Not for a minute.
Don't believe it for one minute.
It is not what a man says, it is what he does.
Remember that.
Know what I mean?
“A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, 'You are mad; you are not like us.” ― St. Antony the Great
Thursday 23 March 2017
Wednesday 22 March 2017
Rubrical reminders from Una Voce Toronto - because we're "rigid"
Posted today at www.unavocetoronto.blogspot.com
unavocetoronto@gmail.com
Let us review some terms and basic rubrics for
the Traditional Latin Mass, also known in modernist circles, as the
Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. There is charity in truth and there is
peace and unity in truth. There is no charity in silence and appeasement. It is
incumbent upon those who work in the sacred liturgy to humble themselves to
what the Church expects.
The commentary below is written with
"referential authority." That is to say, the authority comes not from
this writer but from the documents from the which the information is gleaned
and condensed. The referred documents are Tra le sollecitudini, Mediator Dei,
Da Musica Sacra et Sacra Liturgia and Rubricarum. The notorious Musica Sacra of
1967 is prohibited in accord with Summorum Pontificum and Universae Ecclesiae.
Read Mass or Missa Lecta
Commonly referred to as “Low” Mass, this form of
Mass is more properly referred to as a “Read Mass.” This comes from its Latin
name, Missa Lecta. The Mass, in history, would have always been Solemn (see below),
but as parishes and villages developed away from monasteries and cathedrals;
and as mendicant Orders such as Dominicans and Franciscans, journeyed to
preach, priests would desire to offer the Holy Sacrifice for themselves and the
souls they found on their journeys. The Missa Lecta was developed for this
purpose. It is a quiet and contemplative Mass with one server only, though two
can be “tolerated.” The Mass is entirely in Latin, though, in accord with the
legitimate Law as prescribed by Pope Benedict XVI, in Universae Ecclesiae the
Lesson(s), Epistle and Gospel may be said in the vernacular from an approved
translation (at the time of 1962) from the Altar without first being read in
Latin. There is normally no music permitted.
Read Mass with Music
Music is not permitted in a Read Mass except in
specific circumstances and certain specific rubrics. In fact, a more proper
word than permitted would be tolerated, in its classic sense. One may have an
organ prelude or postlude and organ music at the Offertory or during Communion
in those times of the year where organ music is not prohibited and no solo
organ music is permitted in the Mass during Advent, except on Gaudete Sunday or
in the season of Lent on Laetare Sunday. No solo organ music is permitted at
anytime at a Requiem Mass. Organ music may be used at a Requiem Mass only to
support the singing and only if absolutely necessary to even do that. Music or
hymn singing may be used at a Read Mass in the following manner. A hymn may be
sung as a processional and the recessional and these may be in the vernacular.
A Latin hymn may be sung at the Offertory and the Communion but it may not be
the text of the Proper of the Mass which must be read by the priest aloud and
heard by the faithful in attendance. A hymn may be sung in the vernacular at
the Offertory and Communion provided it is connected with the liturgical
action. For example, the Offertory hymn could be, “See Us Lord, About Your
Altar,” or, “Lord, Accept the Gifts We Offer.” At Communion, the hymn, if in
the vernacular, must be a hymn to the Blessed Sacrament or be a hymn of
Thanksgiving. The Gloria and Credo
cannot be sung at any Read Mass. A
Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei may be sung if they are short, for example, Mass
XVI or Mass XVIII, never Mass IX or VIII the Missa de Angelis. These are two
long and delay the priest. All singing must conclude so that the action of the
Priest is not delayed and the audible texts are not covered by music. The
Priest does not sing the Collect or Postcommunion nor any other oration, nor
does he chant in any way the salutations, nor do the people respond in chant.
These are only said.
Sung Mass—or Missa Canata or Solemn Mass—Missa
Solemnis
All Propers must be sung, there are no
exceptions. The Epistle and Gospel must be sung, there are no exceptions. All
salutations and response are sung, there are no exceptions. If the priest
cannot sing the melismatic tones of the Lesson, Epistle or Gospel, then he can
chant them recto tono, on the same note. If the Schola cannot manage to sing
the Proper chants with the melisma, then it is permissible to sing them in
psalm tone, or recto tono. They can also be sung in Polyphony when considered
appropriate. At the Offertory and Communion, Latin motets or hymns can also be
sung, but only after the Proper Antiphon.
