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{]:¬)

Esolen: “Open Your Eyes Father Martin”

Posted on 11 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I am usually eager to read anything penned by Anthony Esolen. But when I saw the title of Esolen’s newest offering at Crisis, I put everything aside:

“Open Your Eyes Father Martin”

Father James G. Martin, S.J., is either a cruel or a foolish man. It does not seem to be the first. But if it is not that, it must be the second, because that alone can explain how a Catholic priest can live in the midst of massive and unprecedented family breakdown, and the chaos, loneliness, and alienation consequent upon it, and still wave the banner for the latest innovation in sexual confusion.

He is good at telling stories. Let me tell a few.

[… Hereafter rather hard reading occurs…]

It is a longish piece, and … grim.

Posted in Sin That Cries To Heaven, The Coming Storm | Tagged Anthony Esolen, Fr. James Martin SJ, homosexualist agenda, homosexuality
12 Comments

FOLLOW UP: Massive Rosary Prayer in Poland and disdain from @MassimoFaggioli

Posted on 10 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I read with extreme delight about the massive Rosary rally in Poland, on 7 October – the anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto and Feast of the Holy Rosary – to ring the entire 2000 mile border of the country in prayers of protection. HERE

[…]

Father Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, a spokesman for the Polish Bishops’ Conference, said it was the second largest prayer event in Europe after the 2016 World Youth Day. The New York Times reported, however, that final participation numbers were still being tabulated.

Airport chapels, considered gateways to the country, were prayer sites for Catholics as well, the AP said, and Polish soldiers stationed in Afghanistan prayed at Bagram Airfield there.

The prayer positions for the rosary event also included fishing boats at sea as well as kayaks and sailboats forming chains on Polish rivers, according to a report from Agence France-Presse.

“During the prayer, I was at the Chopin airport in Warsaw,” Father Rytel-Andrianik said, “and there were so many people that they were pouring out of the chapel.”

“This was an initiative started by lay people, which makes it even more extraordinary,” he continued. “Millions of people prayed the rosary together. This exceeded the boldest expectations of the organizers.”

Churches taking part kicked the prayer event off with a talk and celebration of Mass before Catholics headed to the border to pray the rosary.

[…]

And then there is this:

Villanova University theologian Massimo [“Beans”] Faggioli used Twitter to criticize what he termed using the rosary from “anti-immigrant use.”

“Using the Virgin Mary as a human shield and the Rosary as a weapon against Islam is not exactly my kind of thing,” he tweeted, and, “using the Rosary as a weapon against Islam is not ‘the Catholic Church.’”

Hmmm…

“using the Rosary as a weapon against Islam is not ‘the Catholic Church.’”

Hmmm… poor confused man.

VaticanMuseumRosaryLepanto

“Using the Virgin Mary as a human shield”

Hmmm….

Hmmm…

May I suggest that the readers here stop and say a Rosary for the awakening to reality of one Massimo Faggioli?

Posted in Hard-Identity Catholicism, Just Too Cool, Liberals | Tagged Holy Rosary, Massimo Faggioli, Poland
23 Comments

Asteroid 2012 TC4 will NOT strike your planet… they say.

Posted on 10 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

That’s not the sun. That’s the fireball that blew up over Russia.

From SPACEWEATHER:

ASTEROID TO BUZZ EARTH THIS WEEK: When the sun rose over Chelyabinsk, Russia, on Feb. 15, 2013, at first it seemed like an ordinary day. Then the space rock hit. Without warning, the morning sky lit up with a second sun as shock waves shattered windows in hundreds of buildings around the wakening city.

The impactor flew out of the blue, literally from the direction of the sun where no telescope could see it, and took everyone by surprise. Years later, meteorite hunters are still finding pieces of the “Chelyabinsk asteroid” that rained down after its 17m-wide body disintegrated in the atmosphere.

A similar asteroid is approaching Earth this week, but this time NASA knows its coming. 2012 TC4 measures somewhere between 10 m and 30 m wide, and on Oct. 12th it will pass 43,500 km above our planet’s surface, about 1/8th the distance to the Moon. The flyby is so close, Earth’s gravity will significantly alter the asteroid’s trajectory before it exits the Earth-Moon system.

“We know the orbit of 2012 TC4 well enough to be absolutely certain that it won’t hit Earth,” says Paul Chodas, manager of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at JPL,”but we haven’t established its exact path just yet.”

