Your Sunday Sermon notes – 2nd Sunday after Pentecost (NO: Corpus Christi) 2020 & church openings

In many places, those who frequent the Novus Ordo today will have their Corpus Christi observance.  Also, in some places where the TLM is celebrated there will be an “external” celebration of Corpus Christi on this 2nd Sunday after Pentecost.

Either way it is a Sunday.   Even as Masses are starting to open up again, I think nearly everywhere people are still dispensed from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass.

It may be that you went to church for Mass.  It may be that you heard a sermon via the internet.

Was there a good point made in the sermon you heard at the Mass for your Sunday, either live or on the internet? Let us know what it was.

Also, let us know about church openings and Masses in your area.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
16 Comments

CQ CQ CQ #HamRadio Sunday: Morse and a bite from the past

I’ve finally gotten serious about Morse Code for CW.  My goal: get up to speed with Morse so I can do CW on a an extremely portable QRP rig.

In past summers I had set myself a goal of one license a summer.  But I have relaxed and it is time to do MORSE.

Meanwhile, I’m checking ZedNet more often as well.  More HERE.  And, to get yourself going, WB0YLE gave me a Bill of Materials.  A list of what you need.  HERE

And this came up on my screen.  From the past….

You never know what use we may need to make of radio, especially low power, in the future.  For a while now I’ve been thinking about how to network with Catholic hams, even dioceses.  Ham radio is useful in emergencies.  What if we were faced with The Big Emergency?

Scenario:

nce upon a time… in his Tiny House at the Sheltered Glade, Father stays in touch by CW with the faithful priests and the few Catholic bishops left on the continent through the Catholic net they had prudently formed when everything was hunky-dory.

Before the Collapse.

He carefully transcribes bishops’ brief pastoral letters and sermons along with messages to other priests and faithful in the area, and then relays them to other hams at times and frequencies scheduled by consulting the fifth letter and third number on certain pages of the 1962 Roman Missal.  It’s a little maddening to work out the coded schedule, but it has to be done this way.

Father finds it a little harrowing to have the headphones on and to be buried in the static and the flow of the code.  You can hear what’s going outside in the world, but you can’t hear what’s going on outside the house.  Ironic.  Scary, but ironic.

The transmissions are over. Tidying his work space his mind drifts to the day back before the SHTF when he had the bishop out to the Tiny House.  He used the Roman Ritual to bless the radio equipment.  He could have done it himself, but it’s better to have the bishop see what had been organized and do it himself. It was a beautiful prayer…

God, who ordered all things in creation in a marvelous way, determining even their measure, number, and weight; and who gave man a share in your knowledge, thus enabling him to detect and control the latent forces with which you endowed the things of the universe; be pleased, we pray, to bless + these instruments made for transmitting wavelengths of sound through the air, spreading out in all directions as instantaneously as lightning. Let them carry messages of aid in times of crises, of solace in times of distress, of advice in times of doubt, of light in times of darkness, and thus make known the glory of your name more widely throughout the world that all its peoples may be gathered into the fellowship of your love; through Christ our Lord.

Father shuts down the radio and power source. With practiced speed he secures the door to the lower level punching the code, closes the vault-like door of the ground level storage area and slips on the pre-sorted chest rig and camelbak pack. He double checks his mags and the batteries for the handheld, slings the 5.56 AR-15, and then scans through the ballistic glass windows for a few minutes before closing the steel shutters.

Saftety off.  Exit.  Scan.

He stands perfectly still, listening.  Looking.

Minutes pass.

Nothing out of place comes to his senses.

As he locks the door he recalls with regret – and a rise of the hair on his arms – the smell of the men who were around the corner of the house.  And what followed.

The first step away from the Tiny House always gives him the creeps now.

Shrugging his gear into place he sets out with a glance up at the nearly invisible wires of the various dipole antennas strung amidst the branches of the trees.

He points himself toward the Appointed Place for Holy Mass on the Rock By The Stream.  It usually takes a full day to get there, Deo volente.

