Tonus Peregrinus

My Beloved Ste. Anne, Grandmother of God the Son

2011-07-27T20:55:00.000-04:00

Hat Tip to Taylor Marshall

Ste. Anne teaching the Virgin Mary to Read

Below is the account, preserved in the correspondence of Pope Saint Leo III, concerning the discovery of the relics of Saint Anne in the presence of the Emperor Charlemagne.

Fourteen years after Our Lord’s death, Saint Mary Magdalen, Saint Martha, Saint Lazarus, and the others of the little band of Christians who were piled into a boat without sails or oars and pushed out to sea to perish — in the persecution of the Christians by the Jews of Jerusalem — were careful to carry with them the tenderly loved body of Our Lady’s mother. They feared lest it be profaned in the destruction, which Jesus had told them was to come upon Jerusalem.

When, by the power of God, their boat survived and finally drifted to the shores of France, the little company of saints buried Saint Anne’s body in a cave, in a place called Apt, in the south of France. The church, which was later built over the spot, fell into decay because of wars and religious persecutions, and as the centuries passed, the place of Saint Anne’s tomb was forgotten.

The long years of peace, which Charlemagne’s wise rule gave to southern France, enabled the people to build a magnificent new church on the site of the old chapel at Apt. Extraordinary and painstaking labour went into the building of the great structure, and when the day of its consecration arrived [Easter Sunday, 792 A.D.], the beloved Charlemagne, little suspecting what was in store for him, declared himself happy indeed to have journeyed so many miles to be present for the holy occasion. At the most solemn part of the ceremonies, a boy of fourteen, blind, deaf and dumb from birth — and usually quiet and impassive — to the amazement of those who knew him, completely distracted the attention of the entire congrega tion by becoming suddenly tremendously excited. He rose from his seat, walked up the aisle to the altar steps, and to the consternation of the whole church, struck his stick re soundingly again and again upon a single step.

His embarrassed family tried to lead him out, but he would not budge. He continued frantically to pound the step, straining with his poor muted senses to impart a knowledge sealed hopelessly within him. The eyes of the people turned upon the emperor, and he, apparently in spired by God, took the matter into his own hands. He called for workmen to remove the steps.

A subterranean passage was revealed directly below the spot, which the boy’s stick had indicated. Into this pas sage the blind lad jumped, to be followed by the emperor, the priests, and the workmen.


By the hand of Donna Rathert

They made their way in the dim light of candles, and when, farther along the passage, they came upon a wall that blocked further advance, the boy signed that this also should be removed. When the wall fell, there was brought to view still another long, dark corridor. At the end of this, the searchers found a crypt, upon which, to their profound wonderment, a vigil lamp, alight and burning in a little walled recess, cast a heavenly radiance.

As Charlemagne and his afflicted small guide, with their companions, stood before the lamp, its light went out. And at the same moment, the boy, blind and deaf and dumb from birth, felt sight and hearing and speech flood into his young eyes, his ears, and his tongue.

“It is she! It is she!” he cried out. The great emperor, not knowing what he meant, nevertheless repeated the words after him. The call was taken up by the crowds in the church above, as the people sank to their knees, bowed in the realization of the presence of something celestial and holy.

The crypt at last was opened, and a casket was found within it. In the casket was a winding sheet, and in the sheet were relics, and upon the relics was an inscription that read, “Here lies the body of Saint Anne, mother of the glorious Virgin Mary.” The winding sheet, it was noted, was of eastern design and texture.

Charlemagne, overwhelmed, venerated with profound gratitude the relics of the mother of Heaven’s Queen. He remained a long time in prayer. The priests and the people, awed by the graces given them in such abundance and by the choice of their countryside for such a heavenly manifestation, for three days spoke but rarely, and then in whispers.

The emperor had an exact and detailed account of the miraculous finding drawn up by a notary and sent to Pope Saint Leo III, with an accompanying letter from himself. These documents and the pope’s reply are preserved to this day. Many papal bulls have attested, over and over again, to the genuineness of Saint Anne’s relics at Apt.

+Laus Deo in excelsis!

For the Departed

2011-07-23T17:55:00.001-04:00

From the Gregorian Sacramentary.

How great is the daring, O Lord,

of that man who fears not to plead for a man,

a mortal for a mortal,

ashes for ashes,

before thee, our Lord and Master!

But inasmuch as earth receiveth earth,

and dust is changed into dust,

until all flesh cometh back

to that from whence it came;

therefore, O God, most loving Father,

we beseech thy loving kindness,

that thou mayest receive

into the bosom of Abraham thy Friend,

and water with the dew of refreshment

the souls of these thy servants

which now thou bearest home

from the turbulent storm of this world.

May they be set apart
from the fearful flame with which hell rages,

and be united by thy gift with blessed rest.

And if any faults of theirs, O Lord, be worthy of punishment,

extend to them the kindness of thy most tender grace;

and let them not receive the wages of sin,

but feel the sweet goodness of thy mercy.

And when the appointed time of the world is come to an end,

and the Kingdom of Heaven shall shine for all,

may they rise, gathered with all thy Saints and Elect,

to wear a crown on thy right hand.

From Eucharistic Prayers from the Ancient Liturgies

Evelyn Underhill

+Kyrie eleison imas.

The New Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in the USA

2011-06-30T00:48:00.003-04:00

A blessing came in the post recently. It was the occasional newsletter of Father James T. Moore, PhD, the founding pastor and pastor emeritus of Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Church (Anglican Use) in Houston, Texas. I asked Father Moore for permission to reprint his major article and collected prayers from the recent issue of The Vision, and Father Moore kindly agreed. Immediately below you will see the handsome masthead of his newsletter with an image from the Houston statue of Our Lady of Walsingham as situated in her new niche above the Altar in the shrine. One should be able to click on the masthead image to see a larger version of it. I express my heartfelt thanks to Father Moore not only for this but for innumerable kindnesses to me which contributed to my entry into the Catholic Church.

New American Shrine

of Our Lady of Walsingham

By Father James Talmadge Moore, M.Div, Ph.D

This small pamphlet is sent out from time to time as an act of thanksgiving for several recent events: the issuance of the Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus in 2009, the establishment of the first Ordinariate under that constitution, and the May dedication of the new American Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston. These events are part of the historic Catholic Vision reaching beyond time into eternity.

The new Shrine was dedicated on May 28 by his Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, in the presence of a large gathering of clergy, laity, and religious on the grounds of Houston's Our Lady of Walsingham Church. Along with the present pastor, Father James Ramsey, and others, former pastors Father Bruce Noble and I were very blessed to be con-celebrants with Cardinal DiNardo of the dedicatory Mass. It was a moving occasion, truly a "great day". In the days since, my conviction increases that as part of the Catholic Vision, this new outdoor Shrine, along with the Holy House within a transcept of the church, stands to become a center of devotion not only for Texas but for the whole nation.

Even before the Shrine was dedicated, this view appeared in the blog, Anglican Patrimony, by Father Andrew Bartus, an Anglican priest in Los Angeles planning to enter the Catholic Church through the U.S. Ordinariate when it forms later this year. Upon seeing the virtually completed Shrine during a visit to Houston in mid-May, Father Bartus later wrote on his blog (May 20): I … was instantly struck with an idea: an annual National Pilgrimage to their new Shrine! Similar practices have been started with different degrees of success in the US before, but never have they had the unity that the forthcoming Ordinariate will have. Neither has there been a shrine quite like the one currently being finished in Houston.

...What better way to bring Anglican Ordinariate parishes, clergy, and people together on an annual basis like a National Pilgrimage to a Shrine here in our own country! Not to replace pilgrimages to Norfolk, of course, but it would be wonderful to have a shrine (which) more of our own people could reasonably travel to and one we can call our own! … I can foresee parish trips to Houston as being an amazingly beneficial time of spiritual edification, of worshipping God through our patrimony, and for edifying each other as connections and relationships are made and sustained throughout the US Ordinariate! Father Bartus is right on target. The new Shrine can be beneficial to many people from all walks of life. To a significant extent, this is so because there is a definite "Walsingham message."

Some have difficulty understanding the Catholic view of Mary. The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is able to help with this. This year marks the 950 anniversary of the events of 1061, when Blessed Mary came to Walsingham, to the Lady Richeldis in Norfolk, England. There, she expressed her wish that a shrine should be built which would emphasize the Annunciation and her motherhood of Jesus in the life of the Holy Family, hence a "holy house" was to be built, about the size of a village house in Nazareth, centuries earlier. This same emphasis of the Annunciation and Jesus' family life with Mary and Joseph, his foster-father and guardian, remains today intrinsic to the purpose of this new American shrine.

Shrines are places of devotion and pilgrimage, but they also teach. To teach the mystery of the Annunciation is to proclaim the central truth about Jesus as the Incarnate God, and to clearly present what the gospel says about the identity and role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in this pivotal event in human history. The Annunciation presents Mary as a faithful daughter of Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. In the Old Testament, Abraham fulfills his role by responding to God in faith and trust. When Mary receives the message of the angel, she, like her ancestor, makes a response in faith and trust: "I am the handmaid of the Lord: let what he wills for me happen." On this response at that moment in human history, the salvation of the world depends. Mary gives her ascent to become the mother of Jesus, "Let it happen." With these words, Mary becomes the meeting point of heaven and earth, the mother of the New Covenant; the mother of salvation; the mother of God; and the mother of the church her Son will found. By her assent, God is made flesh and comes into the world for the salvation of mankind.

Linked with the Annunciation is that event Christians call the Visitation, when according to the Gospel of St. Luke, Mary, following the Annunciation, visits her cousin, Elizabeth, the wife of the Jewish priest, Zechariah, and herself the expectant mother of a child later to be known as "John the Baptist." On this occasion, like a prophet herself, Elizabeth proclaims Mary’s identity as the mother of God. Luke tells us that at Mary’s approach, Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and cries out, "Blessed are you Mary among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me? When I first heard your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And, blessed is she who heard the word spoken to her from the Lord and believed it would be fulfilled."

Through Mary’s faith and trust in God, the Incarnation becomes fact. And she, as the gateway of the Incarnation’s entrance into history, becomes the first Christian, and mother of all Christians.

Mary’s words to Richeldis in 1061, also contain the request that pilgrims to her shrine be especially reminded of the joy she experienced as the mother of the Holy Family, hence her direction that a small house be constructed. Now, 950 years later, this emphasis is especially crucial. In an age when Satan’s minions are intent on destroying the very concept of family life, the Houston Walsingham Shrine can provide a vision of that loving family where Mary is faithful mother in spite of difficulties, either realized already or, as she was told at the Presentation, are yet to come, a family led by Joseph, who also responded to God in faith by becoming the husband, the protector of Mary and the father-figure and guardian of Jesus. Showing himself to be truly a son of Abraham, when the child’s life is threatened, Joseph takes his family, leaves not only his village, but his very homeland itself for the sake of Jesus’ safety.

Walsingham provides a vision of a family built on love, faith and trust, that which our needs cry out for in this age, an era which seems to declare the very gift of human life itself detrimental to the environment.

Mary’s Walsingham vision will draw our families together and make us stronger even as her prayers move us ever closer to Jesus.

Father James Talmadge Moore

Prayers from the Patrimony
”A precious gift… a treasure to be shared.”
H.H. Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Constitution:
Anglicanorum coetibus, Nov. 4, 2009 anno Domini

A Prayer for Protection Against the Heathen
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, in whose hand is the dominion of all kings and the governance of all kingdoms, look down in mercy and deliver all Christian peoples: that the nations of the heathen, which put their trust in the might of their violence, may be confounded by the strength of thy right hand. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Anglican Missal, 1943; 1961.

A Prayer to the Holy Ghost for the Emerging Ordinariate
O GOD, Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful, visit, we pray thee, all members of this Ordinariate with thy love and favour; enlighten our minds more and more with the light of the everlasting Gospel; graft in our hearts a love of the truth; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and of thy great mercy keep us in the same, O blessed Spirit, whom, with the Father and the Son together, we worship and glorify as one God, world without end. Amen.

Adapted from the Book of Common Prayer, 1928

Prayer to Our Lord for a Parish Priest
O HOLY Jesus, who hast purchased to thyself an universal Church, and hast promised to be with the Ministers of Apostolic Succession to the end of the world; Be graciously pleased to bless the ministry and service of him who is now appointed to offer the sacrifices of prayer and praise to thee in this house, which is called by thy Name. May the words of his mouth, and the meditation of his heart, be alway acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

The Book of Common Prayer, 1928

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
O HOLY Mary, help thou the suffering, strengthen the faint-hearted, comfort the sorrowful; pray for the people, plead for the clergy, entreat for all women dedicated to God.

The Anglican Breviary, 1955

Petition for our Souls
WE sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God; … That it may please thee to grant that, by the intercession of Blessed Mary ever virgin; Saint John Fisher; Blessed John Henry Newman; and of all thy Saints, we may finally attain to thy heavenly kingdom,
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

The Book of Divine Worship, 2003

Invocation of St Michael the Archangel
O THOU Prince most glorious, Michael the Archangel, remember us; here and everywhere entreat the Son of God for us.

The Anglican Breviary, 1955

Father James Talmadge Moore, M.Div., Ph.D
Post Office Box 242
Iola, Texas 77861

+Laus Deo!

Abortion -- A Physical & Spiritual Battle for Human Identity

2011-06-28T21:50:00.003-04:00

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Abortion – A Physical and Spiritual Battle

An Interview with Fr. Robert Gahl

Associate Professor of Ethics at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome

When reprinting the interview, Zenit.org offered this brief insightful introduction:

Fr. Robert Gahl

Abortion is a warning of something pervasive and deeply rooted in our society -- the loss of human identity, so that men and women no longer see themselves as called to participate in God's creative power.

This is the observation made by Father Robert Gahl, an associate professor of ethics at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. Father Gahl spoke with the television program "Where God Weeps" of the Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN) in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need, about the history of abortion and what it means for the future.

Q: Abortion is a universal suffering: More than 53 million abortions are carried out every year worldwide. In some countries, more than 70% of women have had an abortion. Why are these questions suddenly so prevalent today: abortion, euthanasia?

Father Gahl: Well, it is a sad paradox, which is evocative ultimately of Original Sin. With Original Sin, Adam and Eve really tried to supplant God by being gods in his place. When humans today try to take divine power -- the power over the origin of life -- and supplant him so that they can control the beginning of life in a way that is contrary to God's design and therefore contrary to the design of love, they feel powerful for a moment. They may even see themselves as successful in the product they have achieved. Yet shortly thereafter, they experience frustration and even a denial of their own identity because their identity is one of love, because we are made for love.

Our hearts are made for love. So, rather than people who are in love, instead of our family bonds, we become simply makers -- people who are in control of products. It becomes a denial of our own dignity because if our power to give life is simply that of producing elements that entail that "I've been produced" and "I'm simply the end line of a mechanized production system," this will be a denial of my own dignity as a child of God -- as the son of my parents.

Q: If we were to look back in history, what was the moment, the trigger if you will, that allowed us to take a step where, for example, abortion and stem cell research has become accepted and euthanasia is on the horizon?

Father Gahl: Abortion is sadly all over the place to the extent that many today, and documents of the U.N. even, see it as a reproductive right. The origin of this is the sexual revolution, which was not a revolution of liberation but a revolution of narcissism, of demise, of cutting bonds, affection, friendship, and of love with others. And central to the sexual revolution, which acted as a kind of a catalyst -- like pouring gasoline onto a wild fire -- was the development of chemical contraceptives, which allowed people to have sex without having babies so people could enjoy sexuality as simply a selfish pursuit. They were able to disconnect that intrinsic ordering toward the gift of life, and in doing so, they disconnected sexuality from serious commitments of love, from forming a family, and of course from becoming a father and a mother -- a diminishing of human dignity really.

I think the problem of abortion is like a warning light. It is a very severe warning light in which lives are being taken, but it's indicative of something even more pervasive and deeply rooted in our society which is deeper that one might think.

Q: And what is that?

Father Gahl: That is this loss of the identity of one's self as participating in God's creative power and being called to being Mother and Father.

Q: Abortion has often been justified as the right to choose but it has also been justified as an appeal to love. For example, I would prefer to abort my child than to raise it unloved. How is it that we have come to this inverse situation where death is justified by love?

Father Gahl: True human love is unconditional. It is when you love someone no matter what. No matter what happens to them you will take care of them. If they get sick, even if they are in a car accident and paralyzed, you take care of them the rest of their lives. Another kind of love -- maybe a selfish kind of love -- is where you give yourself to someone only for as long as you like it. Abortion becomes this instrumentalized kind of love -- as a means for a way out. We need to turn the whole issue around and say that we need to accept everyone, all human life, the way Mother Teresa said, there are no unwanted children. If there is a child that someone said is unwanted, bring that child to me and I will take care of that child because I love that child.

And this is the truth of the matter. So if one were to make a claim that abortion allows us to act out some kind of altruistic care for other people by avoiding hardship, that logic leads tragically, I'd say murderously, to claiming that handicapped people shouldn't exist. Once you do that, it's the denial of all human dignity.

Q: We have moved from life as inherently important to an emphasis on a quality of life. The shift to a quality of life then begs the question: What is my quality of life? Am I enjoying my quality of life? This then points to the handicapped: Are they enjoying the quality of life they should be enjoying, which in fact places their very life in question?

Father Gahl: Exactly. Part of the abhorrent logic that is inherent in what you just described also leads to judgments of each of us according to our performance; my worth is based on what I can do in society. If, at some point, my results would disappoint due to sickness, mistake, or being in a sector of the industrial economy that is no longer desired by the consumer, I would feel no longer desired and therefore I am no longer important. This structure of judgment also comes up with mothers who give birth to babies who, for instance, have Down's syndrome. These mothers are judged severely and negatively; this is horrible, as though it was a bad choice to bring into this world their baby, which is a beautiful human being. This is eugenics, which has been substantiated in Western societies where nearly 90% of Down syndrome babies are aborted before they are born because of this perverse logic.

Q: God's greatest gift to humanity has been this gift to co-create life with him. What is abortion doing in the breaking down of this relationship between man and God?

Father Gahl: Sometimes we forget because of "scientism" -- which reduces everything to scientific fact -- that a beginning of new human life doesn't just come from man or woman, it also comes from God. It requires three people to be involved because the human soul is immaterial. It is a spiritual soul that is created directly and immediately by God. So when a man and women come together to have a child it's also -- and as much or even more -- God's child. Therefore, if we can recover this respect for life it will be on account of our being aware anew of God's role in the giving of life and therefore this power that we have within us, which is actually a divine power and is transcended. It is a creative power whereby we almost have God in the palm of our hands because we can, in a sense, tell him when to create a new human soul. So if we renew that respect for God's intervention it will also help us to respect one another as images of God, even as another Christ.

