1. This Sunday: Solemn Mass for Artists, at the Church of Our Saviour, in Manhattan.
Habemus... something.
It is sad, actually.
In the Minor Basilica of San José de Flores, in the city of Buenos Aires, a large statue of Saint Pius X was "re-dedicated" on May 1, 2011, by the Rector, with the blessing of the Apostolic Nuncio in Argentina, Abp. Adriano Bernardini: actually, the old statue of Saint Pius X had a new "mask" applied and was completely (and not very elegantly) repainted and is now the image of the newly beatified pope. And they thought nobody would notice it...
Behold Saint Blessed John Pius Paul X & II - made in Italy, remade in Argentina.
Now, this is not extraordinary. This is ordinary.
[Source and other pictures: Página Católica. By the way, they believe that the Nuncio was conned, too.]
InstructionUniversae Ecclesiae on Friday
The Holy See Press Office announces that the Instruction Universae Ecclesiae of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", on the application of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, will be made public on Friday, May 13th, and will be published on that afternoon (May 14th edition of L'Osservatore Romano). The Instruction will be published in its Latin typical version, and in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese translations.
(Note for the image: the Traditional Mass was the only Mass Blesseds Jacinta and Francisco Marto ever knew.)
(Note for the image: the Traditional Mass was the only Mass Blesseds Jacinta and Francisco Marto ever knew.)
". . . the unity of the divine history . . . ."
Here is the latest news on the Holy See's preparation of a response to a request for clarification of the doctrine of biblical inerrancy that had been made by the October 2008 Synod of Bishops on the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church:
As had been announced on 14 April 2011 by Vatican Information Service, the Pontifical Biblical Commission held its annual plenary session last week, from 2 to 6 May, in the Domus Sanctae Marthae in Vatican City, under the presidency of William Joseph Cardinal Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Fr. Klemens Stock, SJ, secretary general, directed the work of the assembly.
A communique issued on 14 April stated that "during the meeting the members will continue their reflections on the theme 'Inspiration and truth in the Bible'. In the first phase of study the Commission will attempt to examine how the themes of inspiration and truth appear in the Sacred Scriptures. Subsequently, on the basis of their individual competences, each Member shall present a report which shall then be discussed collectively in the Assembly."
On Monday, 2 May 2011, the Holy Father sent the following message to the PBC's plenary session (emphasis added):
Schism in the Orthodox Church
From the Greek Orthodox website Mystagogy:
The Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem met on Monday 9 May 2011 regarding the resolution of the anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Romania, which has built a church and hostel in Jericho without their permission.
The Holy Synod of Jerusalem, after an in-depth investigation, regretably decided to sever communion with the Patriarchate of Romania and crossed Patriarch Daniel out of the dyptychs.
In the 1990's during the days of Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem and Teoctist of Romania a church and hostel was being built by Romanians in Jericho without permission from the Jerusalem Patriarchate. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem protested these actions, but the Romanian Church continued the unlicensed building project, and today the church is even functioning liturgically.
It should be noted that despite the interruption of ecclesiastical communion, Romanian pilgrims are welcomed to visit the Holy Land and the Monasteries of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
This is the first "interruption of communion" between two "canonical" Eastern Orthodox Patriarchates since the temporary severing of communion between Moscow and Constantinople in 1996.
New nominations
The Holy Father named today, as new Prefect of Progaganda Fide, the sostituto for general affairs of the Secretariat of State, Abp. Fernando Filoni; and, as his replacement as sostituto for general affairs of the Secretariat of State, Abp. Giovanni Angelo Becciu, current Nuncio to Cuba.
No Pater, please: we're secular
News of the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral of Reims, which took place last Friday:
According to the cultural assistant of the Mayor of Reims, Jacques Cohen, "we had to discuss with the archbishop [Abp. Thierry Jordan] so that the Our Father would not be sung or recited" during the ceremony for the eighth centennial of Reims Cathedral. "We [the staff of Socialist mayor Adeline Hazan] are secular [laïques]." They finally won their struggle. And if the Ave-Maria was tolerated, it was because the Cathedral is called Notre-Dame... "We had to negotiate, that took place directly between city hall and the archbishop. It was not simple," confirmed, outside the ceremony, auxiliary Bishop Joseph Boishu.