He blesses the stone-piled graves as he moves down the path in the forest. “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord…”.

As he gets in range of the Appointed Place, he should be able to contact one of the hams in the area who will relay his arrival via the GMRS and FRS radios people have. That’s a security hole, but they have to do something to let people know when to gather.

Besides, things have been calm lately but you can’t have people just waiting around.

In the early days there were packs of dogs who weren’t afraid of people.  There were gangs of marauders and desperate families and individuals who had survived the chaos, starvation and disease. Then came the true wolf packs.

The individuals and families were thinned out by now, but he had heard there were still some gangs and, as the chaos settled, who ever was “in charge” these days had starting hunting priests again.

“Not this priest!”, he muttered.

There are probably going to be a few baptisms and maybe a marriage or two this time.  At least he hopes so.  It’s about time they tie the knot and have the graces of the sacraments.  Since the Collapse, things have been … intense… for young people and pretty much without the benefit of clergy. Often without any relatives at all, poor things.  But a lot of them, the ones who didn’t succumb to despair, found Religion.  They have the Faith now.  Total disaster helps people sort their values.

People in the Catholic net are pretty serious.

This week at the Appointed Place he should also rendezvous with a contact conveying wine through the underground.  He is to keep some for his own use and collect messages and news for the net to be broadcast.  The messages are one thing, but it always surprises him that the wine gets through.  But it does.  He had made some from regional grapes but it was better suited for hand to hand combat than Mass.  Brutal but valid.

The building project at the Rock by the Stream is going well.  Pretty soon they’ll have to think about what to call the chapel.  “Should I try to get the bishop to come?”, he mused.  “It’s a hike and he isn’t young.”

Mostly, Father didn’t like the idea of the bishop saying that it was time for him to be consecrated.  He shivered.

Eyes moving.  Not too fast.   Stop.  Listen.  Nothing.

Keep moving.

“O God, Who did cause the children of Israel to traverse the Red Sea dryshod; Thou Who did point out by a star to the Magi the road that led them to Thee; grant to me I beseech Thee, a prosperous journey and propitious weather; so that, under the guidance of Thy holy angels I may safely reach my journey’s end, and later the haven of eternal salvation.  Hear, O Lord, the prayers of Thy servants. Bless their journeyings. Thou Who art everywhere present, shower everywhere upon them the effects of Thy mercy; so that, insured by Thy protection against all dangers, they may return to offer Thee their thanksgiving. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Next week it’ll be time again to hike up the Big Rocky Hill with a portable rig and antenna for a scheduled DX contact from “Rome”, wherever “Rome” may be now.

He had an inkling that some big decisions had been made.

Okay, that’s enough of that.

I am still securing some useful items.

Posted in Ham Radio, Linking Back |
19 Comments

UPDATE: Benedictiones Mensae – Table Prayers – Booklets available ON SALE

Some time ago I wrote a post and made a PODCAzT about how to sing your before and after meal prayers in Latin.  HERE

It is important to bless food and to pray to God in thanksgiving for having any at all.

There are great little booklets with the prayers before and after your repast and also with the special prayers for certain feasts.  They are made by a budding monastic community in S. France, the Monastère Saint-Benoît.    They are doing great things there, including rebuilding an old Abbey.

A little while ago, I held a Supper For The Promotion Of Clericalism (English Roast Beef, Roast Veg, Yorkshire Puddings and gravy) and we sang the prayers using these booklets.

It would be a wonderful custom for families to develop, especially while children are young and can really absorb Latin and chant like sponges.

Until 11 July the monks have these prayer booklets ON SALE.

HERE

When I originally received my copies they came very quickly.

The pages are beautifully type set.  You find also the variants for singing in the Roman (which is what I learned) style and in the monastic style.

BTW… they have one of the coolest St. Benedict medals I’ve seen.

And for lovers of chickens….  HERE.  Perhaps cousins of one of our frequent commentators here?