Q: In countries like Russia, more than 70% of women have had an abortion. Abortion rates in some of the Russian provinces can be as high as eight or 10 per woman because it is used as a means of birth control. In China the one-child policy has obliged women to abort. What spiritual and psychological impact does this have on a society?

Father Gahl: In Eastern Europe where we see these high rates of abortion, which is often associated with high rates of suicide, alcoholism and severe depression, there is a sense of nihilism, of total loss as to what life is all about. That occurs in a society that is not built upon love for their children. That needs to be renewed. Thank God that some of these countries have, in fact indicated a tendency in a positive direction. In the Russian Federation, in particular, there has been a recent increase in their birth rate. The abortion rate is still very high but let's hope that this increase in the birth rate will continue in such a way that the abortion rate will be reduced.

Q: What more can and should the Church do with these issues?

Father Gahl: First of all, when we think of "The Church" we tend to think of the hierarchy -- we priests, bishops, the Pope -- but really, the Church is the whole of baptized Christians. The Church is a family, so we need everyone -- all baptized Christians -- to accept life with love. We also need to help in crisis pregnancy centers. Of course the magisterial Church, the hierarchical Church also needs to be coherent with the principles of Catholic moral theology in this matter.

The Church needs to continue in following the example of Karol Wojtyła, who as the archbishop of Krakow, opened centers to help women in situations of crises. But what it really comes down to is this: God is love. I'm a child of God. I'm made in the image of God, so I too need to make present among other human beings the face of God, which is the face of love. If we do that in all of our human interaction, if we really show respect for human dignity, if we show respect and love for people who are suffering then we can begin to recover these principles that are needed so that all of human life will be accepted. Life will then never be seen just as a product, like designer babies to be made in a test tube according to the desires of some manufacturer.

If I can just step back, I'd like to also add that our own sexuality needs to be recovered as well as our awareness that sexuality is sacred and therefore our patterns of modesty and respect regarding our sexuality and sexual desires need to be lived with chastity and fortitude in a way that is preparing to give life within a structure of the family.

* * *

This interview was conducted by Mark Riedemann for "Where God Weeps," a weekly television and radio show produced by Catholic Radio and Television Network in conjunction with the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

+Kyrie eleison imas.

Of Liturgy & Priesthood: Archbishop Vincent Nichols

2011-06-26T17:48:00.000-04:00

+
The Diocese of Westminster in England held its annual Celebration of the Priesthood, and on the Seventh of June, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of the Diocese of Westminster preached the following homily:

THE GOSPEL OF OUR MASS
Archbishop Vincent Nichols

The Gospel of our Mass today takes us into the heart of the relationship of Father and Son. This is the wonder of our calling, the wonder of the mystery we minister: that we human beings are welcomed into the intimacy and love of Father and Son, which is the life of the Holy Spirit.

This mystery we enter most powerfully through our celebration of the Mass. Here all is the gift of the Father. Here all is to the glory of the Father and the Son. Here is our sharing in that glory, conscious that it is expressed in and through the self-sacrificing love of the cross.

In the light and depth of this great mystery I would like to reflect on our priestly part in the celebration of the Mass. I want to do so with a directness and immediacy for, when it comes to Liturgy, we are living in a sensitive and creative time. This is a time in which the Church is asking us to recover some of the richness and depth of our liturgical heritage and, at the same time, always to ensure that the Liturgy is the sign and good at that. Among us priests Liturgy easily becomes a point of contention. It should not be so.

Today we use the text of the new English translation. It symbolises so much. We are sharply aware of the newness of the words we are using. We need to concentrate on them. We need a fresh approach in contrast to long-formed habits and familiarity.

I would like to reflect on our part in all this and offer you my convictions. Thereby I hope I might help to shape your responses. I can but try.

There are four key points that shape my reflection, all in the context of the Gospel truth we have heard. They are, fundamentally, matters of the heart, of our disposition. As such they can shape what we do. We do well to examine what lies in our hearts.

1. My first conviction is this: Liturgy is never my own possession, or my creation. It is something we are given, from the Father. Therefore my own tastes, my own preferences, my own personality, my own view of ecclesiology, are marginal, of little importance, when it comes to the celebration of the Mass. We don vestments to minimise our personal preferences, not to express or emphasise them. Liturgy is not ours. It is never to be used as a form of self-expression. Indeed the opposite is the truth. Within the diocese, when the priests of a parish change there should be clear continuity in the manner in which Mass is celebrated. The Mass is the action of the Church. That’s what matters, not my opinion. I once heard that Blessed Pope John Paul never commented on a Mass he had celebrated. It’s the Mass. My task is to be faithful.

2. My second point flows from this: the Liturgy forms us, not us the Liturgy. The words of the Mass form our faith and our prayer. They are better than my spontaneous creativity. At Mass my place is very clear: I am an instrument in the hand of the Lord. I am not a conductor, still less a composer. Ordained into the person of Christ the Head, I am just an instrumental cause of this great mystery. This is so important. My celebration of the Mass each morning shapes my heart for the day ahead. At Mass I am the Lord’s instrument just as I hope to be in the day that follows. In all the events of the day, in the decisions I make, the words I speak, my greatest, safest hope is that the Lord will use me and that I, personally, will not get in His way. We are servants of the Liturgy through which God opens to us His saving life.

3. My third conviction is this: our part is to offer the Mass as a service to the people. In doing so we make choices and judgements about how aspects of the Mass are to be done. In doing this we must always have upper most in our minds that the heart of Liturgy is the people’s encounter with the Lord. Everything about the Liturgy is to serve this purpose. So in the choices we make, which give a particular tone to the Liturgy, our positive criterion should be: will this serve the encounter of the people with the Lord? Of course, things old and new can serve. Our choices though are shaped both by the instruction of the Church in its norms and guidance and by our duty to serve our people.

It seems to me that one thing above all is needed for this precious, transforming encounter with the Lord to take place in: space, space which allows for the movement of the heart to the Lord and of Him to us. At Mass we need space – spaces of silence, spaces for the quiet recollection of the people, both before and during Mass. So, the fashion of our celebration of the Mass should never be dominating or overpowering of those taking part. It should be well judged, respectful of its congregation, sensitive to their spiritual needs.

In my view one quality enhances this sense of divinely filled space in which we worship God: it is the beauty of the Liturgy and its reverence. A beautiful, cared for church is the best preparation we can provide. I was recently reminded of the words of Cardinal Hume: that our churches are not simply buildings in which we worship the Lord, but buildings with which we worship Him. I thank you for all your efforts in this important regard. The church as an arena of beauty for the Lord is, it seems to me, always a springboard of a vibrant parish.

4. My fourth and final point follows: whenever the Liturgy of the Church, the celebration of the Mass, truly enters our heart and soul, then the result is a vibrant sense of mission. When we meet the Lord in all His love for us, then we are ready to respond, especially in the care we give to the poorest and those most in need, those closest to the Heart of our Saviour. Our Diocesan ‘Conversation in Caritas’, about the social outreach of our parishes, has a Eucharistic centre. I thank you for your participation in it. A profound celebration of the Mass inexorably gives rise to a practical expression of compassion and willing service. It just is so.

My brothers, I am conscious of the length of these words and their strained character as a homily. But these are important matters, now, in the months ahead, in our hearts.

In the Mass all that we receive is a gift of the Father. It is never ours to use or shape as we please. In the Mass all is to the glory of the Son. In this we are no more than instruments, humble and delighted to play our part. In the Mass all is for the sake of our people: that they may encounter the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. In the Mass we who know Him also know that we are in this world to serve its humanity in His name, until He comes again. These are the hallmarks of our Liturgy, the measures against which we can test our hearts, our intentions and our actions.

Among us let there be a humble, joyful service of the Lord. Let us accept with joy the search for a renewal in our celebration of the Mass guided solely by the Church and let our own faith and prayer be tutored daily by what is asked of us. Amen.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols

+Laus Deo!

Pray for the Ordinariates

2011-06-20T21:59:00.001-04:00

Borrowed from the website http://ordinariate.org.uk/

Eternal Father, we place before you the project of forming the Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.

We thank you for this initiative of Pope Benedict XVI, and we ask that, through the Holy Spirit, the Ordinariates may become: families of charity, peace and the service of the poor, centres for Christian unity and reconciliation, communities that welcome and evangelize, teaching the Faith in all its fullness, celebrating the liturgy and sacraments with prayerful reverence and maintaining a distinctive patrimony of Christian faith and culture.

Drawing on that heritage we pray:

Go before us, O Lord,
in all our doings
with thy most gracious favour,
and further us
with thy continual help;
that in all our works, begun,
continued and ended in thee,
we may glorify thy holy name,
and finally by thy mercy
obtain everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Our Lady of Walsingham:
Pray for us as we claim
your motherly care.

Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus:
Pray for us as we place this
work under your patronage.

Blessed John Henry Newman:
Pray that Christ’s Heart
may speak unto our hearts.

Saints & Martyrs of England,
Wales, Scotland & Ireland:
Pray for us and accompany
us on our pilgrim way.

+Laus Deo!

Mons. Keith Newton: Ordination Homily in Birmingham

2011-06-20T21:38:00.000-04:00

The Holy Father greets Monsignor Newton

The sermon of Monsignor Keith Newton, ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in England and Wales, strikes me as one that needs to be reposted here as part of the body of early important statements made by those in the new Ordinariates envisaged by the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Benedict XVI Anglicanorum coetibus.

My opinion is that those Anglican and Episcopalian priests who are trying to discern whether or not to take advantage of the Pope's generous offer should read these sermons. Some may here the very words they have been longing to hear about the nature of the Sacred Priesthood. Others may realise they need to read and study in order to comprehend the fullness of the Catholic ministerial priesthood in Holy Church. Such sermons may direct a reader for the first time to take up and read Prebyterorum ordinis from the Second Vatican Council and find that what was hoped for in another communion or denomination is already written and established in the Catholic Church.

I find I am filled with an overwhelming sense of joy with regard to the Church and the future of the Ordinariates, and I pray that you, gentle reader, will likewise experience the same. What follows now is the text of Mons. Newton's Ordination Homily from the ordinations in Birmingham, England, the text of which may be found on the Ordinariate Portal dated the Seventeenth of June, 2011:

In the South Choir Aisle of Canterbury Cathedral is the tomb of 15th century Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry Chichele. It is an example of what is rather pleasantly called a Cadaver Tomb. It was made in his lifetime and shows the Archbishop on the tomb dressed rather like Archbishop Bernard today, in the robes of a bishop, but underneath in a sort of bunk bed arrangement is the Archbishop in death, his body rotting. It was, of course, intended as an allegory about how we are all going to end up and a reminder of how transient earthly glory is.

St Augustine of Hippo was perhaps mediating on the same truth; the fact he was a bishop did not make him any better or any nearer God than other Christian when he wrote:

The Lord as he thought fit and not according to my own merits, appointed me to this position….and I exhibit two distinct features; firstly that I am a Christian and secondly that I am a bishop for others. The fact that I am a Christian is for my benefit, that I am appointed bishop is for yours. With you I am a Christian and for you I am a bishop’.

We all began our Christian lives at the same place, the baptismal font. Our baptism is the most important date in our Christian life; it is our spiritual birthday, a new birth bringing us into contact with Christ’s redeeming love. Through baptism we are caught up in the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection and become his disciples, entering a new way of life in company with Jesus. Every baptized person has a contribution to make to the building up of the body of Christ as St Paul makes clear in our second reading (1Cor 12:3-7; 12-13). Through baptism and confirmation the Spirit has been given to each person for a good purpose.

But within the baptized people of God some are called to further ministry and service through ordination. To take up St Augustine’s words, indeed with you we are Christians but for you we are bishops, priests and deacons.

Ordination can never be simply for ourselves, we are ordained for the Church, for service to God and our brothers and sisters in the faith. For that reason we cannot speak of ‘our priesthood’. It is the priesthood of Christ that matters in which those who are ordained have a particular share. Indeed it is Christ who calls and it is a calling to share in and continue his mission in the world. The words of Jesus on the first Easter evening in today’s gospel make that clear: As the Father has sent me so am I sending you (John 20: 19-23)

This afternoon the eight of you will be ordained to the priesthood in the Catholic Church. You have been called by Christ – a truth you must never forget – and that calling has been ratified by the Church. There is for you all both a sense of continuity and of change. There is continuity because that call to Christian ministry first came to you some years ago, in some cases many years ago. You have many years of faithful service and experience to bring with you but you will also be aware that your ministry in the future will be set in a totally new context as priest of the Catholic Church. Your ordination today will be a fulfillment and completion of all that has gone before but it will also be radically different as you will exercise that ministry of word and sacrament from the heart of the Church in communion with the successor of Peter, whom Pope Benedict reminded us in his homily at Westminster Abbey ‘is charged with a particular care for the Unity of Christ’s flock’.

First and foremost then you are to be ordained a priest of the Catholic Church. What happens to you today will give you a new authentic authority to your ministry. You will discover in the words of Lumen Gentium that ‘There can be no genuine priestly ministry except in communion with the Supreme Pontiff’ and you will share that priestly ministry with every other priest of the Catholic Church. One of the most moving parts of the Ordination Rite is the giving of the Kiss of peace by your brother priests which profoundly expresses the unity of the priesthood in the Catholic Church.

Though you are ordained for the whole Church, you will also be priests within the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. You have all been involved in a spiritual journey, certainly over the last year and probably for much longer than that. It has been a journey not without its difficulties. Archbishop Bernard will remind you in a short time to ‘model your life on the mystery of the cross’. These are profound and penetrating words, particularly significant for those of us who in our Anglican days were members of the Society of the Holy Cross. As you look back over the years I am sure you will see the providence of God at work in your lives and that he has brought you now to this joyful moment.

As some of the first priests of Our Lady’s Ordinariate you have that special responsibility to help bring to fruition that vision which the Holy Father sets out in the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus and which he described at Oscott College last September:

As a prophetic gesture that can contribute positively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics. It helps us to set our sights on the ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to us all.’

However, we will do that with humility knowing how much we will be receiving.

You will be only too well aware that you are frail earthen vessels entrusted with this ministry by Christ and his Church. ‘A priest’, wrote the late Cardinal Hume in his book Light in the Lord, ‘is an ordinary man called to an extraordinary ministry. Like everyone else he is himself in search for God and in need of redemption’.

You know all ministry is service and when you kneel down and follow the example of the Saviour in washing feet on Maundy Thursday, you will be aware that simple act seems to sum up what our priesthood should look like, and yet reminds us how far from Jesus’ example we fall short. Indeed how far we fall short of our own expectations, never mind those of other people.

But St Paul has words of encouragement for us when he writes to Timothy and reminds us that it is God ‘who has saved us and called us to be holy- not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and his own grace.’ (Tim 1)

In today’s gospel, Jesus gives the Apostles a task; a task which is being passed on to you: as the father sent me so am I sending you. But he does not leave them unaided; he breathes on them and says ‘receive the Holy Spirit’.

There is the mistake we all so often make, in relying on ourselves instead of reminding ourselves that God has called us and only his grace alone is sufficient. Or, as St Paul says in his second Epistle to the Corinthians, ‘We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such overwhelming power comes from God and not from us’. (2 Cor 4:7)

May God bless you as you serve him as priests of the Catholic Church.

Monsignor Keith Newton, Ordinary

Link to Our Lady's Ordinariate website

+Laus Deo!

Father's Day

2011-06-18T19:02:00.002-04:00

A prayer of Fr. Benedict Groeschel:

O Lord in your goodness and mercy, look upon us all and help us to serve Christ as best we can, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

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I commend to all Taylor Marshall's splendid post for Father's Day not to be missed on his blog Canterbury Tales.

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For myself, when it comes to Father's Day my thoughts turn to St. Joseph, the man Our Lord Jesus knew as 'Abba'. For all who are in Christ, St. Joseph remains the father par excellence chosen by God Himself to raise God the Son in the flesh. Many will remember with great affection Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. who was a spiritual father to thousands. I shall now quote at some length from an essay Fr. Hardon wrote entitled "The Role and Responsibility of Fatherhood - St. Joseph as Model" which stands as one of the best reflexions on St. Joseph I have read:

St. Joseph, Model of Fathers
In the litany of St. Joseph, we say, “St. Joseph, Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.” There is more hidden behind this invocation than meets the eye.

We know, of course, that Mary is the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ. We know that the Savior was not conceived of a human father. Yet the Church has never tired insisting on the fatherhood of St. Joseph in the Holy Family.

It is crucially important to understand that there are two levels to fatherhood. There is the physical level of providing for the conception of a human body. In this sense, Christ did not have a human father.

But a father is not only to cooperate with his wife in generating a child. He is also to cooperate with her in rearing the offspring which his spouse brings into the world.

From all eternity, Joseph was destined to be the spouse of the Blessed Virgin. They were truly married. Joseph was Mary’s husband, and she was his wife.

Marriage is the most intimate of all unions between two human beings. It imparts a community of gifts between those joined together in matrimony. Consequently, in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as his spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life’s companion, but also the witness of her virginity, the protector of her honor. No, by reason of his conjugal tie to Mary, he participated in her sublime dignity.

We cannot exaggerate the importance of seeing St. Joseph as the true spouse of Mary. Under God, he was to share in her unique role as Mother of the Word made flesh who dwelt among us.

St. Luke tells us that, on returning to Nazareth after Mary and Joseph found the young Christ in the temple, “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace before God and men (Luke 2:52)”.

What are we being told? We are being told that the Christ Child constantly manifested greater wisdom as he grew in age. In God’s mysterious providence, both Mary and Joseph contributed to this manifestation of greater wisdom in Jesus.

We return to our main theme: St. Joseph is the divinely revealed model of human fatherhood. We know only too well that a man can father a child in body without even being married to the mother of his offspring.

True fatherhood begins with a lifetime commitment of the husband to his wife.
True fatherhood builds on the selfless love of the husband for his wife.
True fatherhood depends on the generous love of the husband for the offspring of his wife.
True fatherhood means that the husband cooperates with his wife in the spiritual upbringing of the children.
True fatherhood therefore, is not only or even mainly generating a human body in this world. It is also and mainly collaborating with the mother in developing the human soul for everlasting life in eternity.
How, then, is St. Joseph the exemplar of fatherhood? He is the prototype of what all human fathers should be. They should reflect, in their families the seven virtues which the Church specially honors in St. Joseph’s relationship to Jesus and Mary.
Like Joseph, fathers should be:
most just, without partiality or human respect.
most chaste, according to their married state of life.
most prudent, in knowing God’s will through constant prayer.
most valiant in courageously accepting the cross every moment of the day.
most obedient in seeing every event as part of divine Providence and responding with, “Here I am Lord. I am ready to do Your will.”
most faithful in loving their wives with perfect fidelity, and their children with tireless generosity.
the strength of the home by their exercise of manly courage. They are to protect their wives and children from the plots of the modern Herods who are inspired by the evil spirit to destroy the Christian family in the modern world.

