Pope Benedict on, "Blessed are those who mourn..."

If you are feeling down about evil in the world, then you are in mourning, says Pope Benedict. In his first book, Jesus of Nazareth, he explains how you should feel comforted.

I'm behind on many things.  It may come as a surprise that, despite my best intentions, I have never read Pope Benedict's first two books on Jesus of Nazareth.  Newly released now is the third book, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives.

I have never been a big reader, but I find myself lamenting what I am losing by not reading. So, I'm reading more, especially using a Kindle which makes it easy to take many books with me everywhere I go.

The internet age made it easier for us to have access to current events faster than we could in the past.  When focus on current events is not moderated and goes to excess, it can leave us feeling depressed, down, and overwhelmed.  We are then left without tools to deal with the stress of some of those current events. One of the things sacrificed, is wholesome reading of sound classics like, The Confessions: Saint Augustine of Hippo (Ignatius Critical Editions) or, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.  I'm sure I'm not the only one to have neglected reading the Jesus of Nazareth series by Pope Benedict. I can give you a litany of excuses, but they remain a litany of excuses. One could read for just 15 minutes per day and make headway.

I declared war on my own pre-occupation with current events.  I started reading the first book. With that, I want to share some quotes with you, to show how we can learn to cope with current problems by reading, and reflecting on sound writing, rooted in Scripture.  Given the way immorality and greed are advancing, this section of the Pope's first book on Jesus of Nazareth gave me great comfort and I hope it will also put you at ease.

Pope Benedict, in Chapter 4 of his first book, Jesus of Nazareth, when discussing the Beatitudes - specifically, "Blessed are those who mourn...," opened my eyes to something.  Let's start here (emphasis mine in bold):

Let us go back to the second Beatitude: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Mt 5:4). Is it good to mourn and to declare mourning blessed? There are two kinds of mourning. The first is the kind that has lost hope, that has become mistrustful of love and of truth, and that therefore eats away and destroys man from within. But there is also the mourning occasioned by the shattering encounter with truth, which leads man to undergo conversion and to resist evil. This mourning heals, because it teaches man to hope and to love again. Judas is an example of the first kind of mourning: Struck with horror at his own fall, he no longer dares to hope and hangs himself in despair. Peter is an example of the second kind: Struck by the Lord’s gaze, he bursts into healing tears that plow up the soil of his soul. He begins anew and is himself renewed. (Ratzinger, Joseph (2007-05-15). Jesus of Nazareth (p. 86). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition. )

He doesn't stop there.  The Holy Father wants to make sure we get it, so he digs back into the Old Testament:

Ezekiel 9:4 offers us a striking testimony to how this positive kind of mourning can counteract the dominion of evil. Six men are charged with executing divine punishment on Jerusalem—on the land that is filled with bloodshed, on the city that is full of wickedness (cf. Ezek 9:9). Before they do, however, a man clothed in linen must trace the Hebrew letter tau (like the sign of the Cross) on the foreheads of all those “who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in the city” (Ezek 9:4). Those who bear this mark are exempted from the punishment. They are people who do not run with the pack, who refuse to collude with the injustice that has become endemic, but who suffer under it instead. Even though it is not in their power to change the overall situation, they still counter the dominion of evil through the passive resistance of their suffering—through the mourning that sets bounds to the power of evil (Ratzinger, Joseph (2007-05-15). Jesus of Nazareth (pp. 86-87). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.)

If you suffer today because of evil in the world, then you are in mourning.  We Christians are in many battles these days.  In some countries, it's not just a battle with immorality, but a battle that could end in the loss of life and other forms of physical suffering on top of the emotional and spiritual forms.  Here in America, we find ourselves losing liberty. This threat is rooted in the dominion of evil which wants us to go along with immorality.

You can't watch prime-time television without seeing everyone sleep with everyone else (not their spouse) and the mechanisms are in place to encourage ill-catechized Catholics to accept it all.  Then comes the abortion push (because everyone is sleeping with everyone else). Abortion is readily dismissed by many who profess to believe in God, including Catholics.   But, if you dwell in these terrible things you risk falling into hopelessness and despair. People who have faith are not disquieted by those who have no faith; they pray for them, secure in God's peace.  St. Teresa of Avila, who suffered much said, "Let nothing disturb you." This doesn't mean we should be passive and not engage others in the public square, for example.  It means if we find ourselves falling into hopelessness, it's time to pause and pray.


Pope Benedict continues to drill his point home...

