A Need for Formation

The Lord replied to Thomas: Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. (John 20:29) This expression makes special reference to us for we have not see Him in the flesh but know Him in the min. So, if we put our faith to the proof by good works, we are blessed. He who gives expression to his faith is a genuine believer. (cf. St. Gregory the Great, Homilies on the Gospel, 26,9)

The Resurrection of our Lord is a call to show with our lives that He lives. The deeds of a Christian should be the fruit and the manifestation of his love for Christ. In the apostolic Church, the spread of Christianity was brought about mainly by the personal testimony of Christian converts. It was a straightforwards preaching of the Good News: person to person, family to family, among people with the same job, between neighbours, within a given area of a city or town, in the market place, in the streets. Today too, our Lord wishes that the world, the street, the workplace and the family be channels of the transmission of the faith.

Let us remember, in order to profess our faith, we most know our faith. As St. Paul states, "I can do all things in Him who straightens me." (Cf. Philippians 4:20) And as Pope Benedict XVI reminded us in the world youth day in Cologne, "anyone who has discovered Jesus Christ MUST lead others to Him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to be passed on."

Dark Night of the Soul

1. Souls begin to enter this dark night when God, gradually drawing them out of the state of beginners (those who practice meditation on the spiritual road), begins to place them in the state of proficients (those who are already contemplatives), so that by passing through this state they might reach that of the perfect, which is the divine union of the soul with God. We should first mention here some characteristics of beginners, for the sake of a better explanation and understanding of the nature of this night and of God's motive for placing the soul in it. Although our treatment of these things will be as brief as possible, it will help beginners understand the feebleness of their state and take courage and desire that God place them in this night where the soul is strengthened in virtue and fortified for the inestimable delights of the love of God. And, although we will be delayed for a moment, it will be for no longer than our discussion of this dark night requires.

2. It should be known, then, that God nurtures and caresses the soul, after it has been resolutely converted to his service, like a loving mother who warms her child with the heat of her bosom, nurses it with good milk and tender food, and carries and caresses it in her arms. But as the child grows older, the mother withholds her caresses and hides her tender love; she rubs bitter aloes on her sweet breast and sets the child down from her arms, letting it walk on its own feet so that it may put aside the habits of childhood and grow accustomed to greater and more important things. The grace of God acts just as a loving mother by re-engendering in the soul new enthusiasm and fervor in the service of God. With no effort on the soul's part, this grace causes it to taste sweet and delectable milk and to experience intense satisfaction in the performance of spiritual exercises, because God is handing the breast of his tender love to the soul, just as if it were a delicate child [1 Pt. 2:2-3].1

3. The soul finds its joy, therefore, in spending lengthy periods at prayer, perhaps even entire nights; its penances are pleasures; its fasts, happiness; and the sacraments and spiritual conversations are its consolations. Although spiritual persons do practice these exercises with great profit and persistence, and are very careful about them, spiritually speaking, they conduct themselves in a very weak and imperfect manner. Since their motivation in their spiritual works and exercises is the consolation and satisfaction they experience in them, and since they have not been conditioned by the arduous struggle of practicing virtue, they possess many faults and imperfections in the discharge of their spiritual activities. Assuredly, since everyone's actions are in direct conformity with the habit of perfection that has been acquired, and since these persons have not had time to acquire those firm habits, their work must of necessity be feeble, like that of weak children. For a clearer understanding of this and of how truly imperfect beginners are, insofar as they practice virtue readily because of the satisfaction attached to it, we will describe, using the seven capital vices as our basis, some of the numerous imperfections beginners commit. Thus we will clearly see how very similar their deeds are to those of children. The benefits of the dark night will become evident, since it cleanses and purifies the soul of all these imperfections.

Source: Saint John of the Cross

Extraordinary Form of the Roman Pontiff

Our Holy Father is wearing the traditional white mozetta which is worn during the Easter Octave. Normally, the Pontiff wears a red mozetta over his cassock and surplice. The last Bishop of Rome who wore the white mozetta was Pope Paul VI. Slowly, our Holy Father is bringing traditions back!

Blessed Mary: the first to see our Risen Lord, alleluia!

"The gospels do not tell us of the appearance of the risen Christ to Mary. Nevertheless, since she was specially close to the Cross of her Son, she must also have had a privileged experience of his Resurrection." (Pope John Paul II, Homily, Guayaquil, 31 January 1985) In is an ancient tradition of the Church that Jesus appeared first of all to his Mother in solitude. It could not have been otherwise, because she is the first and principal co-redeemer of the human race, in perfect union with her Son. Mary was already free from all original and actual sin. He loved his mother dearly, and so this would be only natural for him to appear first to her. I thought this just an intresting thought of Pope John Paul II to share during this Easter octave. May the joy of the risen Christ radiate in your lives today, alleluia!

Conversi ad Dominum

Our Holy Father gave a very settle yet honest comment on orientation in the Sacred Liturgy during his Easter Vigil homily. The Sovereign Pontiff states:

In the early Church there was a custom whereby the bishop or the priest, after the homily, would cry out to the faithful, "Turn now toward the Lord." This meant in the first place that they would turn towards the East, towards the rising sun, the sign of Christ returning, whom we go to meet when we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Where this was not possible, for some reason, they would at least turn towards the cross, so as to orient themselves towards the Lord.

How beautiful. In the Holy Father's book, The Spirit of the Liturgy, he stresses how throughout the centuries the Christian communities rite for worship changed in many ways. For example, baptismal fonts were placed in the church, confessionals built, yet one thing remained constant and unchanging. Liturgy was always celebrated with the priest oriented toward the east. Sometimes this mean "facing the people" sometimes it didn't. Yet, the Sacrifice of the Mass has always been celebrated facing East, representing the place of revelation and where Christ will return from. I thought this was an intresting idea to share...

St. John Chrysostom on Easter

Let all Pious men and all lovers of God rejoice in the splendor of this feast; let the wise servants blissfully enter into the joy of their Lord; let those who have borne the burden of Lent now receive their pay, and those who have toiled since the first hour, let them now receive their due reward; let any who came after the third hour be grateful to join in the feast, and those who may have come after the sixth, let them not be afraid of being too late, for the Lord is gracious and He receives the last even as the first. He gives rest to him who comes on the eleventh hour as well as to him who has toiled since the first: yes, He has pity on the last and He serves the first; He rewards the one and is generous to the other; he repays the deed and praises the effort.

Come you all: enter into the joy of your Lord. You the first and you the last, receive alike your reward; you rich and you poor, dance together; you sober and you weaklings, celebrate the day; you who have kept the fast and you who have not, rejoice today. The table is richly loaded: enjoy its royal banquet. The calf is a fatted one: let no one go away hungry. All of you enjoy the banquet of faith; all of you receive the riches of his goodness.

Let no one grieve over his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed; let no one weep over his sins, for pardon has shone from the grave; let no one fear death, for the death of our Savior has set us free: He has destroyed it by enduring it, He has despoiled Hades by going down into its kingdom, He has angered it by allowing it to taste of his flesh.

When Isaiah foresaw all this, he cried out: "O Hades, you have been angered by encourntering Him in the nether world." Hades is angered because frustrated, it is angered because it has been mocked, it is angered because it has been destroyed, it is angered because it has been reduced to naught, it is angered because it is now captive. It seized a body, and lo! it discovered God; it seized earth, and, behold! it encountered heaven; it seized the visible, and was overcome by the invisible.

O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? Christ is risen and life is freed, Christ is risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead: for Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the Leader and Reviver of those who had fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Five Purposes of Prayer

But what should we say to God, now that we have full access to him in Christ? The Church's Tradition, based on her Jewish roots, the revealed examples of masters of prayers in Scripture, and two millennia of the wisdom of the saints, give us five themes or purposes of prayer:

 

1.) adoration

2.) thanksgiving

3.) repentance

4.) intercession

5.) petition.