Fr. Hardon concluded with the following prayer:

“St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster father of the Son of God, obtain from Jesus the grace we fathers need to raise our families according to the will of God. We need light to recognize our grave responsibility as husbands and fathers. Above all we need the courage to persevere in the fatherly care of our families through time into the endless reaches of eternity. Amen.”

Let me thank my dear friend Irma More', foundress of Our Lady of Walsingham Institutes of Catholic Culture Studies, for recommending the following prayers for Father's Day:

Let us pray.
Most gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you for our earthly fathers, those to whom you have entrusted the responsibility to provide loving protection of their families and guidance of their children. We thank you, also, for our priests and bishops, whose spiritual fatherhood is so vital to the faith of your people. May our earthly fathers imitate the manly courage of Abraham, Jesse and Joseph, and all the holy fathers of the past in providing wise counsel to the children you have given to their care. And may our spiritual fathers be guided by the examples of Saints Peter and Paul, all the Apostles and their saintly successors. Give them valiant faith in the face of confusion and conflict, hope in time of trouble and sorrow, and steadfast love for you, for their families, and for all your people throughout the world. Assist all fathers of families, all spiritual fathers, and all Christian men, that through your Grace they may steadily grow in holiness and in knowledge and understanding of your Truth. May they generously impart this knowledge to those who rely on them. As you, our Heavenly Father, so loved the world, sending your only Son to be our Saviour and Redeemer, we ask you to help all men to imitate His fatherly gentleness and mercy toward those who are weak; His humility, perfect obedience to your Will, and fearless witness to your Truth. May their lives be examples to all of heroic faithfulness to you. We ask your blessing on all those to whom you have entrusted fatherhood. May your Holy Spirit constantly inspire them with justice and mercy, wisdom and strength, fidelity and self-giving love. May they receive your Grace abundantly in this earthly life, and may they look forward to eternal joy in your presence in the life to come. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son and Our Lord. Amen.

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Prayer for the soul of a deceased father:
It was You, O God, Who commanded us to honour our father and mother. In Your kindness have mercy on the soul of my father, and forgive him his sins. Grant that I may see him again in the brightness of Your everlasting glory, through Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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May the Divine Assistance remain always with us and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

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Finally, I wish my father V.W. Uher, Jr. a most happy Father's Day and look forward to showering him with love as we gather together this Sunday.

+Laus Deo!

Brother Lawrence Lew, OP on the Blackfriars Evensong

2011-06-17T17:40:00.001-04:00

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I encourage my gentle readers to read in full Brother Lawrence Lew's brief article at The New Liturgical Movement on the Evensong with Benediction which was the first public liturgy from the Anglican patrimony celebrated by the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. You will also be treated to some of the glorious photographs of Brother Lawrence Lew, OP, whose visual chronicle of events in the Catholic Church in England and Wales is a treasure unto itself. Of special interest to me were the following two paragraphs:

The Anglican Use liturgy alluded to by Anglicanorum coetibus is still in a state of flux, it seems, and approval for a final redaction of the Use is still awaited from Rome. However, there is The Book of Divine Worship, authorized by the Holy See in 1983 for the Pastoral Use Parishes in North America. This book, it seems, is to be revised, but remains in force as a legitimate liturgical text, and until the Anglican Use liturgy is approved by Rome and published, the Ordinariate in England and Wales may have recourse to The Book of Divine Worship.

As such, what we experienced in Oxford yesterday included elements from this book while respecting the shape and rubrical demands of the General Instruction of the Roman Rite Divine Office, published in 1974. As Mgr Burnham observed in his Foreword to the service booklet: "We have come as close as we can, we feel, to what is encouraged and permitted by the Roman Rite." The resulting liturgy was what Mgr Burnham called "a votive Office of the Holy Spirit in Week 11 of Ordinary time", which was appropriate given the dedication of the priory church. This votive Office, he wrote, "has distinct affinity with what the office on the Wednesday of the Pentecost Octave might feel like - and that particular configuration is one which might yet be made possible by an Anglican Use Calendar". Mgr Burnham also mentioned the "liturgical genius of Thomas Cranmer" in combining the Offices of Vespers and Compline, and so, Evensong, which he said "is a celebration of the Office which has long been envied by Catholics... is now, we think, thanks to the Ordinariate, available within the Catholic Church".

Our Lady of the Atonement, San Antonio

This tells a great deal about the thinking and methodology going into the drafting of the new Ordinariate liturgies. One hopes that representatives from the Anglican Use parishes in the States -- who truly know The Book of Divine Worship (and its need for reform) after twenty-seven or twenty-eight years of use -- have been invited to be a part of the committee drafting these new liturgies and resources. Sadly, to date, I have heard that no one from the Anglican Use parishes has been included in this work of liturgical reform.

So... if any of my readers are involved with the international liturgical committee and are interested in who those representatives from the Anglican Use parishes ought to be, I am happy to provide a short list: C. David Burt from St. Athanasius, Boston; Clint Allen Brand, PhD from Our Lady of Walsingham, Houston; and the well respected deacon from Our Lady of the Atonement, San Antonio, Deacon James Orr. Of course, resisting the temptation to false humility, I would volunteer myself -- Vincent Uher -- for such a committee.

Once all of the Ordinariates are up and running, I pray and hope that our future will lead to a broad provision of liturgical resources that all of the Ordinariates would share in common. One of our gifts is our wide and varied Anglican contribution to liturgy and liturgical theology. And we can bring that knowledge and wisdom to bear on such things as the Kalendar and the Saints whose feasts would be celebrated. Also, there remains the question of how we will honour the Anglican worthies of our Patrimony and Heritage such as the Martyred Archbishop Janani Luwum of Uganda and the company of Anglican martyrs throughout the world. Surely Archbishop Ramsey of blessed memory deserves to be remembered by us. What then shall we do? I have an excellent idea... but that will appear on another posting.

For all the wonders that the Lord has done in making a way for us former Anglicans to return to Holy Church, may Jesus Christ be praised! And for those matters still to be worked out, may Our Lady of Walsingham pray for us.

+Laus Deo!

Cardinal Wuerl's Speech in Video with Questions & Answers

2011-06-17T16:09:00.001-04:00

The following video shows Cardinal Wuerl giving his report to the USCCB. The question and answer period that follows his report is especially interesting. A factual error is made with regard to the Pastoral Provision of Blessed John Paul II. Cardinal Wuerl frames the Pastoral Provision as being for single priests who enter the Catholic Church one at a time. This is correct only in part. The Pastoral Provision from Day One spoke of the "common identity" group and its needs. The reception into the Church of the Episcopalians would be as individuals since there was no statute for corporate reunion of a group or of an entire denomination. The great gift of Anglicanorum coetibus is that Pope Benedict XVI has made explicit provision for the reunion of groups of Anglicans/Episcopalians with Holy Mother Church.

+Laus Deo!

Hymn for the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

2011-06-17T12:35:00.001-04:00

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I am most happy to share with you my hymn for the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6th) set to a beautiful new tune by Noel Jones. The tune 'GALVESTON ISLAND' was named for the island I called 'home' for many years and where I wrote the words to this hymn. This hymn and several more of mine are included in The Catholic Choirbook Anthology I which may be purchased via this Link. A collection of 62 Motets and Anthems from The Catholic Choirbooks 1-5 plus 57 hymns old and new in one book for use by choirs, this Anthology is a genuine treasury of magnificent music for directors of music, organists, and choirs in the Catholic Church. Certainly the choral music and hymns would prove valuable for Episcopalian and Anglican choirs as well as some Lutheran and Methodist ones.

The image below is linked to a PDF of the hymn located on the CMAA's MusicaSacra.com website. As with all of my hymns, I pray that this hymn will be used by many congregations and parishes. The text was written in Thanksgiving for the Revd Fr James Moore, PhD and his priesthood. Father Moore is the founding pastor of Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Church - Anglican Use, Houston, Texas. Now in his retirement Father Moore remains dearly loved by his former congregation. I remain deeply grateful to him for being the one who first welcomed me and then received me into Holy Mother Church.

+Laus Deo!

Cardinal Wuerl's USCCB Presentation on the Implementation of 'Anglicanorum coetibus'

2011-06-16T22:29:00.000-04:00

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Cardinal Di Nardo

Although His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl's speech has appeared on a number of blogs, I think it wise to post it here so it is more widely published abroad.. I am thrilled with the news of Father Jeffrey Steenson's involvement and the future role of St. Mary's Seminary, Houston both with regard to the formation of the new priests. Many thanks go to His Eminence Daniel Cardinal Di Nardo for offering St. Mary's Seminary as it is situated in the Pastoral Provision / Anglican Use motherland of Texas (and a few blocks from my home parish Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Church, Houston).

It was good to hear Cardinal Di Nardo use the phrase "Anglican Rite Usage" when referring to the liturgical rites and patrimony as it makes the salient point that Anglicans have their own full rite yet within the Catholic Church what can be brought in from that source can only be seen as an Usage or use within the Latin rite. All in all Cardinal Wuerl's speech was sober, factual, and without any great surprises for those who had followed the developments closely. I think many of us were hoping to learn at least the name for the Ordinariate in the USA, but that was not to be nor did we learn who would be Ordinary.

The Question and Answer period provided some of the most helpful information, and if one were to admit a criticism it is that His Eminence though superb in presenting the facts clouded some of his presentation with the offering of personal opinion rather than the facts as they stand. The Cardinal also announced that The United States Catholic Catechism generated by the USCCB would be the course of study for laity and others entering the Church in this fashion. This local catechism will serve well enough as a base text, and as it is The Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Compendium are already the texts being studied by many who are interested in being reconciled with Holy Church through Anglicanorum coetibus. I am not alone in wishing that the excellent Evangelium catechetical series from the Catholic Church in England and Wales had been chosen for use as it has been for the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in the UK. I hope it will be considered as an additional recommended resource.

Nevertheless, I should think even those concerned about Cardinal Wuerl's appointment as delegate (since His Eminence had been seen by some as less than enthusiastic in his support of the Pastoral Provision's implementation in his previous diocese) will come to thank His Eminence right heartily for all of the tremendous work he and Fr Scott Hurd have done in moving forward the cause of the Personal Ordinariate in the USA for groups of Anglicans seeking reconciliation with Holy Church. Such work is often thankless, and we should make the point of writing Cardinal Wuerl and Fr Hurd to express our heartfelt thanks.

His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl:

Consultation on Implementation
of
Anglicanorum coetibus
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

15 June A.D. 2011

Cardinal Wuerl

Anglicanorum coetibus, an Apostolic Constitution which provides for groups of Anglicans to enter into corporate union with the Catholic Church, was issued by our Holy Father in November 2009. Specifically, Anglicanorum coetibus allows for the erection of Personal Ordinariates, juridically similar to dioceses, in which elements of the Anglican heritage may be maintained.

In early 2010, Cardinal Francis George, then President of our Conference, established the USCCB’s Ad Hoc Committee for the Implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus in the United States. Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester, Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth and myself are members of this Committee which I Chair.

On March 23, 2010, I gave a report to the USCCB Administrative Committee. In the context of that report, I attempted to answer questions and also solicited the observations of the bishops on establishing an Ordinariate in the United States. Subsequent to the meeting, the bishops’ responses were compiled in a report, which also included observations by USCCB Senior Staff. This report was most helpful in conveying the mind of the USCCB at meetings in Rome on Anglicanorum coetibus, directed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from April 26 through April 28, 2010.

Father Scott Hurd

The Ad Hoc Committee met in Florida during the USCCB’s June meeting. We were joined by Father Scott Hurd, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington who was ordained through the Pastoral Provision. At this meeting, it was decided that the responsibilities of the Committee are two-fold: 1) assess the level of interest in such an Ordinariate in the United States and thus provide appropriate information for both our Conference and the Holy See; and 2) facilitate the implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus in the United States.
On August 22, 2010, Father Hurd was appointed as liaison with the USCCB for the implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus. In this capacity, he serves as staff to the Ad Hoc Committee.

The USCCB made a public announcement in September 2010 of my appointment as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s Delegate for the implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus in the United States. In the official press release, Anglicans wishing to be received into the Catholic Church were invited to express their intentions to me in writing by December 31, 2010.

Since that time, every Anglican group and individual who has written has received an acknowledgement of their statement of intention. Anglican groups were sent a “Community Profile” questionnaire, based upon established criteria for assessing Anglican communities. Anglican clergy not associated with a larger group were sent a “Clergy Profile” questionnaire. Finally, Anglican laity not associated with a larger group were sent an acknowledgement to their letter, instructing them to await further instructions, should an Ordinariate be established.

Personal contacts were also made with interested Anglicans during this time, both by members of the Ad Hoc Committee and by Father Hurd, who is in frequent contact with interested Anglicans by telephone, e-mail, and Facebook.

In January 2011, an overview and summary of the responses received from interested Anglicans was sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. A modified version of this report was submitted to the USCCB President, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who in turn shared it with all members of the Conference. Both reports concluded with the assessment that it appears feasible to establish an Ordinariate in the United States at this time.

Shortly thereafter, an extensive assessment of those Anglican communities intending to enter an Ordinariate was compiled and sent to the CDF. This assessment was referenced in my report on Anglicanorum coetibus to the USCCB Administrative Committee on March 22, 2011. In this report, I explained that all bishops with an Anglican group in their jurisdiction requesting to be received into an Ordinariate would be invited to submit by May 1 any information they wished to share with the Ad Hoc Committee. Many bishops accepted this invitation and provided helpful information.

An analysis of the academic and ministerial formation history of all petitioning Anglican clergy was submitted to the CDF at the beginning of April. This was done to evaluate their formation needs for Catholic ordination. This analysis proposed that petitioning Anglican clergy be placed into one of three categories: those eligible for an intense period of formation; those eligible for the intense period plus an additional period of mandated continuing formation after ordination; and those whose formation histories would not recommend them for either of these options.

In planning for the implementation of Anglicanorum coetibus, a program of priestly formation was developed that would allow for a concentration of study in the areas of historic theological divergence in anticipation of ordination to the priesthood. The CDF approved the modified program of priestly formation and authorized its use.

With the encouragement of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the leadership of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s Major Seminary, Saint Mary’s, agreed to implement the priestly formation program. A Saint Mary’s faculty member, Father Jeffrey Steenson, has been instrumental in designing the specific elements of this program, in collaboration with Cardinal DiNardo and myself. Father Steenson is the former Episcopal Bishop of the Rio Grande, who was received into the Church in 2007. The formation program will be available on site at the seminary and also through distance learning facilities.

In mid-April, Anglican clergy seeking ordination in an Ordinariate were directed as part of the process to submit dossiers to me by May 16 for eventual review by the CDF. Since that time, completed dossiers have been sent to Rome for evaluation.

Those Anglican clergy whose dossiers are granted a Nulla Osta by the CDF, indicating that they are eligible to proceed with the approved priestly formation process, will be directed to provide additional information to the CDF. This information will include the results of criminal background checks, a psychological evaluation, a letter of resignation from their Anglican entity, a Votum from the Delegate or Ordinary, and a Votum from the Catholic bishop where the candidate resides, who will have been invited to interview him, either personally or through a delegate. If possible, a Votum from the candidate’s former Anglican authority will also be included.
During this time, those candidates responsible for a congregation will be guiding the catechetical formation of their people, utilizing the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, as has been approved by the CDF. Candidates will be encouraged to invite speakers from the local Catholic community.

Once the second set of documentation has been sent to the CDF, a candidate will cease celebrating the Anglican Eucharist. When a rescript has been issued and received, he may be ordained to the diaconate immediately, with the intention that his subsequent priestly ordination would coincide with the reception of his parish group into full communion.

Since the Holy See has indicated its wish to establish an Ordinariate in the United States this Fall, I am grateful for this opportunity to conduct this consultation with the members of our Conference, to receive any additional observations you might have and to indicate a few areas where we as bishops can be of assistance to a newly-appointed ordinary as he attempts to implement an Ordinariate in the United States.

Before inviting your observations and, I hope, support for this effort, I would like to touch on a number of areas where individually we as bishops can be of assistance to a newly formed Ordinariate and its efforts to review possible candidates for priestly ordination.

Since each candidate will be required to have a criminal background check and a psychological evaluation, I would hope that each of us would be able to provide these services for a candidate for the Ordinariate just as we do for those who are seeking admission in our priestly formation programs or to minister in a diocesan program.

A second area where we can perhaps be of some assistance is to offer worship space to a small community that would be a part of the new Ordinariate. Most of them will not have property such as a church and meeting facilities. Our hospitality in providing them worship space would be a sign of generosity on our part and, I am sure, greatly welcomed by them.

An additional way we can facilitate the work of the Ordinariate would be to assign priests who would function as a bishop’s delegate. These delegates would meet and interview candidates for priesthood ordination and, perhaps, serve as a mentor to assist with any issues that arise in the formation process.

Fourth, I suggest that we make available the resources of our Tribunals to those Anglicans, both clergy and lay, who will need to secure an annulment before being received into an Ordinariate.

Another area where collaboration at the local level could be helpful is in the catechetical preparation of the lay faithful of the former Anglican congregation. While this is the responsibility of the Ordinariate, and specifically the head of the congregation seeking membership in the Ordinariate, perhaps someone involved in catechesis in the neighboring Catholic parish (Director of Religious Education, Coordinator of Religious Education or a senior catechist) might be willing to assist in the catechetical process for those lay faithful coming into the Ordinariate and making their profession of faith as a Catholic.

It might also be helpful to note that the establishment of an Ordinariate and the process for the Pastoral Provision are two distinct responses. The Ordinariate deals with those seeking to come into the Catholic Church as a group. The Pastoral Provision is intended for an individual seeking ordination as a Catholic priest.
Finally, as this consultation unfolds, I welcome your input, observations and comments.

Thank you.

+ + +

The Complimentary Norms given by the Vatican to accompany Anglicanorum coetibus may be found at this Vatican website link.

+Laus Deo!

Msgr Andrew Burnham's Sermon at Solemn Evensong & Benediction in Oxford

2011-06-16T18:32:00.000-04:00

This sermon was given by Monsignor Andrew Burnham at Solemn Evensong & Benediction in the Priory Church of the Holy Spirit – Blackfriars, Oxford, on Wednesday 15 June 2011:

You are a kingdom of priests and a holy nation Exodus 19:6

This is how the Lord speaks of the Israelites as they reach Mount Sinai, ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’. They are ‘encamped before the mountain’, on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, and they are about to witness a theophany. The Lord himself will descend upon Sinai, in the sight of the people. It will be a dreadful sight – or, as the Americans are trying to encourage us to say, even liturgically, it promises to be ‘awesome’. No one should touch the mountain until they are brought up to meet God. And the penalty is stoning. Israel – this kingdom of priests, this holy nation – is about to receive the Ten Commandments and the whole ceremonial apparatus of the Law.