She does not need our praise
Alexander Agricola
Ave, Domina Sancta Maria
Mater Dei, Regina caeli, Porta paradisi, Domina mundi, singularis pura: tu es enim Virgo. Tu concepisti Iesum sine peccato, tu peperisti Creatorem, Redemptorem atque Salvatorem mundi, in quo non dubito: libera nos ab omnibus malis et ora pro peccatis nostris. Amen.________________________
She does not need our praise. It is we who need her glory. How indeed can glory be glorified, or the source of light be enlightened? We are weaving a crown for ourselves in the doing. "I live," the Lord says, "and I will glorify those who glorify Me." Wine is truly pleasant to drink, and bread to eat. The one rejoices, the other strengthens the heart of man. But what is sweeter than the Mother of my God? She has taken my mind captive, and held my tongue in bondage. I think of her by day and night. She, the Mother of the Word, supplies my words. ... Let us then climb up the mystical mountain, where beyond the reach of worldly things, passing through the obscurity of storm, we stand in the divine light and may give praise to Almighty power.
Let us pray
For Christians in the land of Egypt, the house of bondage hallowed by the presence of the Lord, His Mother and Saint Joseph - and Saint Mark, Saint Catherine the Great Martyr, and countless martyrs and confessors. They have often been the greatest victims in moments of upheaval since their land was invaded by the Muslims 1400 years ago. [Reposted]
________________________
TO IMPLORE PEACE (Raccolta)
Glass Mass, updated
Reprobated, therefore, is any practice of using for the celebration of Mass common vessels, or others lacking in quality, or devoid of all artistic merit or which are mere containers, as also other vessels made from glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily. This norm is to be applied even as regards metals and other materials that easily rust or deteriorate.
Now, we do not usually mind the uncountable abuses of the Ordinary Mass here, precisely because it is so difficult to keep track of all of them, but it is not every day that we hear of abuses beforehand, and this seems just... fabulous:
For the occasion [of the Papal Mass during the visit to Venice, this weekend], 60 chalices, 60 patens, one [lavabo] pitcher, two small plates, and two cruets, all in blown glass covered in gold leaf, were created exclusively by the Glass Masters of Murano, under the auspices of the Consorzio Promovetro Murano.
It's Murano! And decorated with gold! So we guess it's fine.
[Image: actual chalices and other objects; source: Consorzio Promovetro]
UPDATE, for the record (May 8): No, that is a metal chalice, all right: the Pope obeys his own law. Still, no knowledge if some of the glass chalices or patens were used by others in any part of this "Eucharistic Concelebration", in Mestre (Venice).
Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society (thirty-first posting of souls)
Below, please find the thirty-first posting of enrolled souls of the Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society. And please pray for a special intention of the administrator of this Society.
A reminder on how to enroll souls: please email me at athanasiuscatholic@yahoo.com and submit as follows: "name, state, country." If you want to enroll entire families, simply write in the email: "The Jones family, Ohio, USA". Individual names are preferred. Be greedy -- send in as many as you wish and forward this posting to friends as well. PLEASE follow this format strictly, as any deviation creates a lot of extra work.
Please consider forwarding this Society to your family and friends, announcing from the pulpit during Holy Mass or listing in your church bulletin. We need to spread the word and relieve more suffering souls.
They could start by disowning Luther
Interesting interview granted by the Bishop of Regensburg (and chairman of the Ecumenical Office of the German Episcopal Conference), Gerhard Ludwig Müller, on Easter Tuesday - and that, as far as it can be seen, has not been made available in English.
The general tone is one that is to be much appreciated: the great problem of the "Ecumenical dialogue" (the one that followed the Council's Unitatis Redintegratio decree) is that both Protestants and Catholics have been in a framework designed by Protestants and favored by Protestants, as if the "modern 'church'" founded by Luther and his cohorts were the goal, as if Protestantism had a 500-year head start on what the Church should look like - while Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox are still "stuck in the Middle Ages".