 

The beginner can remember them by the acronym ATRIP. Prayer is the greatest of all trips we can take: a trip to Heaven. Our spirit is already present in Heaven before God when we pray. There is no distance, no separation.

 

Adoration is the first attitude of man acknowledging that he is a creature before his Creator. To adore is to acknowledge what truly is, to live in reality. For if we know the true God, we will adore him and humble ourselves. Throughout Scripture, whenever man meets God-that reveal God-he describes it in words like these: "I fell at his feet as one dead." (Revelation 1:17) He does not "chat" with God, he adores. For, as Rabbi Abraham Heschel says, "God is not an uncle, God is an earthquake."

 

This does not contradict what was said before about intimacy and access through Christ. We are intimate with greatness and holiness that makes our intimacy with him so staggering. Christ's incarnation and death did not take away God's holiness, it took away our sin. It did not make God less adorable, but us more adoring.

 

"I am blest!"

One day while walking through my favorite store, the dollar store (the dollar store is my favorite because you can get everything for $1), I said "Hi" to a man and he greeted me back. Then, his next response literally stopped me in my tracks. I asked him how he was doing and he replied, "blest." I thought, "What an awesome, true, and invigorating answer." We are so blest. I asked the man if he had a copyright on that answer, and if I could use it. He just chuckled and told me to use it.

 

So, I have been teaching that when someone asks us how we are doing we can say, "blest." Yes, we are so blest! Just count your blessings. You have eyes, eyesight, you are reading this now. You just took another breath. This day alone you will have at least 100,000 reasons to say are blest because this is how many times your heart will beat. We are created by God who loves us with an everlasting love! We know that God is good-all the time! We are forgiven and beautiful in His sight. Jesus died for us so that we could get to heaven. God invites us to live with Him forever. Yes, we are so blest! Count and count and count your blessings! So, next time someone asks you how you are, simply reply, "I am blest!"

Our Duties Lead to God

Since God is the cause of our very existence, we have a relationship with Him whether we realize it or not. We can conclude through natural reason that we have certain obligations to God as a result of this relationship.

1. We owe God worship. Worship is defined as the honor paid to the Supreme Being, acknowledging Him as Supreme Being.

2. We owe God gratitude. God did not need to create us. As the necessary being, He needed nothing; He was already perfect. Our creation added nothing; He was already perfect. Creation is a gift which we have received. For this gift, we owe gratitude.

3. We owe God obedience. As our Creator, God obviously knows what is best for us and how created things can best be used. Just as a computer won't work well unless we follow the manufacturer's instructions, so we won't "work" well unless we follow our Maker's instructions.

4. We owe God love. Love is a response to goodness. If God is all perfect, He is all-good. Therefore we owe Him love.

Now, I wish to expand on a question often asked by people, especially atheists. We hear it often. If God is the cause of all that exists, is He then the cause of evil? To answer this question , we most first define evil. Much of what we call evil is the working our of natural laws (earthquakes, fire, disease...). These natural laws might have consequences we don't like, but the things themselves are not evil. The fact that the ground shifts in response to certain internal pressures in the earth is neither good or evil, it is simply the consequence of the stresses in the earth's crust. The fact that something bursts into flames when the right conditions exist is neither good nor evil; it is simply the consequence of dry air and the heat of the match. The fact that bacteria multiply in the right circumstances is neither good nor evil. So, the only genuine evil is moral evil, sin. In any sin, there is something that exists. In the theft of a watch, for example, there is the existing watch and the action of picking up that watch and walking out of the store with it. In a lie, there are existing words and the actions of speaking them. But the watch and the words and the actions themselves are not evil. Picking up the watch and walking out with it would be fine if it had been paid for. Speaking the words would be fine if the conformed to reality. What makes the action sinful is the privation introduced by our wills. In the theft, the being of the object stolen is good, but our will introduces a lack, the lack of payment or permission to have the object. In a lie, the being of the words is good, but our will chooses a lack, the lack of Truth. Evil, then, is a privation, a nothing, it has no being. It is the lack of a due good. So God is not the cause of the existence of evil, because evil is no-being, it is a privation.

Two Ways to Exist

There are only two way to exist. A being is either contingent or necessary. A being is contingent if its nature is not to exist, if it could not exist; if it received its existence from another source; if its essence (what it is) is distinct from its existence (that it is.) If your parents had never met, you would not exist. So, you are contingent. If Great Britain had won the American War for Independence, the U.S. would not exist, so it is contingent. Even the solar system of the Milky Way Galaxy does not explain itself; if there had been a different concentration of matter and energy, it would not exist. So even the galaxy is contingent.

A necessary being, on the other hand, must exist, could never not exist; owes its existence to nothing or no one else. Its essence and existence are identical; is essence is to exist, it is existence.

A being either receives its existence or is existence. It can't be both and there is no other possibility.

We know there are contingent beings. We observe them. Is there a necessary being or can contingent beings explain all reality? To answer that question, we first ask another: can already existing contingent beings cause the being of something else? A thing can cause a determination of being. We can modify beings- change a tree into paper, or a table or a baseball bat; change eggs and flour and milk into a cake or pancakes or muffins; change iron into a poker or a frying pan or a Mercedes Benz. But we can't cause being itself. A contingent being, which only receives existence, can't cause existence, because an effect can't be greater than its cause. It can't cause something to be where nothing existed before.

Only a necessary being can cause existence, because only a necessary being is existence. So if anything at all exists, there must be a necessary being to cause its existence. If even one exists, there must be a God.

The summarize: things exist- a self-evident truth. A thing cannot cause its own existence because it would have to exist prior to its existence, which is a contradiction. So a thing either has to be contingent, receiving its existence from something else; or necessary, which means that is must be existence. A contingent being cannot cause the existence of something else since it has only received existence. The only explanation for contingent beings is a necessary being. The necessary being is given the name GOD!

The "Sacrament" of Abortion

(by Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, President HLI)

The standard Catholic description of a real Sacrament is that it is an “efficacious sign instituted by Christ to give grace.” The “sign” is whatever the particular Sacrament is meant to convey: Baptism—cleansing from sin, Eucharist—union with Christ, Penance—forgiveness of sins, etc. “Efficacious” means that it actually produces the effect it signifies, and it “gives grace” as sort of a conduit of divine life into our souls. A Catholic Sacrament is holy in itself and does not need a holy person to administer it, and on the basis of the Sacrament’s innate holiness, the children of the Church are sanctified and in turn sanctify the world in which we live.

The demonic “sacrament” of abortion has the same characteristics as a real Sacrament except that it reverses any concept of holiness and perverts its meaning. This is because the devil always mimics God’s plan to communicate His life to us and does everything he can to draw us away from that life. In this case, abortion is a “sign” that points to death; it is “efficacious” in that it brings death through bodily destruction; it “destroys grace” in that each act of abortion is a mortal sin that seduces and corrupts all of those who take part in it.

Furthermore, abortionists, witches and Satanists put their “faith” in the “sacrament” of abortion. Don’t take my word for it. In a 1999 LifeSite interview, retired abortionist Patricia Baird-Windle, self-professed wiccan (witch), actually said, “Abortion is a major blessing, and a sacrament in the hands of women. ... At the very crucible of the sacrament of abortion work is that some women have an abortion out of love for the baby, [some] out of love for the children they already have and are having a hard time feeding.” Rarely am I shocked by what abortion apologists say, but this perverse logic leaves me utterly speechless. It shouldn’t surprise me, though; Ms. Baird-Windle claims responsibility for 65,000 abortions in the three death centers that she owned.

