Fr. Z's Blog | Formerly entitled: "What Does The Prayer Really Say?" – Clear, straight commentary on Catholic issues, liturgy and life by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬)

ROME 23/10 – Day 28: Dies natalis, some observations, some prayer

Posted on 28 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Sunrise today seems a loooong time ago at 07:35 and it set quite a while ago at 18:12. The Ave Maria bell didn’t ring at 18:30.

It is the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude. It is my 64th birthday.

Almighty God, thank you for knowing me before the creation of the cosmos. Thank you for calling me into existence here and now because you wanted me to be active here and now as part of your chosen “corps”. Through the intercession of your Apostles, take me in Your hands even more tightly, for the days are hard there is so much to do.

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It is late and I am frustrated trying to upload videos that I haven’t processed. My laptop, which is making odd noises which I don’t like, can’t process them fast enough to allow me to post today, it already after 9pm and I am just now preparing my first meal of the day. I’ll get to them.

I want to give you at least, my dear dear readers, a taste of the day. Last night too.

Last night Vespers were celebrated in Pantheon as part of the Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage. So many good people and such good will. The musicians were good, but the planning was bad because the acoustics in there are IMPOSSBILE. You would think that, by now, the organizers would know that.

As I said, I have videos but… sheesh… they won’t upload until I do things to them.

Today was the procession to St. Peter’s. It was surely an act of hopeful resistance. I have in mind the march to the sea to make salt in Ghandi’s time. Soldiers beat them and they still went forward.

This year, they permitted NO MASS. Instead, the hour of Sext. Wow. Sext.

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The procession arrived at St. Peters and they sequestered the clergy to stand in the sun and send the participants through ONE dedicated security post… ONE though there were more personnel for others. They did this, I suspect, I don’t know for sure, on purpose. We stood in the sun, a few clouds and breezes to help, well over 45 minutes. People were still being cattle processed when they let us go in with what we had. My heart went to the people STILL WAITING who had travelled so far to be there.

At the confession of St. Peters there was a cobbled up rite for veneration of the tomb of Peter. Not bad. I asked the organizers, however, a serious question. If you weren’t going to have the reading from the Gospel about Peter and the keys in Latin (which all would have recognized) why on earth did you choose to pick a reader for the English version who was not a native speaker? Look to the left and the right… there’s a WELL-KNOWN BRIT… there’s a WELL-KNOWN American! What’s with the Eurocentric BS we have seen for so long? If it weren’t for the traditional Catholics in the Anglophone world…. heh… let’s just see what would happen, Europe. I digress.

Sext was at the Altar of the Chair. There was zero coordination between the musicians, who were good, and the ceremony crew. The MC seemed completely bumfuzzled. The choir skipped the hymn and then changed tempi every few minutes for the singing of the psalms and then completely forget the prayers after the Marian antiphon. The clergy were bemused and resigned. I was irritated. WE HAVE TO DO BETTER.

For example… for the conference on Saturday, for which they advertised that people would be fed, they ran out of food. That meant that many people scattered to not too close places to eat and they didn’t return for the second half. Really?

I digress.

I think these people are wonderful, these organizers, but I feel like they mailed it in. That’s what “they” want.

I spent time venerating the tomb of the Apostles.

It was uncanny. I went waaaay up to the altar (where I used to say Mass often back in the day) and knelt to pray. On cue, one of the nasties of the basilica showed up to change candles blah blah.

After Mass in the evening some of the guys practiced for the Pontifical Mass at the Faldstool tomorrow. THEY are not going to mail it in. No, I am not on the crew. Eurocentrism reigns here.

I, weary, slid out the side door and went…

I have some salad and some chicken and some egg

Meanwhile,… white to move. This is a GREAT puzzle! Do your best.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Interested in learning? Try THIS. He helped my game.

I simply must post this again.

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WDTPRS – 30th Ordinary Sunday: “E ‘n la sua volontade è nostra pace… In His will is our peace.”

Posted on 28 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

In the Novus Ordo this Sunday it is the 30th Sunday of what an old friend of mine (rest in peace) called “Greater Meatloaf Season”.

