The Cross Reference

Treasures of the Roman Missal: Eucharistic Prayer IV

2012-01-19T22:09:00.001-05:00

There are inexhaustible riches buried in the Eucharistic Prayers of the modern Roman Rite. The new English translation helps uncover them, but to delve even deeper, we need to look directly at the Latin. I recommend a look at Eucharistic Prayer IV, which is rarely used, but is a stellar recounting of salvation history filled with resonant biblical language and powerful imagery.

Here's a selection from the Post-sanctus of EP IV, first in the new English translation, and then in the underlying Latin:

You formed man in your own image
and entrusted the whole world to his care,
so that in serving you alone, the Creator,
he might have dominion over all creatures.
And when through disobedience he had lost your friendship,
you did not abandon him to the domain of death.

Here is the Latin:

Hominem ad tuam imaginem condidisti,
eique commisisti mundi curam universi,
ut, tibi soli Creatori serviens,
creaturis omnibus imperaret.
Et cum amicitiam tuam, non oboediens, amisisset,
non eum dereliquisti in mortis imperio.

There are two pairs of bolded words in the English and in the Latin: commisisti and amisisset, imperaret and imperio. The two pairs are translated in different manners. Let us look at the second pair first.

The word imperaret is a third person imperfect subjunctive form of the verb imperare "to order, command; to rule (over)." The word imperio is the noun form of that verb: "command; authority; rule". It is sensible to translate them into English as "might have dominion" and "the dominion", for this captures the sense of the Latin words and the linguistic link between them. The treasure I see here in the text is this: God gave dominion (mastery, you could say, or stewardship) of His creation to man, but when man sinned, He did not let death have dominion over man. This treasure is not too hard to spot in the new translation. (The previous English translation was another matter, translating these two words as "to rule" and "power", two words not immediately related to each other in English. The proposed 1998 text used "be stewards" and "power", even less associated with each other.)

But I think a more concealed treasure (partly due to the translation) is in the first pair: commisisti and amisisset. The first is the second person perfect form of the verb committere which means "to entrust" along with "to bring together, unite"; the second is the third person pluperfect subjunctive form of the verb amittere which means "to lose" along with "to send away; to part with". Both verbs are related to the root verb mittere which means "to send". The treasure to be uncovered here is that God unites — sends together, com-mittere — man and the rest of His creation as part of His friendship with man, but then man casts away — sends away, a-mittere — this friendship. God puts something special and precious into the hands of man, and man casts it aside.

These are just two pearls of great price I've uncovered as I study the Eucharistic Prayers (during the research phase of my work on Praying the Mass vol. 3, The Eucharistic Prayers). There are many more to be uncovered!

Critiquing the new translation alongside earlier ones

2011-12-27T21:01:00.000-05:00

I'm still reading Anscar Chupungco's critique of the official English translation of Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation I:

ICEL2010 takes liberty with the Latin text in unum corpus congregentur in Christo, a quo omnis auferatur divisio, whose literal meaning is: “they may be gathered into one Body in Christ, from which may every division be {482} removed.” It is obvious that a quo refers to corpus, not to Christo. There can be no division in Christ in the first place. (A Commentary on the Order of Mass, pp. 481-482)

That is a good literal translation of the Latin provided by Fr. Chupungco (a Benedictine monk). The English text he is critiquing, from the new English translation of the Roman Missal, is "they may be gathered into one Body in Christ who heals every division." He goes on to say:

The Latin text does not say that Christ “heals” every division. The verb “to heal” is not a dynamic equivalent, much less a literal translation of auferatur. What is prayed for is that all division be eliminated from the community, the body gathered into one in Christ. (Ibid, p. 482)

He has a valid point here. The verb auferre means generally "to remove". It appears in a penitential prayer of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (commonly called the Tridentine Mass), aufer a nobis... ("Take away our iniquities from us...").

I wonder, though, why here in the commentary on translation, mention is not made of earlier translations (e.g. 1975 and 1998) of the same Latin text; comparing the 2010 text to earlier translations happens quite frequently in this particular commentary. The two earlier translations I have noted (1975 and 1998) employed dynamic equivalency, and yet they rendered the phrase in question as "healed of all division" and "in whom all divisions are healed". Perhaps this is why a comparison or remark is absent.

While Fr. Chupungco is correct that "healed" does not translate (literally or dynamically) auferatur, I would dare to suggest that "healed of all division(s)" does dynamically (though not quite literally) translate omnis auferatur divisio. For, in this case, the divisions are in a body, a body which is meant to be perfectly united, perfectly one, utterly undivided. The removal, therefore, of divisions in this body appropriately be called "healing".

Translating the Sanctus

2011-12-27T20:03:00.000-05:00

The Adoremus Bulletin had an article nine years ago about the proper translation of Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. This article pointed out that while "Deus" is a noun in the nominative (subject of a verb) and vocative (direct address) cases, "Dominus" is only properly a nominative noun. The vocative form of "Dominus" is "Domine", as in Miserere, Domine.

This means the strictly literal translation of the first line of the Sanctus is really "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts," instead of what we're used to, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts."

So I was a bit surprised when reading Anscar Chupungco's analysis of the new English translation, wherein he writes:

In compliance with the norms of formal correspondence advocated by [Liturgiam Authenticam], the English Sanctus for [Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation I] in ICEL2010 (“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts”) appropriately corrects its 2007 gray book translation of this prayer (Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of hosts). (A Commentary on the Order of Mass, p. 478)

There are a number of other inaccuracies in the final translation of the Latin text which the numerous authors in the Commentary have pointed out, but I was surprised at this one.