There’s more. An Episcopal “priestess,” Carter Hayward said, “Abortion would be a sacrament if women were in charge. Abortion should be a sacrament even today. I suspect that for many women today, and for their spouses, lovers, families and communities, abortion is celebrated as such, an occasion of deep and serious and sacred meaning.” No comment is really necessary here.

Let us never pretend that abortion is just a social or political phenomenon that has to be voted out of office to be defeated. We must do everything we can to restore legal protection to our most innocent citizens, but our battle against the devil will not be won at the polls. It will be won on our knees before the Lord and on our feet before the centers of death. More than ever we need men and women of tested holiness who are willing to fight the spiritual battle for the lives of God’s precious babies and the souls of their mothers and fathers. Even abortionists like Baird-Windle are caught up in a demonic religion which can be challenged and defeated by those of us who belong to the true Church of Christ, the only spiritual power strong enough to defeat the “sacrament” of abortion.

Role of the Lay Faithful

What is our mission as Catholics? Each of us have a vocation to live out our Baptismal promises and to live the life of priest, prophet, and king. But what do these ministries entail? The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains these roles, and that of the faithful and the Church. With renewed zeal, let us study into these duties, and strive to practice them in our daily routine.

What is the vocation of the lay faithful?

The lay faithful have as their vocation to seek the Kingdom of God by illuminating and ordering temporal affairs according to the plan of God. They carry out in this way their call to holiness and to the apostolate, a call given to all the baptized.

How do the lay faithful participate in the priestly office of Christ?

They participate in it especially in the Eucharist by offering as a spiritual sacrifice "acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" their own lives with all of their works, their prayers, their apostolic undertakings, their family life, their daily work and hardships borne with patience and even their consolations of spirit and body. In this way, even the laity, dedicated to Christ and consecrated by the Holy Spirit, offer to God the world itself.

How do the laity participate in the prophetic office?

They participate in it by welcoming evermore in faith the Word of God and proclaiming it to the world by the witness of their lives, their words, their evangelizing actions, and by catechises. This evangelizing action acquires a particular efficacy because it is accomplished in the ordinary circumstances of the world.

How do they participate in the kingly office?

The laity participate in the kingly function of Christ because they have received from him the empower to overcome sin in themselves and in the world by self-denial and the holiness of their lives. They exercise various ministries at the service of the community and they imbue temporal activities and the institutions of society with moral values.

Who belongs to the Catholic Church?

All human beings in various ways belong to or are ordered to the Catholic unity of the people of God. Fully incorporated into the Catholic Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, are joined by the Church by the bonds of the profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical government and communion. The baptized who do not enjoy full Catholic unity are in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.

"Stretch out your hands: we stretch them out to the Lord"???

Q: When the presider at Mass greets the assembly with the words "The Lord be with you" he extends his arms to all in a gesture of pouring out this wish and blessing. The assembly replies "And also with you" (which apparently is currently under review to reflect the exact Latin translation "And with your Spirit"). Is it liturgically incorrect or not permissible for the assembly, in their reciprocation, to extend their hands and arms similarly as they reply to the presider's greeting, as a gesture of returning the blessing? — M.C., Durban, South Africa

A: While your proposal is likely done with the best of intentions I do not believe that this change would be beneficial. The use of this gesture by the congregation would probably actually reduce the specific presidential character of this greeting and gesture, which is traditionally somewhat more than just an act of social courtesy. Certainly the greeting is very ancient. In the biblical Book of Ruth (2:4) Booz greets his reapers with "The Lord be with you." To which they replied, "The Lord bless you." Instead of this phrase the liturgy uses the "And with your spirit" which in its original Judeo-Christian context means the same as "And also with you." However, from ancient times the expression "And with your spirit" received an added, more spiritual, meaning. St. John Chrysostom (344-407) refers to the spirit of the greeting as the indwelling Spirit and as an allusion to the fact that the bishop performs the sacrifice by the power of the Holy Spirit. For this reason the greeting "The Lord be with you" was from early on restricted to bishops, priests and deacons. It is probably the spiritual theological interpretation of this dialogue, through which the faithful, in a way, are constituted as a liturgical assembly with and through the "spirit" of the priest that has moved the Holy See to insist on a more literal translation in future missals. This might initially cause some adjustment difficulties in countries (such as the English-speaking world and Brazilian Portuguese) which adopted non-literal translations. The gesture which accompanies the dialogue of stretching out and closing the hands deepens more the utterance of a desire to be united with the assembly and to draw them together into the prayer which is about to begin. In fact, during Mass, this gesture is reserved to the priest during the specific presidential moments in which he invites the assembly to pray or, in other words, to act as a liturgical assembly. Thus if the whole assembly were to repeat this gesture it would in all likelihood weaken the expression of this theological and ecclesial rapport. When the formula "The Lord be with you" is used in non-presidential moments, such as before the reading of the Gospel (which even when read by the celebrant is not considered a presidential act), the rubrics specify that the priest or deacon keeps his hands joined. From another standpoint, introducing this gesture unilaterally would be an example of arbitrarily establishing a new liturgical movement which may not be done at the local level but is primarily reserved to the Holy See or proposed by the bishops' conference and ratified by the Holy See. Even when new gestures are introduced by these bodies, they must be historically, theologically and pastorally justified and so are usually the fruit of painstaking study and reflection.

All you modernist, be thou anethema!

42....The Modernists pass judgment on the holy Fathers of the Church even as they do upon tradition... Finally, the Modernists try in every way to diminish and weaken the authority of the ecclesiastical magisterium itself by sacrilegiously falsifying its origin, character, and rights, and by freely repeating the calumnies of its adversaries...the Modernists vent all their bitterness and hatred on Catholics who zealously fight the battles of the Church. There is no species of insult which they do not heap upon them, but their usual course is to charge them with ignorance or obstinacy.

 

(Pope Pius X, Pascendi Dominici: On the Doctrine of the Modernists)

 

Does this sound familiar? I wonder if these modern "Catholics" know that modernism is a condemned heresy in the Church???

Bishop Sheridan on Summorum Pontificum

Pope Benedict XVI's long-anticipated apostolic letter (Summorum Pontificum), allowing for wider use of the 1962 Mass of Blessed Pope John XXIII, has been greeted by some as a greater opportunity to worship in the manner to which they were accustomed in the years of their formation in the faith; and greeted, predictably, by others as virtually the beginning of the end of Catholicism as we know it - or have known it for the past 35 years. [ROFL!!  I love this.  Immediately he pops the balloon of hysteria.  POP!] A brief review of the letter may be a help in understanding just what the Holy Father is trying to accomplish by liberalizing the permission to offer the "old Mass."

What exactly is now being permitted?

Put briefly, the pope has given permission for the Tridentine Mass (so called because, [GREAT!  He makes distinctions.] with only minor revisions, it has been the form of the Mass in use since it was promulgated after the Council of Trent in 1570 until 1969) to be celebrated "privately" by any priest who wishes to do so; and publicly in those parish churches and oratories where a group of the faithful requests it and where there is a priest who is capable of celebrating Mass in the older form. [Notice that he doesn't put lots of qualifiers on this.  He just restates the provisions.]

Will this new permission decrease the availability of the Mass of Pope Paul VI, currently in use?

No. The Holy Father has made it clear that our current liturgy (called the Novus Ordo Missae) will continue to be the ordinary expression of the Latin rite liturgy, while the 1962 Mass will be the extraordinary expression. In fact, only one 1962 Mass is permitted in a parish on a Sunday or holy day, unless the parish as a whole has been dedicated to the exclusive use of the old Mass. We have such a parish in our diocese - Immaculate Conception Parish in Security.

Why has the pope decided to extend the possibility of the use of the old Mass?