Let’s look at upcoming Sunday’s Novus Ordo Collect. This prayer has a precedent in the 1962MR as the Collect for the 13th Sunday after Pentecost. It was also in the Veronese and Gelasian, ancient sacramentaries both.

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, da nobis fidei spei et caritatis augmentum, et ut mereamur assequi quod promittis, fac nos amare quod praecipis.

OBSOLETE ICEL (1973 translation of the 1970MR):

Almighty and ever-living God,
strengthen our faith, hope, and love.
May we do with loving hearts
what you ask of us
and come to share the life you promise.

SUPER LITERAL TRANSLATION:

Almighty eternal God, grant us an increase of faith, hope and charity, and cause us to love what You command so that we may merit to obtain what You promise.

CURRENT TRANSLATION:

Almighty ever-living God,
increase our faith, hope and charity,
and make us love what you command,
so that we may merit what you promise.

Today we pray to God the Father for an increase of the theological virtues: faith, hope and charity.

click

By baptism we were endowed with a supernatural life. As the German writer Josef Pieper (+1997) wrote, a supernatural life can be described as having three main currents.

First, we have some knowledge of God surpassing what we can know about Him naturally because He reveals it to us (faith).

Second, we live by the patient expectation that what we learn and believe God promises will indeed be fulfilled (hope).

Third, comes our affirmative response of love of God, whom we have come to know by faith, and also love of our neighbor (charity).

While natural human virtues are acquired through education and discipline, the three theological virtues faith, hope and charity are given to us by God. They are infused into us with grace at baptism.

Looking at the positive development of the theological virtues, we can say that faith logically precedes hope and charity, and hope precedes charity.

From the negative point of view, considering their unraveling and loss, we lose charity first of all, and then hope and, last of all, our faith. Charity is the greatest of the three, followed by hope and then faith.

As an aside… there are many believers out there who have fallen away. They need your help to return. Faith is the last thing to go. Many who lead quite dissolute lives still believe. A tiny coal preserved in the ash of a dead fire can be fanned to life with exposure and a little TLC, a few puffs of reviving air. But I digress…

The theological virtues perfect and elevate everything virtuous thing man can do naturally. They can be considered logically, one at a time, but are all three intimately woven together. St. Augustine (+430) says, “There is no love without hope, no hope without love, and neither love nor hope without faith” (enchir 8).

The goal of the virtuous life, as we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1803), is to become like God. Living the theological virtues concretely reveals God’s image in us as well as the grace He gives to His adopted children. Today we pray for their increase.

This Sunday we also pray to love what God commands.

Doing what another commands is not always pleasant. Our wills and passions rebel and we prefer to command rather than be commanded.

It is easy, from the worldly point of view, to think that by being the commander, rather than the commanded, we can find peace. Surely each one of us desires peace and happiness and we seek after the means to attain them. If we attach our hopes to the created, passing things of this world to find peace and happiness we are inevitably disappointed.

All created things, including people, can be lost. They cannot be the foundation of lasting peace. Even the fear of their loss lessens our peace in this world.

God alone gives the peace and happiness we seek. He alone is eternal, unchanging, forever trustworthy. We cannot lose God unless we ourselves reject Him. And, in the end, God, the source of peace, remains in command.

Esolen’s translation is very good.

In Canto III of the Paradiso of the Divine Comedy the poet Dante is in the Heaven of the Moon. He encounters the soul of Piccarda. Dante queries her about the happiness of the blessed in heaven wondering if somehow, even in heaven, souls might be disappointed that they do not have a higher place in celestial realm.

In response Piccarda utters one of the greatest phrases ever penned or recited (l. 85):

In His will is our peace.
It is that sea to which all things move,
both what it creates and what nature makes…

We are all made in God’s image and likeness, made to act as God acts. He reveals something of His will to us. When we obey Him we act in accordance with the way He made us and what He intended for us. In obedience we find happiness and peace, even amidst the vicissitudes of this troubling and passing world.

Our Collect prays that we “love what you command”. This is a prayer for happiness. The theological virtues provide the key.

E ‘n la sua volontade è nostra pace.

In His will is our peace.