To get a better handle on the asteroid’s orbit (and possible future encounters), an international network of telescopes will monitor 2012 TC4 as it goes by. Pinging the asteroid with its Goldstone radar, NASA hopes to learn much about the space rock’s physical properties. The space agency will even exercise some aspects of its planetary defense systems.

This asteroid is too small to see with the naked eye. However, skilled amateur astronomers using 8+ inch telescopes will be able to observe it. At peak brightness, 2012 TC4 will shine like a 13th magnitude star as it zips through the constellations Capricornus and Sagittarius, according to AstroBob, who has detailed observing tips.

Posted in Look! Up in the sky!, TEOTWAWKI | Tagged asteroid
7 Comments

A great book for your celebration of Martin Luther!

Posted on 10 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

As we approach LutherFest, I’d like to remind you all of a truly informative and engaging book. This collection of essays is helpful.

Luther and His Progeny: 500 Years of Protestantism and Its Consequences for Church, State, and Society

US HERE – UK HERE

To give you a sense of the thrust of the book, the Introduction is entitled: “Half a Millennium of Total Depravity (1517-2017): A Critique of Luther’s Impact in the Year of His ‘Catholic’ Apotheosis”.

In other words, this is not an unqualified “RAH! RAH! FOR THE REFORMATION!”

I wish that I had had 30 copies of this, to give to the seminarians and deacons of the diocese back in August. Instead I chose Tracey Rowland’s terrific new book Catholic Theology.

US HERE – UK HERE

But I digress.

The moderation queue is ON.

Posted in The Campus Telephone Pole | Tagged Luther
17 Comments

Concerning rumors of dramatic changes to the Extraordinary Form

Posted on 10 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I have had some questions about a rumor going around that dramatic changes are going to be imposed on the older, traditional Form of Roman Rite. Someone thinks that the new Lectionary and calendar will be imposed on the 1962 Missale sometime in 2018.

I respond: Piffle. Even, bull piffle!

No. Won’t happen.

In addition, I checked with my various peeps. No. Won’t happen. Can’t happen.

So, you can relax and stop sending me mail about this.

The moderation queue is ON.

Posted in Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, You must be joking! | Tagged 1962 Missale Romanum
23 Comments

The recent Jesuit-run Boston College conference on ‘Amoris Laetitia’

Posted on 9 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The recent Jesuit-run Boston College conference on the reception of Amoris Laetitia in these USA seems to have been intended as a closed workshop on how to “struggle” (in the Cultural Revolution sense) against the Four Olds (in this case, Familiaris Consortio, Veritatis splendor, Humanae vitae, and the Principle of Non-Contradiction). As a confirmation of same, I noted at LifeSite‘s article about it:

The dissident news service National Catholic Reporter (NCR) [aka Fishwrap aka National Schismatic Reporter] appears to have been given the exclusive privilege of covering the conference. Links about the event on Boston College’s website refer to articles on NCR’s website. On its website, NCR states that a “handful of press outlets have been invited to report on the proceedings, including NCR.”

Look at the line up of cadres and commissars who spoke. Look at the Jesuit-run location. Look at the planned and controlled coverage. What could go wrong?

Now we see the lib catholic equivalent of Big Letter Posters from Fishwrap. They have received their caps and booklets. It’ll be a constant harangue now of “Down with the Cow Demons! Down with the Snake Spirits! Down with Dubia Askers!” Soon we will see their version of the Four Pests Campaign rev up against, “Converts who Have Opinions, Lovers of Tradition, Signers of Filial Letters, Upholders of Law”.

Let us go Down To The Countryside of “Lived Experience”.

We must now force the legalist Cow Demons to learn the wisdom of El Pueblo and their “lived experience” which overcomes the Four Olds.

Criticize! RECTIFY!

Then again, how many people attended this workshop?

Here is a photo from Fishwrap of “participants”.

Tens of people!

Perhaps that was just the speakers and organizers.

Wait…. that was the attendance. According to Fishwrap: “These panel presentations were stimulating and prompted an extraordinary amount of discourse among all 40 participants”.

I suppose some will question my choice of imagery.

Get back to me after the Struggle Sessions begin.

Posted in The Coming Storm, The future and our choices | Tagged Amoris Laetitia
41 Comments

A “cri de coeur”: Fr Z responds with a strong suggestion.

Posted on 9 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I had a note, really a cri de coeur, from a reader who said that she feels as if she and other good and innocent people in the Church today are undergoing one terror attack after another against our Catholic identity, one mass shooting or bus bombing or renegade truck smashing after another.