Posted in Hard-Identity Catholicism, Just Too Cool, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged , , ,
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12 June – Traditional Latin Mass – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)

Click To Contribute

I will LIVE stream a Traditional Latin Mass at NOON Central Daylight Time (= GMT/UTC -5 and ROME 1900h).

Today: Friday of the 1st Week after the Octave of Pentecost. It is the Feast of St. John Facundo.

Today we will hear about “stewards” good and bad.

Prayers Added: For public officials
After Mass: Prayer in time of pandemic

Will you please tell others about this Mass?  Will you please subscribe to my channel? HERE

  • NB: You can find an English translation of the Mass formulary HERE.  Scroll down. Use the 1960 setting.
  • We can say the Regina Caeli together, since the Angelus bells are usually ringing when the live stream starts.
  • I will say a Spiritual Communion prayer at the very beginning for those of you who cannot make a Eucharistic Communion. 
  • I will also recite in Latin the traditional  “Statement of Intention” (…a hint to priests).
  • After Mass and the Leonine Prayers, I will recite a prayer in Latin “In time of pandemic” followed by a blessing with a fragment of the Cross
    For texts of Prayers before Mass for each day of the week, in versions for laypeople and for priests: HERE


THANK YOU to my flower donors!

Posted in Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, LIVE STREAMING, Our Catholic Identity, Saints: Stories & Symbols | Tagged
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ASK FATHER: My friend took LSD, experienced “God, Heaven, the Garden of Eden, Life, and Death all at once”

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

I just spoke with a friend of mine who recently took a mind-altering substance (he said it was an extremely potent form of LSD) and that the hallucinations lasted for approximately a period of 12 hours. He states that he experienced God, Heaven, the Garden of Eden, Life, and Death all at once.

I told him I could not sympathize, and that the Catholic Religion forbids the use of mind-altering substances, particularly in a spiritual manner.

My question is this: what should I tell my friend (or others for that matter) who have done this? These experiences sound so powerful that he cannot be convinced otherwise; he seems to truly believe in what he says happened.

GUEST PRIEST RESPONSE: Fr. Tim Ferguson

You are correct that the use of mind-altering substances, such as LSD, PCP, or the NCR (aka Fishwrap) is a grave moral evil.

God gave us the wonderful gift of consciousness and free will, and to surrender these gifts for a feeling of euphoria is an insult to the Lord who created us. The ingestion of mild intoxicants or mood altering substances like alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, the History Channel is permissible, as long as one is cautious and moderate.

How to convince those who have used mind-altering substances and have “experienced” something they deem to be transcendent?

Relentless ridicule is probably the best way. Serious argumentation is doubtfully going to do much good. Referring to them as “space cadets” or “druggies” or “Maximum Beans” will likely anger them to the point of complete distraction.

Will this convince them that they are wrong? Probably not. Will this cause them to dismiss you as a friend? A fair chance of that happening.

Tragically, once someone goes down that road and begins finding value and transcendence in the paltry experience of drug use or NCR readership, there is little outside of prayer and the direct action of the Holy Spirit that can bring them back to reality.

Fortunately, we do have a God who is willing to hear our prayers and sometimes effects a miraculous conversion. These things are best left in his hands, however.

Fr. Z adds:

In view of the creation of the US Space Force, I disavow any disparaging use of “space cadet”.

Please stick to the far crazier and much more degrading “Maximum Beans”.  If that doesn’t get through to what’s left of shame and common sense in their addled brains, nothing will.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Lighter fare | Tagged ,
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Project Veritas video of radical chaos organizers with Soros funding

Project Veritas has posted video of organizers for a parallel “antifa” group, with funding from George Soros.  1 Million view on Twitter.

This is really chilling stuff.

My main fear is that the growth of this radical leftist movement, with its terror tactics, will drive some scared and frustrated people into the arms of other movements on the far fringe of the right.

In case it gets pulled from Twitter.

Posted in Si vis pacem para bellum!, The Coming Storm, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged , ,
8 Comments

The glorious Seattle “Free Capitol” Autonomous Zone has survived another day! CHAZ!