Requiem Mass
The musical rubrics apply to a Requiem Mass as
to the degree above.
Holy Mother Church has determined the above
rubrics in order to ensure the proper dignity of the Mass. When we work within
the Laws of the Church, there is peace and understanding and serene
contemplation of the holy actions taking place before us.
When we deviate from these for pastoral or other
reasons or through pressure, we create confusion and disunity and distress and
these are not from the Holy Spirit; we insert our own desires into the liturgy,
where it does not belong. None of us are masters of the Liturgy of God, we are
rather, its servants. We must do our work in truth and humility, we must submit
to the mind of the Church and we must reject any inculturation and pastoral
provision that deviates from the truth.
At no time is a guitar permitted during a
Traditional Latin Mass. It's been done!
There is no evidence that Fr. Franz Gruber, S.J.
ever permitted Stille Nacht on guitar at a Midnight Mass due to a broken organ.
This is “fake news.”
At no time is it permitted to sing anything in
the vernacular in a Sung or Solemn Mass. Processional and recessional hymns
take place outside of Mass. Mass begins with the Introit and ends with the
Ite. Any reference to what occurred
between the great wars in Europe in Germany, Belgium or Holland should be
understood in the context of dissent and diabolical disorientation that lead to
the complete upheaval of the holy liturgy.
Lest one doubt the above, be assured that every
educated Catholic in proper Church music and liturgy according to its venerable
tradition is aware of these rubrics and knows where to find the sources. If
they are not, then they are unqualified to do the work and they need to become
educated. Let those who labour for the love of true worship of the LORD in the
timeless liturgy understand the need to maintain consistency, peace and
serenity in the work before us. This peace and serenity can only be achieved if
we work within that which we are given. By humbling ourselves to the timelessness,
we will achieve peace in our work. It is when deviations occur that we bring
disunity and cognitive dissonance to the holy work before us.
Una Voce Toronto
Thy mouth hath abounded with evil, and thy tongue framed deceits
Deus deorum. The coming of Christ: who prefers virtue and
inward purity before the blood of victims.
Ps. 49 [1] A psalm for Asaph. The God of gods, the Lord hath
spoken: and he hath called the earth. From the rising of the sun, to the going
down thereof: [2] Out of Sion the loveliness of his beauty. [3] God shall come
manifestly: our God shall come, and shall not keep silence. A fire shall burn
before him: and a mighty tempest shall be round about him. [4] He shall call
heaven from above, and the earth, to judge his people. [5] Gather ye together
his saints to him: who set his covenant before sacrifices.
[6] And the heavens shall declare his justice: for God is
judge. [7] Hear, O my people, and I will speak: O Israel, and I will testify to
thee: I am God, thy God. [8] I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices: and
thy burnt offerings are always in my sight. [9] I will not take calves out of
thy house: nor he goats out of thy flocks. [10] For all the beasts of the woods
are mine: the cattle on the hills, and the oxen.
[11] I know all the fowls of the air: and with me is the
beauty of the field. [12] If I should be hungry, I would not tell thee: for the
world is mine, and the fulness thereof. [13] Shall I eat the flesh of bullocks?
or shall I drink the blood of goats? [14] Offer to God the sacrifice of praise:
and pay thy vows to the most High. [15] And call upon me in the day of trouble:
I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
[16] But to the sinner God hath said: Why dost thou declare
my justices, and take my covenant in thy mouth? [17] Seeing thou hast hated
discipline: and hast cast my words behind thee. [18] If thou didst see a thief
thou didst run with him: and with adulterers thou hast been a partaker. [19]
Thy mouth hath abounded with evil, and thy tongue framed deceits. [20] Sitting
thou didst speak against thy brother, and didst lay a scandal against thy
mother' s son:
[21] These things hast thou done, and I was silent. Thou
thoughtest unjustly that I should be like to thee: but I will reprove thee, and
set before thy face. [22] Understand these things, you that forget God; lest he
snatch you away, and there be none to deliver you. [23] The sacrifice of praise
shall glorify me: and there is the way by which I will shew him the salvation
of God.
Labels:
Psalms of David
Tuesday 21 March 2017
Atonement Parish in San Antonio finally home to the Ordinariate!