In his letter to the bishops of the world, which accompanied the apostolic letter, the Holy Father noted several things which moved him to grant permission for wider use of the 1962 Mass. b, a good number of people who had been raised in and formed by the Tridentine Mass were expressing their desire to continue to worship in that form. In addition, more than a few younger Catholics have been attracted [Excellent! He doesn't limit this to old foggeys who can't get with modern times.] by the Mass of Trent. Since the 1962 Mass had never been abrogated (i.e., officially suppressed) it was not a difficult thing to accede to the wishes of these people.

Second, because in so many places the celebration of the "new Mass" was done without faithful adherence to the prescriptions of the new Missal and with so many unauthorized innovations, many of the faithful found it very difficult to worship. They longed for a return of the liturgy that preserved the dignity and solemnity proper to the worship of God. The pope makes mention of his own experience of those years following Vatican II in his letter to the bishops: "And I have seen how arbitrary deformation of the liturgy caused deep pain to individuals totally rooted in the faith of the Church."

Third, the pope is sincerely seeking an "interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church." The reform of the liturgy after the Second Vatican Council was the occasion for deep divisions in the church, some leading to defection from the faith. It is Benedict's hope that the more liberal access to the old Mass will invite those who have separated themselves to return to full communion with the church.

What will Pope Benedict's new permissions mean for the Diocese of Colorado Springs?

It is difficult to answer this question so soon after the publication of the apostolic letter. Because any Catholic has access to the 1962 Mass at the Immaculate Conception Parish, we have made the first step in the implementation of the provisions of the apostolic letter. I do not have any idea at this point how many more Catholics will ask for the old Mass. Several priests in the diocese have indicated to me that they would like to learn to offer Mass in the Tridentine form. I will certainly provide them with that opportunity, [Excellent!] and so there will be more priests available to accommodate the faithful. The Holy Father has not called for the promotion of the old Mass - simply that it be more readily available for those who find this form of worship especially meaningful.  [Right!]

Might these new permissions cause some confusion and problems as they are implemented?

Possibly. That's why the Holy Father has asked the bishops to report on the implementation after three years. If there are serious difficulties, remedies will be sought.

Pope Benedict has made it very clear that these two expressions of the Latin Rite Mass - the ordinary and the extraordinary - do not in any way contradict one another. Both are part of the rich heritage of our church and both are perfectly legitimate forms of eucharistic worship. In a time when "diversity" appears to be the newest virtue, it is just a bit ironic that some of the loudest protests against the pope's apostolic letter are coming from those who have embraced every other kind of liturgical diversity - and anomaly.   [POP!   Another balloon bursts.  Wonderful!]

I make the same plea to all of you as does our Holy Father in his letter to the bishops: "Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows."

Statue of Our Lady of America

by Jennifer Brinker, Review Staff Writer

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Rebecca Venegoni Tower
SIGN OF PURITY - A 9-foot statue of Our Lady of America, is on display in the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (Old Cathedral). The statue is part of an effort to promote awareness about the devotion to Our Lady of America, patroness of the United States and will remain at the Old Cathedral until Saturday, Sept. 8.

The official image of Our Lady of America, which stems from apparitions of the Blessed Mother received by an Ohio woman religious, is on display at the Old Cathedral.

The 9-foot statue of Our Lady of America, which includes its base, was first publicly displayed at the U.S. bishops' meeting in Baltimore last November, where Archbishop Raymond L. Burke blessed it.

It is available for viewing at the Basilica of St. Louis King of France, 209 Walnut St. Downtown, during its standard open hours, 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m., through Saturday, Sept. 8. Mass schedule at the Old Cathedral is Monday-Friday at 7 a.m. and 12:10 p.m., Saturday at 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Sunday at 8 and 10:30 a.m., and noon and 5 p.m.

Born in 1916, Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred) Neuzil, a Sister of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus of Dayton, Ohio, began receiving private revelations from the Blessed Mother, as Our Lady of America, on Sept. 26, 1956, when she was stationed at the sisters' convent in Rome City, Ind.

Our Lady indicated to Sister Mary Ephrem that she had come in response to the United States' recognition of her Immaculate Conception, namely through the establishment of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

The Blessed Mother also told Sister Mary Ephrem that the people of the United States should focus on a message of purity. Her first words to the woman religious were: "I am Our Lady of America. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives."

The revelations continued through the end of the 1950s and also included messages from Christ, St. Joseph, St. Gabriel and St. Michael. Sister Mary Ephrem later became part of the sisters' contemplative branch in New Riegel, Ohio. When it was suppressed in 1979, she became a member of the Contemplative of the Indwelling Trinity until her death in 2000.

During the time of Our Lady's revelations, Sister Mary Ephrem also began meeting with the late Archbishop Paul F. Leibold, who at the time was a monsignor in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. He asked Sister Mary Ephrem to record the messages, which were later approved by him and published in 1960, 1971 and 1989.

Archbishop Leibold also carried out the first of Our Lady's requests, which was to create a religious medal with the image of Our Lady of America and the coat of arms of the Christian family. The Blessed Mother also inspired Sister Mary Ephrem to write a prayer in her honor, which received an imprimatur from Archbishop Leibold in 1963. The prayer also received the nihil obstat from Father Daniel Pilarczyk, who is now Archbishop of Cincinnati.

Our Lady of America's ultimate request, however, was to have a statue in her name to be enshrined in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. She indicated that the shrine was to be a place for pilgrims and a special safeguard for the country.

Al Langsenkamp, an Indianapolis-based volunteer with the Our Lady of America Center in Fostoria, Ohio, said that request has not yet been fulfilled, partly because of the death of Archbishop Leibold in 1972 and a general unawareness today of the devotion.

"I think in his passing, the devotion remained with a relatively small group of the faithful," said Langsenkamp. "The bishops for the most part have not fulfilled the request, because it was not widely known to them. In (Our Lady's) messages, she asks that the bishops do this."

"The devotion has received a very warm welcome from the bishops as they become aware of it," he continued.

One of those bishops is Archbishop Burke, who wrote a letter to his fellow bishops last May on the status of Our Lady of America.

Archbishop Burke wrote that he was able to confirm that the devotion had been approved by Archbishop Leibold and actively promoted by him. Over the years, other bishops have approved the devotion, according to Archbishop Burke, and have publicly participated in the devotion to Our Lady of America.

"Although the devotion to Our Lady of America has remained constant over the years, in recent years, the devotion has spread very much and has been embraced by many with special fervor," he wrote. "Our Lady of America calls the people of our nation to the new evangelization through a renewed dedication to purity in love."

Archbishop Burke also noted a distinguished difference between Our Lady of America and Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is considered "Empress of all the Americas." The two devotions, he said, are "completely harmonious," however, Our Lady of America is considered the patroness of the United States.

Langsenkamp said, "Archbishop Burke has been very supportive of this devotion, and he has a tremendous devotion to our Lady in many ways."

Langsenkamp, who married a St. Louis native at Ste. Genevieve du Bois Parish in Warson Woods, also said he is happy the statue is making a visit to the Gateway City. "St. Louis is a wonderful city. It's the Gateway to the West and has a wonderful, rich history."

For more information on the devotion to Our Lady of America, visit the Our Lady of America Center online at www.ourladyofamerica.com.

 

Last member of contemplative order happy to see resurgence of devotion

As the last surviving member of the Contemplative Sisters of the Indwelling Trinity, Sister Mary Joseph Therese Fuller said she's happy to see that the devotion to Our Lady of America is gaining momentum.

Today, Sister Mary Joseph Therese serves as director of the Our Lady of America Center in Fostoria, Ohio, which promotes the devotion. She had known Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred) Neuzil, to whom the Blessed Mother revealed herself as Our Lady of America. The two met in 1964 and lived side-by-side for about a quarter-century until Sister Mary Ephrem's death in 2000.