We might profitably dwell on the way that theophany – God’s revelation of himself – precedes the giving of the moral Law. We might profitably dwell, too, on the way that the moral Law – the commandments to honour and love God and the commandments to love and honour our neighbour – leads straight into the detailed prescription for the worship of God. Catholics, at least, need have no fear of the way the liturgy and the lives we are called to lead complement and flow into one another. Why else does the pedagogy of the public Office, however doxological the readings, flow into eucharistic devotion? Why else does our eucharistic devotion flow out with us into the world in which we are called to work as business folk, carers, healers, parents, teachers, and the rest?

Photo by Br Lawrence Lew OP

But I am mesmerised, in passing, by this phrase a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. I know it from 1 Peter 2:9, and from a couple of mentions in the Apocalypse (1:6, 5:10). There is even an allusion in the Letter of Paul to Titus, where there is talk of Christ purifying for himself ‘a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds’ (2:14). That too is an association with the moral life, being zealous for good deeds. Meanwhile the reference in 1 Peter is to those entering the Baptismal Covenant – much as the Exodus reference was to those entering the Sinai Covenant – and at least one of the references in the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse, is to the heavenly worship, redolent with overtones of the worship of the Lamb in the Eucharist. So this ‘kingdom of priests’, this ‘holy nation’ is the people of God called to sing the praises of him who brings us out of darkness into light (1 Peter again), the royal baptised people, a people called to live out the high moral standards of the Decalogue.

In some ways ‘kingdom of priests’ has a sad history. The burgeoning individualism following the humanism of the Renaissance encouraged folk to believe in a new democratic priesthood of all believers. Broadly, according to this view, a particular reading of the Letter to the Hebrews, the Sacrifice of Christ put an end to cult and sacrifice. The new priesthood, exercised by every believer, fed on the study of the word, and depended on learning, with the intellect, the importance of the Christian virtues. Thus whoever pored over his Bible, though ‘he digge or delve’, as Erasmus said, could learn what he needed to learn, find out how he needed to live, an enterprise in which the support of other believers was highly desirable, but as individualism worked its way inexorably, could hardly be said to be indispensible.

Needless to say phrases like ‘a kingdom of priests’ and even ‘the priesthood of all believers’ are not to say that every believer, every subject, is a priest. Still less is it to say that the New Covenant has no need of a ministerial priesthood, those who celebrate the cult. Anglican patrimony, at its best, preserves the nuance of ‘a kingdom of priests’ without denying the priestly ministry of the ordained – which is neither to assert nor deny the sacramental validity which is claimed.

Those of us who have already become Catholics, under the ægis of Anglicanorum cœtibus, have recognised, and are attempting to be agents of healing of, the undoubted rupture and discontinuity to be found in the history of the theological idea of ‘a kingdom of priests’. We bring along to the Catholic Church some great shards of the precious vase which is English Catholicism. One such shard, undoubtedly, is the public celebration of Evensong, which, whatever the bloggers may say, is the mediæval name for Vespers, albeit combined by Cranmer with the office of Compline, giving us the twin climaxes of two Gospel canticles, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. .It is possible to claim too much for the Anglican inheritance but the public reading, day by day, of the Bible in the tongue of the people is now recognised, almost universally, to be what 1066 and all that would call ‘a good thing’. In that sense the kingdom of priests is equipped for its work. Another shard is the musical tradition which, rather like a worm cut in two – I hope I am getting my zoology right – results in two independent worms. Anglicanism lost, at least for a few centuries, the glory of Taverner, Tye, and much of Tallis. But the newly growing organism, enriching the English soil immeasurably, gave us Gibbons and Purcell, Wesley and Stanford.

But, to return to the main theme, a proper understanding of ‘a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’ is possible only within the particular Israelite Covenant context or, within the New Covenant, in the Catholic doctrine of the Church. Only in the Catholic doctrine of the Church is the Holy Eucharist, the Eucharist offered within the Sacrifice of the Mass, and as worshipped in Benediction, inevitably and indubitably the focus of our devotion. Only within the Catholic doctrine of the Church is a eucharistic people fully and indubitably empowered to embark on living out the Covenant as handed down on Sinai and expounded at the Sermon on the Mount. The kingdom of priests is not a bunch of priests, still less a bunch of lay folk who have no need of a ministerial priesthood, but a holy people, chosen to ‘declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light’. This holy people, as prophetically recognised by Anglicanorum cœtibus, is enriched – ever so slightly, for there are not many of us and may never be many of us – by the liturgical forms and musical expressions that have developed their own life within Anglicanism and which, whenever they speak of continuity and not rupture, are now usefully and beautifully restored to their ancient roots. There is very little we newcomers can teach our fellow Catholics about social action and living as the Christian community in the world. I have been amazed not only by the warmth of the welcome we almost inevitably receive but also by the depth with which the Catholic laity have penetrated society. Wherever there is caring, healing, teaching – to name some of the more obvious contexts – you find Catholics in there with others, and doing it. I am also sadly aware of how often some of these Catholics have become estranged from the Church and the Eucharist and, uttering the ritual shibboleth of ‘Catholic guilt’, almost work harder to do their bit in the secular world. The call for all of us – and this is where Anglican patrimony might help a little – is to recover the beauty of holiness, and the mystery of the Eucharist, and its truly sacrificial character, and its joyful proclamation of the Risen and Ascended Lord in our midst. If we recover that, then the Covenant connections between theophany, love of God, love of neighbour, and liturgical celebration will commend themselves not only once more, we pray, to lapsed Catholics but to souls which are ‘athirst for God, yea even for the living God’ (Ps 42:2).

+Laus Deo!

Md. Episcopal parish to join Catholic Church through ordinariate :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

2011-06-09T20:52:00.002-04:00

By Kevin Jones

Bladensburg, Md., Jun 8, 2011 / 06:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The small congregation of St. Luke’s Episcopal parish in Bladensburg, Maryland will join the Catholic Church through the Anglican Ordinariate structure created by Pope Benedict XVI.

“We welcome the St. Luke community warmly into our family of faith,” Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington said June 6. “The proposed ordinariate provides a path to unity, one that recognizes our shared beliefs on matters of faith while also recognizing and respecting the liturgical heritage of the Anglican Church.”

He said the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington recognizes “the openness of the community to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their faith journey.”

The community will begin to prepare for reception into the Catholic Church later this year. Its married rector, Rev. Mark Lewis, hopes to begin the process to be ordained a Catholic priest.

Cardinal Wuerl is supporting the parish’s transition, as is Episcopal Bishop John Bryson Chane of Washington.

“I am deeply grateful to Cardinal Wuerl and to Bishop Chane for their support throughout this discernment,” Rev. Lewis said. “We look forward to continuing to worship in the Anglican tradition, while at the same time being in full communion with the Holy See of Peter.”

The parish has about 100 members, the majority of whom are from Africa and the Caribbean.

Under an agreement with the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, the parish will continue to worship in its current church building under a lease with a purchase option.

Bishop Chane said the transition was achieved “in a spirit of pastoral sensitivity and mutual respect.”

“Christians move from one church to another with far greater frequency than in the past, sometimes as individuals, sometimes as groups. I was glad to be able to meet the spiritual needs of the people and priest of St. Luke’s in a way that respects the tradition and polity of both of our Churches,” Bishop Chane said in a statement issued by the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

Continue reading about this wondrous good news here: Md. Episcopal parish to join Catholic Church through ordinariate :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

+Laus Deo!

Corpus Christi Watershed: St Jean Lalande Library

2011-06-08T23:20:00.007-04:00

Corpus Christi Watershed is the young apostolate behind the most important online free Catholic musical libraries that exist on the internet. The significance of their Saint Jean Lalande Library cannot be overstressed, and this apostolate is certainly worthy of financial support by Catholics who love the Liturgy as well as anyone interested in (a.) the renewal of Gregorian chant in the Liturgy or (b.) the singing of the Psalms in English set to excellent music of the highest quality or (c.) new compositions of outstanding value by US American composers like Kevin Allen.

In other words, please DONATE to them for Corpus Christi Watershed with the internet resources they provide are a treasure of surpassing worth deserving all of our support. Please take a few minutes to listen to one of their recent promotional videos:

+Laus Deo!

New Our Lady of Walsingham Outdoor Shrine

2011-05-24T18:33:00.002-04:00

Here is a peak -- by way of a lovely photograph by Margaret Pichon -- at the new Our Lady of Walsingham Outdoor Shrine at Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Church (Anglican Use) in Houston, Texas. Some will remember the previous shrine which had been terribly damaged by vandals. Parish plans for new building and hall renovations made it possible to also include the need for a new outdoor shrine.

The new structure is based on the surviving arch at Little Walsingham in England and within the arch of the new shrine the Corpus from the Crucifix of the old shrine now adorns the cross above the statue of the Child Jesus and Our Lady of Walsingham, now stationed high above the altar. This new Shrine joins other new buildings and cloisters added to the Parish Church and Holy House Chapel, and the new shrine and buildings will be dedicated at 10:00 in the morning this Saturday, 28 May A.D. 2011 by His Eminence Daniel Cardinal Di Nardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston. One may find more information on the Our Lady of Walsingham Parish and Shrine Website about these happy events in Houston in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

And a close-up of this most beautiful statue of the Child Jesus and Our Lady of Walsingham, in situ:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

+Laus Deo!

Revisiting the treasure of a papal homily

2011-05-24T15:33:00.000-04:00

Time to share sacred treasure found on another blog! Some days ago I read again the following homily by the Holy Father on Dom Mark Daniel Kirby's excellent blog Vultus Christi -- which is not so much a blog as it is a work of art guiding the faithful reader in the spiritual life adoring Christ our Eucharistic Saviour and Lord -- and found myself struck again by how much Pope Benedict XVI gives to the Church in his sermons and how little these treasures are disseminated throughout the Church! So I hope to do a little bit to advance the reading and remembrance of this memorable homily by reprinting it below together with the italicised remarks of Dom Mark Daniel Kirby, O.S.B. which at the very beginning give us context and background in brief.

[. . .] the feast of Pope Saint Peter Celestine, monk, Supreme Pontiff, and hermit. Last July 4th, in the context of the Year of Saint Celestine, proclaimed by the bishops of the Molise and Abruzzi regions of Italy, Pope Benedict XVI went to Aquila in pilgrimage to the saint. The Holy Father left his pallium on Saint Peter Celestine's tomb as a token of devotion to this remarkable saint who, after five months, resigned the papacy and retreated to his beloved solitude.

On the occasion of his visit to Aquila, Pope Benedict XVI Holy Mass and pronounced the following remarkable homily:

Hermit Elected Pope

Dear friends! My visit takes place on the occasion of the Jubilee Year proclaimed by the bishops of Abruzzo and Molise to celebrate the 800th anniversary of birth of St. Peter Celestine. Flying over your land I was able to contemplate the beauty of its landscape and, above all, admire some places closely linked to the life of this renowned figure: Mount Morrone, where Peter lived as a hermit for many years; the Hermitage of Sant'Onofrio, where in 1294 he received news of his election as Supreme Pontiff, which occurred at the conclave in Perugia; and the Abbey of Santo Spirito, whose main altar was consecrated by him after his coronation in the Basilica of Collemaggio in L'Aquila. In April of last year, after the earthquake that devastated this region, in this basilica I myself came to venerate the casket that contains his remains and leave the pallium that I received on the first day of my pontificate. More than 800 years have passed since the birth of St. Peter Celestine V, but he remains in history on account of the notable events of his pontificate and, above all, because of his holiness.

Ever Greater Luminosity of Holiness

Holiness, in fact, never loses its own power of attraction, it is not forgotten, it never goes out of fashion, indeed, with the passage of time, it shines with ever greater luminosity, expressing man's perennial longing for God. From the life of St. Peter Celestine, I would like to gather some teachings that are also valid for our days.

Silence

Peter Angelerio was a "seeker of God" from his youth, a man who was desirous to find the answers to the great questions of our existence: Who am I? Where do I come from? Why am I alive? For whom do I live? He went in search of truth and happiness, he went in search of God and, to hear his voice, decided to separate himself from the world and to live as a hermit. Silence thus became the element that characterized his daily life. And it is precisely in external silence, but above all in internal silence, that he succeeded in perceiving God's voice, a voice that was able to guide his life. Here a first aspect that is important for us: We live in a society in which it seems that every space, every moment must be "filled" with initiatives, activity, sound; often there is not even time to listen and dialogue. Dear brothers and sisters! Let us not be afraid to be silent outside and inside ourselves, so that we are able not only to perceive God's voice, but also the voice of the person next to us, the voices of others.

Divine Grace

But it is important to underscore a second element too: Peter Angelerio's discovery of God was not only the result of his effort but was made possible by the grace of God itself that came to him. What he had, what he was, did not come from him: it was granted to him, it was grace, and so it was also a responsibility before God and before others. Even if our life is very different from his, the same thing is also true for us: the entirety of what is essential in our existence was bestowed upon us without our intervention. The fact that I live does not depend on me; the fact that there were people who introduced me to life, that taught me what it means to live and be loved, who handed down the faith to me and opened my eyes to God: all of that is grace and not "done by me." We could have done nothing ourselves if it had not been given to us: God always anticipates us and in every individual life there is beauty and goodness that we can easily recognize as his grace, as a ray of the light of his goodness. Because of this we must be attentive, always keep our "interior eyes" open, the eyes of our heart. And if we learn how to know God in his infinite goodness, then we will be able to see, with wonder, in our lives -- as the saints did -- the signs of that God, who is always near to us, who is always good to us, who says: "Have faith in me!"

Beauty of Creation

In interior silence, in perceiving the Lord's presence, Peter del Morrone developed a lively experience of the beauty of creation, the work of God's hands: he knew its deepest meaning, he respected its signs and rhythms, he used it for what is essential to life. I know that this local Church, like the others of Abruzzo and Molise, are actively engaged in a campaign of sensitivity to and promotion of the common good and of safeguarding creation: I encourage you in this effort, exhorting everyone to feel responsible for their own future, and that of others, respecting and caring also for creation, fruit and sign of God's love.

The Wide Open Arms of the Crucified God

In today's second reading, taken from the Letter to the Galatians, we heard a beautiful expression of St. Paul, which is also a perfect spiritual portrait of St. Peter Celestine: "For me the only boast is in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world" (6:14). Truly the cross was the center of his life. It gave him the strength to face bitter penances and the most difficult times, from youth to his last hour: he was always aware that through it comes salvation. The cross also gave St. Peter Celestine a clear awareness of sin that was always accompanied by an awareness that was just as clear of God's mercy for his creature. Seeing the wide-open arms of his crucified God, he felt himself transported into the infinite sea of God's love. As a priest he experienced the beauty of being the administrator of this mercy, absolving penitents of sin, and, when he was elected to the See of the Apostle Peter, he wanted to grant a special indulgence called "The Pardon." I would like to exhort priests to be clear and credible witnesses of the good news of reconciliation with God, helping the man of today to recover the sense of sin and God's forgiveness, to experience that superabundant joy that the prophet Isaiah spoke to us about in the first reading (cf. Isaiah 66:10-14).

Evangelization Rooted in Prayer

Finally, a third element: St. Peter, although he lived as a hermit, was not "closed in on himself" but was filled with passion to bring the good news of the Gospel to his brothers. And the secret of his pastoral fruitfulness was precisely in "abiding" in the Lord, in prayer, as we were also reminded by today's Gospel passage: the first priority is always to pray to the Lord of the harvest (cf. Luke 10:2). And it is only after this invitation that Jesus outlines some of the essential duties of the disciples: the serene, clear and courageous proclamation of the Gospel message -- even in moments of persecution -- without ceding to the allurement of fashion nor to that of violence and imposition; detachment from worry about things -- money, clothing -- confiding in the providence of the Father; attention and care especially for the sick in body and spirit (cf. Luke 10:5-9). These were also the characteristics of the brief and trying pontificate of Celestine V and these are the characteristics of the missionary activity of the Church in every age.

Remain Solid in the Faith

Brothers and sisters! I am among you to confirm you in the faith. I would like to exhort you, firmly and with affection, to remain solid in that faith that you have received, which gives meaning to life and gives one strength to love. May the example and intercession of the Mother of God and of St. Peter Celestine accompany us on this journey. Amen!

+Laus Deo!

Shawn Tribe's Brief Meditations on the Sacred Liturgy

2011-05-24T13:51:00.000-04:00

Shawn Tribe often writes the most marvellous articles on The New Liturgical Movement, and so I always recommend his website for daily reading. Most especially I want to point out a post of his from 19 May 2011 that will prove to be very useful to anyone with a concern for the character of the Sacred Liturgy. His post is not very long but rich with the Church's authoritative teaching which at the same time is also profoundly beautiful. His Brief Meditations on the Sacred Liturgy are of course from a Roman Catholic perspective, and I think it essential reading for Catholics but also very appropriate for those involved in similar discussions among Eastern Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians:

Brief Meditations on the Sacred Liturgy

+Laus Deo!

Cardinal Burke @ World's Largest Abortuary

2011-05-24T11:32:00.000-04:00

Cardinal Burke's Astounding Visit to Houston, Texas

+Laus Deo.

Cardinal Burke: The Theo-Centric Character of the Catholic Liturgy

2011-05-24T11:13:00.001-04:00

I share this here thanking Shawn Tribe of The New Liturgical Movement website for making us all aware of the lecture's availability on video.

His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, gave the following lecture at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington D.C. on Wednesday May 11, 2011.

There is no doubt that this is the most important lecture on the Sacred Liturgy to be made in North America following the release of Universae Ecclesiae, but this lecture's scope is the Theo-Centric Character of the Sacred Catholic Liturgy which is a broader topic than issues relating to the Most Ancient Use (Antiquior Usus) of the Catholic Liturgy.

Cardinal Burke asks, "What has happened in our time to make it necessary to address the God-centred character of the Sacred Liturgy?"

Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke from Province of Saint Joseph on Vimeo.

+Laus Deo!

From the BBC series: Part 2, Palestrina and the Popes

2011-05-17T13:33:00.002-04:00

This is definitely the sort of thing my readers far from the reach of the BBC will find interesting and worth the time taken to stop, watch and listen to a fine beginning exploration of the Prince of Music and the Chair of St. Peter in Rome.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately, the video has been removed from Gloria.tv. Nevertheless, I highly recommend Part 2 of the BBC series and hope it will be made available on DVD.  Well worth seeking out!

Paschaltide: An Excellent Sermon of the Archbishop of Westminster

2011-05-10T19:12:00.000-04:00

The following is a sermon of Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster given for Solemn Evensong and the Commemoration of the Carthusian Martyrs St. John Houghton and Companions.

"The Holy Spirit ... Has Healed Many Wounds in the Church"

Shortly, from this chapel, where we have celebrated such a beautiful solemn evensong, we will process to the Chapel Court, the site of the ancient Priory Church. There, as the Master will remind us, the Carthusian Community – having a few days earlier undertaken their reconciliation with God and one another -- offered the Mass of the Holy Spirit.