In the end, the most controversial words of the interview, which, for the German media, were these:
It is time that those on the Protestant side of the argument completely dissociate themselves from Luther's view that the pope is the Antichrist. Because that was not intended for the Pope as an individual Christian. [It meant that] The Catholic Church was to be considered thus in her self-image. This can not be dismissed as a time-related controversy. We need to move on from the shadows of our denominational perspective on the Church's history.
The words of the bishop have been heavily criticized - including by Catholics (of course) who view them as somewhat quaint. No Protestant says that today! Sorry, we know that Protestantism is not in the best shape in the nation of Luther and Melanchton, but it does not matter: plenty of Protestants around the world (go ask the dozens of millions of new Evangelicals in Latin America) do hold Luther's view of the Holy Roman and Apostolic See faithfully.
It really remains to be seen if the bishop meant what he said about Luther - in our view, he just wanted to point out the huge hypocrisy of Ecumenical "dialogue", in which only Catholics need to be subdued while we all reach for that final ecumenical nirvana: a Protestantized United Church. That will not happen: after 50 years of failures, the Anglican Ordinariates, created by a German Pope, are a palpable sign of the only path to true Ecumenism. [Image: Bull 'Exsurge Domine', 1520]
Praise the Mother of the Redeemer
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Alma Redemptoris Mater
__________________
O pure and immaculate and likewise blessed Virgin, who art the sinless Mother of thy Son, the mighty Lord of the universe, thou who art inviolate and altogether holy, the hope of the hopeless and sinful, we sing thy praises. We bless thee, as full of every grace, thou who didst bear the God-Man: we all bow low before thee; we invoke thee and implore thine aid. Rescue us, O holy and inviolate Virgin, from every necessity that presses upon us and from all the temptations of the devil. Be our intercessor and advocate at the hour of death and judgment; deliver us from the fire that is not extinguished and from the outer darkness; make us worthy of the glory of thy Son, O dearest and most clement Virgin Mother. Thou indeed art our only hope, most sure and sacred in God's sight, to whom be honor and glory, majesty and dominion forever and ever world without end. Amen. [Saint Ephrem the Syrian]
It wasn't?
(5/31/11 The official English translation can be found here.)
From the address of the Holy Father to the participants at the Conference for the 50th anniversary of the Pontifical Liturgical Institute:
The Liturgy of the Church goes beyond this same "conciliar reform" (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 1), whose purpose, in fact, was not mainly that of changing the rites and the texts, but rather that of renewing the mentality and placing, at the center of Christian life and of pastoral [activity], the celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Unfortunately, perhaps, even by us, Pastors and experts, the Liturgy was treated more as an object to be reformed than as a subject, capable of renewing Christian life, from the moment in which "there exists a very close and organic link between the renewal of the Liturgy and the renewal of all the life of the Church. ..."
...
The Liturgy, privileged witness to the living Tradition of the Church, faithful to its original objective of revealing and rendering present in the hodie of human affairs the opus Redemptionis, lives from a correct and constant relationship between traditio and legitima progressio, clearly expressed by the conciliar Constitution at its n. 23. With these two concepts, the conciliar Fathers wished to deliver their program of reform, in balance with the great liturgical tradition of the past and the future. Not rarely are tradition and progress contrasted in a maladroit way. In reality, both concepts complete themselves: tradition is a living reality, including therefore in itself the beginning of development, of progress.
The Immaculata, the Exterminatrix of all heresies
Peter Philips
Gaude Maria Virgo
Gaude Maria Virgo
_____________________
[I]f it becomes children not to omit the imitation of any of the virtues of this most Blessed Mother, we yet wish that the faithful apply themselves by preference to the principal virtues which are, as it were, the nerves and joints of the Christian life - we mean faith, hope, and charity towards God and our neighbor. Of these virtues the life of Mary bears in all its phases the brilliant character; but they attained their highest degree of splendor at the time when she stood by her dying Son. Jesus is nailed to the cross, and the malediction is hurled against Him that "He made Himself the Son of God" (John xix., 7). But she unceasingly recognized and adored the divinity in Him. She bore His dead body to the tomb, but never for a moment doubted that He would rise again. Then the love of God with which she burned made her a partaker in the sufferings of Christ and the associate in His passion; with him moreover, as if forgetful of her own sorrow, she prayed for the pardon of the executioners although they in their hate cried out: "His blood be upon us and upon our children" (Matth. xxvii., 25).