What wonderful news for the community at Atonement Parish in San Antonio, now fully home in the Ordinariate. After a recent action against this community and its Pastor, justice has been done!
HOUSTON — The first Pastoral Provision parish in the U.S. is
coming into the Ordinariate.
Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church and its school,
the Atonement Academy, have been transferred to the Personal Ordinariate of the
Chair of Saint Peter, effective March 21. At the direction of the Holy See, all
parishes of the Pastoral Provision are to be incorporated into the Ordinariate:
a special diocese for Roman Catholics who were nurtured in the Anglican
tradition or whose faith has been renewed by the liturgy and evangelizing
mission of the Ordinariate.
Founded in 1983 in San Antonio, Our Lady of the Atonement
was a parish of a “Pastoral Provision” established by Pope John Paul II to
allow for former Anglicans to form Catholic parishes within existing U.S.
dioceses. With the establishment of the North American Ordinariate in 2012 and
the ordination of its first bishop in 2016, the Holy See now expects all
Pastoral Provision parishes in the U.S. to be integrated into the Personal
Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.
The Ordinariate expresses its deepest gratitude to the
Archdiocese of San Antonio for welcoming and caring for Our Lady of the
Atonement since its inception, and for the Archdiocese’s ongoing commitment to
the Church’s care for the unity of Christians. Through continued collaboration
in the coming months, the Archdiocese and the Ordinariate will remain dedicated
to supporting the natural evolution of this Pastoral Provision parish into the
Ordinariate.
Our Lady of the Atonement and its school join more than 40
Ordinariate parishes and parochial communities in North America. Ordinariate
parishes celebrate Mass according to a special form of the Roman Rite, using
Vatican-approved texts which for centuries nourished the faith in Anglican
contexts and prompted members’ desire to join the Catholic Church.
In 2009, the apostolic constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus,
authorized the creation of global “Ordinariates”: a type of diocese which could
receive groups of former Anglicans directly into the Catholic Church. (There
are three Ordinariates in the world: Our Lady of Walsingham in the United
Kingdom; the Chair of Saint Peter in the United States and Canada; and Our Lady
of the Southern Cross in Australia.)
-30-
Media Contact: Jenny Faber, 346-247-2208 | 832-819-2686 |
media@ordinariate.net
The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter is a
diocese for Roman Catholics who were nurtured in the Anglican tradition or
whose faith has been renewed by the Ordinariate’s liturgy and evangelizing
mission. Based in Houston, Texas, the Ordinariate has 41 Roman Catholic
parishes and parochial communities across the United States and Canada and is
served by more than 70 ordained Roman Catholic priests and deacons.
Labels:
Ordinariate
Monday 20 March 2017
Sunday 19 March 2017
Archdiocese of Vancouver holding the faith on Marriage and the Holy Eucharist
With a thanks to my friend at Momentum Veritatis in Vancouver for bringing to my attention, here is a homily given by Father Pablo Santa Marta in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Vancouver and posted on their web page. It follows below.
Can we finally hope that something good is coming out of our Canada?
The Bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories, and Archbishop Terence Prendergast, S.J., of Ottawa have all made it quite clear how Amoris Laetitia is to be understood, and it is this; those married civilly after being divorced from a valid Catholic marriage may not receive Holy Communion. If they choose, for the sake of new children, to live together, they must live in total continence, as "brother and sister."
Now, we have this beautiful sermon preached in the Cathedral in Vancouver and hosted on its web page.
There were solid Catholic bishops that led Vancouver and the traditional Mass exists there in diocesan and an FSSP parish. It is not a coincidence.
We will get through this confusion, the LORD will not abandon his people.
Communion, Marriage and Divorce
Mar 16, 2017
Who can receive Holy Communion at Mass? None of us are truly worthy of such a great gift but God’s grace makes us worthy and prepares us to receive this sublime gift through which we are united to Christ and find salvation. We are reminded of this reality at Mass when we prepare for Holy Communion and say “Lord I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”
When it comes to the issue of those who are divorced and remarried, some confusion arises. The following paragraphs are an attempt to give some clarity to this delicate matter and to encourage all of us to accompany those who are on the peripheries of the Church.
DIVORCED, AND NOT REMARRIED.