They did so that the “gracious Comforter himself” would “console, strengthen and direct [their] hearts”. And, as we will hear, during that holy Mass the monks experienced the voice of a gentle breeze, which, though no more than a sweetly whispered murmur, was nevertheless an irresistible power.

It is so fitting that we are reminded of that outpouring of the Holy Spirit during this season of Eastertide. For Our Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection is also the time of the new coming of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus had promised in the Upper Room where he kept his Passover with the Twelve. Jesus, the Christ, consecrated by the Father with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, gave up his spirit on the cross so that risen he may bestow it upon his Apostles. “Receive the Holy Spirit”, he says. Then, just as he himself was sent, so he calls the Apostles to be ministers of, and witnesses to, that peace and reconciliation which are the fruits of the new creation inaugurated by his death and resurrection. This apostolic mission is given its definitive manifestation on the day of Pentecost. Full of the strength of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles go out to fulfil faithfully their vocation, even though in so doing they encountered suffering and death.

That same Holy Spirit came upon the Carthusian martyrs whom we commemorate today. The gift of the Holy Spirit moved them to be reconciled with God and with one another. That soft murmur carried sweetly and strongly, to their inner ear, the very word of God: “Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are mine”; I will be with you through river and fire to bring you to the glory for which I have created you. Yes, a gentle breath convincing them utterly that the fiery trial ahead would make them nothing less than partakers in Christ’s sufferings -- thus something in which to rejoice! And it was “the spirit of glory and of God” resting upon them which enabled this brave brotherhood to believe unswervingly that “when [Christ’s] glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” The sound from Heaven heard just after the consecration of the Mass was indeed the promise of future glory: a sure hope on which to draw during their courageous witness to the truth of God and His holy Church.

That courageous witness was given four hundred and seventy six years ago today when Saint John Houghton, after pardoning his executioner with a moving embrace and kiss, went to his death praying one of the psalms we sang tonight: In te, Domine, speravi. It was such hope, born of the Spirit, such a firm trust in God our strong rock and deliverer, which preserved St John in fidelity to his calling and mission; such inspired trust and hope permitting St John in his suffering to give voice to the very passion of Christ: “Into your hands I commend my spirit”. In this, too, he was one with Christ’s Passover into the Father’s glory.

His nineteen companions gave the same witness, some of whom endured being tied to posts in filthy prisons and deprived of food. However, for a while at least, a Margaret Clement, disguised as a milkmaid, it is said, was able to smuggle in meat to these poor souls. Margaret had been brought up in the household of St. Thomas More, whom by association we may also include as a Charterhouse martyr. No doubt you know that as a young man he joined in the spiritual exercises of the Charterhouse and seriously considered joining the Community. Although he did not, the influence of the monks remained in his heart. In his Dialogue of Comfort, written whilst a prisoner in the Tower, he tells us that imprisonment for God’s sake is no displeasure. As an example to prove this he takes the “Holy Monks…of the Charterhouse Order, such as never pass their cells but only to the church set fast by their cells and thence to their cells again, wherein for God’s love they joyfully choose so to live.” And it was in his cell that St. Thomas echoes the trust of the Carthusian when he wrote: “God must be your comfort…And he is a sure comforter;…and therefore if, you be part of His flock, and believe His promise, how can you be comfortless in any tribulation? When Christ and his Holy Spirit, and with them their inseparable Father (if you put full trust and confidence in them), be never neither one finger breadth of space nor one minute of time from you.”

Guided by the Holy Spirit, St Thomas More discerned that his vocation was not monasticism but marriage. Of course, one can be called to both (but not at the same time!) as was demonstrated by one of the Carthusian Martyrs, Blessed Sebastian Newdigate. He married and had a daughter. Later, following the death of his wife, he entered the London Charterhouse. King Henry VIII, with whom Sebastian had enjoyed an intimate friendship, offered great riches to Sebastian if only he would conform to the Act of Supremacy. The king even visited Sebastian in prison in order to convince him to do so. However, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, Sebastian remained steadfast.

This fidelity of two Charterhouse martyrs who had lived as married men brings to mind the most recent marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. For it powerfully reminded us that Holy Matrimony calls the couple to be living witnesses to the Holy Spirit – The Lovers’ breath. The Spirit inflames the trust so essential to married life, trust not only between husband and wife but also – and above all -- in God. As Bishop Richard Chartres in his eloquent address explained: in the spirit of our generous God, husband and wife are to give themselves to one another; that whatever the difficulties, they are to be committed to the way of self-sacrificing love, a generous love which allows the Spirit to flow. Yet such generous love, the true sustenance of enduring happiness, is not possible without that most fundamental trust in God. I think that the young Duke and Duchess do believe this. In the lovely prayer which they composed for their own wedding they asked God the Father to keep their eyes fixed on what is real and important in life, and they asked the grace of serving ‘in the Spirit of Jesus’ himself.

The Spirit of Jesus Christ was at work not only in that happy couple, but also in the gathering together of so many who shared in the splendid royal wedding. Assembled with Her Majesty the Queen were three cardinals, the Apostolic Nuncio representing the Holy See, and the present Archbishop of Westminster too! It was an occasion which showed that, even if not wholly, the Holy Spirit of peace and reconciliation has healed many wounds in the Church. Certainly there is a journey still to be completed, but how far we have come from the situation in the sixteenth century which we recall today! Furthermore, it struck me, sat as I was in the choir stalls with the Chief Rabbi and leaders of other religions as neighbours, that within the Abbey a certain bond of unity with those outside the Christian family had been forged. Was this not another manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s work?

Certainly the royal wedding made a very favourable impression on many of my brother bishops from around the world who were at another great celebration which I attended last Sunday, the Beatification of Pope John Paul II. This too was a marvellous celebration of the fruits of the Spirit, for the Holy Spirit empowered Blessed John Paul to respond whole-heartedly to the invitation of Christ: “Do not be afraid.” He was not afraid to forgive his would-be assassin. He was not afraid to proclaim the power of hope in Christ or to cross the threshold of that hope in search of freedom for so many. As Pope Benedict said in his homily, Pope John Paul encouraged many believers not to be afraid to speak the Gospel. Maybe it was during the closing days of his earthly life, when he could hardly speak, that Blessed John Paul spoke most authentically the Gospel of God’s love and unfailing mercy. Fortified by the Holy Spirit received through the Sacrament of Holy Anointing, in the midst of fragility of old age and the suffering caused by sickness, when fear can so easily overwhelm us, he witnessed to the abiding presence of God. To the end Blessed John Paul II taught us not to be afraid of accepting the call to holiness: for if we rely on the Holy Spirit’s strength, no matter our weakness in face of challenges, we will be victorious and find peace in that glory for which we were made.

Blessed John Paul II speaks to us still this evening. He assures us that no matter the obstacles still to be overcome, the Holy Spirit is leading the Church to the full realization of the Father’s plan. That plan, to which the will of Christ is perfectly conformed, is expressed with heartfelt urgency in his prayer uttered at the moment he entered the saving mystery of his Passover: Ut Unum Sint. In his encyclical on the commitment to ecumenism rooted in this prayer of Our Lord, Pope John Paul II wrote that Church “asks the Spirit for the grace to strengthen her own unity and to make it grow in full communion with other Christians; a grace to be obtained through hope in the Spirit, who can banish from us the painful memories of our separation and grant us the clear sightedness, strength and courage to take what steps are necessary, that our commitment may be ever more authentic.” (102)

So as we take our steps to the Chapel Court in the company of Saint John Houghton and his fellow Carthusian Martyrs, let us seek their intercession -- and Blessed John Paul II’s too. He would also ask to seek the help of that spirit-filled woman, Mary, who recognised that for God nothing is impossible. In answer to their prayers, may the grace of spiritual unction which they possessed so abundantly pass to us and softly charm our hearts. Gladdened and strengthened by that gift may we not be afraid to journey further along the path toward unity, knowing that the Lord walks with us every step of the way, no matter how arduous it may seem. May God’s holy will, that there be full and visible communion among all who rejoice in the name Christian, find fulfilment in and through us, to his eternal praise. Amen.

+Laus Deo.

Stripping of the Altar

2011-04-21T18:51:00.000-04:00

The High Altar of the London Oratory

after the Stripping of the High Altar on Maundy Thursday / Holy Thursday

Image borrowed from Shawn Tribe

The New Liturgical Movement

Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham

2011-01-16T03:07:00.008-05:00

Above is the fine new banner for the Ordinariate on the Catholic Church of England and Wales website with the shield for the CCEW. I look forward to seeing the Ordinariate of Our Lady Walsingham and the other Ordinariate's developing their own arms for use within the Catholic Church.

I cannot begin to express my personal joy that the Blessed Trinity has allowed me to live to see this day of the erection of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in England and Wales. I am truly too overwhelmed to add any commentary, so I say Deo Gratias and post below Archbishop Nichols' homily which will be remembered with great distintinction as part of the Patrimony of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham:

Ordination to the Priesthood
of Reverend John Broadhurst, Reverend Andrew Burnham, Reverend Keith Newton

Westminster Cathedral, Saturday 15 January 2011

Archbishop Vincent Nichols' homily

Many ordinations have taken place in this Cathedral during the 100 years of its history. But none quite like this. Today is a unique occasion marking a new step in the life and history of the Catholic Church. This morning the establishment of the first Personal Ordinariate under the provision of the Apostolic Constitution ‘Anglicanorum Coetibus’ has been announced in our hearing. So I too salute John Broadhurst, Andrew Burnham and Keith Newton who are to be the first priests of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. In particular I offer my prayers and best wishes to Keith, chosen by the Holy Father to be its first Ordinary.

This is indeed an historic moment. In these opening words I welcome you warmly, Keith, Andrew and John. You have distinguished pasts, full of real achievements. Now, ahead of you, you have an important and demanding future! In welcoming you I recognise fully the demands of the journey you have made together with your families, with its many years of thought and prayer, painful misunderstandings, conflict and uncertainty. I want, in particular, to recognise your dedication as priests and bishops of the Church of England and affirm the fruitfulness of your ministry.

I thank so many in the Church of England who have recognised your sincerity and integrity in making this journey and who have assured you of their prayers and good wishes. First among these is Rowan, Archbishop of Canterbury, with his characteristic insight, and generosity of heart and spirit.

This journey, of course, involves some sad parting of friends. This, too, we recognise and it strengthens the warmth of our welcome.

Of course it was John Henry Newman who spoke movingly of this ‘sad parting of friends’. We thank our Holy Father Pope Benedict for not only placing this Ordinariate under the protection of Our Lady of Walsingham but also for giving it Blessed John Henry Newman as its patron.

At Lambeth Palace, in September, Pope Benedict said: ‘In the figure of John Henry Newman we celebrate a churchman whose ecclesial vision was nurtured by his Anglican background and matured during his many years of ordained ministry in the Church of England. He can teach us the virtues that ecumenism demands: on the one hand, he was moved to follow his conscience, even at great personal cost; and on the other hand, the warmth of his continued friendship with his former colleagues led him to explore with them, in a truly eirenical spirit, the questions on which they differed, driven by a deep longing for unity in faith.’ (Lambeth Palace, 18 September 2010)

Then, speaking in Rome on 20 December, Pope Benedict reflected further on Cardinal Newman. He spoke these words. They are of relevance and hope for today:

‘The path of Newman’s conversions is a path of conscience – not a path of self-asserting subjectivity but, on the contrary, a path of obedience to the truth that was gradually opening up to him. His third conversion, to Catholicism, required him to give up almost everything that was dear and precious to him: possessions, profession, academic rank, family ties and many friends. The sacrifice demanded of him by obedience to the truth, by his conscience, went further still. Newman had always been aware of having a mission for England. But in the Catholic theology of his time, his voice could hardly make itself heard...

In January 1863 he wrote in his diary these distressing words: “As a Protestant, I felt my religion dreary, but not my life ‐ but, as a Catholic, my life dreary, not my religion”. He had not yet arrived at the hour when he would be an influential figure. In the humility and darkness of obedience, he had to wait until his message was taken up and understood. In support of the claim that Newman’s concept of conscience matched the modern subjective understanding, people often quote a letter in which he said – should he have to propose a toast – that he would drink first to conscience and then to the Pope. But in this statement, “conscience” does not signify the ultimately binding quality of subjective intuition. It is an expression of the accessibility and the binding force of truth: on this its primacy is based. The second toast can be dedicated to the Pope because it is his task to demand obedience to the truth.’ (December 20, 2010)

Today we thank the Holy Father for the courageous leadership he gives in establishing the first Personal Ordinariate. His intentions are clear. It is, as he has said, ‘a prophetic gesture’. It is to contribute to the wider goal of visible unity between our two Churches by helping us to know in practice how our patrimonies of faith and living can strengthen each other in our mission today. At Oscott College, the Holy Father said to us bishops: ‘It (the Ordinariate) helps us to set our sights on the ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to us all.’

The visible unity of the Church, then, is central to our thoughts today. Indeed, it was never far from the heart of St Paul as is well expressed in his Letter to the Ephesians and, a little earlier, to the Philippians. His appeal is steadfast: that believing in Christ as Lord, that sharing in one Spirit, that worship of one God and Father create a unity which must be constantly served by the practice of humility, gentleness, patience and love. In Philippians he is more explicit about the attitudes and behaviours that threaten this unity: selfish ambition for the power of office; the search for personal approval or prestige; a focus on the importance of self within a competitive spirit, all taking us away from ‘the mind of Christ Jesus’. (cf Phil 2.1‐5).

History shows how right he is. These patterns of failure mark our histories. They also find expression in the lives of each of us today. So we ask pardon for our failings and seek to renew within ourselves that mind of Christ Jesus himself.

The quest for the visible unity of the Church remains an imperative. In it the role of the successor of St Peter is crucial. Pope Benedict expressed it thus in Westminster Abbey: ‘Fidelity to the word of God, precisely because it is a true word, demands of us an obedience which leads us together to a deeper understanding of the Lord’s will, an obedience which must be free of intellectual conformism or facile accommodation to the spirit of the age. This is the word of encouragement which I wish to leave with you this evening, and I do so in fidelity to my ministry as the Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Saint Peter, charged with a particular care for the unity of Christ’s flock.’ (Westminster Abbey, 18 Sept 2010)

The Pope’s ministry to the visible unity of the Church is central to the faith of the Catholic Church. It is central to the faith of those who enter into full communion in this Ordinariate. It is central to the welcome, encouragement and support the Catholic community in England and Wales gives to this development and to all who seek to be part of it.

In his Letter to the Ephesians, St Paul speaks about the variety of gifts given to the community of believers. While recognising that variety, in this Mass we focus, in particular, on the gift of the ordained priesthood within the Catholic Church. It is a priesthood which takes it shape, its purpose, its experience from the Cross of Christ, the great cross above us, referred to so movingly by Pope Benedict. Through this ordained priesthood, the one, same sacrifice of Christ is made real at the altar and offered again to the Eternal Father. It is made present as the sacrament of our salvation. This Mass, every Mass, is at once the prayer of Christ and the prayer of the Body of Christ, his people. Through it Christ constitutes the Church afresh each day, both in Himself and in its visible unity, in the world. This is the work of the ordained priest – the daily constituting of the Church ‐ and it is a priceless gift and service for which we thank God constantly. To this one sacrifice we bring our own small sacrifices, the losses and hardships we carry through failure and sin, through the pursuit of truth and love, through the passing of time. All is offered to the Father in one sacrifice of praise to become a means of our salvation.

In today’s Gospel passage from St. John, we have heard again of the appearance of the Risen Christ to his disciples. At that moment he brought to them the fruits of his triumph over death: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of peace. Here too we come to the work of the ordained priest: to pronounce with confidence the forgiveness of God and to bring peace to a troubled soul and a troubled world.

To this service, to this ministry we welcome our three priests today. But we must be attentive to the words of the Gospel. In bestowing these gifts, the Risen Lord also employs an eloquent gesture: he shows them his hands and his side.

He shows them his wounds. The mission they receive, the mission of reconciliation, comes from the wounds of Christ. This is the mission we share and at every Mass we once again gaze on the wounded, broken body of the risen Lord. Our mission is characterised by woundedness: a mission to a wounded world; a mission entrusted to a wounded Church, carried out by wounded disciples. The wounds of sin are our business. The wounds of Christ, even though we have caused them, are also our consolation and strength.

The first to witness these wounds, the first, perhaps, to grasp their true significance, was Mary, Mother of Jesus. Standing at the foot of the cross she witnessed the inflicting of those wounds. Holding his dead body she must have been marked by the blood shed from them. Now she looks down on our new priests from the other side of this Cathedral crucifix above me. Mary always holds before us her Son, presenting him to us as our hope and salvation. Nowhere does she do so with more grace and elegance than in the image of Our Lady of Walsingham. As this Ordinariate, her Ordinariate, comes into being so may we entrust to her the work of bringing it to fulfilment.

Our Lady of Walsingham: pray for us.
Blessed John Henry Newman: pray for us.

Amen.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
President, Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales

Pope Benedict and St. Hildegard's Vision: Turning to the Mystics for Understanding

2010-12-31T16:47:00.002-05:00

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The following video is interesting to me because it shows just how much the tide has turned and the mystic vision is at the centre of the Pope's thinking. Before all of the sins and scandals and the smoke of satan began to be seen in the light of day, references to visions of St. Hildegard von Bingen would not be what one would have expected because all the Curia and the modern Cardinals wanted for the most part was to get as far away from mystics, visions, and Fatima as possible.

My own experience of such conversations led me to conclude that the Church was in for a greater disaster than the initial sex abuse cases in Boston. When one refuses to listen to the voice of the Holy Ghost or automatically rules as out of bounds anything said by the Holy Virgin Mother of God to a mystic, then one is treading on the thinnest of ice. God sets the bounds and the rules, and should someone with a bit of authority forget that then whatever nightmare follows should surprise no one. Here is a youtube video of Fr. Barron commenting on the Holy Father's Christmas Message to his 'family' in the Vatican and in Rome:

+ + +

As this very challenging year draws to a close, I pray God will protect all those who love His Son Jesus Christ and who honour and call Blessed the Virgin Mother of God Mary Most Holy now and as the New Year A.D. 2011 begins to dawn. Stay close to the Lord Jesus Christ, His Holy Virgin Mother, His Church, His Sacraments and Mysteries each and every day of the New Year and it shall be a Happy New Year!

+Laus Deo!