Mary, the earthly paradise
Tomás Luis de Victoria
Ave Maria (in Annuntiatione B.M.)
________________________
Mary alone found grace before God without the help of any other creature. All those who have since found grace before God have found it only through her. She was full of grace when she was greeted by the Archangel Gabriel and was filled with grace to overflowing by the Holy Spirit when he so mysteriously overshadowed her. From day to day, from moment to moment, she increased so much this twofold plenitude that she attained an immense and inconceivable degree of grace. So much so, that the Almighty made her the sole custodian of his treasures and the sole dispenser of his graces. She can now ennoble, exalt and enrich all she chooses. She can lead them along the narrow path to heaven and guide them through the narrow gate to life. She can give a royal throne, sceptre and crown to whom she wishes. Jesus is always and everywhere the fruit and Son of Mary and Mary is everywhere the genuine tree that bears that Fruit of life, the true Mother who bears that Son.
Burke on Summorum Pontificum and the post-Conciliar liturgical reform
From the interview granted by Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, to the May 2011 edition of French Catholic monthly La Nef:
La Nef – After over three years, what assessment can you make of the application of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum ?
Cardinal Burke – In its application, I have ascertained an always increasing interest and appreciation for the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, for the faithful in general and for young Catholics in particular. Excellent initiatives have taken place in order to promote acquaintance with the motu proprio and its objective, foreseen by the Holy Father when he promulgated it. I think of numerous individual talks as well as conferences on sacred liturgy, which have granted particular attention to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite and to its relationship with the ordinary form. Additionally, several books and articles have been published, having as their aim a deep study of the motu proprio.
It is evident that the application of Summorum Pontificum has not taken place in a uniform fashion in the Church universal. In some places, its application has even faced resistence by the part of those who claim not to understand its goals and who defend that the motu proprio cannot be applied before the publication of the Instruction related to its application. I hope that the Instruction will be published shortly, so that the motu proprio may be applied in a more universal and more uniform way, according to the profound pastoral solicitude of our Holy Father for the sacred liturgy. To those who claim not to understand the intentions of Summorum Pontificum, I suggest a re-reading of the Letter to the Bishops, written by our Holy Father when it was promulgated, as well as the numerous writings of the Holy Father on sacred liturgy, published before and after his election to the Chair of Peter. I think, for instance, of his masterpiece: The Spirit of the Liturgy.
As far as I am concerned, the application of the motu proprio has allowed me to greatly develop and deepen my knowledge and love for the sacred liturgy, the highest expression of the faith and of the life of the Church. By re-reading the apostolic letter itself, as well as the accompanying Letter to Bishops of the Pope, I see how the Holy Father was inspired when grating to the universal Church this new liturgical discipline. I have myself been a personal witness to the good fruits of this new discipline.
As for the future, I am convinced that the faithful application of Summorum Pontificum will contribute to the true renewal of the sacred liturgy. That was the wish of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, but this was more or less betrayed by the way in which their teaching was put into practice after its closing. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, at the time, proposed numerous times a "reform of the reform", allowing for a full correction of the vague and erroneous interpretations of the Conciliar teaching on the sacred liturgy and the reception of the authentic magisterial teaching, for the greater glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful.
A new Doctor of the Church?
The move was first proposed by the Spanish episcopate. After a favorable opinion of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the matter was considered by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints which, on May 3, also approved the proclamation. The proclamation is now under the final consideration of the Holy Father, who could issue the announcement during "World Youth Day", in Madrid (Aug. 2011).
La Croix also mentions that "there are no other causes of doctors of the Church under analysis", and that the "cause of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort is 'suspended'."