After she had been in the cloister for about a week, Sister Mary Joseph Therese's foundress showed her the black book that contained the messages from Our Lady to Sister Mary Ephrem.

"She let me read that, so I knew right from the beginning about Sister," she said. At the time, "I knew nothing about her, but I can still see her standing there with the other sisters that were behind the grille. There was just something about her eyes that stood out - it was very exceptional."

Sister Mary Joseph Therese said that Sister Mary Ephrem also "was very humble. She was a very happy, peaceful person. She had a real good sense of humor."

For years before she entered the cloister, Sister Mary Ephrem had worked as a kindergarten teacher and as a domestic for several prelates, the woman religious recalled.

"She was used to being with the bishops," said Sister Mary Joseph Therese. "Every time we would have a profession or a new postulant, Sister would always put her at the table with the archbishop and the bishops."

"Everyone always felt at home with Millie - we always called her Millie," she said. "Whenever you were around her, you always felt such a peace. She was a very happy person. No matter what would happen ... she'd say the Blessed Mother will take care of it."

Sister Mary Joseph Therese said she, too, is happy that the statue of Our Lady of America has made a stop in St. Louis and hopes it will increase an awareness of the devotion.

"I am so grateful that the new statue of Our Lady of America can be seen in St. Louis," she said. "We are so grateful for the interest shown in the devotion to Our Lady of America by Archbishop (Raymond) Burke, a truly great American Catholic churchman."

Vatican on Communion in Hand

Query: Whether in dioceses where it is allowed to distribute Communion in the hands of the faithful, a priest or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may restrict communicants to receive Communion only in their hands, not on the tongue.

Response: Certainly it is clear from the very documents of the Holy See that in dioceses where the Eucharistic bread is put in the hands of the faithful, the right to receive the Eucharistic bread on the tongue still remains intact to the faithful. Therefore, those who restrict communicants to receive Holy Communion only on in the hands are acting against the norms, as are those who refuse to Christ's faithful [the right] to receive Communion in the hand in dioceses that enjoy this indult.

With attention to the norms concerning the distribution of Holy Communion, ordinary and extraordinary ministers should take care in a particular way that the host is consumed at once by Christ's faithful, so that no one goes away with the Eucharistic species in his hand.

However, let all remember that the time-honored tradition is to receive the host on the tongue. The celebrant priest, if there is a present danger of sacrilege, should not give the faithful communion in the hand, and he should make them aware of the reason for way of proceeding.

BCL: Bad Taste Translations?

Bishop Arthur Serratelli, chairman-elect of the US Bishops’ Committee on the Liturgy (BCL), recently wrote a column lamenting the loss of the sacred in the Church today, and how this has diminished Catholic belief and worship.

“The anti-authoritarian prejudice that we have inherited from the social revolution of the ‘60s imprinted on many a deep mistrust not only of government but of Church”, he observed.  “Some even reject the very idea of hierarchy (literally, ‘a sacred origin’) as a spiritual authority established by God.  As a result, Church means, for some, simply the assembly of like-minded believers who organize themselves and make their own rules and dogmas.  Thus, the Church’s role in the spiritual realm is greatly eclipsed”.

Bishop Serratelli will succeed Erie Bishop Donald Trautman as chairman of the BCL following the November 2007 bishops’ meeting. He also heads the ad hoc Committee for the Review of Scripture Translations, and is former chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, of which he is still a member. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1968, and holds degrees in Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute and in theology from the Gregorian University. He has taught theology, Scripture and biblical languages in several seminaries before he became auxiliary bishop of Newark in 2000, and bishop of Paterson in 2004.

Bishop Serratelli’s column, “Loss of the Sacred”, is the first of a four-part series on this topic, and is posted on the diocese of Paterson web site (http://www.patersondiocese.org/article.cfm?Web_ID=2224).

His comments are, logically, focused principally on the Mass, and he notes the loss of understanding of the sacrificial meaning of the Mass.

“Living in our world, we breathe the toxic air that surrounds us”, Bishop Serratelli writes.  “Even within the most sacred precincts of the Church, we witness a loss of the sense of the sacred. With the enthusiasm that followed the Second Vatican Council, there was a well-intentioned effort to make the liturgy modern.  It became commonplace to say that the liturgy had to be relevant to the worshipper.  Old songs were jettisoned.  The guitar replaced the organ.  Some priests even began to walk down the road of liturgical innovation, only to discover it was a dead end.  And all the while, the awareness of entering into something sacred that has been given to us from above and draws us out of ourselves and into the mystery of God was gone.”

He summarizes what happened: “Teaching about the Mass began to emphasize the community.  The Mass was seen as a community meal.  It was something everyone did together.  Lost was the notion of sacrifice.  Lost the awesome mystery of the Eucharist as Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.  The priest was no longer seen as specially consecrated.  He was no different than the laity.  With all of this, a profound loss of the sacred”.

The impact of this loss persists, Bishop Serratelli stresses:

“Not one factor can account for the decline in Mass attendance, Church marriages, baptisms and funerals in the last years.  But most certainly, the loss of the sense of the sacred has had a major impact.

“Walk into any church today before Mass and you will notice that the silence that should embrace those who stand in God’s House is gone. Even the Church is no longer a sacred place. Gathering for Mass sometimes becomes as noisy as gathering for any other social event . 

“We may not have the ability to do much about the loss of the sacredness of life in the songs, videos and movies of our day”, Bishop Serratelli writes. “But, most assuredly, we can do much about helping one another recover the sacredness of God’s Presence in His Church”.

Translation and de-sacralization
How did the method of liturgical translation in use after the Council contribute to this loss of the sacred?

Last year, after the bishops had discussed the translations of the new Order of Mass at their June 2006 meeting in Los Angeles, Bishop Serratelli wrote two columns on the new ICEL translations. He noted the “differences” among bishops in these matters, noting that “[w]hen it comes to a question about the liturgy, the bishops are always passionately engaged”, and that all the bishops recognize that the liturgy “deserves great concern and attention”.

The words of the liturgy, the bishop pointed out, “are not expressions of one individual in one particular place at one time in history.  The words used in liturgy also pass on the faith of the Church from one generation to the next. This is why the bishops take seriously their responsibility to provide for the faithful the translations of liturgical texts that are accurate and inspiring”.

(Bishop Serratelli’s columns on the new Mass translation, “Changes in the Liturgy: Why the Changes?”, and “Changes in the Liturgy: New Words, Deeper Faith”, are archived and available on the Paterson diocesan web site: http://www.patersondiocese.org.)

“Dynamic Equivalency” Deficient
Noting the importance the Second Vatican Council ascribed to the liturgy, and that the use of vernacular languages was meant to facilitate the understanding of the people, Bishop Serratelli described the approach of “dynamic equivalency”, and its deficiencies:

“In the enthusiasm of the aggiornmento [updating], translators set to work to produce translations that expressed the Latin in modes of expression appropriate to the various vernacular languages”, he explains.  

From 1969 until 2001, the document Comme le Prévoit granted translators wide latitude in translations for the liturgy. Rather quickly in the English-speaking world, translators adopted dynamic equivalency as their approach to the texts. Simply stated, dynamic equivalency translates the concepts and ideas of a text, but not necessarily the literal words or expressions.  The principle of making the text accessible to the listener outweighs other considerations.  As a result, the theological richness of the original texts can be lost and our liturgical prayer impoverished.  

Liturgium authenticam addresses this impoverishment, Bishop Serratelli wrote:

In light of the experience in the last 36 years, the Church has revisited the question of translation. Many people had noticed the deficiency of dynamic equivalency. In fact, the man who originally proposed this theory himself abandoned it. [Eugene Nida, head of the American Bible Society. — Editor] In 2001, the Holy See issued Liturgiam authenticam, a new document to guide all new translations, both of the Scriptures and of liturgical texts.