Tradition has yielded another image of mourning that brings salvation: Mary standing under the Cross with her sister, the wife of Clopas, with Mary Magdalene, and with John (Jn 19:25ff.). Once again, as in the vision of Ezekiel, we encounter here the small band of people who remain true in a world full of cruelty and cynicism or else with fearful conformity. They cannot avert the disaster, but by “suffering with” the one condemned (by their com-passion in the etymological sense) they place themselves on his side, and by their “loving with” they are on the side of God, who is love. This “com-passion” reminds us of the magnificent saying in Saint Bernard of Clairvaux’s commentary on the Song of Songs (sermon 26, no. 5): “Impassibilis est Deus, sed non incompassibilis”—God cannot suffer, but he can “suffer with.” At the foot of Jesus’ Cross we understand better than anywhere else what it means to say “blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Those who do not harden their hearts to the pain and need of others, who do not give evil entry to their souls, but suffer under its power and so acknowledge the truth of God—they are the ones who open the windows of the world to let the light in. It is to those who mourn in this sense that great consolation is promised. The second Beatitude is thus intimately connected with the eighth: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:10). (Ratzinger, Joseph (2007-05-15). Jesus of Nazareth (p. 87). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.)

Pope Benedict wraps up his message quite neatly in the next paragraph:

The mourning of which the Lord speaks is nonconformity with evil; it is a way of resisting models of behavior that the individual is pressured to accept because “everyone does it.” The world cannot tolerate this kind of resistance; it demands conformity. It considers this mourning to be an accusation directed against the numbing of consciences. And so it is. That is why those who mourn suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness. Those who mourn are promised comfort; those who are persecuted are promised the Kingdom of God—the same promise that is made to the poor in spirit. The two promises are closely related. The Kingdom of God—standing under the protection of God’s power, secure in his love—that is true comfort. (Ratzinger, Joseph (2007-05-15). Jesus of Nazareth (pp. 87-88). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition. )

Wow! Just wow!  The Holy Father really knows how to package something.

If you have never read the Jesus of Nazareth series, I encourage you to start.  At times, some of it may be difficult to follow. Read through those parts slowly. Or, set it down and come back to it the next day. And, if you still don't get it, move forward.  These kinds of books are not meant to be read once. Like with Scripture, what God doesn't bless you to grasp today, He may grant you that understanding the next day or next year.

I like to highlight and send select, short quotes up to Twitter and Facebook when reading from my Kindle Fire.  If you are following there, you might find these in my feeds, but it is often later at night that I read.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

December 9 at Grotto: Advent Day of Recollection

Despite the fact that the secular world is trying to force us into Christmas, we have not yet entered Advent. Advent is a period of waiting and anticipating. It is a "mini-Lent" so to speak. It is a time to prepare ourselves for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are local, take a few hours out of a Sunday afternoon in December and attend this Advent Day of Recollection.  See the full PDF flyer here.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Photos from October 28 Mass of Thanksgiving of Fr. Robert Slaton

On September 29th, when the Church celebrates the feast of St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael, Fr. Robert Slaton was ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit (see slides and story of ordination at the Michigan Catholic and the pre-ordination story with more background here).  Nota bene: There were three ordinations on May 26th, as well.

On October 28th, Fr. Slaton celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving at Assumption Grotto, using the 1962 Missal.  Fr. Slaton was baptized at Assumption Grotto.

I've been very behind on photo processing, so without further delay, here are those pictures.
Fr. Aidan Logan, O.C.s.o., a visiting Cistercian, served as the assistant priest.

The Asperges

The Confiteor

Fr. John Bustamante delivers the sermon

Fr. Slaton and Fr. Logan during the sermon

The Elevation of the Consecrated Host

Fr. Slaton gives post-Mass thanksgiving at the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary

See the full gallery of photos for Fr. Robert Slaton's Mass of Thanksgiving at Assumption Grotto.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Benedictines of Mary release music CD: Advent at Ephesus

I just ordered two copies of this CD, one for myself and one for my pastor.  I also sent a digital download of the album to someone. Order now before Advent starts and you can actually listen to... Advent music!

Starting at the homepage, there is much to click through on the site of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles about this CD.  They are trying to get as many sales for this week as possible, so order now.  You can do so through their website, or through Amazon, and you can order it via snail mail.  Check the various price options.

On the page for the CD itself, they explain:

We never cease to marvel at the wonderful, unexpected blessings which Divine Providence prepares for our community. The story of this Advent recording is another striking example. Truly our Divine Spouse orders all things “mightily and sweetly,” as we chant just days before Christmas in one of the beautiful “O” Antiphons of the Church’s Advent liturgy.  [continue reading at Benedictines of Mary...]

If you want to help get the word out at your parish, print out this promotional flyer.

Here is video with a taste of the music...