[Tip: Le Salon Beige]
A "renewed anthropological foundation to religious freedom"
From the message of Pope Benedict XVI to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, released today, on the occasion of its plenary meeting:
Deeply inscribed in our human nature are a yearning for truth and meaning and an openness to the transcendent; we are prompted by our nature to pursue questions of the greatest importance to our existence. Many centuries ago, Tertullian coined the term libertas religionis (cf. Apologeticum, 24:6). He emphasized that God must be worshipped freely, and that it is in the nature of religion not to admit coercion, "nec religionis est cogere religionem" (Ad Scapulam, 2:2). Since man enjoys the capacity for a free personal choice in truth, and since God expects of man a free response to his call, the right to religious freedom should be viewed as innate to the fundamental dignity of every human person, in keeping with the innate openness of the human heart to God. In fact, authentic freedom of religion will permit the human person to attain fulfilment and will thus contribute to the common good of society.
Aware of the developments in culture and society, the Second Vatican Council proposed a renewed anthropological foundation to religious freedom. The Council Fathers stated that all people are "impelled by nature and also bound by our moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth" (Dignitatis Humanae, 2). The truth sets us free (cf. Jn 8:32), and it is this same truth that must be sought and assumed freely. The Council was careful to clarify that this freedom is a right which each person enjoys naturally and which therefore ought also to be protected and fostered by civil law.
Of course, every state has a sovereign right to promulgate its own legislation and will express different attitudes to religion in law. So it is that there are some states which allow broad religious freedom in our understanding of the term, while others restrict it for a variety of reasons, including mistrust for religion itself. The Holy See continues to appeal for the recognition of the fundamental human right to religious freedom on the part of all states, and calls on them to respect, and if need be protect, religious minorities who, though bound by a different faith from the majority around them, aspire to live with their fellow citizens [Rorate: notice caveats] peacefully and to participate fully in the civil and political life of the nation, to the benefit of all.
It should be noticed -as we had mentioned here only last week- that the Holy Father once again emphasizes, as he had done in his epoch-making Christmas Adress to the Curia, in December 2005, that the foundation for the conciliar position on Religious Freedom is anthropological - that is, its foundation is essentially non theological. It is pragmatic and practical, a response to what in French would be termed "les contingences du moment", the contingencies of the moment ("aware of the developments in culture and society") - and perfectly compatible with the Traditional doctrine of the Church, in order to protect true liberty of worship (see Libertas, 30, including a "moral obligation to seek the truth") and the full liberty of action of the Church.
Holy Hour
The first Thursday and Friday of the month dedicated to Our Lady are at hand - and since not a few Catholics are unaware of the traditional devotional exercises dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, there are many good suggestions at Catholic Tradition.
You are welcome to suggest other links, books, or whatever resources have helped you in your devotion to the Sacred Heart.
Note: May 15 marks the 55th anniversary of the memorable encyclical of Pope Pius XII on the Sacred Heart, Haurietis Aquas (the encyclical itself marked the 100th anniversary of the extension of the feast of the Sacred Heart to the entire Church). We had a special series dedicated to it 5 years ago.
FSSP news in the Western Hemisphere
1) Beautiful newly acquired building of the Convent of Our Lady of Sorrows for the faithful of the Parish of Saint Peter, in Tulsa (Oklahoma): The New Liturgical Movement.
2) New Chapel of the Virgin of Fatima, on the fifth anniversary of the TLM San Martín de Porres community in Anolaima (Department of Cundinamarca, Colombia - Diocese of Girardot, near Bogotá) - the chapel will be officially opened during the visit of the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), Father Berg, on May 28: Secretum Meum Mihi.
Respice stellam, voca Mariam!
Alfonso X, the Wise
Cantigas de Santa Maria (C - Santa Maria, strela do dia)
Cantigas de Santa Maria (C - Santa Maria, strela do dia)
________________________________
Our Lady is proposed by the Church as a model of life, a life lived according to the will of God. Her pilgrimage on the path of earthly existence was a decided, total and responsible "yes" to the Lord's indications. We recall Nazareth, Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, Cana of Galilee, Golgotha, Pentecost in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. These are stages in a pilgrimage carried out with deep faith. Blessed are you, Mary, because you have believed... because of this all generations will call you blessed! (cfr. Lk 1: 45, 48).
How about this bishop?
From the blog PrayTell, citing an article published by Der Sonntag on Black Saturday of this year:
These Easter Sunday words of a Swiss Catholic bishop suggest that the topic of women’s ordination won’t be going away anytime soon.