Biblical exegesis and interfaith sensitivity

2011-12-18T21:13:00.001-05:00

I'm reading a new massive commentary on the Roman Missal by the Liturgical Press. It's very helpful for my research on the new translations of the Eucharistic Prayers, but every now and then it rubs me the wrong way with statements like these (emphasis added):

A mystagogy of EP IV needs to point out that the early church or a patristic typological interpretation of OT passages can be problematic for contemporary interfaith sensibilities. Appreciation of the prayer does need to carry with it a certain note of caution concerning its appropriation of Jewish salvation history. In other words, contemporary exegesis of OT texts lets the Hebrew Scriptures stand on their own terms. That being said, the biblical approach of EP IV can be valued and appreciated on its own terms as long as one is aware of the contemporary critique. It is important to note that the NT texts themselves often approach the Hebrew Scriptures typologically. (A Commentary on the Order of Mass of The Roman Missal: A New English Translation, pp. 427-428)

While contemporary interfaith sensibilities might justly govern interfaith activities, there is no need to abandon the scriptural tradition of the Church in reading the Old Testament in light of the revelation of Jesus Christ. Yes, this is not just an "early church" tradition (as in going back to, say, St. Ignatius of Antioch), it is a scriptural Church tradition: the evangelists did it, the apostles did it, John the Baptist did it, and Jesus Himself did it. I see no reason to avoid typological interpretation of the Bible in a mystagogical context.

Perhaps this will come off sounding insensitive, but do we risk losing parts of our authentic Catholic identity, to use a Johannine phrase, "for fear of the Jews"?

New Translation: Awkward wording in the doxology

2011-12-08T16:29:00.000-05:00

While I am for the most part pleased with the new English translation of the Roman Missal — what I've read and heard of it — there are a few awkwardly worded sections.

In this post, I'd like to examine one example: the concluding doxology of the Eucharistic Prayer. In the old translation, the priest said:

Through him, with him, in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours,
almighty Father,
forever and ever.

This is a decent (although not exact) translation of the Latin, which reads:

Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso,
est tibi Deo Patri omnipoténti,
in unitáte Spíritus Sancti,
omnis honor, et glória,
per ómnia sæcula sæculórum.

If you haven't noticed, I'm putting the prepositions in bold. Here is a strict word-for-word translation:

By him, and with him, and in him,
is to you God Father almighty,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honor and glory,
during all ages of ages.

And here's how it is rendered in the new translation:

Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours,
forever and ever.

As you can see, the individual lines of the prayer have been re-arranged to match their order in the Latin, but I think it ends up being a little anti-climactic. The order of the Latin phrases is not, in this case, necessary to the form of the prayer; this is not a collect, for example, where the prayer takes the form of "O God, who did X, we ask you, grant us Y."

There is another problem which exists in both the old and the new translation: a missing preposition. This may not seem like a big deal, but the Latin does not simply say that all glory and honor is the Father's; it specifically says that all glory and honor is (that is, it goes) to the Father by (through), in, and with the Son, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit. This small detail is not captured by either translation, and can be tricky to convey in natural-sounding English.

Does the new translation of the Mass over-emphasize our sinfulness?

2011-11-27T20:18:00.000-05:00

My parish prayed the Confiteor at Mass this morning. One thing I have read complaints about, in the new translation, is that the Confiteor over-emphasizes our sinfulness. "I have greatly sinned ... through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault."

Did you happen to notice, new translation aside, the First Reading from this morning's Mass?

Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful;
all of us have become like unclean people,
all our good deeds are like polluted rags;
we have all withered like leaves,
and our guilt carries us away like the wind.
There is none who calls upon your name,
who rouses himself to cling to you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have delivered us up to our guilt.

Geez, Isaiah! Lighten up, would you? And yet, the First Reading ends thus:

Yet, O LORD, you are our father;
we are the clay and you the potter:
we are all the work of your hands.

And so ends the Confiteor, or whatever Penitential Act is used: we acknowledge that God is almighty in His mercy, capable of granting us forgiveness of our sins, and ready to do so.

"Praying the Mass" receives Seal of Approval from the Catholic Writers' Guild

2011-11-23T09:10:00.002-05:00

I'm happy to report that the first two volumes of my series on the Mass have received the Catholic Writers' Guild Seal of Approval. As we move forward into the new liturgical year using a new translation, I hope that people find thorough and enriching resources to help them receive the new words and personalize them in their own prayer.

The commandments of Jesus

2011-11-21T16:38:00.000-05:00

The new English translation of the Roman Missal is about to come into use in the United States. It has been in partial use in England since September. It appears, however, that not only Roman Catholics have prepared to switch from the current Sacramentary to the new Roman Missal. Some Anglicans are (or were) getting ready to make the change as well. But the Anglican Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Richard Chartres, is not at all supportive of that initiative; in a pastoral letter released last Friday, he made this clear:

For those who remain [in the Church of England] there can be no logic in the claim to be offering the Eucharist in communion with the Roman Church which the adoption of the new rites would imply. In these rites there is not only a prayer for the Pope but the expression of a communion with him; a communion Pope Benedict XVI would certainly repudiate.

[...]