The Seattle “Free Capitol” Autonomous Zone has survived another day! Ummm… Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone or CHAZ. Their leader is Raz. Raz of CHAZ!

The Free Autonomous People have posted their demands.

The list published includes the following demands:

“1. The Seattle Police Department and attached court system are beyond reform. We do not request reform, we demand abolition.

“2. In the transitionary period between now and the dismantlement of the Seattle Police Department, we demand that the use of armed force be banned entirely.

“3. We demand an end to the school-to-prison pipeline and the abolition of youth jails. Get kids out of prison, get cops out of schools.

“4. We demand that not the City government, nor the State government, but that the Federal government launch a full-scale investigation into past and current cases of police brutality in Seattle and Washington, as well as the re-opening of all closed cases reported to the Office of Police Accountability.”

Rumors are that businesses are being shaken down for protection money.

But THAT would never happen in a Free Autonomous Zone run by these mostly peaceful protesters.  So misunderstood.

These secessionists not allowing illegal immigration, by the way. And they’ve built a wall.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, the mostly peaceful protesters took over a former Sheraton Hotel.  HERE   The place was “turned into a sanctuary for people experiencing homelessness”.  The hotel owner is trying to evict, but, imagine, some people don’t want to leave!  I love the way this is worded:

Activists had received the tacit permission from the owner Jay Patel, who was confronted with the alternative of evacuating his hotel and having it possibly burned down as nearby buildings on Lake Street went up in smoke. When it opened, organizers said it would be theirs to keep, believing they would receive funding from non-profit or government agencies to run the hotel as housing for people experiencing long-term homelessness.

The two groups may or may not have connections.  But the results have overlaps.

So, what could possible go wrong in the Free Autonomous Zone in Seattle!

Posted in Liberals, Pò sì jiù, You must be joking! | Tagged ,
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Quick thoughts about Archbp. Viganò’s Letter to Pres. Trump

I’ve had a lot of people asking me via email to comment – or rather why I haven’t commented – on Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s Letter to Pres. Trump (V2POTUS).

I’ve been busy!

However, a little gap of time before rushing into the click scramble does everyone some good. We can think a little.

First, I’ve enjoy immensely the reactions from the radically papalotrous New catholic Red Guard after Pres. Trump tweeted about The Letter.  Some examples from Twitter:

And these only scratch the surface.

BTW… Austen is rejoicing at the civil violence of the mob these days.  HERE

And at the Fishwrap (which favors defunding law enforcement) the official tricoteuse Madame Defarge put his knitting needles down and wrote:

President Donald Trump watches Fox News, so I hope he caught this story that calls disgraced Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò a “Rome archbishop” as if he had some influence. In the event, he is not even in Rome and his influence is zilch. But, as I mentioned the other day, if Viganò and Trump become pen pals, look for the president to start telling his next rally about the third secret of Fatima. Buckle up!

GREAT!   I love the irony.  Madame D thinks Viganò has no influence… but here he is writing about him.  And he mocks someone at Fox for calling Viganò a “Rome archbishop”.  Yeah, that’s almost like calling the Fishwrap a “Catholic publication”.

QUAERITUR: Would the President be interested in the Third Secret of Fatima?  Interesting.  After all, the Second Secret was about the outbreak of wars and the possibility of the annihilation of nations.

About the V2POTUS Letter.

I must limit myself to only a few brief points.

First, I am as happy with The Letter as the Left is unhappy.  There is a touch of admitted epicaricacy in there.  So, my first point is The Letter is now living inside the skulls of those to about whom Viganò was warning.  With each passing day, more and more masks are being – irony of ironies – pulled off.

Compound Trump Derangement Syndrome with the additional Viganò Trigger Disorder and you’ve got a seriously unhappy bunch of libs.  Trump and Viganò own the turf between their ears now.   And their overlords don’t like it one little bit.