ROME 23/10 – Day 27: Making history

Posted on 27 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The sun rose at 07:34, later and later. It will set at 18:14, earlier and earlier.

The Ave Maria should ring at 18:30.

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It is a dies non in the Vetus Calendar. Today I celebrated a Votive Mass of the Holy Cross. I offered this Mass for my Roman donors. I ask their prayers as well.

A fun shot of priests at the side altars “concelebrating” with the beautiful new red vestments. What a HUGE DIFFERENCE those vestments make. Thank you again, donors. THANK YOU.

Breakfast with a friend. I couldn’t wait to get to the fresh OJ.

Last night I was at the presentation of the new Catechism by Bp. Schneider. More HERE.

Among the speakers was my good friend Robert Royal. He made a great point about the ordering by God of the universe, which order reflects His presence and involvement. The Catholic Faith is orderly. You can see where this is going. He started out with a quote from Dante’s Paradiso. Beatrice says…

e cominciò: «Le cose tutte quante
hanno ordine tra loro, e questo è forma
che l’universo a Dio fa simigliante.

Cardinal Sarah is super focused when he listens. That takes practice. Without question he is an expert listener.

After the talk, I chatted with him for a bit and asked him how HE pronounces his last name, because every time he is mentioned it seems like there is a different way. He said: “Sáh-rah”, not “Saráh” or like English “Sara”, etc. “SAHrah”.

During the Q&A the rep from Reuters asked Bp. Schneider what he thought about the new Dubia and Francis’ answer to those Dubia.

The bishop responded with what I think most of us think. The Dubia “a great work… heroic act”. A “must needed action”. The follow up was on the answers to the Dubia. “Unfortunately unsatisfactory… confusing, vague”. His answer was strong but respectful. He also said that these Dubia will go down in history! Card. Sarah did not offer an answer to those questions.

Meanwhile, here’s a fairly easy one.

White to move and win material.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

Priestly chess players, drop me a line. HERE

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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IMPORTANT: Bp. Schneider’s new catechism. Wherein Fr. Z presents and rants about what’s going on.

Posted on 27 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Before anything else, again and again I get questions like:

“Things are going badly. I feel like I have to do something, but I feel helpless. I don’t have any power to stop what is going on. What can I do?”

Do these things and you will be more at peace and you will be more effective in your particular vocation and sphere of influence.

Strive to be in the state of grace: examine your conscience daily and GO TO CONFESSION
Use the sacraments and sacramentals well. You are baptized, which means you are incorporated into Christ’s Person. You are confirmed with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Are you sacramentally married, ordained? Call upon those sacraments with confidence.
Do not forget that God called YOU into existence HERE and NOW, not somewhere else or in some other time. You are part of “His team” whom He knew and chose before the creation of the cosmos. God will give you all the actual graces you need to do His will according to His plan.
God makes His works our own and gives us the strength to carry them out. We live by grace and elbow grease. Get to work. Get to work and and let God judge your successes, because He knows more than you do. You cannot fathom in the moment of the doing what fruits your grace-informed efforts will bear down the line.
You cannot love or give what you do not know or have. Therefore, you must learn your faith well. Read a) Scripture, b) lives of the saints c) sound catechisms, d) tried and true spiritual and devotional writings and prayer books. Always be ready to GIVE reasons for your faith. This is the work of a lifetime, not just early years and then coast.

Speaking of catechisms and speaking of being at peace…

Last night I attended the Rome presentation of Bp. Athanasius Schneider’s catechism entitled Credo: Compendium of the Catholic Faith published by Sophia Institute Press.

US HERE – UK HERE

I did not have time last night to ask my question during the Q&A, but I approached Bp. Schneider afterward (he and I were at the Augustinianum together back in the day). I asked him if his new catechism presupposes some knowledge, some idea of Christianity or the Catholic Faith in order to be helpful or could a person with zero knowledge or experience use it effectively.

He responded that, in his opinion, a person with no previous background in the Faith could use the new catechism. There are foundational sections that be introductions for people who have never known anything about the Faith before.

This would be a good gift for people with little of no knowledge of the Faith. It would be an excellent resuscitator for the fallen away. It would be a great review for the practicing and committed.