Pope Benedict XVI + The Christmas Eve Homily

2010-12-26T18:14:00.000-05:00

J+M+J Stephenmas A.D. 2010 Holy Family Sunday

A Blessed Christmastide to All !!! I rejoice in God that I am here another year to celebrate the anniversary of the Nativity of Jesus Christ According to the Flesh! My Christmas has been filled with such love from family and friends and with with joy of Angels and Saints and the Holy Family and all Heaven! Oh, I pray this is true for all who hold Jesus dear. And though I am not able to travel from home, I thought even for those Christians in Iraq who suffer so very much and those in Pakistan and in Orissa State in India -- may they all have miracles from Our Father in Heaven with abundant love in their homes, visits from Angels within their midst and warrior Angels outside their homes and churches. And may the Christ Child draw them, each one, one by one, near to his Crib to take His infant hand and so touch the Maker of all things who came, is come, and soon will come to save them all. Yes, the Angels tell me with greatest joy, Jesus Is Coming Soon!

The Christmas Eve Sermon of Pope Benedect XVI was like the bracing gale of the North Wind for me filled with the power of Truth in the Holy Spirit, and I wondered how many actually hear the words -- the very teaching of the Holy Father, and are these words intelligible any more? People are given packaging loaded with neurolinguistic programming and sex/death overstimulation, but here is a little Bavarian man following in the steps of a fisherman telling the world what is at stake, what is happening, and what is to come in the name of the Living God who loves us. Try to make time and read the entire Christmas Eve homily. The following is my marked up colour highlighted copy. Clean copies are available through Inside the Vatican, Zenit, and Vatican.va.

MIDNIGHT MASS
SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Saint Peter's Basilica
Friday, 24 December 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

“You are my son, this day I have begotten you” – with this passage from Psalm 2 the Church begins the liturgy of this holy night.

She knows that this passage originally formed part of the coronation rite of the kings of Israel. The king, who in himself is a man like others, becomes the “Son of God” through being called and installed in his office.

It is a kind of adoption by God, a decisive act by which he grants a new existence to this man, drawing him into his own being.

The reading from the prophet Isaiah that we have just heard presents the same process even more clearly in a situation of hardship and danger for Israel: “To us a child is born, to us a son is given. The government will be upon his shoulder” (Is 9:6).

Installation in the office of king is like a second birth. As one newly born through God’s personal choice, as a child born of God, the king embodies hope. On his shoulders the future rests. He is the bearer of the promise of peace.

On that night in Bethlehem this prophetic saying came true in a way that would still have been unimaginable at the time of Isaiah. Yes indeed, now it really is a child on whose shoulders government is laid. In him the new kingship appears that God establishes in the world. This child is truly born of God. It is God’s eternal Word that unites humanity with divinity. To this child belong those titles of honour which Isaiah’s coronation song attributes to him: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Is 9:6). Yes, this king does not need counsellors drawn from the wise of this world. He bears in himself God’s wisdom and God’s counsel. In the weakness of infancy, he is the mighty God and he shows us God’s own might in contrast to the self-asserting powers of this world.

Truly, the words of Israel’s coronation rite were only ever rites of hope which looked ahead to a distant future that God would bestow.

None of the kings who were greeted in this way lived up to the sublime content of these words.

In all of them, those words about divine sonship, about installation into the heritage of the peoples, about making the ends of the earth their possession (Ps 2:8) were only pointers towards what was to come – as it were signposts of hope indicating a future that at that moment was still beyond comprehension.

Thus the fulfilment of the prophecy, which began that night in Bethlehem, is both infinitely greater and in worldly terms smaller than the prophecy itself might lead one to imagine.

It is greater in the sense that this child is truly the Son of God, truly “God from God, light from light, begotten not made, of one being with the Father.”

The infinite distance between God and man is overcome. God has not only bent down, as we read in the Psalms; he has truly “come down”, he has come into the world, he has become one of us, in order to draw all of us to himself. This child is truly Emmanuel – God-with-us.

His kingdom truly stretches to the ends of the earth. He has truly built islands of peace in the world-encompassing breadth of the holy Eucharist. Wherever it is celebrated, an island of peace arises, of God’s own peace.

This child has ignited the light of goodness in men and has given them strength to overcome the tyranny of might.

This child builds his kingdom in every generation from within, from the heart.

But at the same time it is true that the “rod of his oppressor” is not yet broken, the boots of warriors continue to tramp and the “garment rolled in blood” (Is 9:4f) still remains.

So part of this night is simply joy at God’s closeness. We are grateful that God gives himself into our hands as a child, begging as it were for our love, implanting his peace in our hearts.

But this joy is also a prayer: "Lord, make your promise come fully true. Break the rods of the oppressors. Burn the tramping boots. Let the time of the garments rolled in blood come to an end. Fulfil the prophecy that 'of peace there will be no end' (Is 9:7). We thank you for your goodness, but we also ask you to show forth your power. Establish the dominion of your truth and your love in the world – the 'kingdom of righteousness, love and peace.'"

“Mary gave birth to her first-born son” (Lk 2:7). In this sentence Saint Luke recounts quite soberly the great event to which the prophecies from Israel’s history had pointed.

Luke calls the child the “first-born.” In the language which developed within the sacred Scripture of the Old Covenant, “first-born” does not mean the first of a series of children. The word “first-born” is a title of honour, quite independently of whether other brothers and sisters follow or not.

So Israel is designated by God in the Book of Exodus (4:22) as “my first-born Son”, and this expresses Israel’s election, its singular dignity, the particular love of God the Father.

The early Church knew that in Jesus this saying had acquired a new depth, that the promises made to Israel were summed up in him. Thus the Letter to the Hebrews calls Jesus “the first-born”, simply in order to designate him as the Son sent into the world by God (cf. 1:5-7) after the ground had been prepared by Old Testament prophecy.

The first-born belongs to God in a special way – and therefore he had to be handed over to God in a special way – as in many religions – and he had to be ransomed through a vicarious sacrifice, as Saint Luke recounts in the episode of the Presentation in the Temple.

The first-born belongs to God in a special way, and is as it were destined for sacrifice. In Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross this destiny of the first-born is fulfilled in a unique way. In his person he brings humanity before God and unites man with God in such a way that God becomes all in all.

Saint Paul amplified and deepened the idea of Jesus as first-born in the Letters to the Colossians and to the Ephesians: Jesus, we read in these letters, is the first-born of all creation – the true prototype of man, according to which God formed the human creature.

Man can be the image of God because Jesus is both God and man, the true image of God and of man. Furthermore, as these letters tell us, he is the first-born from the dead. In the resurrection he has broken down the wall of death for all of us. He has opened up to man the dimension of eternal life in fellowship with God. Finally, it is said to us that he is the first-born of many brothers.

Yes indeed, now he really is the first of a series of brothers and sisters: the first, that is, who opens up for us the possibility of communing with God. He creates true brotherhood – not the kind defiled by sin as in the case of Cain and Abel, or Romulus and Remus, but the new brotherhood in which we are God’s own family.

This new family of God begins at the moment when Mary wraps her first-born in swaddling clothes and lays him in a manger. Let us pray to him: "Lord Jesus, who wanted to be born as the first of many brothers and sisters, grant us the grace of true brotherhood. Help us to become like you. Help us to recognize your face in others who need our assistance, in those who are suffering or forsaken, in all people, and help us to live together with you as brothers and sisters, so as to become one family, your family."

At the end of the Christmas Gospel, we are told that a great heavenly host of angels praised God and said: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” (Lk 2:14). The Church, in the Gloria, has extended this song of praise, which the angels sang in response to the event of the holy night, into a hymn of joy at God’s glory – “we praise you for your glory.”

We praise you for the beauty, for the greatness, for your goodness, which becomes visible to us this night. The appearing of beauty, of the beautiful, makes us happy without our having to ask what use it can serve. God’s glory, from which all beauty derives, causes us to break out in astonishment and joy. Anyone who catches a glimpse of God experiences joy, and on this night we see something of his light.

But the angels’ message on that holy night also spoke of men: “Peace among men with whom he is pleased”. The Latin translation of the angels’ song that we use in the liturgy, taken from Saint Jerome, is slightly different: “peace to men of good will.” The expression “men of good will” has become an important part of the Church’s vocabulary in recent decades. But which is the correct translation? We must read both texts together; only in this way do we truly understand the angels’ song.

It would be a false interpretation to see this exclusively as the action of God, as if he had not called man to a free response of love. But it would be equally mistaken to adopt a moralizing interpretation as if man were so to speak able to redeem himself by his good will.

Both elements belong together: grace and freedom, God’s prior love for us, without which we could not love him, and the response that he awaits from us, the response that he asks for so palpably through the birth of his son. We cannot divide up into independent entities the interplay of grace and freedom, or the interplay of call and response. The two are inseparably woven together.

So this part of the angels’ message is both promise and call at the same time. God has anticipated us with the gift of his Son. God anticipates us again and again in unexpected ways. He does not cease to search for us, to raise us up as often as we might need. He does not abandon the lost sheep in the wilderness into which it had strayed. God does not allow himself to be confounded by our sin. Again and again he begins afresh with us. But he is still waiting for us to join him in love. He loves us, so that we too may become people who love, so that there may be peace on earth.

Saint Luke does not say that the angels sang. He states quite soberly: the heavenly host praised God and said: “Glory to God in the highest” (Lk 2:13f.). But men have always known that the speech of angels is different from human speech, and that above all on this night of joyful proclamation it was in song that they extolled God’s heavenly glory.

So this angelic song has been recognized from the earliest days as music proceeding from God, indeed, as an invitation to join in the singing with hearts filled with joy at the fact that we are loved by God.

Cantare amantis est, says Saint Augustine: singing belongs to one who loves. Thus, down the centuries, the angels’ song has again and again become a song of love and joy, a song of those who love.

At this hour, full of thankfulness, we join in the singing of all the centuries, singing that unites heaven and earth, angels and men.

Yes, indeed, we praise you for your glory. We praise you for your love. Grant that we may join with you in love more and more and thus become people of peace. Amen.

+Laus Deo!

Recommendations, Personal News

2010-10-23T12:16:00.005-04:00

A recommendation: zmirak.blogspot.com/

Recommendations of some favourite recordings:
Recommendations of some favourite recordings:

I am recovering from a second surgery in as many weeks. I know it is hard to keep praying for a chronically ill person, but please do try to pray for me. I am fighting with all that I am to remain among the human family on Mother Earth, and so far my faith in Christ to see me through has been met by an outpouring of prayer on my behalf and the pouring forth of a waterfall of God's grace for my great need.

A friend has suggested I close this blog, but I will leave it up as an archive.

What we see is as a screen

2010-09-17T22:20:00.000-04:00

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This last week I read again Dr. Margaret Barker's The Hidden Tradition of the Kingdom of God -- another of her works deserving three cheers for the scholar. She concludes her work with a quote from Ven. John Henry Cardinal Newman from the Fourth Volume of his Parochial and Plain Sermons. I was very taken with Dr. Barker's entire thesis, so this extended quote from Cardinal Newman seemed at first a bit of icing for the cake so to speak. But reading through I realised how well it grounded and summarised Dr. Barker's approach. Here is the quotation as used by Dr. Margaret Barker:

Once only in the year, yet once, does the world which we see show forth its hidden powers, and in a manner manifest itself. Then the leaves come out, and the blossoms on the fruit trees, and flowers; and the grass and corn spring up. There is a sudden rush and burst outwardly of that hidden life which God has lodged in the material world. Well, that shows you, as by a sample, what it can do at God's command, when He gives the word. This earth, which now buds forth in leaves and blossoms, will one day burst forth into a new world of light and glory, in which, we shall see Saints and Angels dwelling.

Who would think, except from his experience of former springs all through his life, who could conceive two or three months before, that it was possible that the face of nature, which then seemed so lifeless, should become so splendid and varied? How different is a tree, how different is a prospect, when leaves are on it and off it! How unlikely it would seem, before the event, that the dry and naked branches should suddenly be clothed with what is so bright and so refreshing! Yet in God's good time leaves come on the trees. The season may delay, but come it will at last. So it is with the coming of that Eternal Spring, for which all Christians are waiting. Come it will, though it delay; yet though it tarry, let us wait for it, 'because it will surely come, it will not tarry.' Therefore we say day by day, 'Thy kingdom come;' which means,—O Lord, show Thyself; manifest Thyself; Thou that sittest between the cherubim, show Thyself; stir up Thy strength and come and help us. (Dr. Barker's emphasis)

The earth that we see does not satisfy us; it is but a beginning; it is but a promise of something beyond it; even when it is gayest, with all its blossoms on, and shows most touchingly what lies hid in it, yet it is not enough. We know much more lies hid in it than we see. A world of Saints and Angels, a glorious world, the palace of God, the mountain of the Lord of Hosts, the heavenly Jerusalem, the throne of God and Christ, all these wonders, everlasting, all-precious, mysterious, and incomprehensible, lie hid in what we see.

What we see is the outward shell of an eternal kingdom; and on that kingdom we fix the eyes of our faith. Shine forth, O Lord, as when on Thy nativity Thine Angels visited the shepherds; let Thy glory blossom forth as bloom and foliage on the trees; change with Thy mighty power this visible world into that diviner world, which as yet we see not; destroy what we see, that it may pass and be transformed into what we believe.

Bright as is the sun, and the sky, and the clouds; green as are the leaves and the fields; sweet as is the singing of the birds; we know that they are not all, and we will not take up with a part for the whole. They proceed from a centre of love and goodness, which is God Himself; but they are not His fulness; they speak of heaven, but they are not heaven; they are but as stray beams and dim reflections of His Image; they are but crumbs from the table . . . .

We know that what we see is as a screen hiding from us God and Christ, and His Saints and Angels.

John Henry Newman

'The Invisible World'

Parochial and Plain Sermons

Vol.4, no. 13

+Laus Deo!

The Pope's Remarks in the Presence of the Queen

2010-09-16T14:41:00.002-04:00

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United Kingdom: Meeting with Queen Elizabeth II,

and Members of the Royal Family plus State Authorities

Pope Benedict XVI:

Your Majesty,

Thank you for your gracious invitation to make an official visit to the United Kingdom and for your warm words of greeting on behalf of the British people. In thanking Your Majesty, allow me to extend my own greetings to all the people of the United Kingdom and to hold out a hand of friendship to each one.

It is a great pleasure for me to start my journey by saluting the members of the Royal Family, thanking in particular His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh for his kind welcome to me at Edinburgh Airport. I express my gratitude to Your Majesty’s present and previous Governments and to all those who worked with them to make this occasion possible, including Lord Patten and former Secretary of State Murphy. I would also like to acknowledge with deep appreciation the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Holy See, which has contributed greatly to strengthening the friendly relations existing between the Holy See and the United Kingdom.

As I begin my visit to the United Kingdom in Scotland’s historic capital city, I greet in a special way First Minister Salmond and the representatives of the Scottish Parliament. Just like the Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies, may the Scottish Parliament grow to be an expression of the fine traditions and distinct culture of the Scots and strive to serve their best interests in a spirit of solidarity and concern for the common good.

The name of Holyroodhouse, Your Majesty’s official residence in Scotland, recalls the "Holy Cross" and points to the deep Christian roots that are still present in every layer of British life. The monarchs of England and Scotland have been Christians from very early times and include outstanding saints like Edward the Confessor and Margaret of Scotland. As you know, many of them consciously exercised their sovereign duty in the light of the Gospel, and in this way shaped the nation for good at the deepest level. As a result, the Christian message has been an integral part of the language, thought and culture of the peoples of these islands for more than a thousand years. Your forefathers’ respect for truth and justice, for mercy and charity come to you from a faith that remains a mighty force for good in your kingdom, to the great benefit of Christians and non-Christians alike.

We find many examples of this force for good throughout Britain’s long history. Even in comparatively recent times, due to figures like William Wilberforce and David Livingstone, Britain intervened directly to stop the international slave trade. Inspired by faith, women like Florence Nightingale served the poor and the sick and set new standards in healthcare that were subsequently copied everywhere. John Henry Newman, whose beatification I will celebrate shortly, was one of many British Christians of his age whose goodness, eloquence and action were a credit to their countrymen and women. These, and many people like them, were inspired by a deep faith born and nurtured in these islands.

Even in our own lifetime, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live. I also recall the regime’s attitude to Christian pastors and religious who spoke the truth in love, opposed the Nazis and paid for that opposition with their lives. As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus to a "reductive vision of the person and his destiny" (Caritas in Veritate, 29).

Sixty-five years ago, Britain played an essential role in forging the post-war international consensus which favoured the establishment of the United Nations and ushered in a hitherto unknown period of peace and prosperity in Europe. In more recent years, the international community has followed closely events in Northern Ireland which have led to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and the devolution of powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Your Majesty’s Government and the Government of Ireland, together with the political, religious and civil leaders of Northern Ireland, have helped give birth to a peaceful resolution of the conflict there. I encourage everyone involved to continue to walk courageously together on the path marked out for them towards a just and lasting peace.

Looking abroad, the United Kingdom remains a key figure politically and economically on the international stage. Your Government and people are the shapers of ideas that still have an impact far beyond the British Isles. This places upon them a particular duty to act wisely for the common good. Similarly, because their opinions reach such a wide audience, the British media have a graver responsibility than most and a greater opportunity to promote the peace of nations, the integral development of peoples and the spread of authentic human rights. May all Britons continue to live by the values of honesty, respect and fair-mindedness that have won them the esteem and admiration of many.

Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society. In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate. Let it not obscure the Christian foundation that underpins its freedoms; and may that patrimony, which has always served the nation well, constantly inform the example your Government and people set before the two billion members of the Commonwealth and the great family of English-speaking nations throughout the world.

May God bless Your Majesty and all the people of your realm. Thank you.

+Laus Deo!

HOLY DAYS of SEPTEMBER

2010-08-31T20:27:00.000-04:00

+Laus Deo!

Tuesday MRI

2010-08-23T18:56:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday the 24th of August I will have another MRI of my thoracic spinal cord to mark how much the syrinx has grown. For people who suffer from syringomyelia, it is usually found that the syrinx is in the cervical spine. My case is a bit unusual since the syrinx is in the mid to lower thoracic spinal cord and apparently has been with me since birth like the spina bifida in my lumbar vertebra. When one reads up on it -- either from the Mayo Clinic or Wikipedia -- you get part of the story. I found the ASAP website to be the most helpful in many ways as one who suffers from syringomyelia.

St. Gemma Galgani, pray for me.

Surgery may be in my future but up till now no recommended neurosurgeon has thought that wise given the risks involved. I would be very grateful for your prayers for me (inside the little MRI tube) and prayers for wisdom for all of us as we decide what to do with the new information on the syrinx and its growth.

St. Gemma Galgani is the patron saint of those with back pain, spinal injuries, and related problems. I ask St. Gemma, my dear sister in Christ, to intercede for me during this time of my great need.

+Kyrie eleison!

Feast of the Queenship of Mary

2010-08-22T14:20:00.001-04:00

Ave Maria!

Mary, Queen, pray for us.

Although a fairly recent feast day instituted by Pope Pius XII, the Queenship of Mary is very important for those devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as those devoted to her Rosary which recalls in the Glorious Mysteries her Coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Ad caeli Reginam

Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on proclaiming
the Queenship Of Mary, 11 October 1954.