TDS + VTD = SPN  (Spittle-Flecked Nutty)

Next from The Letter:

[J]ust as there is a deep state, there is also a deep church that betrays its duties and forswears its proper commitments before God. Thus the Invisible Enemy, whom good rulers fight against in public affairs, is also fought against by good shepherds in the ecclesiastical sphere. It is a spiritual battle, which I spoke about in my recent Appeal which was published on May 8.

Deep state and deep church.   This is absolutely true.  There are truly evil people seeded like weeds through the church all the way to the highest levels.  There always have been and there always will be.  The deep church was perfectly manifested first by Judas, into whom Satan entered during the Last Supper (John 13:27).  The deep church is always a threat, because we are just human.  Even the Apostles had to be dressed down by the Lord for wondering who was going to have what place of honor.

The Enemy is really good at being an enemy.  The demonic Enemy is without physical limitations.  Hence, they never relent or rest or sleep.  They don’t miss anything.  They don’t forget.  They can oppress and possess.  OF COURSE there are evil agents of Satan in the Church!   The Enemy isn’t that stupid.

Today, we know that there has been corruption at the very top in the Vatican.  Just as an example, look at the goat rodeo that is the investigation and reform of Vatican finances.  Mammon.

Also, certain kinds of sins attract demons and permit them, legalistically, to attach to persons, things and places where the sins were committed.  There have been horrible perversions perpetrated in and around the Vatican City State, and in very important places.    I wrote about some of that HERE.  In a sort of fictional account: HERE.

There is a connection between the physical virus and the spiritual, demonic, virus that plagues us.  When the Lord heals in the Gospels, the physical healings are often simultaneous with exorcisms.  The forces that are operating for chaos in society today are also demonically fueled.

Of course certain forces are going to freak out over The Letter.

From The Letter:

It is necessary that the good, the children of light, come together and make their voices heard. What more effective way is there to do this, Mr. President, than by prayer, asking the Lord to protect you, the United States, and all of humanity from this enormous attack of the Enemy? Before the power of prayer, the deceptions of the children of darkness will collapse, their plots will be revealed, their betrayal will be shown, their frightening power will end in nothing, brought to light and exposed for what it is: an infernal deception.

I saw various reactions to The Letter with spittle-flecked nutty rants about the imagery of “the children of light” and “children of darkness”.   This is proof of the propriety of Viganò’s warn.

Remember that modernists reduce the supernatural to the natural.  When they encounter people who really do believe in the transcendent, they are “triggered”.

No wonder the lefties went bonkers at The Letter. Viganò cleverly unmasked their deeper connections with the Latin medieval, and certainly demonic, solve et coagula.  I can see it in the White House.

CROSS FADE UP TO OVAL OFFICE….

“Mr. President, the former Apostolic Nuncio to these United States wrote an open letter to you.  You should see this.  I’ve highlighted some points and added notes.”

The President reads and occasionally checks the notes.   He frowns.

“What’s this ‘solve and coagulate’ thing again?”

“Well, sir, it’s like this.  Imagine that the forces of Hell have teamed up with the deep state and the DNC.”

The President nods.

“Picture the reaction of the forces of darkness  – big-business abortion, various leftist community organizers, the Democrat Party and other agents of social upheaval – to your election, your work against the deep state, your going to the March For Life, and your probable reelection.”

The President nods.

“Like Lenin suggested, to make an omelette you have to break eggs.  They want to dissolve the bonds of society, everything we are as a nation, and then recreate the nation, or what’s left, in their image.”

“That’s how they roll”, the President offers.

“That’s exactly how they roll, sir.  Archbishop Viganò is giving you a glimpse under the rock from his point of view, as a Catholic priest and bishop.  He fights this war on a spiritual plane while you fight this war on a temporal plane.  He is saying that he has your six but that you have to pray too, sir, because you are really going to need spiritual help in this fight.  Finally, this is a call to spiritual arms and to social action for all the Catholics who read his letter to you, sir.  And the left is not at all happy.  The last thing they want is for a strong alliance of faithful Catholics, who have the sacramental life of the Church for their support, with a president who actually believes that babies should not be aborted.  After all, that’s how demons attach to people and places.  Think about how big-business abortion targeted certain communities for extermination and how they are now rising in chaos and rage today.”