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Awesome Photos from Solemn High Mass on Veteran's Day

From the blog of, "A Priest's Life," come these photos of a beautiful Solemn High Mass on Veteran's Day (my comments bracketed in red).

A Solemn High Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite was celebrated at Saint Benedict Church in Chesapeake, Virginia, on November 12 for all of our veterans on the occasion of Veterans' Day. 

The Reverend Kevin M. Cusick, LCDR, CHC, USN (R) served as celebrant, the Reverend Neal Nichols, FSSP, as deacon and seminarian Philip Gerard Johnson, LTJG, USN (Ret.) as subdeacon. [And, just instituted as Lector in the Diocese of Raleigh - Congrats, Philip!!!]

Go read the rest of the post and see more great pictures. 

Philip also blogged on the event and explains what is happening in some of the photos.  

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Commentary on the new office at CDW for music, art, and architecture

Michelangelo's masterpiece in the Vatican inspires us to contemplate the mysteries of our faith

It has been my belief for some years now, that in many quarters of the church, the mystery being celebrated has been hidden behind "noise" - both audible and visual.  What has been lost is the contemplative dimension of worship, which is hindered by such noise.  God cannot be heard in the soul above this noise.  We should be able to step out of our noisy world into a place that stills the restless soul enough to hear God.

Mass is suppose to lift us in ways the secular world cannot.  Music, art, and architecture should drive us to ponder the mysteries of our faith.  What we experience when we step into a church should not be self-seeking, but should lead us to seek the Face of God.  In this way, we say to Him: This is your hour and I a giving myself to You, unconditionally. When we let go of the world, it becomes easier to hear the voice of God above all others.

The Holy See has come to the same conclusion, probably long before me, but now it is doing something about it.  Deo gratias!



From Vatican Insider...

The Vatican Secretariat of State has approved the reorganization of the Congregation for Divine Worship. A new office for liturgical music,art and architecture has been established

ANDREA TORNIELLI  

VATICAN CITY

Congregation of Divine Worship undergoes reform

The Secretariat of State agreed on the Congregation's restructuring last 3 September with Benedict XVI's approval: the reorganization of the Congregation of Divine Worship involved the creation of new offices that will  become operational as of next year. The main change is the establishment of an office, specifically dedicated to liturgical art and music (which Vatican Insider predicted in a previous article), which will provide guidelines to ensure that hymns sung during mass and the structure of new churches are adequate and correspond to the mystery being celebrated.

Continue reading at Vatican Insider... 


The Mass is not about what we get, but about what we give to God.  When we do this right, we do get something - graces and a closer relationship with Christ; when we do this wrong, we get self-entertainment and a distancing from Christ. This, in my opinion, has led to people believing they don't need Mass because their focus is not on giving, but on getting. If the only time someone goes to Mass is when they feel like there is something for them to get, Mass becomes self-serving.  What they don't understand is that worship should be unconditional and God-centered. We give glory to God with no strings attached.   Music, art and architecture all contribute to our right, or wrong, understanding about worship.

There is also the problem of sterile parish environments.  You walk into a parish and find it devoid of anything remotely Catholic.  They are sterile in that they do not lend themselves to meditation.  Is it any wonder why so many people talk in church, so much so, that the decibels rival those found at an indoor mall on a Saturday afternoon? These environments don't distract us from the secular and lift us into the spiritual. Some parishes are so sterile the soul reads them like a business environment.  The only thing missing are the cubicles.

I've witnessed a number of parishes undergoing transformations, so some pastors get it.   A few years ago, my geographical parish lost it's unrecognizable green, blob-like representation of the Blessed Virgin Mary that had been there for about 35 years.  Gone, around the same time, was the olive-green, Borg spaceship-style tabernacle. The current pastor rescued truly beautiful replacements from inner city parishes that had closed. I think we will see more of this, going forward.

As the 70's ushered in "folk Masses" the great parish choirs were lost.  My childhood parish had one of the finest choirs in town. Like in most parishes, it no longer exists.  Dozens of volunteers who participated in this great art form were left out in the cold as music directors, with no ability to direct them, took over and left us a few vocalists and a piano or guitar.  Chant, which was to be retained, was rendered to the monasteries. Even in many of them, it was set aside.  In the meanwhile, the secular world has discovered chant and has made it popular... except in most Catholic parishes.  Go figure.

Truth be told,  I do enjoy some good acoustic guitar music with nice vocals;  I just prefer them outside of Mass. I've heard some very talented players and gifted singers at Masses through the years.  I think our many talented musicians who play these instruments could give us wholesome music to which we can listen outside of Mass, with secular and spiritual lyrics.  It would fill a void left for people like me who have difficulty listening to music with lyrics that lift vice and shun virtue.