An excerpt

From the earliest ages of the Catholic Church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven. And never has that hope wavered which they placed in the Mother of the Divine King, Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we are taught that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the entire world, just as she is crowned in heavenly blessedness with the glory of a Queen.

+Laus Deo!

Sunday Morning in East Texas

2010-08-22T13:25:00.006-04:00

Wherein the old preacher preaches to himself

[How grateful I am for my family and friends who through their prayers and sacrifices lower me through the roof into the Presence of Jesus.]

For me this Sunday is not very different from those before Hurricane Ike in Galveston. The sun pours down bright and hot. The wind blows and stops and blows again. And I arise and seek to worship the Lord knowing that today I cannot make my way to Mass. No, the body barely consents to sitting in a chair in our Library and watching (and praying) the Holy Mass from Irondale, Alabama broadcast on EWTN. Without EWTN I would feel so cut off from the Church and the world in some ways.

But it is also true that last evening when I could watch no spiritually uplifting programme on television, when I could not hold up a book in my hands for spiritual reading, I prayed with all my heart to the Lord and had a sense of all heaven present with me in my little room as I prayed both the Rosary and from the heart. I knew I was not alone.

Sometimes when you are closest to your goal -- whatever it might be -- you feel yourself a thousand million miles away from achieving it. But I tell myself, 'Don't you stop, Vince. You keep going until God Himself tells you to stop!'

And it is this truth I declare from the pulpit of this blog this bright Sunday morning in East Texas: You are never alone when you pray. You are never alone when you talk to the Blessed Trinity, the saints and the angels. All heaven is open to you and is with you no matter what you see in the physical world about you. So now is not the time to give up! Now is not the time to give up on God, on His Church, on your friends or yourself... Now is the time to raise up your hands to Jesus and offer Him everything, absolutely everything in what your life has been, in what your life is, and what your holiest desires intend it to become.

So don't you stop dreaming your heart's most holy desire. Keep on advancing toward the goal you and God both know is before you, and do not stop till God says 'Stop.' Actually God will say something far more wonderful to you: Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the rest and the joy of the Lord.

You and I will hear these words some day, God willing and the creek don't rise (I told you I'm living in East Texas now, didn't I?) We ... We will hear these words spoken by the beautiful mouth of the Holy Face of Christ who longs to kiss us and welcome us home to Heaven far more than we can desire to be with him.

Now to the King of the Ages, immortal, invisible, the only God

be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1: 17

+Laus Deo!

Needing a Helping Hand

2010-08-20T14:53:00.003-04:00

As readers know I am fully disabled and have enormous medical bills to pay. The debts seem overwhelming to me though for most it would simply mean a budgetary strategy to retire the debt. Since I cannot work, I have had to creatively rely on what little I have and borrow large amounts (large to me that is) from those I love. As I continue to decline I find I need to humbly beg for your assistance. No amount is too small, and I will be eternally grateful to those who shall have helped me.

My heart's desire is to retire these debts and then pursue religious consecration as an anchorite/hermit under Canon 603 in the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church. I have found a means to fulfil my vocation in my disabled state, but I need some help with these medical debts that have mounted over the last ten years, exceeding my capacity to pay.

Donations may be made by clicking on the PayPal 'Donate' button below or at the top of the blog. Thank you for your consideration, and please keep me in your prayers.

+Christe eleison.

Eastern Nuns in Rome

2010-08-13T16:02:00.000-04:00

Russian Byzantine-Rite Catholic Nuns

Thanks to Shawn Tribe of the New Liturgical Movement blog for pointing out to us this most interesting little video segment.

+Laus Deo!

Pentecost Pilgrimage

2010-08-07T15:55:00.000-04:00

Read the article with splendid images at AndrewCusack.com

My Hymn for Transfiguration

2010-08-06T19:56:00.006-04:00

Hymn useful for Transfiguration, Lent 2 (RC) & Last Epiphany (Anglican)

O Christ the King, the royal banners rise.
Thy Cross, thy standard we raise to the skies,
And hail thee, “Lord!” and bow before thine eyes.
Praise to Jesus! All praise and glory!

Transfigured thou upon the mountain’s height
Revealed the glory of the Bridegroom’s face
And showed to them thy purpose and thy Light.
Praise to Jesus! All praise and glory!

The Cross, thy throne where thou wast lifted high
Embracing all the broken world’s dark heart
Till blood & water gushed when pierced was thine.
Praise to Jesus! All praise and glory!

Death could not hold thee, nor a tomb contain,
O Love and Life, who now from heav’n dost reign,
The King of kings, the Lord who healeth pain.
Praise to Jesus! All praise and glory!

____________________________
Copyright © 2007 by Vincent Uher

Noel Jones' beautiful new tune 'GALVESTON ISLAND' was written for this hymn text: PDF CLICK HERE.

The tune and text are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License, text by Vincent Uher, tune by Noel Jones. This permits copying and sharing except for commercial purposes. Text originally ©2007 Vincent Uher.

Also, this text may be sung to the tune Sine Nomine

+Laus Deo!

Pater Noster: John August Pamintuan

2010-08-04T01:11:00.000-04:00

.
The University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers directed by Mark Anthony Carpio:

+Laus Deo!

Gulf of Mexico Children's Illnesses

2010-08-03T12:39:00.003-04:00

.
PRAY FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE GULF COAST!

REMEMBER not Lord our iniquities, nor the iniquities of our forefathers. Spare us good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood, and be not angry with us forever.

The 1637 Book of Common Prayer

From an online New York Times article:

“More than a third report children with new rashes or breathing problems, or who are nervous, fearful or “very sad” since the spill began. And even though the gusher of oil has been stanched, almost a quarter of residents still fear that they will have to move.

“Those are some of the findings of the first major survey of Gulf Coast residents conducted since the BP well was capped. The survey, conducted from July 19 to 25 by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, suggests that the spill’s effects have not been contained along with the oil itself.

" “There’s been a very overt effort by BP and the Coast Guard to project a sense that the crisis is over, but this is far from the case,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener, the director of the center and president of the Children’s Health Fund, a sponsor of the survey. “Our survey shows a persistent and overwhelming level of anxiety among families living near the coast, driven by both medical symptoms in their children as well as a substantial level of psychological stress.”

Read the full article here.

From the 1637 Book of Common Prayer - "Laud's Book":

O LORD, look down from heaven, behold, visit and relieve these thy servants. Look upon them with the eyes of thy mercy, give them comfort and sure confidence in thee, defend them from the danger of the enemie, and keep them in perpetuall peace and safety through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Kyrie eleison!

The Fashionable Concern of 'Self-fulfillment'

2010-08-02T01:18:00.000-04:00

"Although in Liturgy and Personality von Hildebrand never uses the term self-fulfillment, the book's theme sheds light on this fashionable concern. It shows that self-fulfillment is not something toward which one should strive. It can only be attained indirectly as a consequence of striving for a worthy goal. For (as he emphasizes repeatedly) the Liturgy develops our personality only when our attention is focused on God and on the proper worship of Him through the Liturgy. As soon as our attention turns away from God and toward ourselves, that development ceases.

"Ironically, today's society generally measures the worthiness of a goal in terms of the self-fulfillment it promises. This inverted standard leads husbands to leave wives, mothers to leave children, nuns and priests to leave religious life, and many others to search for self-fulfillment instead of for the service and due-response that alone brings self-fulfillment. Because they have adopted a subjective standard (self-fulfillment), these persons have turned away from the objective world of values. They find themselves spiritually impoverished and starving in a desert of their own choosing."

Alice von Hildebrand

Forward to the 1993 edition of

Liturgy and Personality

Dietrich von Hildebrand

Sophia Institute Press

+Laus Deo!

O Magnum Mysterium

2010-08-01T11:52:00.000-04:00

John August Pamintuan

Alex was kind enough to send the link to Madz singing at Yale University. Madz are The University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers under the direction of the brilliant Mark Anthony Carpio. This live performance may whet your teeth for the album mentioned in the post below:

+ Laus Deo!

Maior Caritas Op. 5

2010-07-30T13:05:00.005-04:00

John August Pamintuan, Composer

Ed: My apologies that the links have not worked. Blogger has been difficult today.

I am delighted to see that the brilliant Filipino composer John August Pamintuan's Maior Caritas, Op. 5 as sung by the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers -- known in the Philippines as "Madz" -- is now available as an MP3 download from Amazon.com. A link is provided in the little box in this post.

Unless you live in the Philippines or in an enclave of ex-pat Filipinos elsewhere in the world, you would have had a terrible time locating this CD. After the exercise of much patience I worked my way through Filipino websites to find one selling it, and I have loved every minute of listening to this CD over the last few years. They are one of my favourite choirs in the world and we feature this recording of theirs (and others) on RADIO WALSINGHAM ONLINE. What the listener gets with this recording is the Madrigal Singers almost doing sightreading of the material whilst recording. In fact, this recording is in some ways a miracle that it took place at all.

Now that I have told you it was recorded almost as the choir sightsinging the music, several of the tracks are sheer perfection and are worth the cost of downloading the whole mp3 album. "O Magnum Mysterium" by Pamintuan should become part of the standard repertoire of every choir. I say the same is true with Pamintuan's imaginative, prayerful, and impassioned Pater Noster. As those who journey to the great choral competitions in Italy and the rest of Europe know well, the University of Philippines Madrigal Singers have been one of the greatest choirs in the world.

Mark Anthony Carpio, the choir director of Madz of this recording, is to be congratulated on the wisdom of recording this work and making it available to the world even if it did not at times let the polished perfection of Madz in performance shine through as clearly. Of the recorded pieces of Maior Caritas, Op5, "O Magnum Mysterium" has become almost an expectation of the discerning audience, and I commend the hearing of it to everyone.

I do not know much about the other compositions by John August Pamintuan, but the example of this CD tells me that there is great musical treasure to be found here for the choral director looking for great new music that stands proudly in the living tradition of the great sacred music of the Church.

+Laus Deo!

Dietrich von Hildebrand, a new website & a great article

2010-07-22T22:41:00.000-04:00

My sincere hope is that Dietrich von Hildebrand will one day be named a Doctor of the Church. On a personal note, his Liturgy and Personality had a significant influence upon me as an Anglican priest and was part of the intellectual basis of my conversion to a fuller understanding of Christianity as taught by Catholic Church. I recommend books by von Hildebrand with great frequency, but for those who do not read German only part of his work is translated into English. Some of the translation work is due to John Henry Crosby's excellent Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy non-profit project.

This splendid website is well worth your visit -- Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy -- and a good article about it by Zenit is posted this week entitled Dietrich von Hildebrand: Giving the Heart Its Due (Part One). The man responsible for this apostolate John Henry Crosby developed the project in association with Dr. Alice von Hildebrand. I am very interested in the project and making his teaching more widely read among all Christians. I look forward to reading Part Two!

Below are a few paragraphs from one of Crosby's responses that I found very interesting:

Our mission statement says we are inspired by the need to recover and reinterpret and translate our intellectual patrimony, and at the same time we operate with a great spirit of gratitude toward contemporary thinkers. Phenomenology has classical roots, but it's also a modern movement within philosophy. We're often assumed that new insights can't be had; that sometimes happens with traditionalists who think that the last word on an issue has been said. I don't want to single them out, but you get that with Thomists sometimes because there is a system with Aquinas.

Von Hildebrand reminds that we can always move forward; it doesn’t mean that we are throwing everything else out but there are questions that are distinctive to a period in time, just as there are questions that arise in every generation. I don't think John Paul II built his papacy on the idea that nothing had changed since 1100. Sometimes we don't like to use the expression "the history of ethics," but there has been a slow-growing, and in some ways relentless, process of greater illumination. I think personalism is built around the idea that historically there is a new and deeper understanding and appreciation for what it means to be a person.

I happen to also think that personalism is a very useful way to engage modern issues because personalists love notions such as freedom, which puts them in a strong position to talk to people who are perhaps confused about freedom, like with the gay rights movement. A personalist has a great language to use, you can understand their intuition, but you are also rooted in fundamental concepts like human nature, which they don’t have; the general liberal problem is the belief that the human is just an atomized individual who doesn’t want to accept any limitation. Human nature is a limitation so you don’t want it, you want everything to be subject to your freedom. Personalists understand that intuition but they also understand that our freedom is finite.

Coming to an understanding of von Hildebrand's oeuvre will of course be tremendously helpful in understanding the personalist principle or rather the 'personalism' of Pope John Paul II -- whose thought is so heavily influenced by von Hildebrand.

+Laus Deo!

Dr. Ott & the Catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico

2010-07-20T00:23:00.004-04:00

Ordinariate Bound

2010-07-18T02:39:00.001-04:00

A Book for the Journey

In these days before the Anglican ordinariates are formed within the Catholic Church, there are a number of books that are "must reads". First among them is the Anglican Bishop Andrew Burnham's Heaven & Earth in a Little Space: The Re-Enchantment of Liturgy which I have linked in the wee box to the left, and it can easily be purchased from Amazon.com or from your local bookseller.

So why start there? Simply because the good bishop outlines precisely what is at stake for the Anglican patrimony and the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. This is not for Anglicans or ex-Anglicans only, but it should prove a salutary reading for all Catholics.

I believe the critique offered is the most cogent available at this time, so I commend it to you, gentle Reader, as a book worth its price in any currency.

Those of us who spent most of our years on the fringe edge of the British Empire are sometimes more fiercely or perhaps more intentionally English than the English themselves. I remember what enormous pride I felt carrying the British flag in procession when I was a boy acolyte. How I enjoyed as a child celebrations led by the Daughters of the British Empire (Long Live Lemon Curd!) And finally I was so very proud that our Anglican Church was headed by the Queen of England, whom we all admired, And then there was Dr. Michael Ramsey as Archbishop of Canterbury and a genuine Saint we were certain. Other Archbishops of the 20th century also occasioned great admiration from William Temple to Lord Runcie. And then there was the martyrdom of His Grace the Archbishop of Uganda, Janani Luwum whose passion is recorded powerfully in Booty's The Church in History.

I shall always love the Anglican Communion for the education I received in the Catholic faith and within which I was able to minister as a layman, then deacon, and finally priest. My parting from the Anglican Communion was filled with many tears, but to be honest I had to be certain that I was not moving toward another Church out of anger (because after my first stroke there was enough to drive one to rage). I prayed over and poured over these matters, & with a final meeting with my Confessor (before his untimely death) he joyfully threw open the gateway to this new path in the Church

Then it was clear that I was being called by Jesus to express through my person the visible unity of His Church : the most honest way to do that was to be reconciled to the Catholic Church. There by God's grace I was able to be a part of an Anglican Use parish in the Catholic Church in the USA. Now among the numbers of the Roman Catholics of the Anglican Use I stand and I stand in awe of the witness to Jesus Christ and the apostolates engaged in for love of Him and for sharing the gift of our Anglican patrimony ... the chief among them Our Lady of Walsingham Institutes of Catholic Culture Studies, RADIO WALSINGHAM ONLINE, the Anglican Use Society and the liturgical apostolate of C. David Burt.

Disabling illness has led me to discover my ministry as a hermit and am blessed to be connected to a new Benedictine monastery in Tulsa, Oklahoma founded by Fr.Mark Daniel Kirby for the adoration of the Eucharistic Face of Our Lord. What an enormous blessing for me! While I make new friends and connexions, I continue to enjoy my many friendships in the Anglican Church, and I pray for all Protestants to find a way in Christ to unite together. Then may they be given the graces of humility and perseverance and find their way to the one Church of Jesus Christ. So many people I love remain in various parts of the fractured Anglican world, I can only hope and pray that their ultimate trajectory will take them deep within the Heart of Jesus to enjoy eternity with Him and the entire Body of Christ.

With my eyes functioning well, I am able to read all those books I have wanted to read in more depth, and with new medicine to fight against the mutilating psoriatic arthritis I have moments where I am able to type or write free from much of the pain that besets me. I do not know entirely what this blog shall become in the future; for now, I am grateful for the help of the Holy Ghost in taking up the blog more regularly and entering into so many exhilirating areas of thought, prayer, and Catholic Action.

As a closing thought, I would like to commend a CD to you I found a complete revelation. I only knew of Nicholas Ludford as a footnote in English music history, but this fairly recent recording by the choir of New College, Oxford brings together Ludford's genius of composition in the Missa Benedicta together with Edward Higginbottom marvellous conducting. This sort of recording represents the kind of mining of the patrimony of the Church in England that also cries out for attention and inclusion in the development of the liturgical and musical forms to be brought into the Catholic Church through the Anglican ordinariates per Pope Benedict's Anglicanorum coetibus.

+Laus Deo!

Soelle versus Skobtsova

2010-07-16T10:59:00.000-04:00

Since my successful eye surgery, I have been reading all sorts of books that previously I had set to the side in order to focus on essential reading for my religious life and work. Based on a challenge from a friend, I immersed myself in the theological writing of Dorothee Soelle, a German Protestant theologian. Definitely not my normal cup of tea, but it was a profoundly useful exercise as I continue to contemplate the question of 'Authority' in the Christian Church.

The encounter with Soelle has led me to phrase the question of Authority a bit differently i.e., a question of Origins. For Soelle, the mystics (especially the female mystics) of the Middle Ages become Soelle's "Authority" for her work of feminist and liberationist theologizing. The normative Protestant answer on the question of Authority refers to the Bible -- an opinion on authority not that much different from the Sikhs and their sacred writings or the Muslims and the Koran and the Hadith. So I find Soelle's leaning upon the mediaeval mystics very interesting indeed. Her appropriation of the mystics gives her writing a unique quality of spiritual depth often lost in the feminist critique (rising from a hermeneutic of suspicion).

I have offered my thanks to the friend who challenged me to read Soelle and returned the challenge with The Essential Writings of Mother Maria Skobtsova. At first glance Mother Maria seems a bit of a paradox with her radical ideas and her firm Christian convictions and her absolute loyalty to the Russian Orthodox Church. That she has not been glorified by the Russian Church tells us that Russian Church authorities are still uneasy perhaps even unnerved by Mother Maria's writings. It came as a shock to learn that she was not yet "St. Maria of Paris" and I remain puzzled that a nun who was universally acclaimed as a living saint, who ministered the Gospel of Christ in the Ravensbrueck concentration camp, who died in a Nazi gas chamber, has not been seen as a saint or passion-bearer of the highest order by the hierarchy of the Russian Church.

From her writing one realises that Mother Maria was like a force of nature something like a tornado that would remove everything but Christ, His Church, and the souls of human beings. Her insights often send out shockwaves that unsettle and reorder one's thinking. There is a great deal in her writing on the Blessed Virgin Mary that speaks positively to those who are praying for a Fifth Marian dogma -- not that Mother Maria would have approved of such, but rather her writing points to an understanding of the Blessed Mother well beyond what current statements of the Church East and West have said.