Priests and parishes which do adopt the new rites – with their marked divergences from the ELLC texts and in the altered circumstances created by the Pope’s invitation to Anglicans to join the Ordinariate – are making a clear statement of their disassociation not only from the Church of England but from the Roman Communion as well.

You can read the letter yourself. There is one small detail from the letter I wish to focus on, certainly not the main thrust of the letter by any means, but a Christian meme I have heard from time to time. Bishop Chartres said that "among the very few commandments that [Jesus] gave to us is 'Do this in remembrance of me.'"

Jesus did tell His disciples — and us — to do quite a bit!

Do not swear at all (Matthew 5:33ff)
Do not repay evil for evil (Matthew 5:38ff)
Give to those who ask of you (Matthew 5:42)
Do your acts of charity in secret (Matthew 6:2ff)
Do not lay up treasure on earth (Matthew 6:19ff)
Do not be anxious about anything (Matthew 6:25ff)
Do to others what you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12)

That's just a brief selection from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is depicted as the new Moses. As Moses received and dispensed the commandments of God, so too Jesus issues commandments. There's more in the rest of the Gospels and the remainder of the New Testament.

Especially during this week following the Feast of Christ the King, I think we should avoid a reductionist view of the Gospel, of the commandments of our Lord. There's more to it than simply "Do this in memory of me." There are, of course, the two greatest commandments which sum up the whole of the law and the prophets, and without which that awesome Eucharistic commandment is of no avail. And, as St. Paul reminds us, love is the fulfilling of the law.

So perhaps we can say Jesus did give us few commandments — love God and love your neighbor — and then explained in detail just how we are to do so.

Winner of Godspell ticket-drawing....

2011-11-15T14:37:00.000-05:00

I ran my randomizer on the three (sad face) people who were entered into the ticket drawing:

  DB<1> @poss = qw( mymusicboxes monica joecleary );

  DB<2> x $poss[rand @poss];
0  'monica'

So there you have it (along with some free Perl debugger code). The winner is monica.

So now monica needs to get in contact with me and I will send her the voucher for two free tickets.

Godspell in two acts

2011-10-31T16:48:00.003-04:00

On Sunday evening, I went to see the musical Godspell with my oldest brother, Fr. Charlie, at The Circle in the Square theater at 50th and Broadway. I received two complimentary tickets from the show's production company (Davenport Theatrical Enterprises) with the request that I blog about the show afterwards.

I'm going to approach this post in two acts: first an entertainment review, then an evangelical assessment. There's even an intermission. On to Act One!

The Entertainment Review

The show is performed in the intimate setting of The Circle in the Square downstairs theater. This is a small circular stage, surrounded by seats on all sides. Such a setting always introduces challenges to a production; you don't want the actors to have their backs to a quarter of the audience for too long. But the setting also provides for a dynamic use of the stage space, as well as some playful self-aware riffs, such as the embellishment on Turn Back, O Man's "See ya later, I'm going to the front of the the-a-ter."

Hunter Parrish (l) as Jesus
and Wallace Smith as John / Judas

The stage is covered in trap doors which are used to great effect twice in the production, first during Prepare Ye (along with a comedic exchange between Jesus and John the Baptist), and then during We Beseech Thee... but I won't tell you how. Just in front of the stage, on opposite sides, were cushion seats — not chairs, just cushions on the floor. These might have been uncomfortable (and suitable only for younger attendees) but they were just one element of audience participation which occurred throughout the first act. Much of the audience got the chance to mill about on the stage when some light refreshments were served during the intermission.

Tower of Babble

The show has been rather well contemporized: the opening number (Tower of Babble) employs social media devices (today's enablers of babble, as my brother pointed out), well-known celebrities and public persons are impersonated and often playfully mocked (including Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen, and even President Obama), and plenty of pop-culture references are infused throughout (including a reference to "Occupy Wall Street", a bit of the wedding procession dance, and a rather fitting incorporation of LMFAO's panegyric to alcohol and sex, Shots). The vignettes in between the songs are done in a variety of styles, including hip-hop and game shows.

The updating of the show for today's (younger) audience is where the show takes its greatest risks, usually succeeding, although sometimes falling a little flat. There are a couple of uses of "Jesus Christ" as exclamations, but these are very well-timed, obviously ironic, and ultimately non-offensive. The "exclusive language" (e.g. "man", "he", "him") was retained in the songs, and in the vignettes which were not completely revised for other reasons; the archaic "Thee"s and "Thou"s are still there too. There is also some degree of retention of the 70s origin of the musical, although not to the extreme. As mentioned earlier, there were plenty of pop culture references — not that I got them all — and most worked well, although a few seemed forced and did not garner much of a reaction from the audience (such as a reference to iPad tablets being used in heaven because Steve Jobs is there now). The updating of the vignettes also posed a problem of transitioning between a vignette and the song that followed it. The transitions were a bit sudden in the first act, but I did not notice any such problems in the second act.

Telly Leung on piano

The cast was incredible and boasts several talented Broadway debuts. Their voices were clear and powerful, and Telly Leung stands out in my memory as having a beautiful voice and an impressive range to go with it; his post-intermission singing took me by surprise. Along with their voices were their passionate and emotional performances of the show's songs. The audience was clapping and moving and singing along with them. The Last Suppper scene is particularly poignant, as the disciples individually reminisce with Jesus via some gesture related to a song they sang or a vignette they featured in, before He embraces them warmly.

All in all, a very enjoyable Broadway experience, and a delightfully refreshing fare. Playing beneath Wicked, no less!