I look forward to what we will learn in the years to come through this new office at the Congregation for Divine Worship.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Cardinal Dolan: Vatican II called for it's renewal, then we got near disappearance of Sacrament of Penance

I am grateful that I was able to listen to much of the USCCB Fall General Assembly today via EWTN.mobi. The USCCB site also has options, and you can get archived video there.

I just want to pass along to you how heart-warming it was to hear Cardinal Dolan's humble admission that it is time to start taking Sacramental Confession more seriously. He also noted that we should bring back meatless Fridays (as someone noted on Twitter, it's time to buy stock in Arthur Treachers!)

I'm going to provide some excerpts, but I encourage you not only to read the whole thing for context (which shouldn't take more than 10 minutes), but to consider watching him deliver the opening address. Click here for full text and here for video-on-demand (you want the November 2012, Monday Morning Session and it might be about 20 minutes in, just fast-forward and keep checking).  Father Z has audio in his post: USCCB meeting: Card. Dolan hits it out of the park!

Here are some of my favorite parts of the Presidential Address.  I'll offer some thoughts another time.  This is rich content and he is on the right track. I think we will have many opportunities to explore the subject deeper.

I would suggest this morning that this reservoir of our lives and ministry, when it comes especially to the New Evangelization, must first be filled with the spirit of interior conversion born of our own renewal. That's the way we become channels of a truly effective transformation of the world, through our own witness of a penitential heart, and our own full embrace of the Sacrament of Penance.

[...]

"To believers also the Church must ever preach faith and penance," declared the council fathers in the very first of the documents to appear, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. (SC, n. 9) ​To be sure, the sacraments of initiation - - Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist - - charge, challenge, and equip the agents of evangelization. Without those sacraments, we remain isolated, unredeemed, timid and unfed. ​ 

But, the Sacrament of Reconciliation evangelizes the evangelizers, as it brings us sacramentally into contact with Jesus, who calls us to conversion of heart, and allows us to answer his invitation to repentance -- a repentance from within that can then transform the world without. ​ 

What an irony that despite the call of the Second Vatican Council for a renewal of the Sacrament of Penance, what we got instead was its near disappearance. ​We became very good in the years following the Council in calling for the reform of structures, systems, institutions, and people other than ourselves.That, too, is important; it can transform our society and world. But did we fail along the way to realize that in no way can the New Evangelization be reduced to a program, a process, or a call to structural reform; that it is first and foremost a deeply personal conversion within? "The Kingdom of God is within," as Jesus taught.

[...]

The premier answer to the question "What's wrong with the world?" "what's wrong with the church?" is not politics, the economy, secularism, sectarianism, globalization or global warming . . .none of these, as significant as they are. As Chesterton wrote, "The answer to the question 'What's wrong with the world?' is just two words:'I am,'"

​I am! Admitting that leads to conversion of heart and repentance, the marrow of the Gospel-invitation. I remember the insightful words of a holy priest well known to many of us from his long apostolate to priests and seminarians in Rome, Monsignor Charles Elmer, wondering aloud from time to time if, following the close of the Council, we had sadly become a Church that forgot how to kneel.If we want the New Evangelization to work, it starts on our knees.

[...]

The work of our Conference during the coming year includes reflections on re-embracing Friday as a particular day of penance, including the possible re-institution of abstinence on all Fridays of the year, not just during Lent. Our pastoral plan offers numerous resources for catechesis on the Sacrament of Penance, and the manifold graces that come to us from the frequent use of confession. Next June we will gather in a special assembly as brother bishops to pray and reflect on the mission entrusted to us by the Church, including our witness to personal conversion in Jesus Christ, and so to the New Evangelization.  

 We work at giving our people good examples of humble, repentant pastors, aware of our own personal and corporate sins, constantly responding to the call of Jesus to interior conversion. Remember the Curé of Ars? When a concerned group of his worried supporters came to him with a stinging protest letter from a number of parishioners, demanding the bishop to remove John Vianney as their curé, claiming he was a sinner, ignorant, and awkward, St. John Vianney took the letter, read it carefully ... and signed the petition!

[...]

And, I have suggested today, that as we "come and go" in response to the invitation of Jesus, we begin with the Sacrament of Penance.This is the sacrament of the New Evangelization, for as Pope Benedict reminds us, "We cannot speak about the new evangelization without a sincere desire to conversion." (Homily for the Opening of the XIII Ordinary General Synod of Bishops).

With this as my presidential address, I know I risk the criticism. I can hear it now: "With all the controversies and urgent matters for the Church, Dolan spoke of conversion of heart through the Sacrament of Penance. Can you believe it?"