The Church has always upheld the dignity and vocation of Marriage as a central component of her life: “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament”. (1)
However, there are instances when a couple has to divorce. Reasons may vary but usually it is for the physical and mental wellbeing, of one of the parties. When there are situations of abuse, violence, neglect, etc. separation and even divorce are a necessary step. Those people who are divorced but are not living with another person either in marriage or in cohabitation, can and should receive Holy Communion if they are not is the state of mortal sin.
THE TEACHING OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
“I say to you, whoever divorces his wife – unless the
marriage is unlawful – and marries another commits adultery.”
– Mt. 19, 31 – 32
In this passage, our Lord is debating with the Pharisees on the nature of Marriage. Here Christ reiterates what he mentioned in the fifth chapter of Saint Matthew’s gospel, that divorce and remarriage are a serious sin. When we know we have committed a serious sin, we should not receive Holy Communion.
St. John Paul II in the Apostolic Letter Familiaris Consortio further reminds the faithful of this truth. Those who are divorced and remarried cannot receive Holy Communion. This is because the previous union still exists. Even though civilly it’s no longer there, in the eyes of Church it still exists.
However, those who are divorced and civilly remarried are not outside the Church. The divorced and remarried should be welcomed as an essential: part of the Catholic community. These members of the Church should share in the life of the Church.They can attend Mass, pray, and take part in the activities of the parish. The children born in these situations are central to the life and mission of the Catholic Church and should be brought up in the Faith.In the recent Papal document Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis reiterates the teaching of Christ and of Pope John Paul II: “In no way must the Church desist from proposing the full ideal of marriage, God’s plan in all its grandeur.” (2)
However, what the Holy Father is also encouraging us to do is to have an examination of conscience and to see how we can help those who are on the peripheries, in this case, those who are divorced and civilly remarried. In some cases they feel ostracized and excluded from the life of the Church. The Holy Father is encouraging all of us, but especially priests to “accompany {the divorced and remarried} in helping them to understand their situation according to the teaching of the Church” (3)
In some cases the first marriage bond may have never existed. To this end a canonical investigation of the first marriage by a Church marriage tribunal may be appropriate, which may help to regularize the second civil union. In other cases, when the first marriage was indeed valid, the Church invites the couple in the second civil union to abstain from marital intimacy so that they may receive the sacraments.
SOME OF THE CONFUSION
In recent days, since the Synod on the Family and the publication of the Papal Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, there has been some added confusion to this matter. There are some who say that the Pope has somehow changed this teaching of Christ, which is not the case. The teachings of Christ cannot be changed or re-interpreted according to the fashions of the time. In a recent interview, Cardinal Muller, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith says that “For us marriage is the expression of participation in the unity between Christ, the bridegroom, and the Church, his bride. This is not, as some said during the Synod, a simple vague analogy. No! This is the substance of the sacrament, and no power in heaven or on earth, neither an angel, nor the pope, nor a council, nor a law of the bishops, has the faculty to change it.” (4)
In other words, neither the Pope nor a bishop can change the teachings of Christ. The Church has always maintained this practice and teaching reminding us of the sanctity of Marriage and the importance of the Holy Eucharist. St. Paul in the First Letter to the Corinthians reminds us all look into our hearts and to see if we are indeed ready to receive Holy Communion as it’s a grave sin to receive Holy Communion when we are in the state of mortal sin. (5)
The ultimate goal of the Church is to accompany those who are hurting and feel excluded and to bring them back into the fold. To encourage them and to lead them to a worthy reception of the sacraments by which they will come to share in the life of our Saviour.
Fr. Pablo Santa Maria
______
Notes:
- Catechism of the Catholic Church N. 1601
- FRANCIS, Pope, Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, 2016. N. 307.
- Ibid, N. 300
- http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2017/02/01/il-papa-tace-ma-parla-il-cardinale-muller-che-ai-dubia-risponde-cosi/
- I Cor. 11, 27
Labels:
Amoris Laetitia,
Archdiocese of Vancouver,
O Canada
Saturday 18 March 2017
"False and Dangerous"
Father Gerald E. Murray, J.C.D. is a Canon Lawyer and priest of the Archdiocese of New York and Pastor there, of Holy Family parish. He is often seen with Raymond Arroyo and Dr. Robert Royal on The World Over on EWTN. He writes:
"Ready for some casuistry? Should the Catholic Church allow a
man and a woman to receive the sacraments in the following case? A woman living
with a married but divorced man tells him that she no longer wants to live in
sin; the man threatens to kill himself, and she, following her confessor’s
advice, stays with him?"