Priests could find in it a rich resource for preaching (and the confessional) because it deals with things that previous catechisms could not, because they weren’t issues when those catechisms were composed. Gender ideology, trans stuff, environment, COVID lockdowns, etc…. they’re in there.

One of the presenters last night was the great Robert Card. Sarah, from whose writings we glean that he fasts and spends a lot of time in silence and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

Last night Card. Sarah, one of the newest set of “Dubia Cardinals”, told us in Italian – his remarks were live streamed and the video is available HERE – that …

… the Church is not in crisis, the Church’s pastors are in crisis.

Card. Sarah has made a distinction, and qui distinguit bene docet… He teaches well who makes distinctions.

I’ll riff on that.

The Church is the bride of Christ. Her four “marks”, her characteristics identifying her, are known to us: unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity. These cannot be overturned or rooted out or morphed into what they are not. It is not possible.

Christ gave the Church two gifts to ensure her mission until His return: indefectibility and infallibility. These cannot fail or be removed by any human agency, by an individual or by a multitude.

Remember that in Matthew 16 Christ gave to Peter (and his successors) an office and gifts to guarantee that office. After Christ did this, Peter screwed up by defying God’s will for Christ and was called by Christ a “satan”. Peter fled the Garden. Peter denied the Lord. Peter was challenged by Paul in Antioch regarding Gentile Christians and Jewish practices. Not everything Peter and his successors would do would be protected by the Holy Spirit. Only some things. When in the Council of Jerusalem all the debate was done, James, the local leader, handed the whole thing over the Peter. Ultimately, Peter manifested that the Holy Spirit was with him in the most important moments.

The attributes and gifts of the Church are guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit cannot be pitted against the Holy Spirit.

If there is ever a claim that an immemorial teaching of the Church regarding the faith and morals, guaranteed to be true by the working of the Holy Spirit, must now be changed because of the working “of the Holy Spirit”, then the claim is wrong not the immemorial teaching.

Last night in his speech, Bp. Schneider brought in the 5th century theologian Vincent of Lérins who said in Commonitorium 4 (my emphases):

What then will the Catholic Christian do, if a small part of the Church has cut itself off from the communion of the universal Faith? The answer is sure. He will prefer the healthiness of the whole body to the morbid and corrupt limb. But what if some novel contagion tries to infect the whole Church, and not merely a tiny part of it? Then he will take care to cleave to antiquity, which cannot now be led astray by any deceit of novelty. What if in antiquity itself two or three men, or it may be a city, or even a whole province be detected in error? Then he will take the greatest care to prefer the decrees of the ancient General Councils, if there are such, to the irresponsible ignorance of a few men. But what if some error arises regarding which nothing of this sort is to be found? Then he must do his best to compare the opinions of the Fathers and inquire their meaning, provided always that, though they belonged to diverse times and places, they yet continued in the faith and communion of the one Catholic Church; and let them be teachers approved and outstanding. And whatever he shall find to have been held, approved and taught, not by one or two only but by all equally and with one consent, openly, frequently, and persistently, let him take this as to be held by him without the slightest hesitation.

Finally, at the end of his own talk last night, Bp. Schneider said:

Let us humbly ask the Lord to grant us through the intercession of our Lady the grace to be able to say, “I know my Catholic Faith. I will not permit to be confused. For the sake of this Faith I am ready to die.”

“I know my Catholic Faith.”

“I will not permit myself to be confused.”

Do you know your Catholic Faith?

If you are disturbed, confused by what you see going on in the Church and in the world, perhaps also in your smaller world of your family and other relationships, take my advice in the points I made at the top, which include learning and reviewing your Catholic Faith with sound, time-proven catechisms – Bp. Schneider mentioned the Baltimore Catechism – as well as new tools from reliable sources such as this new compendium.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged Athanasius Schneider, Robert Card. Sarah, St. Vincent of Lérins
14 Comments

ROME 23/10 – Day 26: Walking in deepest darkest Trastevere

Posted on 26 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The sun rose at 07:33 and will set, hopefully on a lovely Roman October day, at 18:15. The Ave Maria Bell is in the 18:30 cycle.