To which I reply, "You better believe it!"

First things first!

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Tweeting Bishops; USCCB Fall General Assembly

The bishops are in Baltimore for the 2012 Fall General Assembly. Something unusual happened this year. The USCCB hosted a meeting between bishops and Catholic bloggers. Yesterday, during the meeting, there was live tweeting under the hashtag #bpsblog.  Follow that hashtag and you will find info and links.  I'll touch on this more later when there are blogposts.

Some were asking on Twitter if there was a list of bishops for subscribing.  It just so happens that I made several Catholic lists on Twitter for myself over a year ago, then learned others could subscribe to them.  Any time I found a bishop using Twitter, I added him to the list.  It includes US bishops and bishops from abroad, mostly those who put out English language tweets.


I really think the USCCB Twitter account should make a list of bishops on Twitter and people can subscribe through them.  As more bishops join, the list can be updated and anyone following would see, in a single click, what the bishops are tweeting on a given day.  It is often one of the first things I check each morning.  While the parish should be the first place people get their information, this doesn't happen at all parishes. It's improving, but it will take time.   Bishops using social media is one more way for people to get info.  It could be that parishioners on social media encourage their pastors to pass things along.

Just click a list in the link below, then hit Subscribe (I think it's in the left sidebar).  Here again, I think the USCCB should maintain some of these lists.  Primarily, they should own the list of Tweeting US bishops, list of US Dioceses on Twitter, and state bishop's conferences using the tool.

• https://twitter.com/TeDeumBlog/lists

If anyone knows of other bishops, not in my list, please drop a link to their feed or drop their name into my combox.

Someone at the meeting please let Archbishop Vigneron know I'd love to add him to the list and that my offer to serve as a voluntary consultant here in the AoD on social media is open.

Tips to Bishops: On the diocesan site, on the home page, and on the bishop's page, make sure social media follow buttons are visible.  Subscribe to a list and see what other bishops are tweeting to get ideas.  Bishops can tweet in mere minutes per day and people following from around the world will amplify those things.  Some tweet Scripture or quotes from saints.  Others use it to pass along diocesan communications.  The easiest thing to do is to retweet other bishops, the Holy Father, Vatican communications, etc. 

There will probably be some people live tweeting from the open sessions, in addition to some of the bishops.  I won't be able to participate, because I will be at work, though I may look in at lunch time.




WATCH/LISTEN TO THE USCCB FALL MEETING LIVE

Each year I try to listen to the USCCB's public sessions. The first one is at 10:00 AM ET.  There are some interesting things and you can hear the bishops in some of their discussions on the agenda items, and interventions.  The USCCB has a page dedicated to this and there are options to follow live (click here).  That link also includes info on times of public sessions.

If anyone is aware of the hashtag being used for the USCCB meeting on Twitter, please drop it into my combox.  It's probably a good idea for the USCCB to choose a hashtag in advance, if it hasn't done so already, and it will eliminate multiple hashtags for the same event.

I have also listened live using EWTN.mobi where there are options for Apple and Android devices.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Dawn Eden on the Journey Home Tonight - EWTN

Dawn Eden, who was in Detroit this past spring to discuss her new book, My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints , will be on The Journey Home with Marcus Grodi. Marcus interviews converts to Catholicism and Dawn converted from Judaism.  She will be discussing her interesting trek home,  as well as her book.

Dawn has been blogging at Patheos in her new blog, Feast of Eden.  See her latest post, which discusses her interview with Marcus.

You can watch it on EWTN at 8:00 ET, or online by clicking the WATCH tab on the left at EWTN.com.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Forty Hours Devotion Begins at Assumption Grotto

Forty Hours Devotion Begins today.  The exact hours of Exposition over the next three days have not be stated, but I am presuming they are the same as last year.  One thing I do know is that the 9:30 will not be in the Extraordinary Form because the Traditional Latin Mass moves to the Noon timeslot for the closing ceremony.  Also interesting to note is that Mass will be celebrated at the side altar on Friday and Saturday mornings, during Exposition.  This is one of a few times when it is permitted.  No mention this year of any kind of meal.  I would  imagine bewteen the 9:30 and Noon there will be the usual - hamburgers, hot dogs, and donuts.  I'm not sure about after the Noon Mass. 