Intermission
First, if you would like to buy tickets at a reduced rate for the show, just click here, or enter the discount code GSPRD719 when you order them.

Second, if you would like to win two free tickets, either comment on this blog-post, share it on your own blog, or re-tweet this tweet of mine. (That's three ways you can enter, and you may use all three to enter the drawing three times, but I won't accept more than three entries per person. And no cheating... you're trying to win tickets to a musical based on the Gospel according to Matthew, for heaven's sake!) I'll do a random drawing at the end of the week and the winner will be announced here and on Twitter.

If you want something to eat or drink, if you've already had something to eat or drink and need to use the restroom, now's the time. Then come back for Act Two.

The Evangelical Assessment
No matter how you slice it, Godspell is a religiously-themed musical. It's based on the Gospel according to Matthew, and not in a merely thematic sense, but in a dramatic sense: you will hear several of the parables and teachings of Jesus Christ proclaimed in a positive manner in a Broadway theater. Yes, it is couched in a half-modern, half-vintage setting, and it is paid entertainment — you pay to get in, and the actors get paid to perform their roles — but the musical gets its message in part from Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

Godspell is an entertaining presentation of some of the Gospel, but does it work as an evangelical outreach to non-believers? Does it inspire non-Christians to take not only the message of Jesus Christ, but Jesus Himself, seriously?

The Gospel as encountered in the show is, of course, not the complete Gospel, nor even the whole of the Gospel according to Matthew. To be sure, much of Matthew's Gospel is incorporated. (Roughly: Matthew 3:1-15; 4:3-10; 5:1-48; 6:1-6, 19-34; 7:1-12; 13:1-8, 18-23; 21:23-32; 22:16-21, 36-40; 23:1-39; 24:4-8; 26:20-22, 25-29, 34, 36-56; along with a crucifixion scene and Luke 10:30-37 (the Good Samaritan), 15:11-32 (the Prodigal Son), 16:19-31 (the rich man and Lazarus), and John 8:2-11 (the woman caught in adultery).) The songs also draw heavily on the Psalms and hymns.

But these scriptural excerpts are only Jesus' parables and teachings and commandments. As powerful and important as they are, there are no miracles represented, except as alluded to in local performances; for example, the 2011 Broadway revival makes a reference to the wedding at Cana, as a gag.

There is also little explicit recognition of Jesus as the Messiah or of His divine nature, although it is there if you are perceptive; for example, John's opening song is Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord, and the crucifixion includes the wording of "O God, you're dying". Both, I think, are deliberately ambiguous: you can interpret them as saying that Jesus helps prepare the way of the Lord (but is not Himself the Lord) and the ensemble is using "O God" as an exclamation; or you could say Jesus is the Lord Whose way John is preparing, and the ensemble addresses Jesus as "O God" as He hangs on the cross. (More explicitly, Jesus says "I send you prophets" in Alas For You. But does the average theater-goer pick up on the implication of that?)

There is also officially no representation of Jesus' Resurrection in the musical, although some local performances choose to add it.

So if you take the Gospel, remove the birth stories and the resurrection, omit the miracles, and leave out the other supernatural events (such as the voice of God the Father at the Jordan), you essentially have the Jefferson Bible; that is, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, Thomas Jefferson's attempt to extract Jesus' doctrine from the New Testament, avoiding any supernatural aspects. The Jesus that remains, while speaking the truth, is potentially not distinguishable from any other prophetic and charismatic leader who angers the officials and is put to death as a result: just another prophet in a long line of prophets.

Jesus' message in Godspell is clear: repent of your sins, forgive others who wrong you, live virtuously, and above all, love God. He mentions Hell and eternal punishment several times.

But the show does not provide an adequate or intelligible segue from Jesus' teaching to His death. During the song By My Side, it is mentioned that Judas begins to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus, but it is not said why. Jesus' tirade against the Pharisees from Matthew 23 is well-represented in the musical (especially through the song Alas for You) but it's not clear that those Pharisees have enticed Judas to betray Jesus, and why exactly they want Him dead. The Last Supper scene includes mention of a "covenant" but without any other context: what is a "covenant", what is the blood of a covenant, and why is Jesus suddenly having a special meal with His disciples? The result is that the crucifixion is simply the death of the disciples' leader, but not the death of his message and teachings which live on in the disciples.

So from that perspective, Godspell is about (part of) the message of Jesus, and not about Jesus Himself. I think that hinders its ability to evangelize non-Christians. (Not that I think the musical was written to be a means of Christian evangelization, but it is sometimes employed by Christians for that purpose.)

That being said, Godpsell preaches the message that God is love. If people can take that message home with them, and if that message can be a good seed in the fertile soil of their souls, then the evangelical power of Godspell is immeasurable. Consider the song We Beseech Thee from the musical (lyrics adapted from the Thomas Henson Pollock hymn, Father, Hear Thy Children's Call): "Come sing about love / that made us first to be. / Come sing about love / that made the stone and tree." The same Love Who made the universe made us each to be, and made man to be at all. And the cast sings about Love so energetically, so passionately, so powerfully. If only Christians could sing about Love — and speak, and act, and live about Love — with as much enthusiasm and conviction, the collective Christian witness would have unimaginable and far-reaching effects.

There's one difference, though. I do not say this as a slight against the cast of Godspell, but they're paid to sing about Love. As Christians, we are not paid to sing about Love; at least, we are not guaranteed any worldly reward. Is that what stops us? I hope not. Let's starting singing about Love again. Do it today, on your way home from work or school, as you prepare dinner or do the dishes, as you tuck your children into bed, as blog and tweet and surf the web. Sing about Love.