The “Ave Maria” indicates the change of the religious day from day to night.

The Ave Maria is rung “half an hour” after sunset. If the Ave Maria is rung at 1830, as it is from 22 Oct-4 Nov, then 1730 is 23rd hour of the day and 1930 is the 1st hour of the next day.

When there were large religious communities in Roman churches and chapters of canons, Vespers would be sung an hour before the Ave Maria Bell. Today, for example, they would be sung at 1730. However, in the Roman Curia, Cardinals and other officials would still receive people in audience for the hour after the Ave Maria Bell rang. An hour after the Ave Maria, a single bell would toll, thus ending all business for the day, since it was the first hour of night.

Thus, the Roman Ave Maria Bell.

It is the Feast of Pope St. Evaristus. I said a Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit today. It was a real pleasure to see all the sides altars in church filled with red vestments. Red which you made happen.

Today in my prayers after Mass this one struck me with force:

Da nobis, quaesumus, Dómine, vitiórum nostrórum flammas exstínguere: qui beáto Lauréntio tribuísti tormentórum suórum incéndia superáre. Per Christum Dóminum nostrum. R. Amen.

With this morning, I finished my ad hoc Mass intentions. However, I do recall in my visits to churches, especially where there are the bodies of saints, what you donor have asked me to raise up in prayers. I would ask you, also, for something: the miraculous healing of a friend, Giancarlo, suffering from a dreadful malady. Pray for sudden, complete and lasting healing through the intercession of Bl. Luigi Maria Monti. Invoke him explicitly and often.

Yesterday afternoon I had a walk into deepest darkest Trastevere to see the streets where a couple of possible apartments are. I don’t really want to be on that side of the river, but it a great place shows up… hey.

Into San Crisogono.

Lovely cosmateque work.

Bl. Anna Maria Tiagi is here.

This church is under the Trinitarians. They were the originators of the Gesù Nazareno devotion I showed you from the other day.

From Ss. Trinità the other day.

I found here, to my astonishment, a copy of Murillo’s Earthly and Heavenly Trinities.

Some of you long-time readers know that I have a high def reproduction, beautifully framed (thank you) in my chapel above the altar.

The bells of S. Crisogono as I walk out.

A street of one possible apartment.

I would like to have gotten a photo of all the altars busy with red bedecked priests.

Here’s a bit of an eccentricity. Unless I am mistaken, and this is the biretta of some institute or other, it is an academic biretta, not for liturgical use.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
7 Comments

Francis: NO WOMEN DEACONS

Posted on 25 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I suppose this throws a spanner into the spanners (like theology, history, common sense…) already in the gears.

From CNA:

Pope Francis on women deacons: ‘Holy orders is reserved for men’

Pope Francis reaffirmed the impossibility of women becoming priests, or even modern Church deacons, in an interview for a book released Tuesday in Italy.

The question of whether some women in the early Church were “deaconesses” or another kind of collaborator with the bishops is “not irrelevant, because holy orders is reserved for men,” the pope said. [As anyone who is familiar with Vatican II’s Lumen gentium can affirm.]

The pope’s answers to questions about women’s roles in the Church were included in a book published in June in Spanish as “El Pastor: Desafíos, razones y reflexiones sobre su pontificado.” [WHOA… wait a just a cotton pickin’ minute. Last JUNE?!? And yet the “Walking Together” was discussing this? What else did they waste their time on. No… please don’t answer. It’s rhetorical.]

The book, whose title means in English “The Shepherd: Struggles, Reasons, and Thoughts on His Papacy,” was released in Italian on Oct. 24. The Italian edition is titled “Non Sei Solo: Sfide, Risposte, Speranze,” or “You Are Not Alone: Challenges, Answers, Hopes.”

About the possibility of women deacons, Francis pointed out that the diaconate “is the first degree of holy orders in the Catholic Church, followed by the priesthood and finally the episcopate.”

He said he formed commissions in 2016 and 2020 to study the question further, after a study in the 1980s by the International Theological Commission established that the role of deaconesses in the early Church “was comparable to the benedictions of abbesses.” [We have a modern word for what ancient deaconesses were: nun.]