Her theological insights have left me feeling as though I had been standing under a great waterfall. Afterward, my mind and my heart still felt the great rush of the Holy Ghost through Mother Maria's radical devotion to Jesus and the Church, and it is all a bit like standing in that wonderful atmosphere around a waterfall, fresh and charged with life. There is no question of "Authority" or of "Origins" in her writing for Mother Maria goes directly to the Source and there she bids us worship Christ and work to make present the Kingdom of God.

At the beginning of this post I have included a link to Essential Writings: Mother Maria Skobtsova on Amazon, and I heartily encourage you, gentle Reader, to take it up and read. You will be amazed by the life and thought of this sainted servant of the Holy Trinity.

Magnificent Video

2010-07-14T20:33:00.003-04:00

CMAA Colloquium XX 2010 from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

The Wreck of the H.M.S. Anglicana

2010-07-14T17:01:00.004-04:00

Watching the General Synod of the Church of England this time round has been quite an education for me. I was well aware that the Episcopal Church in the USA in a few short years no longer bears any resemblance to the Church in which I laboured for a time. Now it is clear that the C of E has mutated into something altogether Protestant in creed and bitter in tone. I sometimes wonder, Who are these people who control what was once 'my Church'? I no longer recognise the lot, and it has left me very grateful for that enclave of Anglican Heritage we have in Houston with Our Lady of Walsingham Roman Catholic Church (Anglican Use).

Those who know me know that the issue of female ordination is not an issue of importance to me. I regard this sort of thing as a symptom of a larger spiritual illness wherein an association of Christians mistakes itself for Christ's poor Church and sets about legislating things for which it has no competency, and the Anglican Communion has never been a competent authority to alter doctrine, dogma, or discipline. I strode across the Tiber with the conviction that the total lack of authority and the ongoing doctrinal drift from faith in Jesus Christ to faith in a generic sort of 'God the blob' (who flits about blessing everyone and everything like a fairy grandmother who has had too much sherry) was simply incompatible with what I (and my anglo-catholic forebears) believed.

Now did I find Paradise in Rome? No. I found some things that made me retrace my steps back into the Tiber, but in the end I found myself at home in the Catholic Church among a vast number of people for whom Truth as revealed in Christ is everything. I am so thankful to Pope Benedict for continuing and expanding the work of welcoming the catholic-minded Anglicans home and for affording us a place of grace where we may share with the Universal Church those good things begun, continued, and accomplished among us by the Holy Ghost ... the Holy Father speaks of it as our patrimony, and our patrimony is a vast treasure resonant with what is most beautiful and true about the Church both Eastern and Western.

I have told my family wherever we may be scattered about the English-speaking world that the HMS Anglicana has run aground (or perhaps been torpedoed by an Enemy), and it is now time to escape to safety and to run into the open arms of Our Lord Jesus as He says to us all, "Welcome to Rome. Welcome home."

+Laus Deo!

Things the Holy Father Never Taught Me

2010-07-12T17:19:00.005-04:00

I am delighted to recommend an excellent column by Dawn Eden concerning the Theology of the Body of Pope John Paul II. Many of you will be familiar with Dawn Eden's The Thrill of the Chaste which I reckon as one of the most remarkable and important books I have read in the last few years.

I will quote a short portion from the beginning but encourage you to read the column in full:

Things the Holy Father Never Taught Me:
Unraveling a Common Myth About the Theology of the Body

by Dawn Eden

Pope John Paul II’s addresses on the theology of the body launched a new era in Catholic catechesis on sexuality and married love. Yet these teachings, popularly known as the TOB, have become subject to interpretations that their author could hardly have envisioned, as some well-intentioned authors and speakers attempt to adapt the late Holy Father’s highly philosophical verbiage into everyday language. Perhaps no area of the TOB is subject to as much misinterpretation as its teachings on modesty. One common confusion in particular deserves a closer look. ...

Continue reading the column HERE

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From YouTube: Gulf Air "Unsafe" from Oil

2010-07-06T15:07:00.002-04:00

2010-07-03T02:08:00.002-04:00

I had a great friend in the late Right Reverend Leopoldo Jesus Alard, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. In 2003 after learning of his death, I sat down and wrote this hymn text as an expression of my filial love for a wonderful spiritual father, and I hoped to shine a light on the very genuine living martyrdom he endured for Jesus' sake.

Having had some recent requests for it, I feel it is the right time to make it more easily available via this blog. Made popular again at the end of the 20th century coupled with Bishop Timothy Dudley-Smith's marvellous poem "Tell Out My Soul", the tune 'WOODLANDS' by Greatorex is known by Christians of all sorts of backgrounds. Set to my text the tune is strong, bright and uplifting. Certainly a more contemplative tune would also work.

As with all my hymns I pray they please the Blessed Trinity and are useful to the Church. And for you, gentle reader, I ask God to impart to you blessings and graces to press on in the upward call of Christ our God.

TO PARADISE

To Paradise may angels lead you home.
The arms of Christ enfold you in his love.
The hosts of heav'n and all saints sing with joy
to welcome you, true friend of Christ our God.

Bearing your cross, you suffered for his sake,
strong as a lion, gentle as a lamb.
Your witness shines from earth to heav'n above.
Christ calls your name, "Well done, my faithful one."

All shall be well. Rest in the peace of God
and rise in glory in the Day of Christ.
All shall be well, and all things turned to joy
when reunited we will see the Lord.

Tune: Woodlands (Greatorex)
Words: Copyright © 2003, 2010 by Vincent Uher.

Please write to me for reprint permissions by email: vuher@alumni.rice.edu

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The Canticle of the Lamb

2010-07-01T13:11:00.007-04:00

For whoever believes in the power of the Blood of Jesus,

nothing is impossible.

After reading Father Mark Daniel Kirby's post today on the Precious Blood of Jesus -- and I strongly recommend reading his blog and today's post in particular -- I was reminded of Mother Basilea Schlink of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary and her Canticle of the Lamb. Today the Sisterhood uses a new translation of the text, but I think the first translation -- which one may find in Celtic Daily Prayer -- was simply better ... or perhaps because it is so familiar to me, I simply do not wish to let it go. In the reading of Mother Basilea's hymn, I pray there are blessings for all to be found therein:

I praise the Wounds and the Blood of the Lamb

that heals the weakness of my body,
I praise the Wounds and the Blood of the Lamb

that heals the weakness of my soul,
I praise the Wounds and the Blood of the Lamb

that heals the weakness of my spirit!

Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His forgiving power.
Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His cleansing power.
Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His saving power.
Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His releasing power.
Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His victorious power.
Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His renewing power.
Praise be to the Blood of the Lamb in His protecting power.

For whoever believes in the power of the Blood of Jesus,
nothing is impossible.

I praise the Blood of the Lamb that covers all my sins

so that they can no longer be seen,
I praise the Blood of the Lamb that cleanses me from all my sins

and makes me white as snow,
I praise the Blood of the Lamb that has power to free me

from all my bondages and chains of sin.

I praise the Blood of the Lamb that is stronger

than my own sin-infested blood

and remoulds me into the image of God,

I praise the Blood of the Lamb that is victorious

over all powers that seek to oppress me,

over every power of the enemy.
I praise the Blood of the Lamb

that protects me from all the devious attacks of the enemy.

I praise the Blood of the Lamb

that prepares for me the bridal garment.

I praise the Blood of the Lamb

that makes all things new.

Hallelujah! Amen.

M. Basilea Schlink

as translated in Celtic Daily Prayer

For whoever believes in the power of the Blood of Jesus,

nothing is impossible.

+Laus Deo!

New Texts for the soon to be Bl. John Henry Newman

2010-06-25T13:53:00.005-04:00

Courtesy of the Oratorians
http://www.oratoriosanfilippo.org/21-06-2010.html

Si comunica inoltre che la Congregazione per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti, con Rescritto del 15 giugno ha approvato i testi propri della memoria del Beato John Henry Newman in lingua latina e in inglese. Li riportiamo, nell’attesa di presentare al medesimo Dicastero i testi in italiano e in altre lingue.

* * *

BEATI IOANNIS HENRICI NEWMAN, PRESBYTERI

De Communi pastorum: pro presbyteris.

COLLECTA

Deus, qui beátum Ioánnem Henrícum, presbýterum,

lumen benígnum tuum sequéntem

pacem in Ecclésia tua inveníre contulísti,

concéde propítius,

ut, eius intercessióne et exémplo,

ex umbris et imagínibus

in plenitúdinem veritátis tuae perducámur.

Per Dominum.

BLESSED JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST

From the Common of Pastors: For One Pastor

COLLECT

O God, who bestowed on the Priest Blessed John Henry Newman

the grace to follow your kindly light and find peace in your Church;

graciously grant that, through his intercession and example,

we may be led out of shadows and images

into the fulness of your truth.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Be sure to read the rest of the texts: http://www.oratoriosanfilippo.org/21-06-2010.html

Holy Fire of Jesus' Spirit

2010-06-15T20:24:00.004-04:00

I will be making an update to this post later. At the moment my hands do not wish to type. May it please the Holy Trinity I will be back shortly, and in the present moment may the Lord give a blessing to those who read, pray, and sing the hymn below. Amen.

Holy fire of Jesus' Spirit
purify my soul and heart.
Fire of love, consume my darkness.
Fire of hope, cleanse every part.
Light of heaven, burning brightly,
heal my wounds and make me whole.
Through thy mercy and compassion
light thy fire within my soul.

Jesus, Son of David, hear me.
Lord, have mercy. Save my life.
I confess I crucified thee.
Now I know thou art my life.
Change me here to bear thy glory;
let my blinded eyes see Light.
Make my broken heart thy temple
and abide there day and night.

God the Son of Mother Mary,
blest are all who keep thy word.
With thy light ablaze within me,
I proclaim what I have heard.
More than words will be my actions
shining bright to draw the world
through thy Sacred Heart to glory
in the Father of the Word.

Hymn to Jesus

2010-06-13T13:07:00.007-04:00

It seemed to me a good time to post this hymn again. Christe eleison imas.

Jesus, Son of Mary,
David's heir, we praise thee.
King and High Priest, we acclaim thee:
Splendour of the heavens
As a tiny baby
Child divine of our dear Lady!
Earth doth stand
In thy hand
Past and future holding,
Love and grace enfolding.

Jesus, raised by Joseph,
Master of construction,
Artist and source of instruction.
Worker of great wonders,

To life raising Lazarus,
Bearer of our sins and sadness.
Nails and cross,
Blood and loss,
Sacrifice and mystery --
Masterpiece of mercy.

Jesus Christ, now risen,
In thy mercy listen
To our needs and each petition.
Show us how to serve thee
At this urgent hour.
How we need thy grace and power!
Earth still spins
Mired in sins.
People God-defying.
Innocents are crying.

Jesus, good Physician,
Heal thy Church we pray thee.
By thy Blood defend her daily.
Purify the nations.
Cleanse the ranks of shepherds.
Wash away all false endeavours.
Let us be
One with thee,
Will and purpose pleasing,
Heart and soul appealing.

Words: Copyright © 2002 Vincent Wm. Uher III.
Music: Tysk

"In This Process of Change through Continuity"

2010-06-02T13:07:00.004-04:00

With a nod to Sandro Magister

The following is the extensive concluding passage of Benedict XVI's speech on December 22, 2005.

"IN THIS PROCESS OF CHANGE THROUGH CONTINUITY..."

by Benedict XVI

[...] The Council had to find a new definition of the relationship between the Church and the modern age. This relationship started out difficultly with the Galileo trial. It broke completely, when Kant defined “religion within pure reason” and when, in the radical phase of the French Revolution, an image of the state and of man was spread that practically intended to crowd out the Church and faith. The clash of the Church's faith with a radical liberalism and also with natural sciences that claimed to embrace, with its knowledge, the totality of reality to its outmost borders, stubbornly setting itself to make the “hypothesis of God” superfluous, had provoked in the 19th century under Pius IX, on the part of the Church, a harsh and radical condemnation of this spirit of the modern age. Thus, there were apparently no grounds for an positive and fruitful agreement, and drastic were also the refusals on the part of those who felt they were the representatives of the modern age.

However, in the meantime, the modern age also had its development. It was becoming clear that the American Revolution had offered a model of the modern state that was different from that theorized by the radical tendencies that had emerged from the second phase of the French Revolution. Natural sciences began, in a more and more clear way, to reflect their own limits, imposed by their own method which, though achieving great things, was nevertheless not able to comprehend the totality of reality.

Thus, both sides began to progressively open up to each other. In the period between the two world wars and even more after the second world war, Catholic statemen had shown that a modern lay state can exist, which nevertheless is not neutral with respect to values, but lives tapping into the great ethical fonts of Christianity. Catholic social doctrine, as it developed, had become an important model between radical liberalism and the Marxist theory of the state. Natural sciences, which would unreservedly profess to its own method in which God had no access, realized ever more clearly that this method was not comprehensive of the totality of reality and thus opened once again their doors to God, knowing that reality is greater than naturalistic method and what it can embrace.

It could be said that three tiers of questions were formed that now, at the hour of Vatican II, awaited a response.

First and foremost, it was necessary to define in a new way the relationship between faith and modern science; this regarded, however, not only natural sciences, but also historical sciences because, in a certain school, the historical-critical method claimed for itself the final words on the interpretation of the Bible and, demanding full exclusiveness for its understanding of Sacred Scriptures, it opposed, on important points, the interpretation that the faith of the Church had elaborated.

Secondly, it was necessary to define in a new way the relationship between the Church and the modern state, which made room to citizens of various religions and ideologies, acting impartially towards these religions and simply taking on the responsibility for the orderly and tolerant coexistence between citizens and for their freedom to exercise their religion.

To this, thirdly, was connected in a more general way the problem of religious tolerance – a question that called for a new definition of the relationship between Christian faith and religion in the world. In particular, in the face of the recent crimes of the National-Socialist regime and, in general, in a retrospective look on a long and difficult history, it was necessary to evaluate and define in a new way the relationship between the Church and the faith of Israel.

These are all important subjects – these great themes of the second part of the Council – uponwhich we cannot now dwell much here. It is clear that in all these sectors, which together are one problem, some discontinuities would emerge. Although this may not have been fully appreciated at first, the discontinuities that did emerge – notwithstanding distinct concrete historical situations and their needs – did prevent continuity at the level of principles.

The nature of true reform lies in this combination of multi-levelled continuity and discontinuity.

In this process of change through continuity we had to learn how to understand better than before that the Church’s decisions about contingent matters – for example, about actual forms of liberalism or liberal interpretations of the Bible – were necessarily themselves contingent because related to a reality itself changeable.

We had to learn how to recognise that in such decisions only principles express what is lasting, embedded in the background and determining the decision from within. The concrete forms these decisions take are not permanent but depend upon the historical situations. They can therefore change.

Thus, for example, with freedom of religion seen as expressing mankind’s inability to find truth, relativism becomes the canon. From being a social and historical necessity it is incorrectly elevated to a metaphysical level that loses its true meaning. It therefore becomes unacceptable to those who believe that mankind can reach the truth of God and, based on truth’s inner dignity, is related to such knowledge.

This is completely different from viewing freedom of religion as a necessity that human coexistence requires or even seeing it as an inherent consequence of the truth that such freedom cannot be imposed from the outside but must come from a conviction from within.

By adopting a decree on religious freedom, the Second Vatican Council recognised and made its own an essential principle of the modern state. And in doing so, it reconnected with the wider heritage of the Church.

The Church itself is conscious that it is fully in sync with the teachings of Jesus (cf Mt 22: 21), the Church of the early martyrs, and with all the martyrs. Although the early Church dutifully prayed for emperors and political leaders as a matter of fact (cf 1 Tm 2: 2), it refused to worship them and thus rejected the state religion. In dying for their faith in the one God revealed in Jesus Christ, the martyrs of the early Church also died on behalf of freedom of conscience and the freedom to profess one’s own religion. No state can impose any religion; instead, religion must be freely chosen with the grace of God and in freedom of conscience.

A missionary Church required to proclaim its message to all the nations must commit itself to freedom of religion. It must pass on the gift of truth that exists for all and at the same time reassure nations and governments that it does not want to destroy their identities and cultures. It must show that it brings an answer they intimately expect. This answer is not lost among the many cultures, but instead enhances unity among men and thus peace among nations.

By defining in a new way the relationship between the faith of the Church and some essential elements of modern thinking, the Second Vatican Council revised and even corrected some past decisions. But in an apparent discontinuity it has instead preserved and reinforced its intimate nature and true identity. The Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic both before and after the Council, throughout time. It “presses forward amid the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God,” announcing the cross and death of the Lord until he comes (cf Lumen gentium, 8).

Yet those who expected that with this fundamental “Yes” to the modern age, all tensions would melt away, and that this “opening up to the world” would render everything harmonious, underestimated the inner tensions and contradictions of the modern age; they underestimated the internal tensions and the dangerous fragility of human nature, which have threatened man’s journey throughout all historical periods and configurations. Given man’s new power over himself and over matter, these dangers have not disappeared; instead, they have acquired a new dimension. We can clearly illustrate this by looking at current history.

In our time too, the Church remains a “sign of contradiction” (Lk 2: 34) and for this reason in 1976 pope John Paul II, then a cardinal, gave it as the title to the spiritual exercises he preached to Pope Paul VI and the Roman curia. The Council could not abolish this Gospel contradiction in the face of the dangers and errors of mankind. What it did do was put aside wrong or superfluous contradictions in order to present to our world the requirements of the Gospel in all its greatness and purity.

The steps that the Council took toward the modern age – which in a rather imprecise manner has been presented as an “opening up to the world” – belongs decisively among the perennial problems of the ever changing relationship between faith and reason.

Undoubtedly, the Council faced situations that existed before. In his first Epistle, saint Peter urged Christians to be ready to answer (apo-logia) anyone who asked them the logos, the reason for their faith (cf 3:15). This meant that biblical faith had to interact with and relate to Greek culture, learning how to recognise, by interpreting distinctions as well as through contact and affinity with the latter, the one God-given reason.

When Medieval Christianity, largely schooled in the Platonic tradition, came into contact with Aristotle’s ideas via Jewish and Arab philosophers in the 13th century, faith and reason almost became irreconcilable. But saint Thomas Aquinas was especially able to find a new synthesis between faith and Aristotelian philosophy. Faith could relate in a positive manner with the dominant notions of reason of the time.

The exacting disputes between modern reason and Christian faith, which started off on the wrong foot with Galileo’s trial, went through several phases. But by the time the Second Vatican Council was convened new thinking was possible. The new approach found in the conciliar papers sets out only guidelines but also the essential direction so that the dialogue between faith and reason, very important nowadays, has found its orientation in Vatican II.

This dialogue must now be developed with the open-mindedness, but also with that clarity in the discernment of spirits that the world rightly expects from us. We can look back with gratitude to the Second Vatican Council. If we read and accept it guided by a correct interpretation, it can become a great force in the ever necessary renewal of the Church. [...]

+Laus Deo!