Preparing the way of the Lord

2011-10-28T07:57:00.001-04:00

This Sunday afternoon, after watching the Giants trounce the Dolphins, I will be boarding a train to NYC, foregoing the evening match between the Cowboys and the Eagles, to have dinner with my brother and then see Godspell at the Circle in the Square on Broadway.

A few weeks ago I received an email from the promotions director of the theatrical company producing the musical, offering me two free tickets so long as I blog about it. And lately it seems like I need a motivation to blog about something! (Work and home life have kept me on my toes and off blogger.)

So on Monday or Tuesday, expect another post with my review and commentary on the new production of Godspell. (I was in a community production of it back in the late 90s, and I've been pretty fond of the musical since I first heard it, so I'm quite excited to see a new production of it.)

In the meantime, if you are in the NYC area and would like to get discounted tickets to the show, just go to http://tinyurl.com/GodspellBloggerDiscount, or go to Godspell.com and enter the promotional code GSPRD719 when you buy your tickets.

(And here's a mother's review of the show, writing from the perspective of a woman caring for an autistic daughter.)

Bible Study for College Students

2011-10-05T12:06:00.000-04:00

For the past two weeks, I've been leading a Bible study for students at Rider University (in Lawrenceville, NJ). We meet Thursday evenings; we look at the upcoming Sunday's Mass readings, and try to understand them in their context and their relation to each other, as well as apply them to our lives today.

Tomorrow we're looking at pericopes from Isaiah 25, Philippians 4, and Matthew 23. Do you see anything in these readings that stands out as applying in a particular way to college students? (Phil 4:12-13 reminds me of food and money in the college context...)

Malachi 1:11 in Patristic literature

2011-10-03T12:58:00.000-04:00

Didache 14 - "But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. [...] For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: In every place and time offer to me a pure sacrifice."
Cyprian, Treatise 12, I:16 - "That the ancient sacrifice should be made void, and a new one should be celebrated"
Augustine, Letter 93:20 - "against all your brethren that are found among all nations, to whom the prophets, and Christ, and the apostles bear witness in the words of Scripture"
Augustine, Letter 185:5 - "the Church spread abroad throughout the world"
Lactantius, Epitome of the Divine Institutes 48 - "Of the Disinheriting of the Jews, and the Adoption of the Gentiles"
Augustine, Answer to Petilian the Donatist 191 - "that living sacrifice of which it is said, 'Offer unto God thanksgiving'"
Irenaeus, Against Heresies IV:17:5 - "the new oblation of the new covenant; which the Church receiving from the apostles, offers to God throughout all the world, [...] concerning which Malachi, among the twelve prophets, thus spoke beforehand [...] indicating in the plainest manner [...] that in every place sacrifice shall be offered to Him"
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 41 - "He then speaks of those Gentiles, namely us, who in every place offer sacrifices to Him, i.e., the bread of the Eucharist, and also the cup of the Eucharist"
Justin Martyr Dialogue with Trypho 117 - "the Eucharist of the bread and the cup, and which are presented by Christians in all places throughout the world"
Athanasius, Letter 4:4 - "Now He willed it to be in every place"
Athanasius, Letter 11:11 - "when the whole Catholic Church which is in every place"
Irenaeus, Fragment 37 - "the Lord instituted a new oblation in the new covenant"
Augustine, Tractates on John 35:7 - "Thou dost not come, O Jew, to a pure sacrifice"
Augustine, City of God XVIII:35 - "Since we can already see this sacrifice offered to God in every place, from the rising of the sun to his going down"
Tertullian, Against Marcion IV:1 - "Forasmuch then as he said, that from the Creator there would come other laws, and other words, and new dispensations of covenants, indicating also that the very sacrifices were to receive higher offices, and that among all nations"
Lactantius, Divine Institutes IV:11 - "that He might transfer the sacred religion of God to the Gentiles"
Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 18:25 - "the Churches of Christ are increased over all the world"
John of Damascus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith IV:13 - "This surely is that pure and bloodless sacrifice which the Lord through the prophet said is offered to Him from the rising to the setting of the sun"
Tertullian, Against Marcion III:22 - "Now, inasmuch as all these things are also found among you, and the sign upon the forehead, and the sacraments of the church, and the offerings of the pure sacrifice"
Apostolic Constitutions VI:XXIII - "Instead of a bloody sacrifice, He has appointed that reasonable and unbloody mystical one of His body and blood, which is performed to represent the death of the Lord by symbols. Instead of the divine service confined to one place, He has commanded and appointed that He should be glorified from sunrising to sunsetting in every place of His dominion."
Apostolic Constitutions VII:XXX - "On the day of the resurrection of the Lord, that is, the Lord's day, assemble yourselves together, without fail, giving thanks to God, and praising Him for those mercies God has bestowed upon you through Christ, and has delivered you from ignorance, error, and bondage, that your sacrifice may be unspotted, and acceptable to God, who has said concerning His universal Church"

Jerome: "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ"

2011-09-30T09:44:00.001-04:00

(Reposted from two years ago...)

I've heard that quote of St. Jerome's many times. But I wanted to know its context. It comes from his introduction to the book of the Prophet Isaiah. It's written in Latin, of course, but it didn't take me long to find a decent English translation of it.