In response to a question about why he is “against female priesthood,” Francis told Argentine journalist Sergio Rubin and Italian journalist Francesca Ambrogetti, the authors of the book, that it is “a theological problem.”

“I think we would undermine the essence of the Church if we considered only the priestly ministry, that is, the ministerial way,” he said, pointing out that women mirror Jesus’ bride the Church. [As does the human soul.]

“The fact that the woman does not access ministerial life is not a deprivation, because her place is much more important,” he said. “I think we err in our catechesis in explaining these things, and ultimately we fall back on an administrative criterion that does not work in the long run.”

“On the other hand, with respect to the charism of women, I want to say very clearly that from my personal experience, they have a great ecclesial intuition,” he said.

Asked about women’s ordination bringing “more people closer to the Church” and optional priestly celibacy helping with priest shortages, Pope Francis said he does not share these views.

“Lutherans ordain women, but still few people go to church,” he said. “Their priests can marry, but despite that they can’t grow the number of ministers. The problem is cultural. We should not be naive and think that programmatic changes will bring us the solution.”

“Mere ecclesiastical reforms do not serve to solve underlying issues. Rather, paradigmatic changes are what is needed,” he added, pointing to his 2019 letter to German Catholics for further considerations on the issue.

Hey! How about freeing up the Traditional Latin Mass? Look at the numbers! Look at the growth, fidelity and joy!

Isn’t that what we want?

Posted in Deaconettes |
25 Comments

A video that gets to the HEART of things.

Posted on 25 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I call your attention… no. Wait.

To those who don’t like the Traditional Latin Mass… to those who don’t like me personally or what I write or defend… to those who don’t understand why there are Catholics who aren’t just “RAH RAH RAH!” about everything being done these days…

I call your attention to this video. It is an excerpt from a longer interview between Matt Fradd and Brian Holdsworth.

It doesn’t touch on every possible point we might be concerned about today, but it gets to the heart of them.

At a certain point, all of this goes beyond arguments.

What people on the progressivist side of things have to realize is the hearts are being hurt, bruised, broken.

Is that really what you want? Is that your goal?

Posted in Our Catholic Identity, Pò sì jiù, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices | Tagged Brian Holdsworth, Matt Fradd
15 Comments

ROME 23/10 – Day 24: More rain

Posted on 25 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Had it been clearer, we might have seen the sun rise at 07:32. I hope to see it set at 18:16. I do not hope to hear the Ave Maria chime at 18:30.

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Today is called the Feast of Crispin.

Last year I went to the church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna both to find the altar and tomb of Sts. Crispin and Crispinian and also the tomb and monument of the great Card. Sirleto.

Here is their altar and urn in the church.

I have a fun post from last year with many video versions of Shakespeare’s glorious speech from Henry V. HERE It’s worth a visit.

Speaking of downpours, I was on my way to a book presentation last night and as I stepped out the door, the heavens did their best to prevent my arrival. I went along as best I could from sheltered spot to spot, making progress only when the rain relented a bit. At P.za Navona it really poured, in massive sheets, that started coming in horizontally. That’s when I say, “Nope”, and went for some cover.

Some progress and another bad wave.

Chi è al coperto quando piove,
è ben matto se si move;
se si move e se si bagna,
è ben matto se si lagna.

Why was I out in this madness?

My good friend Fr Robert Sirico of Action Institute presented the Italian translation of his book

The Economics of the Parables

US HERE – UK HERE

This morning at church a nice young man from St. Louis served Mass for me. A good way to start the day. Followed by breakfast and a walk through the Campo to get flowers.

On my walk I was waved at by various shop keepers 6 times along with a strong dog tail wag and I was called only once a “priest piece of ****”. Par for the course.

Back at the place, some of the droopy zinnias in a shallower vase with their unsupportive stems abbreviated.

I got a few more today.

Meanwhile, interested in learning or improving? Try THIS.

Solve this puzzle. Black to move.

NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.