The President nods.

“There have been some pretty strong attacks on you and Archbishop Viganò on social media.  Would you care to see some of their reactions, Mr. President?  I have a roundup ready.”

The President takes the file and begins to read.  A smile slowly emerges.

“This is huge.  Where’s that guy with my phone?  I need to send this Viganò a thank you now.  Is that phone charged?”

“Of course, sir.  Here he is now.  The phone is fully charged, sir.”

FADE TO BLACK

On these notes, Viganò pointed to an important threat to the nation from within the Church.

And it is disconcerting that there are Bishops – such as those whom I recently denounced – who, by their words, prove that they are aligned on the opposing side. They are subservient to the deep state, to globalism, to aligned thought, to the New World Order which they invoke ever more frequently in the name of a universal brotherhood which has nothing Christian about it, but which evokes the Masonic ideals of those who want to dominate the world by driving God out of the courts, out of schools, out of families, and perhaps even out of churches.

Freemasonry.  Communism.  Homosexuality.  All gateways for demonic influence.

Freemasons, communists and homosexuals have systematically infiltrated the Church.    Over time many have attained to high positions.  These can overlap.

This is real.  This is war.

War is not pretty.

If I were Pope, I would weekly send exorcists around the curial offices to clean house.

If I were a bishop, I would weekly send priests around blessing the work spaces of the chancery and sprinkling holy water and even blessed salt.    Use Title XI. ch. 3.

Pastors of souls should do that for their rectories, churches, all buildings and grounds. Use Title XI. ch. 3.   Yes, use LATIN.  I have recordings of exorcism prayers.

Fathers of families should ask the priest to bless their homes.

If I were President of the United States, I would get one of my trusted Catholic aides to find a bishop who could quietly visit the White House and pronounce the Chapter 3 exorcism over the place, especially the resident and the Oval.

So, Viganò’s Letter was terrific.

UPDATE

At Amerika – run by Jesuits we find an article claiming to explain who Archbp. Viganò is.   Get this.  Just when you thought they couldn’t be slimier.

Archbishop Viganò also accuses unnamed bishops of being “subservient” to the deep state and advocating “globalism,” a term that some say carries anti-Semitic history. He praises Mr. Trump by writing that the president “courageously defends the right to life.” The archbishop writes that he and the president “are on the same side in this battle, albeit with different weapons.”

Note well: See that grouping?  Something ANTI-SEMITIC, right to life, spiritual warfare.

The writer, Michael J. O’Loughlin, used to write for the Fishwrap and the pro-homosexualist The Advocate, goes on to smear a little more.

The archbishop’s tenure in the United States was largely uncontroversial, but a new book by the Vatican reporter Christopher Lamb about Pope Francis, The Outsider, claims that during his time in Washington, Archbishop Viganò “aligned himself with culture warriors and anti-Francis supporters.” Later, Archbishop Viganò was accused of trying to quash a sex-abuse investigation into a prominent U.S. archbishop who shared a goal of fighting same-sex marriage.

Then, like a good little comrade aspiring to full membership in the New catholic Red Guard, he targets a US Bishop for a “struggle session”:

Over the past few years, at least a couple of dozen U.S. bishops have expressed support for Archbishop Viganò, including retired Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput and Bishop Joseph Strickland, who heads the Diocese of Tyler, Tex., and who signed Archbishop Viganò’s “world government” manifesto. Bishop Strickland called Archbishop Viganò’s original claims against Pope Francis “credible,” and he instructed priests in his diocese to circulate news of the letter.

Reporting!

Posted in ¡Hagan lío!, Just Too Cool, Liberals, New catholic Red Guards, Our Catholic Identity, The Coming Storm, The Drill, The future and our choices, Throwing a Nutty | Tagged ,
8 Comments

Liturgical Legos! Do NOT miss this one!

This was passed along to me and I have to share it with wider readership.

