Miserere mei, Deus

And thus it begins.

Our journey to the cross of calvary and the glorious resurrection of Our LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is the real Messiah; He is the real saviour, not some trumped-up, media created, false messiah politician or hollywood god. False gods and false messiahs are all around us and they are leading "many astray."

Many believe that the Church on earth is now in Gethsemane. Certainly, Cardinal Stafford believes that and stated it a few month ago. I believe this. It is night, and the Church has been deserted. Many Catholics have fallen asleep and will be lost; and many more have taken the easy path and have looked for an earthly kingdom, Many remain and they have already and continue to betray the Holy Church, His bride and they do so with a kiss. In Her they remain, they corrupt, they lie, they deceive and "they lead many astray."

In recent weeks we have seen this manifested in the vile treatment of Pope Benedict XVI. Whether it was the lifting of the excommunications against the bishops of the Society of St. Pius X or the appointment of Gerhard Wagner to the Episcopate in Austria to the clarity in which he spoke to Nancy Pelosi--catholics have been as much as a problem, no a worse problem than even the secular media and ineffectual and flaccid members of the U.S. Congress or Canadian Parliament who dare to demand that the Bishop of Rome submit to their liberal-fascist political correctness.

In their lack of faith and loyalty, like the apostles in Gethsemane, most have "fallen asleep" and like the one who would deny Our LORD some ointment, they betray her "with a kiss."

Yes, the Church is in Gethsemane and there with her, I shall remain.

We shall journey soon, very, very soon through Gethsemane to the Sanhedrin. Are we not already there- before the Sanhedrin? Go back a few paragraphs and ask yourself if, as St. Peter found out when he asked, "Quo vadis..." if He is not being crucified again! Yes, we are there know being spat upon and slapped. Calvary is waiting for us. Let us go. Let us go singing as the three children did in the fiery furnace as described by the Prophet Daniel. We know they came out of the fire. Let us go singing as those who did encouraged by St. Maximillian Kolbe in the bowls of the satanic filth of the occult, fascist, national socialists which our own governments are quickly becoming. We know too how Raymond Kolbe emerged and what he chose--two crowns, one red, one white. Some of us will have a white crown, some a red, some both, we may not choose, it may be chosen for us, but our crown awaits.

Parce Domine, parce populo tuo, ne in aeterum irascaris nobis!

Let us go singing psalms and canticles chanting as King David did with his greatest work the (50) 51st Psalm which is playing now in the background; composed by Allegri and sung by the Tallis Scholars. David was wretched; he conspired, lusted, fornicated and murdered and then he repented; and then he wrote this:

Miserere. The repentance and confession of David after his sin. The fourth penitential psalm.

1 Unto the end, a psalm of David,

2 When Nathan the prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bethsabee.

3 Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.

4 Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

5 For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.
6 To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words and mayst overcome when thou art judged.

7 For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me.

8 For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.

9 Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

10 To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.
11 Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

12 Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.

13 Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

14 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

15 I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.
16 Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice.

17 O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

18 For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted.

19 A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

20 Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.
21 Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon
thy altar.

For more on what the prayers for Ash Wednesday really say, visit Father Z.

Overheard in the churchyard...

Overheard upon exiting a local parish this morning after singing for the funeral of a parish member, may he requiescat in pace. The family chose the music:

The Father: "Well, I've just seen one of the top-10 things I thought that I would never see."

Vox: "What's that Father?"

The Father: "Vox Cantoris carrying a copy of "GLORY & PRAISE!"

Vox: "Hard to believe, eh?; it's even my own copy!"

Hey, you honour the wishes of the deceased, and besides, I snuck in Chorus Angelorum at the end!

Ash Wednesday Forma Ordinaria

The year in which I began this blog, I was the Choir Director at the parish where I reside in Toronto. It was a way of keeping in touch with the choir members and anyone in the parish that wanted to view the upcoming week's music list.

I was recently asked by a friend for some music suggestions for an Ordinary Form liturgy for Ash Wednesday and I recalled an early post on this very matter. At this link, you will find the entire listing of music from Lent from Ash Wednesday until the Sunday of the Resurrection. I have republished below the music program designed for the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite which is in complete accordance with the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM). It is accessible, solemn, dignified and edifying. There are no heretical hymns such as "Ashes" and there is a concentration on the psalms and the reminder that we are dust, and "until dust we shall return."

We began with:

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

Versicle & Response: Deus in adjutorium meum, intende, Domine ad aduvandum me festina. (O God, come to my assistance; LORD, make haste to help me.) Gloria P…
Office Hymn: O Kind Creator-Benigne Audi Conditor
Antiphons & Psalm 139: LORD, how wonderful is your wisdom. Gregorian psalm-tone VII
New Testament Canticle: Christ the first-born of creation and first-born from the dead; Colossians 1:12-18, 20, 19. Jan Vemulst
Reading: Work with anxious concern. Philippians 2:12b-15a
Responsory: To You O, LORD, I make my prayer for mercy. recto tono
Antiphon to Magnificat: Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
Magnificat: Magnificat anima mea, Dominum Gregorian tone VIII
Prayers: Intercessory and The LORD’s Prayer
Closing Rite: Benedicamus Domino; Deo Gratias Gregorian tone
Marian Antiphon: Ave Regina Caelorum Gregorian simple tone

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Liturgy of the WORD

Choral Preludes: De Profundis; Psalm 130 Anglican chant style; and, Great God of Mercy; (Herzliebster Je­su) Johann Crüger (1598-1662)
Entrance Antiphon: Lord, you are merciful to all, and hate nothing you have created. You overlook the sins of your people to bring them to repentance. You are the Lord our God. (Wisdom 11:24-25, 27) Gregorian psalm tone
Processional Hymn: O Merciful Redeemer (melody: Creator alme siderum)
Kyrie: Kyrie from Gregorian Mass XVI
Responsorial Psalm: Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Gospel Verse: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Imposition of Ashes