This new document espouses the theory of formal equivalency. Not just concepts, but words and expression are to be translated faithfully. This approach respects the wealth contained in the original text. In fact, the new instruction has as its stated purpose something wider than translation.  It “envisions and seeks to prepare for a new era of liturgical renewal, which is consonant with the qualities and the traditions of the particular Churches, but which safeguards also the faith and the unity of the whole Church of God” (Liturgiam authenticam 7). 

A “Catechetical Moment”
This change in method of translation as employed by the new ICEL translators will mean changes for us, in the words we say (and hear) at Mass. Some have claimed that this will unduly disturb “John and Mary Catholic”. But Bishop Serratelli, perhaps anticipating such claims, is reassuring. “The changes”, he writes, “will not disturb our faith. They will build it up”.

“The new Order of the Mass is a catechetical moment for all of us to understand more deeply the faith we express in our prayer. Lex orandi, lex credendi. The Law of prayer is the Law of belief”, the bishop reminds us, and he gives several examples to “help us to understand why we will be using new words at Mass and why this will be an improvement over our present texts”. Here are two of the four examples he gives:

First, the new translation corrects our present texts that do not follow the style and syntax of the Latin original. Thus, the order of the Gloria at the beginning of Mass will change to be more accurate in word order and style. The beginning of the first Eucharistic prayer will also change. It will now begin with direct address first to God, focusing our hearts on Him and not, as the present text begins, focusing on ourselves.

Second, the new translation is more faithful to the Scriptural allusions found within the Latin. In the third Eucharistic prayer, the words we now say, “so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name,” will become “so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.” Those who use dynamic equivalency as the principle of translation say that “from east to west” means the same as “from the rising of the sun to its setting.” It does in the sterile language of giving directions. But there is more here than mere direction. The new translation is more faithful to Scripture because it is more literal. The words are taken straight from Malachi 1:11. How powerful it is to use God’s own words to us in prayer back to God! Furthermore, the sacred text itself is much more poetic. It evokes the beauty of sunrise and sunset that speak of the majesty of God.

The increased accuracy, he wrote, “opens us up to the theological density of the Liturgy”. And he pointed out that sometimes our language at Mass “can mimic our attitudes in dress and become less fitting for the house of God. The new language will help remind us that we are in the presence of the All-Holy God who stoops to love us in Christ.”

When we begin to use the new text, Bishop Serratelli said, “we will notice and experience in so many ways the rich patrimony of faith that is celebrated in Liturgy. And we will do so in a language worthy of worshipping God.”

He points out that “[e]xperts in theology, liturgy and linguistics have collaborated with the bishops in producing the new translation of the Order of the Mass”. 

The bishop assures us: “The time is right. The need clear. The work warranted”.

Sacredness of Life & the Real Presence

  According to recent statistics, over one billion people use the Internet.  The Internet grew out of a government experiment.  In the 1960's, the U.S. Department of Defense wanted to create a computer network that would continue to function in the event of a disaster, such as a nuclear war.  Their work gave birth to the Internet.  And the result has been explosive.

The Internet has changed the way we live, not just locally, but globally.  Information, business, travel, and personal communication are no longer the same.  People can shop on line for anything from books to baked goods.  Hassling other bargain hunters in crowded stores, standing in line to purchase sports tickets or theater tickets, and browsing through a library are all rapidly receding into the past.  Even banking is conducted on line.

Today many people sit in front of their computer.  They live in a virtual world.  They fade out of the real world.  Because of modern technology, they can watch movies without ever going to a cinema.  They can listen to music all alone on their iPod.

Technology that connects us also disconnects.  We too easily forgo the many opportunities simply to be with other people.  We lose the human touch.  Surrounded by things, we become lonely.  Perhaps this is part of the reason instant messaging, chat rooms, cell phones are so popular.  We are a people constantly reaching out to stay connected.  We need a sense of personal presence.  And the deepest longing that we have for personal presence is fulfilled in the Eucharist.

The Eucharist as meal; the Eucharist as Sacrifice; the Eucharist as eschatological anticipation: all these dimensions of the Eucharist come together in the Real Presence.  Theodore of Mopsuestia (350-428 A.D.) gives witness to the consistent faith of the Church in the Real Presence.  He says, "The Lord did not say: This is a symbol of my body, and this is a symbol of my blood, but rather: This is my body and my blood.  He teaches us not to look to the nature of what lies before us and is perceived by the senses, because the giving of thanks and the words spoken over it have changed it into flesh and blood" ( Epistle to Magnus, 6).

It is the reality of the Lord's Presence that takes the Eucharist out of the category of mere symbolism and makes the Eucharist the Mystery of Divine Presence.  Not only while Mass is celebrated and the Sacrifice is offered, not only when Holy Communion is received, but Christ remains with us in the Eucharist reserved in our churches.  He is Emmanuel, that is, "God with us."
 
Day after day, Jesus builds up His Church by his Eucharistic presence.  As St. Paul teaches, "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1Cor 10:17).  In the mystery of the Eucharist, Jesus draws us into the communion of divine life that is the Church.  He prays at every Eucharist, as he prayed at the Last Supper, "Even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (Jn 17:21).  He makes our life sacred with the Presence of God.

It is especially in the Eucharist that we come face to face with the immeasurable treasure of divine love.  Our communion with the Lord in the Eucharist through the reception of Holy Communion and through adoration is the true source of the unselfish love that transforms our personal lives and society as well.
 
In the Eucharist, Jesus fulfills the longing of every disciple first expressed by the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  "They pressed him to stay with them saying, 'It is nearly evening, and the day is almost over'" (Lk 24:29).  In the Eucharist, the Lord stays with us.  Day and night the Lord is in our midst.  He dwells with us, full of grace and truth.
 
"Therefore both public and private devotion to the Most Holy Eucharist even outside Mass should be vigorously promoted, for by means of it the faithful give adoration to Christ, truly and really present, the 'High Priest of the good things to come' and Redeemer of the whole world" (Redemptionis Sacramentum, 134).  The worship of the Eucharist outside the Sacrifice of the Mass is closely linked to the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.  It is not a devotion separated from the Sacrifice of the Mass, but a deepening of the very mystery of our redemption.  In those parishes where there is regular adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, parish life is enriched, families are drawn together and vocations increase.
 
Because of the loss of the sense of the sacred in our world, we need to work at cultivating a lively awareness of Christ's Real Presence.  Every parish, every Catholic, should set time aside to worship and adore our Eucharistic Lord.  This is why it is most expedient that the Blessed Sacrament be reserved in every parish in a place of prominence.  The placing of the tabernacle in a place clearly visible to the faithful who enter the church already draws us into that communion of love that takes places in the celebration of Mass and continues in our daily life.  The arrangement of our churches should reflect our belief that the Eucharist is Jesus Christ, Crucified and Risen! 

Likewise, our conduct should always reflect our faith.  The reverence we show to the Blessed Sacrament by the positioning of the tabernacle in our churches, by our silence and prayer, and by the gesture of genuflection before the tabernacle-a custom lamentably lost in some places-lifts us beyond the profane into the awareness of the mystery of God among us.

Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament is an authentic expression of faith in the Eucharist.  It helps us recover the sense of the sacred in the liturgy and also in life.  By adoring the Most Blessed Sacrament, we come to know not simply intellectually but experientially the meaning of Jesus' final words in Matthew's gospel: "Behold, I am with you always, even until the end of time" (Mt 28:20).  Thus, we become aware of how sacred all life truly is.

Missing Mass on Sunday a Mortal Sin?