Visit his article at The Catholic Thing for the rest of this important article and understanding of what is God's law and what is "false and dangerous" theology.
We are in a critical time in Church and world history. It has not always been like this in the Church because never before has technology existed as today where actions and words are instantly known. Even 100 years ago, no Catholic would have been aware of the daily occurrences as today.
Arm yourself for spiritual warfare. Discern carefully from those who speak the truth and those who do not.
Friday 17 March 2017
Support LifeSiteNews!
Dear Friends,
Where would we be without the work done by LifeSiteNews and John-Henry Weston and Steve Jalsevac? I urge you to read their appeal and support them.
If my posting an appeal for the folks at LifeSiteNews serves to put into a rage those who wish me ill, then all the better.
Now, go support LifeSiteNews so they can continue to do what they do best!
Vox
Where would we be without the work done by LifeSiteNews and John-Henry Weston and Steve Jalsevac? I urge you to read their appeal and support them.
If my posting an appeal for the folks at LifeSiteNews serves to put into a rage those who wish me ill, then all the better.
Now, go support LifeSiteNews so they can continue to do what they do best!
Vox
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Labels:
LifeSiteNews
From all who should wish me ill ..
From all who shall wish me ill
Afar and a-near
Alone and in a multitude
Against every cruel, merciless power
That may oppose my body and soul
CHRIST!
Orémus.
Deus, qui ad praedicandam Gentibus gloriam tuam
beatum Patricium Confessorem atque Pontificem mittere dignatus es: eius meritis
et intercessione concede; ut, quae nobis agenda praecipis, te miserante
adimplere possimus.
Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, FÃlium
tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte SpÃritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia
sǽcula sæculórum.
R. Amen.
Let us pray.
O God, Who didst send forth thy Blessed
Confessor and Bishop Patrick to preach thy glory among the Gentiles, mercifully
grant unto us, for his sake and at his petition, whatsoever Thou commandest us
to do, to have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who
liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God,
world without end.
R. Amen.
Labels:
Feasts,
Malediction,
Saints
Thursday 16 March 2017
"Pour out thy indignation upon them."
Ps. 68: Salvum me fac, Deus. Christ in his passion
declareth the greatness of his sufferings, and the malice of his persecutors
the Jews; and foretelleth their reprobation.
[1] Unto the end, for them that shall be
changed; for David. [2] SAVE me, O God: for the waters are come in even unto my
soul. [3] I stick fast in the mire of the deep: and there is no sure standing.
I am come into the depth of the sea: and a tempest hath overwhelmed me. [4] I
have laboured with crying; my jaws are become hoarse: my eyes have failed,
whilst I hope in my God. [5] They are multiplied above the hairs of my head,
who hate me without cause. My enemies are grown strong who have wrongfully
persecuted me: then did I pay that which I took not away.
[1] For them that shall be changed: A psalm for
Christian converts, to remember the passion of Christ.
[2] The waters: Of afflictions and sorrows. My
soul is sorrowful even unto death. Matt. 26. 38.
[5] I pay that which I took not away: Christ in
his passion made restitution of what he had not taken away, by suffering the
punishment due to our sins, and so repairing the injury we had done to God.
[6] O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my
offences are not hidden from thee: [7] Let not them be ashamed for me, who look
for thee, O Lord, the Lord of hosts. Let them not be confounded on my account,
who seek thee, O God of Israel. [8] Because for thy sake I have borne reproach;
shame hath covered my face. [9] I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an
alien to the sons of my mother. [10] For the zeal of thy house hath eaten me
up: and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
[6] My foolishness and my offences: which my
enemies impute to me: or the follies and sins of men, which I have taken upon
myself.
[11] And I covered my soul in fasting: and it
was made a reproach to me. [12] And I made haircloth my garment: and I became a
byword to them. [13] They that sat in the gate spoke against me: and they that
drank wine made me their song. [14] But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O
Lord; for the time of thy good pleasure, O God. In the multitude of thy mercy
hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. [15] Draw me out of the mire, that I
may not stick fast: deliver me from them that hate me, and out of the deep
waters.