[I obey] the precepts of Christ who says "examine the Scriptures" (John 5:39) and "seek and you will find." (Matt 7:7) Let me not hear with the Jews: "you are wrong because you do not know scriptures nor the power of God." (Matt. 22:29) For if, according to the apostle Paul, Christ is "the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24) and who does not know Scripture does not know the power or the wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.

On Communion under both kinds

2011-09-25T20:48:00.000-04:00

The diocese of Phoenix has been making news lately, because of the decision of Bishop Olmsted to implement the new edition of the Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds for the Dioceses of the United States (old edition here, new edition not online yet), abbreviated NDRHC. The diocese has decided, for numerous reasons, to reduce the frequency of Communion under both kinds. The diocese made the announcement through a news release and a Q&A. While both of the diocese's documents have some flaws (typos, poorly worded phrases, important words being omitted), they are certainly worth reading in their entirety.

I'd like to take this opportunity to step back to look at some history and the documentation on Communion under both kinds.

Communion under the form of bread alone for the laity (and for any non-celebrating priest) became customary in the 11th century. At the Council of Constance in 1415 it was decreed that the laity were not to receive from the chalice, under pain of sin!

Certain people, in some parts of the world, have rashly dared to assert that the christian people ought to receive the holy sacrament of the eucharist under the forms of both bread and wine. They communicate the laity everywhere not only under the form of bread but also under that of wine, and they stubbornly assert that they should communicate even after a meal, or else without the need of a fast, contrary to the church's custom which has been laudably and sensibly approved, from the church's head downwards, but which they damnably try to repudiate as sacrilegious.

Therefore this present general council of Constance, legitimately assembled in the holy Spirit, wishing to provide for the safety of the faithful against this error, after long deliberation by many persons learned in divine and human law, declares, decrees and defines that, although Christ instituted this venerable sacrament after a meal and ministered it to his apostles under the forms of both bread and wine, nevertheless and notwithstanding this, the praiseworthy authority of the sacred canons and the approved custom of the church have and do retain that this sacrament ought not to be celebrated after a meal nor received by the faithful without fasting, except in cases of sickness or some other necessity as permitted by law or by the church.

Moreover, just as this custom was sensibly introduced in order to avoid various dangers and scandals, so with similar or even greater reason was it possible to introduce and sensibly observe the custom that, although this sacrament was received by the faithful under both kinds in the early church, nevertheless later it was received under both kinds only by those confecting it, and by the laity only under the form of bread. For it should be very firmly believed, and in no way doubted, that the whole body and blood of Christ are truly contained under both the form of bread and the form of wine.

Therefore, since this custom was introduced for good reasons by the church and holy fathers, and has been observed for a very long time, it should be held as a law which nobody may repudiate or alter at will without the church's permission. To say that the observance of this custom or law is sacrilegious or illicit must be regarded as erroneous. Those who stubbornly assert the opposite of the aforesaid are to be confined as heretics and severely punished by the local bishops or their officials or the inquisitors of heresy in the kingdoms or provinces in which anything is attempted or presumed against this decree, according to the canonical and legitimate sanctions that have been wisely established in favour of the catholic faith against heretics and their supporters. (Session 13)

This was, in my opinion, a rather severe reaction to a rather reasonable request, that all the faithful should be permitted to receive Communion under both kinds. Now, perhaps this needn't be done all the time, and the Church firmly believes that Communion under a single kind is not an incomplete Communion, but to forbid the laity from receiving under the form of wine seems unreasonable to me. (To be fair, the "request" was a demand that the faithful ought (always) to receive under both kinds, which was deemed unreasonable.)

Less than 150 years later, the Council of Trent reconsidered the question of Communion under both kinds in Session 21, but merely affirmed doctrines concerning concomitance and the lack of necessity for one (other than the celebrating priest) to receive Communion specifically under both kinds:

The two articles proposed on another occasion but not yet discussed, namely,
whether the reasons which moved the holy Catholic Church to decree that laymen and priests not celebrating are to communicate under the one species of bread only, are so stringent that under no circumstances is the use of the chalice to be permitted to anyone; and
whether, in case it appears advisable and consonant with Christian charity that the use of the chalice be conceded to a person, nation or kingdom, it is to be conceded under certain conditions, and what are those conditions,
the same holy council reserves for examination and definition to another time, at the earliest opportunity that shall present itself.

The matter of the concession of the chalice was brought up in the next session, with the following result:

Moreover, since the same holy council in the preceding session reserved to another and more convenient time the examination and definition of two articles which had been proposed on another occasion and had then not yet been discussed, namely,
whether the reasons which induced the holy Catholic Church to decide that lay people and also priests when not celebrating are to communicate under the one species of bread, are so to be retained that under no condition is the use of the chalice to be permitted to anyone; and
whether in case, for reasons befitting and consonant with Christian charity, it appears that the use of the chalice is to be conceded to any nation or kingdom, it is to be conceded under certain conditions, and what are those conditions;
it has now, in its desire to provide for the salvation of those on whose behalf the petition is made, decreed that the entire matter be referred to our most holy Lord [the Pope], as in the present decree it does refer it, who in accordance with his singular prudence will do what he shall judge beneficial for the Christian commonwealth and salutary for those who petition for the use of the chalice.

In other words: the Council of Trent left the decision up to the Pope, who at that time decided not to change the discipline. Whether individuals were permitted to receive from the chalice by making a petition, I do not know.