Each year many Catholics begin their lenten observance by making resolutions that will help them grow in holiness. Sometimes those resolutions will remain in force beyond the forty days of Lent. At the top of the list of lenten resolutions for most Catholics is the intention to participate in Mass more often during Lent, even daily. It is not surprising that this is perhaps the most popular lenten practice. After all, we know well that the Mass is the central act of worship of the Church. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, in accord with the constant Tradition of the Church, declares that in the celebration of Mass "is found the high point both of the action by which God sanctifies the world in Christ and of the worship that the human race offers to the Father" (#16).

It is in the light of this marvelous teaching on the meaning of the Eucharist that I find it almost incomprehensible that at this time fewer Catholics attend Mass every Sunday than at any other time in modern history. Each year the statistics released by the dioceses of the United States indicate that the total number of Catholics continues to grow, even as fewer and fewer participate in the Sunday Mass, the central act of our lives as Catholics. How can one embrace the Catholic faith and at the same time participate in the sacrament of our salvation only occasionally, if at all?

I would suggest that one reason for this lamentable fact is that we do not understand and appreciate the Eucharist as we should. Two recent papal documents summarize beautifully the rich teaching on the mystery of the Eucharist: Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter Dies Domini (The Lord's Day) of 1998 and his most recent encyclical letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia (The Church from the Eucharist) given last Holy Thursday. What a difference there would be in our love and devotion for the Holy Eucharist if every Catholic were to ponder the teachings contained in these two brief magisterial documents!

The Holy Father's encyclical reiterates the ancient faith of the Church in Christ's unique (real) presence in the Eucharist under the signs of bread and wine. We believe, of course, that the Lord is present to us in many ways and in many signs. Only in the Eucharist, however, is He present in the very substance of His body and blood. For this reason the Eucharist is rightly called "the source and summit of the Christian life" (Lumen Gentium 11). "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it" (Presbyterorum Ordinis 5). Clearly the Eucharistic liturgy holds first place in the life of the Church.

Christ's presence in the Eucharist means most especially that He is present in His paschal mystery. In other words, it is not only Jesus' body and blood that are present at every Mass, it is His saving death and resurrection that are made present so that we can enter into them. At every Mass our salvation is taking place. When we enter fully and fruitfully into the Mass by receiving Holy Communion we enter into the death and resurrection of Christ. Is it any wonder that Jesus Himself announced to His disciples and those who were in the crowd following Him: "Let me solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you" (Jn. 6:52)? So often some Catholics will say that they do "other good things" rather than go to Mass every Sunday. But no amount of "other good things" will ever substitute for participating in the Mass.

Because the Mass re-presents Christ's saving death and resurrection, Christians from the earliest days held the celebration of Mass on SUNDAY, THE LORD'S DAY, the day of His resurrection to new life, as the principal and indispensable celebration for every member of the Church. Pope John Paul writes in Dies Domini: "Since the Eucharist is the very heart of Sunday, it is clear why, from the earliest centuries, the Pastors of the Church have not ceased to remind the faithful of the need to take part in the liturgical assembly.Even if in the earliest times it was not judged necessary to be prescriptive, the Church has not ceased to confirm this obligation of conscience, which rises from the inner need felt so strongly by Christians of the first centuries.The present Code [of Canon Law] reiterates this, saying that 'on Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to attend Mass' (can. 1247). This legislation has normally been understood as entailing a grave obligation: this is the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church [no. 2181] and it is easy to understand why we keep in mind how vital Sunday is for the Christian life" (##46, 47).

In these words the Holy Father reminds each and every one of us that we are bound in conscience to attend Mass each and every Sunday and holy day of obligation under pain of serious (i.e. mortal) sin. The teaching of the Church could not be clearer. Unless there is a serious reason that makes it very difficult or impossible to attend Mass on Sundays or other days of obligation, we must do so because this is the center and heart of our lives as Catholics. Each and every time a Catholic absents himself or herself from Mass without serious reason he or she commits a mortal sin and may not return to the reception of Holy Communion without first going to confession.

So often in hearing the confessions of young children I am told by them that they do not go to Mass every Sunday because their parents do not. Parents who have presented their children for baptism into the Catholic Church are reminded of their most serious obligation to see to the raising of their children as Catholics. This means FIRST AND FOREMOST that children who have made their First Holy Communion must have the opportunity to fulfill their obligation to celebrate Sunday Mass. Parents who neglect this obligation must answer to God not only for themselves but also for their children.

As Pope John Paul has said in Dies Domini, in the first centuries of Christianity there was no need for a law to command the faithful to attend Sunday Mass. It was seen as a privilege and a necessity for salvation. Only in time, as Catholics became more lax, was it necessary to create a law to remind them of the centrality of the Mass in the Christian life. Could you imagine telling a couple anticipating marriage that it is a law of the Church that they must love each other? They would think you were crazy. A law to love each other? And yet that is exactly what we have come to with regard to the Eucharist. We need a law to bring us to the greatest gift we could ever receive - our salvation. And, sadly, many (studies suggest more than 50 %) Catholics now ignore the law and do not participate regularly in the Sunday Eucharist. How can we expect to grow in holiness as a Church or as individuals if the Eucharist is not at the center of our lives?

May Lent be a time of renewed love for the Eucharist, in particular the Sunday Mass. May I suggest that every Catholic take the time to invite another Catholic who has grown lukewarm in the faith to return to the celebration of Mass every Sunday. There could be no greater act of charity.

Source: Most Rev. Michael Sheridan, Bishop of Colorado Springs

Rites of the Church/ Latin in the Roman Rite

Different Rites in the Church

In the sacred liturgy the Church celebrates the mysteries of Christ by means of signs, symbols, gestures, movements, material elements and words. In this reflection we are focusing on words used in divine worship in the Roman or Latin Rite.

The core elements of the sacred liturgy, the seven sacraments, come from our Lord Jesus Christ himself. As the Church spread and grew among various peoples and cultures, various ways of celebrating the mysteries of Christ also developed. Four parent rites can be identified as the Antiochene, Alexandrine, Roman and Gallican. They gave rise to nine major rites in the Catholic Church today: in the Latin Church the Roman Rite is predominant, and then among the Eastern Churches we find the Byzantine, Armenian, Chaldean, Coptic, Ethiopian, Malabar, Maronite and Syrian Rites.

Each "Rite" is an historic blending of liturgy, theology, spirituality and Canon Law. The fundamental characteristics of each undoubtedly go back to the earliest centuries, the essentials to the apostolic age if not to Our Lord himself.

The Roman Rite, which is the subject of our reflection, is in modern times, as we have said, the predominant liturgical expression of the ecclesial culture we call the Latin Rite. You will know that in and around the Archdiocese of Milan a "sister Rite" is in use that takes its name from St Ambrose, the great Bishop of Milan: the "Ambrosian Rite". In certain locations and on special occasions the liturgy is celebrated in Spain according to the ancient Hispanic or Mozarabic Rite. These two venerable exceptions do not concern us here.

The Church in Rome used Greek from the beginning. Only gradually was Latin introduced until the fourth century when the Church in Rome was definitely latinized (cf. A.G. Martimort: The Dialogue between God and his People, in A.G. Martimort, ed.: The Church at Prayer, Collegeville, 1992, I, p. 161-165).

The Roman Rite has spread in most of what was known as Western Europe and the continents evangelized largely by European missionaries in Asia, Africa, America and Oceania. Today, with an easier movement of peoples, there are Catholics of the other rites (roughly identified as the Oriental Churches) in all these continents.

Most rites have an original language which also gives each rite its historical identity. The Roman Rite has Latin as its official language. The typical editions of its liturgical books are to this day issued in Latin.

It is a remarkable phenomenon that many religions of the world, or major branches of them, hold on to a language as dear to them. We cannot think of the Jewish religion without Hebrew. Islam holds Arabic as sacred to the Qur'an. Classical Hinduism considers Sanskrit its official language. Buddhism has its sacred texts in Pali.