[16] Let not the tempest of water drown me, nor
the deep swallow me up: and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. [17] Hear
me, O Lord, for thy mercy is kind; look upon me according to the multitude of
thy tender mercies. [18] And turn not away thy face from thy servant: for I am
in trouble, hear me speedily. [19] Attend to my soul, and deliver it: save me
because of my enemies. [20] Thou knowest my reproach, and my confusion, and my
shame.
[21] In thy sight are all they that afflict me;
my heart hath expected reproach and misery. And I looked for one that would
grieve together with me, but there was none: and for one that would comfort me,
and I found none. [22] And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they
gave me vinegar to drink. [23] Let their table become as a snare before them,
and a recompense, and a stumblingblock. [24] Let their eyes be darkened that
they see not; and their back bend thou down always. [25] Pour out thy
indignation upon them: and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them.
[23] Let their table: What here follows in the
style of an imprecation, is a prophecy of the wretched state to which the Jews
should be reduced in punishment of their wilful obstinacy.
[26] Let their habitation be made desolate: and
let there be none to dwell in their tabernacles. [27] Because they have
persecuted him whom thou hast smitten; and they have added to the grief of my
wounds. [28] Add thou iniquity upon their iniquity: and let them not come into
thy justice. [29] Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; and with
the just let them not be written. [30] But I am poor and sorrowful: thy
salvation, O God, hath set me up.
[31] I will praise the name of God with a
canticle: and I will magnify him with praise. [32] And it shall please God
better than a young calf, that bringeth forth horns and hoofs. [33] Let the
poor see and rejoice: seek ye God, and your soul shall live. [34] For the Lord
hath heard the poor: and hath not despised his prisoners. [35] Let the heavens
and the earth praise him; the sea, and every thing that creepeth therein.
[36] For God will save Sion, and the cities of
Juda shall be built up. And they shall dwell there, and acquire it by
inheritance. [37] And the seed of his servants shall possess it; and they that
love his name shall dwell therein.
[36] Sion: The catholic church. The cities of
Juda, etc., her places of worship, which shall be established throughout the
world. And there, viz., in this church of Christ, shall his servants dwell,
etc.
Labels:
Malediction,
Psalms of David
Tuesday 14 March 2017
Monsignor Vincent Foy - Requiescat in pace
Monsignor Vincent Foy has gone to his reward and to meet the LORD whom he served. A priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto, Foy was Born in 1915 and was ordained nearly 78 years ago.
Monsignor passed away at 10:30 P.M. last evening, March 13.
He is a hero in Canada and a lion of the priesthood.
May he rest in peace.
Monsignor passed away at 10:30 P.M. last evening, March 13.
He is a hero in Canada and a lion of the priesthood.
May he rest in peace.
Labels:
Archdiocese of Toronto,
Msgr. Vincent Foy
Who are the Pharisees today?
There is much talk about Pharisees these days, and being "Pharisaical." Much talk of laws, and Christian folk following the Laws and that it has become a "burden." Our Lord said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."
Our Lord Jesus Christ also said something about the Pharisees. What follows is today's Gospel for Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent, or: Feria Tertia infra Hebdomadam II in Quadragesima. We are, of course, referring to the traditional calendar and liturgy.
Let the Voxers discern:
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew Matt. 23:1-12
At that time, Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying, The Scribes and the Pharisees have sat on the chair of Moses. All things, therefore, that they command you, observe and do. But do not act according to their works; for they talk but do nothing. And they bind together heavy and oppressive burdens, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but not with one finger of their own do they choose to move them. In fact, all their works they do in order to be seen by men; for they widen their phylacteries, and enlarge their tassels, and love the first places at suppers and the front seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the market place, and to be called by men ‘Rabbi.’ But do not you be called ‘Rabbi’; for one is your Master, and all you are brothers. And call no one on earth your father; for one is your Father, Who is in heaven. Neither be called masters; for one only is your Master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Let the Voxers now discern the very words of St. Jerome, Priest at Bethlehem from Matins this morning on this very Gospel:
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest at Bethlehem.Bk. iv. Comm. on Matth. xxiii.