Here is part of what Fr. Perrone wrote last November in his Sunday column:

Next weekend is that period of parochial grace known as The Forty Hours, the observance of which has passed into near oblivion in post-conciliar (i.e., Vatican II) days. The proffered reason for this falling off of Eucharistic piety, unexpected and unintended, was to allow for a greater flexibility for parishes in choosing the manner, time and frequency of Eucharistic adoration. The result of the change was disastrous, at least in so far as its said purpose was a failure. But there was something positive that emerged from those dark days, from the grass roots up, and that was the opening of Eucharistic chapels for adoration, and even for perpetual adoration in various places. This was a popular effort, not having been initiated by the higher ups of the Church and yet it was highly commended by the Church officially when it did begin to flourish.

Every parish is, even now, supposed to set aside a time each year for Eucharistic adoration. We have elected to retain the practice of the Forty Hours because of its longer extension than the Eucharistic day and because of its time-honored usage.

Accordingly, we will open the devotion this coming Friday morning at the 7:30 a.m. Mass with the Eucharistic procession and litany following the Mass. Saturday will open with Exposition at 6:30 a.m. and the 7:30 a.m. Tridentine Mass will take place at the side altar. Friday and Saturday adoration will end at 9:00 p.m. Sunday morning begins with adoration at 6:00 a.m. The Sunday Masses are held at their usual times with moments of adoration in between. Note that the 9:30 Mass next week will be a simple Latin Mass in the new rite; the solemn closing Mass will be in the Tridentine form at noon with the closing procession and prayers following it. Booklets for this will be provided. Thus the Forty Hours Devotion will end Sunday afternoon, around 2:00 p.m. There will not be, as there was in recent years, a later afternoon closing ceremony. Take note!

My annual exhortation is to urge your participation in the prayers and a personal time of adoration in the period of these three days. You owe it–literally–to your Lord to give Him adoration and praise, let alone to make time for presenting your needs material and spiritual in His presence.

What is Forty Hours Devotion?  I can find no better write-up than the one done by Fr. William Saunders.  It is broken up into two parts at the Catholic Education Resource Center (CERC). 

• Forty Hours with Jesus Christ (Part 1)
• Forty Hours with Jesus Christ (Part 2)

The closing of Forty Hours Devotion is quite ceremonial.  In fact, in an old moral theology book I recently purchased, I found this tucked inside:

I wrote more on the invite here: Dear Father: You are cordially invited...

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

New TLM Catholic Magazine: Laudamus Te

Many of you are familiar with the excellent Catholic monthly, Magnificat. It has the propers for new Mass, daily and offers daily prayers, and other things.  I know many who subscribe to it and I once did too.  But, I often assist at Mass in the extraordinary form (1962 Missal) for daily Mass so I wasn't using it and let my subscription lapse.  Assumption Grotto offers it at 7:30 AM Monday through Friday (sometimes a high Mass with chant and other days a low Mass).  The parish also offers the EF Mass on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening at 7:00 PM (always subject to change for special circumstances, as happened this past Monday when Fr. Perrone opted to concelebrate with 5 other priests in the new Mass).  

I have a hand Missal, but there is something about these kinds of aids that make them convenient.  Laudamus Te will do for the Mass of 1962 what Magnificat does for the new Mass.  

I've been in communication with Therese Warmus of Laudamus Te.  She writes:

The Advent 2012 issue is back from the printer and will ship November 13.

We are nearly doubling our content. The 2012 Christmas issue will feature morning and evening prayers from the Roman breviary along with daily propers in Latin and English, devotional essays, poetry, art, and more. Morning and evening prayers will appear in English initially; as of yet no date has been set for adding the Latin texts, but we have this goal in sight. 

This year only we are producing separate issues for Advent and Christmas; in subsequent years (2013-ongoing) they will appear as one volume. 

Here's the scoop: We're now offering a digital version (PDF) of our Advent and Christmas issues, $3.95 each, and a one year digital subscription (6 issues) for $28. Hard copy subscriptions remain $32 per year for six issues. We anticipate publishing a fully linked e-book version when our subscription base has grown enough to make the magazine self-supporting. Please let your readers know that subscriptions and donations will make it happen--we don't have backers with deep pockets. Only God, and a magazine designed for a singular purpose: to increase devotion among Catholics to "the most beautiful thing this side of heaven," the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite.

This is a new, startup magazine, so it is really dependent on subscriptions to be viable.  Even though I have a hand Missal, I am purchasing the hard copy.  

You can view some excerpts from the Advent issue at their website and get more details there.  http://laudamus-te.com

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Post-Election Thought - Job 2:10 We accept good things from God; and should we not accept evil?

Last night, after President Obama was re-elected, a passage from Job came to mind. Today, that same passage was in the reading for Lauds (morning prayer in the Divine Office). Here is that reading (emphasis mine in bold):

Job 1:21; 2:10b 

Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall go back again. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord! We accept good things from God; and should we not accept evil?

