets it alone. Then it comes before a bishop; or some priest, or some professor in some other seat of learning takes it up; and there is a second stage of it. Then it comes before a university, and it may be condemned by the theological faculty. So the controversy proceeds year after year, and Rome is still silent. An appeal perhaps is next made to a seat of authority inferior to Rome; and then at last after a long while it comes before the supreme power. Meanwhile, the question has been ventilated and turned over and over again, and viewed on every side of it, and authority is called upon to pronounce a decision, which has already been arrived at by reason. But even then, perhaps the supreme authority hesitates to do so, and nothing is determined on the point for years; or so generally and vaguely, that the whole controversy has to be gone through again, before it is ultimately determined.”