Markus Büchel calls for far-reaching reforms in the Catholic Church. The bishop of the diocese of St. Gallen [St. Gall] spoke out openly for women’s ordination. “We must search for steps that lead there,” he said. “I could imagine that women’s diaconate could be such a step.”
One has not been permitted to discuss women’s ordination for a good while. “We can’t afford this anymore.” Regarding priesthood for women, Büchel said, “We can pray that the Holy Spirit enables us to read the signs of the times.”
He made this explosive statement in the St. Galler Pfarreiblatt [St. Gall Parish Paper]. Sabine Rüthemann, media spokesperson for the diocese, confirmed: “The interview is authorized. What Bishop Büchel said is what he means.”
These are very far-reaching statements for a bishop. They signal a Catholic breaking of taboos. In canon law every ordained ministry is limited to men.
Reminder: Day of the Holy Cross
May 3 marks the day when the Church commemorated (and in some places still commemorates) the finding of the True Cross. For more on the liturgical aspects of this day, see this older post on Rorate (and its combox discussion): Blessing of Crosses on May 3.
Morris out of Toowoomba, Australia
As reported by the Bishop of Toowoomba himself earlier, the Bollettino of the Holy See has just confirmed that "the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, has dismissed from the pastoral care of the diocese of Toowoomba (Australia) H. E. Bishop William M. Morris". He is at least the third in a few months (after the Bishop of Pointe-Noire, in Congo-Brazzaville, and the Bishop of Orvieto-Todi, Italy), and the Holy See must be praised for the fact that canon 401 § 2 of the CIC was not invoked.
Now, only a few hundred (thousand?) to go.
Note: William Martin Morris was appointed Bishop of Toowoomba, Australia, by Pope John Paul II, on Nov. 20, 1992.
Now, only a few hundred (thousand?) to go.
Note: William Martin Morris was appointed Bishop of Toowoomba, Australia, by Pope John Paul II, on Nov. 20, 1992.
Mary, the foundation, the noblest after Christ
Giovanni Gabrieli
Sancta et immaculata virginitas
quibus te laudibus efferam, nescio:
quia, quem caeli capere non poterant,
tuo gremio contulisti.
Genuisti qui te fecit,
et in aeternum permanes Virgo.
Sancta et immaculata virginitas
quibus te laudibus efferam, nescio:
quia, quem caeli capere non poterant,
tuo gremio contulisti.
Genuisti qui te fecit,
et in aeternum permanes Virgo.
_______________________
[C]an anyone fail to see that there is no surer or more direct road than by Mary for uniting all mankind in Christ and obtaining through Him the perfect adoption of sons, that we may be holy and immaculate in the sight of God? For if to Mary it was truly said: "Blessed art thou who hast believed because in thee shall be fulfilled the things that have been told thee by the Lord" (Luke i., 45); or in other words, that she would conceive and bring forth the Son of God and if she did receive in her breast Him who is by nature Truth itself in order that "He, generated in a new order and with a new nativity, though invisible in Himself, might become visible in our flesh" (St. Leo the Great, Ser. 2, De Nativ. Dom.): the Son of God made man, being the "author and consummator of our faith"; it surely follows that His Mother most holy should be recognized as participating in the divine mysteries and as being in a manner the guardian of them, and that upon her as upon a foundation, the noblest after Christ, rises the edifice of the faith of all centuries.
With friends like these...
That should stop the beatification news cycle...
Osama bin Laden was holed up in a two-story house 100 yards from a Pakistani military academy when four helicopters carrying U.S. forces swooped early Monday, killing the world's most wanted man and leaving his final hiding place in flames, Pakistani officials and a witness said. ... Abbottabad is home to three Pakistan army regiments and thousands of military personnel and is dotted with military buildings. The discovery that bin Laden's was living in an army town in Pakistan raises pointed questions about how he managed to evade capture and even whether Pakistan's military and intelligence leadership knew of his whereabouts and sheltered him.
No kidding. The man whose action unleashed all these 10-year-old deployments in neighboring Afghanistan was actually living comfortably 100 yards from his guest country's version of West Point, Sandhurst, Saint-Cyr? It could be a coincidence... Meanwhile, Asia Bibi still is in death row.