Fr. William Most, in a commentary on the Book of Job explains:

Job consists of a prose introduction and conclusion - which may have existed separately from the rest, and of a large poetic core. Satan - who seems not to be the same as the devil, merely an opponent - tells God that Job would not obey if he were afflicted. God gives permission to afflict Job greatly. So Job's suffering is permitted as a test - an idea that is a bit new, for usually suffering had been considered as a divine punishment for sin (and it could be that).

Three friends of Job come, but do not really console him: they say he must have sinned or the affliction would not have come. Job insists on his innocence. The fact that God could afflict an innocent man disturbs Job, he almost becomes angry with God at some points. Finally he asks the Almighty to answer him. God does speak from a storm: Would Job condemn God so he, Job could seem just? Job confesses he has not reacted well, he has tried to deal with things above him, he repents in dust and ashes. God directs Job's friends to ask Job to pray for them, so their fault may be pardoned. In the prose conclusion Job gets back much more than what he had lost.

I'm not willing to call anyone evil. Satan is pure evil; but, people can represent evil by their words and actions. Barack Obama is a man who, as senator, wanted to deny medical help to infants who survive abortion. It is nothing short of infanticide to leave a living newborn on a cold shelf to die after surviving chemical abortion. This is a man who backs partial birth abortion, which is also a form of infanticide (click here to understand how this is done). Obama has paved the way for persecution of christians and others who cannot freely practice their religion if forced to engage in activities long taught to be gravely sinful, such as those brought on by the HHS mandate. Despite these things, God thirsts for the soul of Barack Obama as much as he thirsts for any of our souls. Our love should imitate God's, which is unconditional. And, because we know God's justice is not unconditional, in our charity, we must pray for the soul of Barack Obama and for all who are allied with him on these things. We must also pray for those who dismissed the Catholic non-negotiables in voting for Obama.

God is pure goodness and because of this, God does not will evil; he permits it.  We also know that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (Rom 5:20). With an understanding of this, I do not believe that God willed the re-election of Barack Obama; I believe He permitted it.  

Job was afflicted not for his sinfulness, but to be tested. We don't know if God is afflicting us to test our faith, or to correct waywardness. Perhaps it is both.

I do believe the U.S. bishops are being tested. Their best effort barely moved the needle, proving that much needs to be done on the evangelization front, and this is just with existing Catholics. Newer priests have undergone better formation and the bishops are still dealing with a remnant of dissenting priests working against them. According to a Fox News exit poll, Obama won Catholic voters by 50% - 48% (54% - 45% in 2008). Those attending Mass weekly broke for Romney 57% - 42% (this was 50% - 49% in 2008 for McCain). Hence, of those who go to Mass weekly, there was a gain of 7%. This is a step in the right direction, but still sad to think about. Even 42% of weekly Mass-attending Catholics voting for Obama is stifling. Dr. Pia de Solenni, in her post today, says (my comments bracketed in red):

As Catholics, we have just begun the Year of Faith. If anything, this election tells me that we need to proclaim the truth that our faith teaches, particularly as it concerns the dignity of the human person. Let’s not try to sanitize the values issues with talk of the economy. It hasn’t worked. At the same time, there are a lot of Catholics voting who don’t understand or accept the Catholic Church’s consistent teaching on social values [it's morality in general they don't understand because you find many practicing Catholics who think nothing of cohabitation and pre-marital sex.  There's been silence from the pulpit on these things and it is not uncommon to find complaints of people in such states distributing Communion or serving on parish councils.  And, simply talking about morality is not enough - they need to understand where the Church gets these teachings and explain her moral authority]. That’s a great place to start our Year of Faith. As a church, we need to teach. As citizens, we need to voice our opinions, even when we fear that they might be unpopular. [Amen]

Playing it safe just got us four more years of unprecendented support for the victimization and destruction of the least among us. It just guaranteed us a long, uphill battle to protect our freedoms of religion and conscience. What better way to start this next four years than with the Year of Faith? [Exactly - it has to start with a foundation before people come to understand other things]

I do believe we are being tested. If we are willing to accept good things from God, should we not accept evil?  If so, how we respond is what God is going to look for.  We must start by learning the faith well and living it, and helping others to understand it.  We must strive for virtue and personal holiness, giving an appealing example to souls who search for truth.  We must pray and give God his due.  When we see something that is displeasing to God, offer up a prayer or small sacrifice in reparation for the offense. We can begin today by making some act of reparation for the many Catholics gave Obama another four years to advance a militantly anti-life and anti-family agenda.

I leave you with a quote from St. Teresa of Avila:

Let nothing disturb you, 

Let nothing frighten you, 

All things are passing away: 

God never changes. 