While I can try to calm and talk people off of ledges, I am not going to say that we are in a good situation right now.

When natural or man made disasters loom or occur, I often post about preparedness. Take steps and make plans while things are relatively calm so that you don’t have to scramble for the basics when the moment comes to ACT.

When spiritual man-made disasters loom or occur, I must now post about preparedness. Take steps and make plans.

What sorts of things might you do?

Of course, make a regular examination of your conscience and GO TO CONFESSION!

That, of course, means that you have to take steps to form your conscience properly. And this is precisely the problem today, when it comes to increasingly frequent attacks on our Catholic identity.

These days there are strong, loud voices shouting down those who teach about the proper role of conscience and the formation of a Catholic conscience and instead are imposing by fiat a dangerous variation of the role of conscience. Moreover, you might be in a parish or a school where you are being subjected to this twisting of conscience.

We must struggle against this oncoming tide and lose not spirit, trust in God, nor TIME. We have to start now.

As part of your spiritual prepping, you need to get your hands on trustworthy sources for your Catholic identity and even form small support and study groups.

One source that everyone can and should have is…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church.

US HERE – UK HERE (There are many editions. Look around.)

I am a huge fan of Kindles (US HERE – UK HERE), but you should also have the BOOK, the material volume which you can hold in your hand and write in. Get the book, which you can flip around in and hold spots in with a couple fingers as you cross check.

Read it. Pick it up. Read portions every day. Form a reading group with other Catholics.

St. John Paul II called the CCC, “a sure reference point”. It is precisely the Magisterium of John Paul that the present days powers are trying to obscure and, eventually, obliterate.

Possession of a copy of the CCC, and a solid familiarity with it, can be both shield and sword in the defense of your Catholic Faith.

Ignorance of the Faith makes you a potential victim of the predations of the libs.

When you hear from the pulpit or some other place a dubious notion that rings an alarm bell, check your CCC. Then you can decide to ask Bp. McButterpants or Fr. Hugalot what gives. “You said X, but the Catechism says Y. [Then, with a smile…] What’s with that?”

Along with the Catechism of the Catholic Church you can review the always dependable Roman Catechism, the The Roman Catechism: The Catechism of the Council of Trent for Parish Priests. Fathers… note the title. Do you have a copy? You should. You should know this stuff like a mathematician knows his tables. It’s basic. And it’s not optional.

US HERE – UK HERE (There are many editions. Look around.)

Also, make use of volumes of the wonderful Baltimore Catechism, which has different volumes for different ages (US HERE – UK HERE). It’s so useful, in its Q&A format. The Catechism of Pius X is also great. (US HERE – UK HERE). There are many good resources available.

However, make sure you have the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Cri de Coeur, Semper Paratus, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices | Tagged Baltimore Catechism, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Cri de Coeur
8 Comments

Boston College Amoris Laetitia Agitprop Workshop and Schrödinger’s Cat

Posted on 7 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I wrote about the first installment of coverage of the agitprop workshop going on at Boston College about issues concenring Amoris Laetitia. HERE

It seems to me, having read something about the second round (including the talk about Jesuit Fr. Antonio “2+2=5” Spadaro) that this is a practical workshop for agents wherein they are giving them marching orders and talking points for how to attack those who disagree with their interpretations.

That said, I am at present in Napa Valley, speaking at a Men’s conference. We are on a break right now.

I just had a great conversation with a fellow who is a physicist. We were talking about the work of another physicist who was part of the gravity team which was awarded the Nobel Prize. He is trying to reunite physics and physika, Aristotelean principles properly understood. In any event, in the course of our chat the classic case of Schrödinger’s Cat came up. Also, in our chat, in reference to the BC agitprop workshop I observed that, right now, those who are undermining Catholic teaching with ambiguity and chatter about “lived experience” have jettisoned the principle of non-contradiction.

Something hit me.

The people who are saying, in effect, that people who are in the state of sin can go to Communion without confession and a firm purpose of amendment, are like those who stand in front of the box containing Schrödinger’s Cat. Except, they refuse to open it in order to find out what’s inside. So long as they never have to open the box, the cat is both alive and dead at the same time.

It strikes me that that is what is going on when questions are asked (“Is the cat dead or alive inside that box, Prof. Schrödinger?”) and, instead of opening the box to find out, the key is squirreled away in a place no one can access. Hence, you can have one bishops conference interpreting Amoris one way while another conference goes another way, in blatant violation of the principle of non-contradiction.