Now, can the American, British, German, French, Italian, Canadian, Polish, Australian troops, and those from many other nations, please be sent home? It is not as if they will manage to do what no major empire of the past ever could: tame Afghanistan... They can't even manage to protect Christian minorities in the area (remember Shahbaz Bhatti).
Rorate Caeli Purgatorial Society (thirtieth posting of souls)
Please see below for the thirtieth posting of souls in the Rorate Caeli Purgatory Society. Also, please keep a special intention of mine in your prayers, if you have any to spare.A reminder on how to enroll souls: please email me at cpaulitz@yahoo.com and submit as follows: "name, state, country." If you want to enroll entire families, simply write in the email: "The Jones family, Ohio, USA". Individual names are preferred. Be greedy -- send in as many as you wish and forward this posting to friends as well. PLEASE follow this format strictly, as any deviation creates a lot of extra work. Please also consider forwarding this Society to your family and friends, announcing from the pulpit during Holy Mass or listing in your church bulletin. We need to spread the word and relieve more suffering souls.
Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genitrix!
Claudio Monteverdi
Vespro della beata Vergine (XI. Sonata sopra Sancta Maria)
Vespro della beata Vergine (XI. Sonata sopra Sancta Maria)
God the Father wishes Mary to be the mother of his children until the end of time and so he says to her, "Dwell in Jacob", that is to say, take up your abode permanently in my children, in my holy ones represented by Jacob, and not in the children of the devil and sinners represented by Esau.
Just as in natural and bodily generation there is a father and a mother, so in the supernatural and spiritual generation there is a father who is God and a mother who is Mary. All true children of God have God for their father and Mary for their mother; anyone who does not have Mary for his mother, does not have God for his father. This is why the reprobate, such as heretics and schismatics, who hate, despise or ignore the Blessed Virgin,
Benedict XVI on John Paul II
From the homily at the beatification:
Six years ago we gathered in this Square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace which embraced Rome and the whole world: a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor’s entire life, and especially of his witness in suffering. Even then we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity, and in any number of ways God’s People showed their veneration for him. For this reason, with all due respect for the Church’s canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed!***“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (Jn 20:29). In today’s Gospel Jesus proclaims this beatitude: the beatitude of faith. For us, it is particularly striking because we are gathered to celebrate a beatification, but even more so because today the one proclaimed blessed is a Pope, a Successor of Peter, one who was called to confirm his brethren in the faith. John Paul II is blessed because of his faith, a strong, generous and apostolic faith. We think at once of another beatitude: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven” (Mt 16:17). What did our heavenly Father reveal to Simon? That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Because of this faith, Simon becomes Peter, the rock on which Jesus can build his Church. The eternal beatitude of John Paul II, which today the Church rejoices to proclaim, is wholly contained in these sayings of Jesus: “Blessed are you, Simon” and “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe!” It is the beatitude of faith, which John Paul II also received as a gift from God the Father for the building up of Christ’s Church.
EGO FLOS CAMPI
ET LILIUM CONVALLIUM
IESUS - MARIA - IOSEPH
Jesus, Lily of the Valleys
Mary, Queen of May
Joseph, Patron of Laborers
Orate pro nobis!
Jesus, Lily of the Valleys
Mary, Queen of May
Joseph, Patron of Laborers
Orate pro nobis!
Two Blessed Popes and a Holy Inquisitor
God willing, John Paul II will be beatified on May 1, 2011.
The servant of God John Paul II himself beatified Pope Pius IX.
Blessed Pius IX gave the Church a model of heroic virtue in the person of the inquisitor of Aragon, St. Pedro Arbues, martyred by conspirators in 1485 while he was praying before Matins in church. St. Peter’s defenders say that no death sentence was ever pronounced by him, and that he was a model of clemency and zeal to obtain conversion of heretics, not their death; in this he was like other servants of the Inquisition, including St. Peter Martyr (13th century) and St. Pius V. However it is said that he did employ the coercive means available to him as an inquisitor to arrest and imprison heretics. Needless to say he is a controversial figure, as a quick glance at the Google pages will show, just like the venerable and beloved Pontiff who canonized him.