Patience obtains all things 

Whoever has God lacks nothing;God alone suffices. 

-- St. Teresa of Avila

UPDATE:

I haven't had a chance to read many commentaries out there, but I did read this one by Msgr. Charles Pope.  He sums things up pretty good with regards to what this means for the Catholic Church in America: Difficult Days Ahead for the Church?

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Heading into Election Day, some excerpts from St. Faustina

Pope John Paul II was known to be ascetic

These excerpts, below, from the Diary of St. Faustina were sent to me by a priest.  Consider how close Blessed Pope John Paul II was to the writings of St. Faustina and recall the depth of his prayer.  He understood how to pray and he knew that asceticism was important. St. Faustina, likewise, understood this role it plays in the spiritual life and in the greater scheme of salvation history.  We often hear about the Battle of Lepanto and how, against overwhelming odds, the Christians defeated the Turks. The Blessed Virgin mary was credited after her intercession was sought in the face of such dire odds.

Keep in mind that it is not enough simply to pray and to engage in ascetic practices.  One must have faith and hope.  As followers of Christ, we know that what God doesn't will, He permits for reasons known only to Him (Job 2:10).  Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.  (Rom 5:20).  That said, we should also remember how Esther prepared to speak to the King when she wanted to save her people - who were condemned by decree.  She put on sack-cloth and fasted for three days.  Our Lord told his disciples that some demons can only be cast out by prayer and fasting, so we see encouragement by Jesus to engage in such practices.

This interesting set of excerpts from the Diary of St. Faustina gives us yet another example.

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What did really stop the Angel, the executor of divine wrath? St. Faustina wrote in her Diary

The following day, Friday, September 13, 1935. In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw an Angel, the executor of divine wrath. he was clothed in a dazzling robe, his face gloriously bright, a cloud beneath his feet. From the cloud, bolts of lightening were springing into his hands; and from his hand they were going forth, and only then were they striking the earth. When I saw this sign of divine wrath which was about to strike the earth, and in particular a certain place, which for good reasons I cannot name, I began to implore the Angel to hold off for a few moments, and the world would do penance. But my plea was a mere nothing in the face of divine anger. Just then I saw the Most Holy Trinity. The greatness of Its majesty pierced me deeply, and I did not dare to repeat my entreaties. At that very moment I felt in my soul the power of Jesus' grace which dwells in my soul. When I became conscious of this grace, I was instantly snatched up before the Throne of God. Oh how great is Our Lord and God and how incomprehensible His holiness! I will make no attempt to this greatness, because before long we shall see Him as He is. I found myself pleading with God for the world with words heard interiorly. 

As I was praying in this manner, I saw the Angel's helplessness: he could not carry out the just punishment which was rightly due for sins. Never before had I prayed with such inner power as I did then. (Diary, # 474)

The words with which I entreated God are these: "Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins and those of the whole world; for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us."

The next morning, when I entered the chapel, I heard these words interiorly: "Every time you enter the chapel, immediately recite the prayer which I taught you yesterday." When I had said the prayer, in my soul I heard these words: "This prayer will serve to appease My wrath. You will recite it for nine days, on the beads of the rosary, in the following manner: First of all, you will say one OUR FATHER and HAIL MARY and the I BELIEVE IN GOD. Then on the OUR FATHER beads you will say the following words: 'Eternal Father, I offer You the Body Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.' On the HAIL MARY beads you will say the following words: 'For the sake of His sorrowful Passion have mercy on us and on the whole world.' In conclusion, three times you will recite these words: 'Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.'"    (Diary, # 474)

St. Faustina wrote before:

“The entire paragraph shows the context with mortifications: “Before the eight day retreat, I went to my spiritual director and asked him for certain mortifications for the time of the retreat. However, I did not receive permission for every-thing I asked for, but for some things only. I received permission for one hour of meditation in the Passion of the Lord Jesus and for a certain humiliation. But I was a little dissatisfied at not receiving permission for everything I had asked for I had asked. When we returned home, I dropped into the chapel for a moment, and then I heard this voice in my soul:

- ‘There is more merit to one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion than there is to a whole year of flagellation that draws blood;

- the contemplation of My painful wounds is of great profit to you, and it brings Me great joy.   I am surprised that you still have not completely renounced your self will ...’." (St. Faustina, Diary, 369)

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PRAYER VIGILS HAPPENING NOW!

Many parishes, including Assumption Grotto are offering opportunities for Adoration, public Rosary and more.  Check the com-box in this post at Father Z's blog where some others have noted places to pray tonight and tomorrow.  Add to his list there if you are aware of others.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.