Refuse to look and you can have it anyway you want.

That’s fine when it’s just a cat in a box.

It’s not fine when we are talking about the salvation of souls.

Posted in The Drill | Tagged Amoris Laetitia, Schrödinger's Cat
35 Comments

PODCAzT 157: Pius XII – Ingruentium malorum – On reciting the Rosary

Posted on 7 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

National Catholic Register on 1 Oct 2017 had a terrific article which brought to my attention again an 1951 Encyclical of Pius XII 1951, Ingruentium malorum, on the recitation of the Rosary.

The article by Joseph Pronechen is rightly called prophetic. As it so often happens when we read these old encyclicals it is as if they were directed to our very days.

Today I read it for you.

As you listen, tune your ears for he description of their times, in the post war. He could be describing our situation.

One of the things he drives hard is the importance of the family. He also has a powerful description of the Rosary, when challenges loom, as if it were David’s sling against the huge enemy Goliath.d confusing for the Church and no little trouble for me as well.

So as we come to the Feast of Our Lady of Victory, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, here is a reflection to help strengthen your resolve and joy and to inspire new personal and family practices.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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You might hear along the way, something by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber’s The Mystery Sonatas

US HERE – UK HERE

Also, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist

US HERE – UK HERE

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Our Catholic Identity, Our Solitary Boast, PODCAzT | Tagged Inguentium malorum, Pius XII, rosary
4 Comments

Some reader feedback

Posted on 6 October 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

I wanted to thank you for your wonderful blog. I’ve been following you for a while and I wanted to let you know how grateful I am. I’m a convert who comes from a family of radical leftists. My aunt was a Communist in the thirties, my brother is an avowed Socialist (Bernie fan) and my cousin supports organizations like the Ms. foundation. So when Bernie Sanders was a featured speaker at the Vatican and A. L. came out, I hit a wall. Did I battle my way into the Church for this? Do I stand in front of Planned Parenthood (40 days for Life) for this? I was challenged. But several things have kept me grounded and in the Church. Lots of Rosaries, Weekly Latin Mass and your blog. Thank You! Don’t stop speaking out!!

Thanks. May I add “GO TO CONFESSION!”? Seriously, I’m sure you are doing that.

Hence, may I add, “Please remember me in your daily prayers.”

Speaking of going to confession… another reader wrote:

Thank you as always for your calls to go to confession. I normally go monthly, but every time I read your “Go to confession” I do a mini examination of conscience and think to myself “When is the last time I went? Do I need to go sooner?” Thank you so much!

A good day’s work.

And there’s this from another reader…

I am sure that right now things are extra frustrating and possibly discouraging for you with all this liberal press nonsense toward you. You are civil, [I try to be. I know that, out of frustration, sometimes I fail in charity.] entertaining, and above all, reasonable. You say what needs to be said. Thank you!!

I am a busy homeschooling mom of four, the oldest of whom is 8, with another on the way. You are the only Catholic news source I subscribe to. I may look at others when I have the time, but if it’s something I really must know about, I figure you will cover it. And you’ll do it in an entertaining manner often, which adds considerably to my day. I often forward or read things aloud to my husband. Thank you!!

I’ve been reading for years. I don’t have time to comment, so I don’t. You’ve been a great help as we have navigated the changing church situation we face locally, and on a larger scale. I have no doubt you have helped us become better Catholics, and you are helping our children through us. You even encourage us to be more prepared for disasters. And of course to go to confession. Thank you!!

Please don’t be discouraged, and know we are praying for you. Thank you for being willing to do what needs to be done. It would be easier not to. But I can tell you take caring for us all very seriously, and we truly do appreciate it.

Thank you so much, and God bless,

Thanks for the encouragement and kind words. Back at you!

I’ll spare you the notes with obscenities and amazingly stupid and cowardly, malicious comments. Really? Do you really think that, after all these years, that stupidity bothers me? Take your meds and go away until your heads are in a less dark place.

Also, sometimes people who have registered for combox privileges (privileges, not rights!) leave comments that have no other motive than to provoke. Sometimes those who disagree will post endless repetitions of already dealt with issues. Moreover, I don’t allow any public discussion in the combox of my moderation choices or combox policies. Hence, I just delete the comments at the instant I see opinions on my choices for the combox. Don’t even try. I don’t have the time or the energy to debate about how to debate about the debating of debators.