Known already before his martyrdom for his holiness, he was canonized by Blessed Pius IX on June 29, 1867. The prayer assigned to his feast by Pius IX mentions God raising up the saint to combat “Jewish unbelief” and “Mohammedan superstition”. Lex orandi, lex credendi. The law of belief will be expressed again tomorrow by the prayer assigned for Blessed John Paul II—it mentions Our Lord as the only Redeemer of mankind.
John Paul II - Best lines
Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that unwritten law which man, in the light of reason, finds in his own heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15), is reaffirmed by Sacred Scripture, transmitted by the Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. ...
John Paul II
So much pain, so many tears, so many died expecting it, so many may have been lost forever waiting for what he himself knew was lawful, right, and just. So many problems caused, so much injustice, so much persecution, in a way that sheds new lights on the dramatic events of 1988 - which themselves led to Ecclesia Dei Adflicta, a document more focused on the sentiment of some faithful than on the legitimate right of priests and laity.
Thanks to the Lord, who, through Paul VI, gave us Cardinal Ratzinger, and, through John Paul II, gave us Benedict XVI. Benedicite, omnia opera Domini, Domino!
Sweet Christ on Earth
On the feast of the maiden of Siena (this year, not liturgically commemorated - Easter Octave), let us pray for the Holy Father.
And do not look at the ignorance and pride of your little children; but with the enticement of your love and of your benignity, granting them that sweet discipline and benign reprehension which may please your Holiness, render peace to us, your miserable children who have offended you.
I tell you, o sweet Christ on earth, from Christ in heaven, that, doing thus, that is, without quarrel and uproar, they will all see with pain the offense they have done, and will place their heads in their hands.
Saint Catherine of Siena
Letter CXCVI to Gregory XI
Letter CXCVI to Gregory XI
News from the Church in Belgium:
Silent apostasy is episcopal apostasy
European culture gives the impression of “silent apostasy” on the part of people who have all that they need and who live as if God does not exist.
John Paul II
Ecclesia in Europa
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1. In Belgium (actually, it is not clear where he is), the emeritus ultra-"Progressive" Bishop of Bruges, Roger "Runaway" Vangheluwe, declares in an interview that the abuse of his nephew was no big deal.
A Belgian former bishop has disappeared from his French religious community three days after he admitted to sexually abusing two of his nephews, its leader told AFP on Sunday.
"The service made me...just for a split-second – wish I was an Anglican"
Since the masterwork of Pope Montini and Annibale destroyed all previous "pageantry" of the Latin Church - the "pageantry" Anglicans copied in the two previous centuries, since they could not copy Apostolic Succession and valid orders, and added to the traditions, including the choral tradition, that had remained from the pre-Protestant centuries -, these comparisons are really moot. Most Catholics today simply do not know what full traditional Papal and Pontifical liturgies look like or did look like.
As for the "Church of England", the best we can say about it is what is said of her illustrious daughter, the "Episcopal Church": it is neither Episcopal, nor a Church. It is of England, not like Stock, More, and Byrd, but like binge-drinking or association football.
Now, could the usurped buildings be returned, please?
Note: Yes, there is a very legitimate English spiritual heritage that is to be recovered by the Ordinariates in what promises to be a bright future. All that now seems empty (Non est hic) pageantry and, hence, necessarily vulgar, as Fr. Blake points out, can be gloriously transformed: Ecce nova facio omnia.
Fellay: let's wait
From an interview granted by the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX), Bishop Bernard Fellay, to the March-April newsletter of Una Voce France (source: DICI):
May we know if the doctrinal discussions that are held by some of your representatives with Roman authorities are satisfactory?
[Fellay:] What do we understand by satisfactory? This seems too subjective. Do these discussions correspond to our expectations or to those of the Roman authorities? Considering the divergences with which they were considered, it seems premature for me to give an answer, considering that they are not yet over. [Rorate note: the interview was granted in late Feb., early Mar.] I believe that there are elements that disappoint us, and, at the same time, others that give us a certain hope for the future. I do not believe that I can clearly answer your question with a yes or with a no. It seems to me that one cannot expect immediate fruits from such discussions, but there is a change of thinking, of a thinking that is yet to mature. We do have hope that these contacts will contribute to certain corrections, but I do not believe that this will happen in the near future.
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