It would be superficial to dismiss this tendency as esoteric, or strange, or outmoded, old or medieval. That would be to ignore a fine element of human psychology. In religious matters, people tend to hold on to what they received from the beginning, how their earliest predecessors articulated their religion and prayed. Words and formulae used by earlier generations are dear to those who today inherit from them. While a religion is of course not identified with a language, how it understands itself can have an affective link with a particular linguistic expression in its classical period of growth.

 Advantages of Latin in the Roman Liturgy

As was mentioned above, by the fourth century, Latin had replaced Greek as the official language of the Church of Rome. Prominent among the Latin Fathers of the Church who wrote extensively and beautifully in Latin were St Ambrose (339-397), St Augustine of Hippo (354-430), St Leo the Great (+ 461) and Pope Gregory the Great (540604). Pope Gregory, in particular, brought Latin to a great height in the sacred liturgy, in his sermons and in general Church use.

The Roman Rite Church showed extraordinary missionary dynamism. This explains why a greater part of the world has been evangelized by heralds of the Latin Rite. Many European languages which we regard as modern today have roots in Latin, some more than others. Examples are Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Portuguese and French. But even English and German do borrow from Latin.

The Popes and the Roman Church have found Latin very suitable for many reasons. It fits a Church which is universal, a Church in which all peoples, languages and cultures should feel at home and no one is regarded as a stranger.

Moreover, the Latin language has a certain stability which daily spoken languages, where words change often in shades of meaning, cannot have. An example is the translation of the Latin "propagare". The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples when it was founded in 1627 was called "Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide". But at the time of the Second Vatican Council many modern languages use the word "propaganda" in the sense in which we say "political propaganda". Therefore, there is a preference in the Church today to avoid the expression "de propaganda Fide", in favour of "the Evangelization of Peoples".

Latin has the characteristic of words and expressions retaining their meaning generation after generation. This is an advantage when it comes to the articulation of our Catholic faith and the preparation of Papal and other Church Documents. Even the modern universities appreciate this point and have some of their solemn titles in Latin.

Blessed Pope John XXIII in his Apostolic Constitution, Veterum Sapientia, issued on 22 February 1962, gives these two reasons and adds a third. The Latin language has a nobility and dignity which are not negligible (cf. Veterum Sapientia, nn. 5, 6, 7). We can add that Latin is concise, precise and poetically measured.

Is it not admirable that people, especially well-trained clerics, can meet in international gatherings and be able to communicate at least in Latin? More importantly, is it a small matter that 1 million young people could meet in the World Youth Day Convention in Rome in 2000, in Toronto in 2002 and in Cologne in 2005, and be able to sing parts of the Mass, and especially the Credo, in Latin? Theologians can study the original writings of the early Latin Fathers and of the Scholastics without tears because these were written in Latin.

It is true that there is a tendency, both in the Church and in the world at large, to give more attention today to modern languages, like English, French and Spanish, which can help one secure a job quicker in the modern employment market or in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in their country.

But the exhortation of Pope BenedictXVI to the students of the Faculty of Christian and Classical Letters of the Pontifical Salesian University of Rome, at the end of the Wednesday General Audience of 22 February 2006, retains its validity and relevance. And he pronounced it in Latin! Here is my free English translation: "Quite rightly our Predecessors have urged the study of the great Latin language so that one may learn better the saving doctrine that is found in ecclesiastical and humanistic disciplines. In the same way we urge you to cultivate this activity so that as many as possible may have access to this treasure and appreciate its importance" (in L'Osservatore Romano, 45, 23 February 2006, p. 5).

Church Architecture: Year of Liturgical Renwal

Architects would build successful Catholic churches rely on three natural laws, but over the centuries seem to have developed many other ways by which they employ elements of the Church structure as means to draw souls to God and teach them about the faith, thus helping awaken in them a response of awe and reverence that are called for by the encounter with God Himself in His dwelling. 

 

If you have traveled, you have seen some beautiful Church architect. A Church building reflects the Church herself, should only draw someone into the mysteries of the faith or the "mysterium fidei". (The three overall mysteries of the faith are primarily: Most Holy Trinity, Incarnation, and Redemption.) Over the past few decades, liturgists have redesigned churches in order to make them up to date in accord with the "spirit of Vatican II." But in reality, they have failed and this is quite obvious by simply walking inside a Church and noting that few people genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament, if it is even visible, and then quickly begin chattering with a friend sitting near them. People dress immodestly, and know little about the faith. The house of prayer does not draw its pilgrim into a spirit of prayer, and it becomes a social room or gymnasium.

 

Simple renovations such as placing the Blessed Sacrament in the center of the Church on an altar of repose, and  having a visible (preferably live-size) crucifix available for the pilgrim to pray in front of seem to center ones attention and draw much more reverence that to simply hide Jesus on the shelf in the closet or the back of the Church!!! Other things like placing beautiful statuary of the Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, Holy Angles, the Church patron, and having stations of the cross posted on the walls reflect the great history and reality of the faith. I suggest that if you have a bitter and poor looking house for the Lord, to try hard to refurbish it. It is affordable. Traditional statuary can be purchased affordably through Our Lady of Lourdes Traditional Catholic Gifts. They have stations, statues, etc. And I am sure that most parishes have a parishioner or two who would be willingly to make a noble altar for the Blessed Sacrament to be placed on. Be imagitive, but orthodox! Don't play around with Church tradition, but strive to make it grand, yet simple, because Pope Pius XII says that these two elements put together make the most noble of all churches.  

Did Vatican II discourage Latin?

Some people think, or have the perception, that the Second Vatican Council discouraged the use of Latin in the liturgy. This is not the case.

Just before he opened the Council, Bl. Pope John XXIII in 1962 issued an Apostolic Constitution to insist on the use of Latin in the Church. The Second Vatican Council, although it admitted some introduction of the vernacular, insisted on the place of Latin: "Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites" (SC, n. 36).

The Council also required that seminarians "should acquire a command of Latin which will enable them to understand and use the source material of so many sciences and the documents of the Church as well" (Optatam Totius, n. 13). The Code of Canon Law published in 1983 enacts that "the Eucharistic celebration is to be carried out either in the Latin language or in another language, provided the liturgical texts have been lawfully approved" (can. 928).

Those, therefore, who want to give the impression that the Church has put Latin away from her liturgy are mistaken. A manifestation of people's acceptance of Latin liturgy well celebrated was had at the world level in April 2005, when millions followed the burial rites of Pope John Paul II and then, two weeks later, the inauguration Mass of Pope Benedict XVI over the television.

It is remarkable that young people welcome the Mass celebrated sometimes in Latin. Problems are not lacking. So, too, there are misunderstandings and wrong approaches on the part of some priests on the use of Latin. But to get the matter in better focus, it is necessary first to examine the use of the vernacular in the liturgy of the Roman Rite today. (To be continued...)

Chaput Interview

Check out this wonderful interview with Most Rev. Charles Chaput of Denver, Colorado. Click here to watch it.

Abuse & Knowlege in Liturgy

Are you fighting liturgical abuses in your parish? Are you even aware of what is and what is not an abuse? Over the last few decades, scriptural and liturgical training on the part of the laity has down seized tremendously. It is the goal of the Second Vatican Council to instruct the faithful so that all may gain eternal life.

 

"The Church's doctrine regarding the Most Holy Eucharist, in which is the whole spiritual wealth of the Church is contained- namely Christ our Paschal Lamb- the Eucharist which is the source and summit of the whole Christian life, has been expounded with thoughtful care and with great authority over the course of centuries. In order that the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy of the Church might duly be safeguarded, the Church has laid down disciplines or rubrics which guide