Fast forward to the Second Vatican Council. The first document, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, opened the door to Communion under both kinds:

55. [...] The dogmatic principles which were laid down by the Council of Trent remaining intact, communion under both kinds may be granted when the bishops think fit, not only to clerics and religious, but also to the laity, in cases to be determined by the Apostolic See, as, for instance, to the newly ordained in the Mass of their sacred ordination, to the newly professed in the Mass of their religious profession, and to the newly baptized in the Mass which follows their baptism.

By 1970, a list of specific instances when Communion under both kinds would be permitted was devised. Another document from 1970 permits bishops to allow Communion under both kinds on other occasions, but under the following conditions: "Ordinaries are not to grant blanket permission but, within the limits set by the conference of bishops, are to specify the instances and celebrations for this form of communion. To be excluded are occasions when the number of communicants is great. The permission should be for specific, structured, and homogeneous assemblies."

The GIRM from 1975 gives similar instructions:
242. [...] [C]onferences of bishops have the power to decide to what extent and under what considerations and conditions Ordinaries may allow communion under both kinds in other instances that are of special significance in the spiritual life of any community or group of the faithful. Within such limits, Ordinaries may designate the particular instances, but on condition that they grant permission not indiscriminately but for clearly defined celebrations and that they point out matters for caution. They are also to exclude occasions when there will be a large number of communicants. The groups receiving this permission must also be specific, well-ordered, and homogeneous.
However, the US adaptation of the GIRM included "weekday Masses" in the list of occasions at which the chalice could be conceded, and in 1978, the US Bishops extended this to all holy days of obligation (Sundays included).

That this exceeded the intentions of the Holy See was made clear in 1980 in the document Inaestimabile Donum:

With regard to Communion under both kinds, the norms laid down by the Church must be observed [...] Episcopal conferences and ordinaries also are not to go beyond what is laid down in the present discipline: the granting of permission for Communion under both kinds is not to be indiscriminate, and the celebrations in question are to be specified precisely; the groups that use this faculty are to be clearly defined, well disciplined, and homogeneous.

Permission for Communion under both kinds on weekday and Sunday Masses does not fit that description. It was not until 1984 that Rome officially permitted the diocese of the US to distribute Communion under both kinds under their own conditions, and this is now reflected in the Latin GIRM:

283. Communio sub utraque specie permittitur, praeter casus in libris ritualibus expositos:
sacerdotibus qui sacrum celebrare vel concelebrare non possunt;
diacono et ceteris qui aliquod officium in Missa implent;
sodalibus communitatum in Missa conventuali vel in illa quae «communitatis» dicitur, alumnis seminariorum, omnibus qui exercitiis spiritualibus vacant vel conventum spiritualem aut pastoralem participant.
Episcopus dioecesanus normas circa Communionem sub utraque specie pro sua dioecesi definire potest, etiam in ecclesiis religiosorum et in parvis coetibus servandas. Eidem Episcopo facultas datur Communionem sub utraque specie permittendi, quoties id sacerdoti celebranti opportunum videatur, dummodo fideles bene instructi sint et absit omne periculum profanationis Sacramenti vel ritus difficilior evadat, ob multitudinem participantium aliamve causam.

Quod autem ad modum distribuendi fidelibus sacram Communionem sub utraque specie, et ad facultatis extensionem Conferentiae Episcoporum normas edere possunt, actis a Sede Apostolica recognitis.

In the English translation of the GIRM (with US adaptations), this reads as follows:

283. In addition to those cases given in the ritual books, Communion under both kinds is permitted for:
Priests who are not able to celebrate or concelebrate Mass;
the Deacon and others who perform some duty at the Mass;
members of communities at the Conventual Mass or the “community” Mass, along with seminarians, and all those engaged in a retreat or taking part in a spiritual or pastoral gathering.
The Diocesan Bishop may establish norms for Communion under both kinds for his own diocese, which are also to be observed in churches of religious and at celebrations with small groups. The Diocesan Bishop is also given the faculty to permit Communion under both kinds whenever it may seem appropriate to the Priest to whom a community has been entrusted as its own shepherd, provided that the faithful have been well instructed and that there is no danger of profanation of the Sacrament or of the rite’s becoming difficult because of the large number of participants or for some other cause.

In all that pertains to Communion under both kinds, the Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America are to be followed (particularly nos. 27-54).

This brings us, finally, to these US Norms for Holy Communion. After an introductory section on Holy Communion in general, the norms recapitulate what the GIRM says about specific occasions on which Communion under both kind may be offered, and about the bishop drawing up norms for his diocese and even permitting pastors of individual parishes to allow Communion under both species as they see fit (NDRHC 22-24).

The norms stress the need for proper formation (catechesis) on the Eucharist (25):

the ecclesial nature of the Eucharist as the common possession of the whole Church;
the Eucharist as the memorial of Christ's sacrifice, his death and resurrection, and as the sacred banquet;
the real presence of Christ in the eucharistic elements, whole and entire--in each element of consecrated bread and wine (the doctrine of concomitance);
the kinds of reverence due at all times to the sacrament, whether within the eucharistic Liturgy or outside the celebration; and
the role that ordinary and, if necessary, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist are assigned in the eucharistic assembly

The norms then address the matter of the ministers (ordinary and extraordinary) of Holy Communion (26-28). Also mentioned are reverence (29), proper planning (30-31), preparations (32-35), and then liturgical directives starting with the Preparation of the Gifts through to the purification of the sacred vessels (36-55); the document ends with a concluding paragraph (56).