Was there ever man gentler and kinder than the Lord? The Pharisees tempted Him; their craft was confounded, and, in the words of the Psalmist, The arrows of babes have pierced them, Ps. lxiii. 8, and nevertheless, because of the dignity of their priesthood and name, He exhorteth the people to be subject to them, by doing according to their words, though not according to their works. By the words “Moses' seat” we are to understand the teaching of the law. Thus also must we mystically take: “Sitteth in the seat of the scornful”, Ps. i. 1, and likewise, “overthrew the seats of them that sold doves”, Matth. xxi. 12, to describe doctrine.
How they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. This is generally directed against all teachers who command things hard, and themselves do not even things easy. But it is to be remarked that the shoulders, the fingers, and the binding of the burdens, have a spiritual interpretation. But all their works they do for to be seen of men. Whosoever therefore doth anything for to be seen of men, the same is, so far, a Scribe and a Pharisee.
They make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi. Woe to us miserable sinners who have inherited the vices of the Pharisees! When the Lord had given the commandments of the law to Moses He added afterwards Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes, Deut. vi. 8. The sense of these words is: My Law shall be in thine hand to order whatsoever thou doest, and ever before thine eyes that thou mayest meditate therein day and night. But the Pharisees, by a bad interpretation, were accustomed to write on pieces of parchment the Decalogue of Moses, that is, the Ten Words of the Law, and to tie these pieces of parchment, plaited in a peculiar manner, on their foreheads, so as to make a sort of crown round their heads, which projected in front of their eyes, and always moved before them.
Now, is it the Law and obeying It that is the problem?
God will reward you for your faith to His Truth and His Law notwithstanding those Pharisees today who would lead you into perdition.
Labels:
Let the Voxers discern
Monday 13 March 2017
"They have shut up their fat: their mouth hath spoken proudly."
Ps. 16: Exaudi, Domine, justitiam. A just man's prayer
in tribulation against the malice of his enemy.
[1] The prayer of David. Hear, O Lord, my
justice: attend to my supplication. Give ear unto my prayer, which proceedeth
not from deceitful lips. [2] Let my judgment come forth from thy countenance:
let thy eyes behold the things that are equitable. [3] Thou hast proved my
heart, and visited it by night, thou hast tried me by fire: and iniquity hath
not been found in me. [4] That my mouth may not speak the works of men: for the
sake of the words of thy lips, I have kept hard ways. [5] Perfect thou my
goings in thy paths: that my footsteps be not moved.
[6] I have cried to thee, for thou, O God, hast
heard me: O incline thy ear unto me, and hear my words. [7] shew forth thy
wonderful mercies; thou who savest them that trust in thee. [8] From them that
resist thy right hand keep me, as the apple of thy eye. Protect me under the
shadow of thy wings. [9] From the face of the wicked who have afflicted me. My
enemies have surrounded my soul: [10] They have shut up their fat: their mouth
hath spoken proudly.
[10] Their fat: That is, their bowels of
compassion: for they have none for me.
[11] They have cast me forth and now they have
surrounded me: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth. [12] They
have taken me, as a lion prepared for the prey; and as a young lion dwelling in
secret places. [13] Arise, O Lord, disappoint him and supplant him; deliver my
soul from the wicked one: thy sword [14] From the enemies of thy hand. O Lord,
divide them from the few of the earth in their life: their belly is filled from
thy hidden stores. They are full of children: and they have left to their
little ones the rest of their substance. [15] But as for me, I will appear
before thy sight in justice: I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.
Labels:
Malediction,
Psalms of David
Sunday 12 March 2017
'Tis good, Lord, to be here!
1. 'Tis good, Lord, to be here,
Thy glory fills the night;
Thy face and garments, like the sun,
Shine with unborrowed light.
2. 'Tis good, Lord, to be here,
Thy beauty to behold
Where Moses and Elijah stand,
Thy messengers of old.
3. Fulfiller of the past,
Promise of things to be,
We hail Thy body glorified
And our redemption see.
4. Before we taste of death,
We see Thy kingdom come;
We fain would hold the vision bright
And make this hill our home.
5. 'Tis good, Lord, to be here.
Yet we may not remain;
But since Thou bidst us leave the mount,
Come with us to the plain.