Antiphon: Come back to the Lord with all your heart; leave the past in ashes, and turn to God with tears and fasting, for he is slow to anger and ready to forgive. Let the priests and ministers of the Lord lament before his altar, and say: Spare us, Lord; spare your people! Do not let us die for we are crying out to you. Lord, take away our wickedness. (From Joel 2:13, 17; Esther 13:17; Psalm 51:3) Gregorian tone
Psalm: Have Mercy upon me, O GOD; (Miserere; Psalm 51) Gregorian tone
Responsory: Direct our hearts to better things, O LORD; heal our sin and ignorance. LORD, do not face us suddenly with death, but give us time to repent. Recto tono
R. Turn to us with mercy, LORD; we have sinned against you.
V. Help us, God our saviour; rescue us for the honour of your name.
R. Turn to us with mercy, LORD; we have sinned against you.

Liturgy of the EUCHARIST

Offertory Antiphon: I will extol you, O Lord, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, my God, I cried out to you and you healed me. Psalm 30:2-3 Gregorian psalm-tone
Lenten Prose: Attende Domine
Sanctus and Agnus Dei from Gregorian Mass XVIII
Communion Antiphon: The one who meditates day and night on the law of the Lord will yield fruit in due season. (Psalm 1:2-3) Gregorian psalm-tone
Communion Anthem: O Domine, Jesu Christe; Lodovico Grossi da Viadana (1560-1627)
Communion Hymn: Father, Mercy

Recessional Hymn: From the Depths of Sin and Sadness

Rabbi Levin speaks on Pope Benedict Controversy

Oh yeah baby...The left is being called out! Rabbi Yehuda Levin is at the March for Life in Washington every year. Thank you Rabbi Levin!

Rabbi Speaks on Pope Benedict Controversy: Leftist Catholics Using Jews to Attack the Pope
Says, "church hierarchy should take strong action in dealing with this type of insurrection"John-Henry Westen

February 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A prominent Jewish Rabbi who represents over 1000 Rabbis in North America spoke to LifeSiteNews.com last week regarding the recent controversy around Pope Benedict XVI and his lifting the excommunication of the four bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX).? Rabbi Yehuda Levin says he sees the media attack on Pope Benedict as being more about?the influx of morally conservative Catholics into the mainstream of the Catholic Church, rather than anything else, including the?holocaust denial of one of the?SSPX bishops, which has received widespread media coverage.

From the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy

HARRISBURG, PA (February 6th, 2009) – The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, a national association of 600 priests and deacons across the USA, publicly reaffirm our filial obedience and respect for the Holy Father. We furthermore declare our perennial and unequivocal support for Pope Benedict XVI as the Vicar of Christ on Earth and the Supreme Roman Pontiff.

We pledge our continued prayers for His Holiness especially in light of the recent slander and calumny being leveled against the current Successor of Saint Peter for his pastoral decision to rescind the excommunication of the bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X. Although canon law makes it clear that ordaining bishops and being ordained a bishop without papal mandate incurs an automatic excommunication (c. 1382), as pastor of the universal church, Pope Benedict was acting as shepherd when he sought to reconcile the leaders and followers of the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

The Holy Father, seeking to end the twenty year old schism, extended an olive branch by removing the excommunication of the four bishops of the SSPX. That one of these bishops, the Most Rev. Richard Williamson, disputes the depth and depravity of the Nazi Holocaust, is indeed reprehensible and unbefitting a successor of the Apostles. At the same time, the lifting of the excommunication is in no way, shape or form a sanction or endorsement of his bizarre denial of the Shoah.

On the contrary, the media, press and general population must realize that the object and intent of Pope Benedict was to reconcile the thousands of followers of the SSPX bishops by restoring their shepherds with full legitimacy. No one has claimed or even insinuated that traditional Catholics who have considered themselves part of the SSPX family share the atrocious and anti-Semitic ideas of Bishop Williamson. Even the superior, Bishop Bernard Fellay publicly repudiated the remarks of his brother bishop and unambiguously denied that those views are shared by the Society.

Nevertheless, there are some with their own nefarious agendas who are connecting dots which either do not exist or which cannot be connected. These miscreants seek to discredit Pope Benedict and sabotage any credible means to reconcile followers of the SSPX with the universal Church. Others seek to derail any progress made by both Pope John Paul the Great and Pope Benedict XVI in improving Jewish-Catholic relations and dialogue.

In other words, there are those who want division and who vigorously work to unravel any and all means of fraternally forging bridges. The CCC asks all Catholics to renew our commitment to denounce all forms of anti-Semitism as we ask our elder Jewish brothers and sisters to do the same and repudiate all anti-Catholicism wherever it appears. We ask that one man, even though a bishop, not been seen as representative of the majority of clergy and laity who have a genuine love of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite and yet who also have a profound love and respect for the sons and daughters of Abraham, our elder brothers and sisters in faith.

We finally ask all Catholics to stand with us in support of our Holy Father during this unjust, unbelievable and inexcusable attack even from fellow Catholics who seek to pander to the press rather than find and preserve the truth. We condemn those dissidents who have never obeyed or respected the Magisterium but now take cheap shots at the Pope and question his judgment or motives. We stand firmly and proudly with Peter and his successor Benedict and do so with no fear or hesitancy of any kind as we also support our Jewish brethren in their struggle for peace and security in today’s world.

Ah, tradition; I guess it depends on your perspective