Enjoy!  Liturgical Legos!

Not content simply to build churches – how prosaic! – or even the sanctuaries of churches  – commonplace – these kids are doing whole liturgical rites.

The Traditional Latin Mass.   Of course.  Far more interesting than the Novus Ordo, and far more photogenic.

For example, shots from Easter.

[Some photos didn’t post.  So don’t complain at me… JUST GO THERE AND LOOK!   o{]:¬)   ]

Vidi aquam.

You get the drift.   Truly fantastic.  And accurate.

On another page, they put a zillion priests on warning…. they have the vesting prayer, including washing hands before starting!

Putting on the stole.

These kids are terrific.   Ultra Fr. Z kudos!

 

Posted in Hard-Identity Catholicism, Just Too Cool, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 |
6 Comments

Benedict XVI on three purposes for Corpus Christi

In 1986 the English edition of Joseph Ratzinger’s Feast of Faith was published by Ignatius Press.  At the time, it was a bombshell of enormous importance.  It is still extremely helpful in understanding the state of the Church in the world and is foundational in Ratzinger’s faith.   US HERE – UK HERE

In that volume the future Benedict XVI reflected on the feast of Corpus Christi, which held profound significance for him from his youth onward.

His Holiness juxtaposed the sad decline of Eucharistic devotions after the Second Vatican Council with what the Council of Trent taught.  Although the anti-triumphalism of some post-Conciliar liturgists had repressed Eucharistic exposition, adoration and processions,

the Council of Trent had been far less inhibited.  It said that the purpose of Corpus Christi was to arouse gratitude in the hearts of men and to remind them of their common Lord. (cf. Decr. desc. Euch., c. 5; DS 1644).  Here in a nutshell, we have in fact three purposes: Corpus Christi is to counter man’s forgetfulness, to elicit his thankfulness, and it has something to do with fellowship, with that unifying power which is at work where people are looking for the one Lord.  A great deal could be said about this; for with our computers, meetings and appointments we have become appallingly thoughtless and forgetful (pp. 128-9).

Let us consider Trent again for a moment.  There we find the unqualified statement that Corpus Christi celebrates Christ’s triumph, his victory over death. Just as, according to our Bavarian custom, Christ was honored in the terms of a great state visit, Trent harks back to the practice of the ancient Romans who honored their victorious generals by holding triumphal processions on their return.  The purpose of Christ’s campaign was to eliminate death, that death which devours time and makes us cultivate the lie in order to forget or “kill” time.  … Far from detracting from the primacy of reception which is expressed in the gifts of bread and wine, it actually reveals fully and for the first time what “receiving” really means, namely, giving the Lord the reception due to the Victor.  To receive him means to worship him; to receive him means precisely, Quantum potes tantum aude – dare to do as much as you can.  (p. 130).

Quantum potes tantum aude…  from the Sequence Lauda Sion.

What strikes me in this today – I’ve read it many times over the years – is the stress on reception in connection with doing.  There is a logical priority to reception.  This is precisely the dynamic present in all of our properly understood “full, conscious and active participation” in our sacred liturgy.

Receptivity is not necessarily passive.  Our liturgical receptivity is decidedly active.   We participate – ideally – with active receptivity.  That means engaging the will in a disciplined way to connect our attention, focus, heart, mind on the gestures and the texts, which are by and from Christ, the true Actor in the Church’s worship.

This is not easy for us to do, in this distracting world.  It also isn’t easy if we are not habituated to face our true selves in the brutally honest mirror of self-examination.

In the still and silent moments of encounter with the Eucharist such as those in Holy Mass before Communion or in the quiet of a church, we can be at times compelled to face the reality of our state at the moment and the fact of inevitable accounting for the life that is God’s gift.

Everything Christ offers is transformative.

The Eucharist is the very giver of the gift who, as “true food” (John 6:55 – alethes brosis) transforms us into what it is.

Posted in Benedict XVI, Hard-Identity Catholicism, Linking Back, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000 | Tagged
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