Labels:
Feasts and Solemnities
Saturday 11 March 2017
"Rouse Your anger, pour out wrath, humble the enemy, scatter the foe.
From the Fourth Lesson of Ember Saturday.
Ecclus. 36:1-10
Raise Your hand against the heathen, that they may realize Your power. As You have used us to show them Your holiness, so now use them to show us Your glory. Thus they will know, as we know, that there is no God but You, O Lord. Give new signs and work new wonders; show forth the splendor of Your right hand and arm; rouse Your anger, pour out wrath, humble the enemy, scatter the foe. Hasten the day, bring on the time; that they may declare Your wonderful works, O Lord, our God.
Labels:
Malediction
Canada to fund African genocide
Justin Trudeau, an apostate Catholic and Prime Minister of Canada has announced $650 million in funding for something called "women's reproductive health," in other countries. We know what this means, the death of millions of babies in their mother's wombs.
It is racist and imperialist of Canada.The bulk of these funds are intended for Africa where children are highly valued.
I am no leftist but can we not see that this is nothing more than the continual plundering of that continent for our own ends? This time it is to reduce the population so we can continue to prop up dictatorial regimes and steal the African wealth.
God will not be mocked.
Justin will find that out one day.
The Canadian Bishops have acted swiftly and with incredible clarity.
So has Cardinal Collins.
Prime Minister,
On 8 March 2017 the Government of Canada announced $650 million over three years for "sexual and reproductive health and rights". According to a backgrounder provided to the media, a major part of the funding will be toward removing "judicial and legal barriers to the fulfillment of sexual and reproductive health and rights". As cited by the Globe and Mail on 9 March 2017, a federal official has confirmed "these barriers include the anti-abortion laws in many countries."
Such a policy is a reprehensible example of Western cultural imperialism and an attempt to impose misplaced but so-called Canadian "values" on other nations and people. It exploits women when they are most in need of care and support, and tragically subverts true prenatal health care. It negates our country's laudable efforts to welcome refugees and offer protection to the world's homeless, when the youngest of human lives will instead be exterminated and the most vulnerable of human beings discarded as unwanted human tissue.
Your policy and vision, contrary to the fundamental ethic of protecting the most vulnerable and assisting the weakest, are in conflict with the principles instinctively shared by the majority of the world's population and consistently upheld by the Catholic Church: to defend and protect human life from conception to natural death.
On behalf of all the bishops of Canada I thank you for your consideration and I remain,
(Most Rev.) Douglas Crosby, OMI
Bishop of Hamilton
President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
10 March 2017
It is racist and imperialist of Canada.The bulk of these funds are intended for Africa where children are highly valued.
I am no leftist but can we not see that this is nothing more than the continual plundering of that continent for our own ends? This time it is to reduce the population so we can continue to prop up dictatorial regimes and steal the African wealth.
God will not be mocked.
Justin will find that out one day.
The Canadian Bishops have acted swiftly and with incredible clarity.
So has Cardinal Collins.
Prime Minister,
On 8 March 2017 the Government of Canada announced $650 million over three years for "sexual and reproductive health and rights". According to a backgrounder provided to the media, a major part of the funding will be toward removing "judicial and legal barriers to the fulfillment of sexual and reproductive health and rights". As cited by the Globe and Mail on 9 March 2017, a federal official has confirmed "these barriers include the anti-abortion laws in many countries."
Such a policy is a reprehensible example of Western cultural imperialism and an attempt to impose misplaced but so-called Canadian "values" on other nations and people. It exploits women when they are most in need of care and support, and tragically subverts true prenatal health care. It negates our country's laudable efforts to welcome refugees and offer protection to the world's homeless, when the youngest of human lives will instead be exterminated and the most vulnerable of human beings discarded as unwanted human tissue.
Your policy and vision, contrary to the fundamental ethic of protecting the most vulnerable and assisting the weakest, are in conflict with the principles instinctively shared by the majority of the world's population and consistently upheld by the Catholic Church: to defend and protect human life from conception to natural death.
On behalf of all the bishops of Canada I thank you for your consideration and I remain,
(Most Rev.) Douglas Crosby, OMI
Bishop of Hamilton
President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
10 March 2017
Labels:
Abortion,
CCCB,
Woe Canada
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