The Summit Dominicans will surely be making candles for Advent wreaths. We are getting down to the last weeks of this liturgical year and Advent will soon be upon us. Why not get your Advent candles from them? You get nice candles, made by the sisters, and they get your support. HERE If you don’t see something adventy right away use their SEARCH box for Advent.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
11 Comments

ASK FATHER: Bowing to the priest when he enters for Mass

Posted on 25 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

I saw a tweet or whatever it is that they are called now starting an argument about whether or not people in the pews should bow to the priest when he enters to say the Traditional Latin Mass. Some say okay and others are really strong against it. One compared it to the “orans position” problem in the Novus Ordo that lay people should not do. What say you, Father Z?

What say I. Leben und leben laßen… live and let live.

The X/Twitter thing is HERE

There are no rubrics for this in the Roman Rite. If people want to do it, fine. If not, fine.

Is this like the “orans position problem in the Novus Ordo”? Not really. There are some people who adopt the position of arms raised with palms either slightly upward or opposed to each other in the manner of the priest when he prays the texts of Mass. They should not do that. While it is true that they are baptized, and therefore share in Christ’s priesthood, they are not ordained and they should not comport themselves as the ordained.

Bowing to the priest on the way in.

I can see how this might have developed in some places. I’ve seen it myself many times on entering for Mass especially if coming down an aisle instead of directly out of a sacristy to an altar.

I take it as a sign of respect for the arrival of the one who alter Christus, the priest who is also the victim, about to celebrate for them the source and summit of their lives. I’ve never thought for a moment that they were bowing to me, insofar as I am “Father Z”. They were bowing to “The Priest”.

It could have developed by analogy to signs of reverence toward the processional cross that is often carried. I recall that that was done at my home parish which had traditionally celebrated Novus Ordo Masses.

It could have developed by analogy to the honorific gestures which are in the Roman Rite for when the priest and sacred ministers enter the sanctuary. The custom for clergy and others in the choir in the sanctuary is to bow slightly as a sign of greeting and respect for the celebrant as he enters, passes by, or exits. It is rude to ignore such a person, who is acting at the moment in persona Christi capitis. Hence, a head bow or other sign of reverence.

It could have developed by analogy from the gesture people customarily make when receiving a blessing, as from a bishop who blesses as he enters and exits.

It could be that some priest told them to do this in the past, and the practice stuck.

I don’t think people should be instructed to do this. Perhaps, yes, in the case of when the thurifer comes to incense the congregation at the offertory time. It is a kind of mutual greeting: the thurifer and people bow to each other. It is like a sign of peace, only dignified.

These small signs of respect are not harmful. They can be helpful in a time when decorum is at low ebb. While we mustn’t exaggerate by piling them on, these gestures are helpful on the human level.

Posted in ACTION ITEM!, ASK FATHER Question Box, Decorum, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, Save The Liturgy - Save The World | Tagged honorifics
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ROME 23/10 – Day 24: Ego enim sum Raphaël Angelus, unus ex septem, qui astámus ante Dóminum.

Posted on 24 October 2023 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

In the early morning the sun rose at 07:30 and it will set at 18:18. The Ave Maria bell is in the 18:30 cycle. In a few days, 29 October, the “legal hour” ends and we will set our clocks back an hour. So, it will be much brighter in the early morning and get dark much earlier in the late afternoon.

Today is the Feast of St. Raphael the Archangel in the Vetus calendar. It is unfortunate that the biblically named angels were put together on just on days in the Novus calendar. We don’t, as a Church, pay enough attention these days to the Holy Angels. We spend even less time considering the activities of the fallen angels. This is ungrateful on the one hand and imprudent on the other.

Here is a lovely tondo at the parish that that was restored recently depicting the Archangel Raphael.

Raphael is the healing angel who acts in the Book of Tobit, one of the seven Archangels who stands before the Lord.

O Lord, thank you for this day. I ask today the intercession of St Raphael to bring physical healing to my kind benefactors who are in need as well as spiritual healing to my malefactors.

In church today, all the side altars were being used, though you can’t at the moment I made this see every priest. How I wish that the red vestments were being used! That would be a sight.

On the way home I stopped at little St. Bridget’s and prayed especially for a donor who has stayed with the Brigettine many times and who are very attached to the place.

The Blessed Sacrament was exposed. I spent a little time here remembering my kind donors and their requested petitions.