But back in paragraph 24, after quoting the GIRM, the US norms state this:

In practice, the need to avoid obscuring the role of the priest and the deacon as the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion by an excessive use of extraordinary minister[s] might in some circumstances constitute a reason either for limiting the distribution of Holy Communion under both species or for using intinction instead of distributing the Precious Blood from the chalice.

This part of paragraph 24 intersects with the list of reasons given by the diocese of Phoenix for limiting Holy Communion under both forms to certain times and under certain conditions (Q&A #4):

To protect the Sacred Species from profanation (careless treatment, spillage, swilling, etc.);
The practice is not in any way necessary for salvation — it is a fuller sign of Holy Communion, but not a fuller reality of Christ Himself than what is received under the form of bread alone;
The practice is used to emphasize special feast days and other special moments in the lives of the faithful;
The unity of the practice throughout the world is an act of solidarity in the universal Church — rich and poor countries alike; and
In normal circumstances, only priests and deacons are to distribute Holy Communion; when both forms of Communion are used frequently, "extraordinary" ministers of Holy Communion are disproportionately multiplied.

I want to close by pointing out that members of the faithful who are homebound or in hospitals routinely receive Communion under a single species, and that at non-eucharistic liturgies where Communion is distributed (e.g. Good Friday) it is distributed under the form of bread alone.

How would you teach third-graders about the Church?

2011-09-22T09:58:00.000-04:00

In two weeks' time I will be a catechist for third-graders at my parish, St. Hedwig's in Trenton. The curriculum for the year (using the Sadlier series) is "We are the Church". So I get to teach these third-graders about the Catholic Church: the who, the what, the how, the why.

On the first day, I'm going to ask them a few easy questions to get their brains working: what is the Church, who started it, who belongs to it? But then I'm going to step back and ask them a more basic question: what does the word "church" mean?

How would you talk to the third-graders about the Church? What language would you use (or avoid)? What points of history and theology would you make (or pass over)? And, most importantly, how would you relate it to them so that it's not a bunch of head-knowledge, but helps them grow as individual Catholics in that Church?

Approaching the altar

2011-09-15T21:44:00.002-04:00

The faithful [...] understood well that they all partook both in the offering of the Mass and in the receiving of the Eucharist, both in sacrifice-oblation and sacrifice-banquet. The ancient ceremonial brought this out very plainly. The faithful approached the altar at the Offertory and at the Communion, first to give and later to receive. The Mass was both their gift to God through Christ and God's gift to them through Christ.

Fr. Busch, Orate Fratres vol. II, no. 5

quoted in Fr. Martin Hellriegel's The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, p. 41 (1944)

The Gospel at Mass

2011-09-15T21:28:00.001-04:00

When, for example, on the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost we hear the Gospel of the "Widow of Naim" we must take it not only historically (as it occurred 1900 years ago) but also liturgically (as it is happening now). Today Mother Church brings her dead (or crippled) children back to the compassionate Jesus who by His life-restoring, life-perfecting mysteries will heal these sons and daughters and given them back to their Mother, the Church, turning her sadness into gladness. Weep not, good Woman, here is your son, your daughter, restored to life!

The Gospel (chanted or read in Holy Mass) is not only instruction, it is also revelation. In human form the divine becomes present. As often as the holy Gospel is announced, Christ the Lord steps into our midst. "Jesus in the midst of His disciples!" If the Gospel were instruction only, the frequent repetition of certain Gospel-portions might be considered unnecessary. But because it is an appearance of Christ, a revelation of the Lord, an "epiphany" of our God-King, it is as refreshing as the daily rising sun, old yet ever new. No matter how often a passage be read (liturgically, not just privately), no matter how well we might know its contents, it is for us another opportunity to say: Gloria tibi! Laus tibi! to Christ our Lord again becoming present in our midst.

Fr. Martin Hellriegel, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, p. 34 (1944)

Different methods of translation

2011-09-09T19:54:00.001-04:00

These texts come from various translations of the Roman Missal, courtesy Fr. Z. They are the collect for September 9, the memorial of St. Peter Claver.

Latin (2002 Missale Romanum)
Deus, qui beatum Petrum servorum servum effecisti
eumque mira in eis iuvandis caritate et patientia roborasti,
eius nobis intercessione concede,
ut, qua Iesu Christi sunt, quaerentes,
proximos opere et veritate diligamus.

English (1973 English translation)
God of mercy and love,
you offer all peoples
the dignity of sharing in your life.
By the example and prayers of Saint Peter Claver,
strengthen us to overcome all racial hatreds
and to love each other as brothers and sisters.

English (2011 English translation)
O God, who made Saint Peter Claver a slave of slaves
and strengthened him with wonderful charity and patience
as he came to their help,
grant, through his intercession,
that, seeking the things of Jesus Christ,
we may love our neighbor in deeds and in truth.

Quite a difference in method of translation, eh?

"And with your spirit" and the new Gloria

2011-09-07T19:07:00.000-04:00

Thursday morning at 8:10 AM (Eastern) tune into your local EWTN radio affiliate to hear me speaking with Brian Patrick of the Son Rise Morning Show about the new English translation of the Mass, specifically our response "And with your spirit" and the changes to the Gloria.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Plum Barbecue Sauce

2011-09-06T10:30:00.000-04:00

It's slow-going at The Cross Reference. It's been over a month since I posted here... but I've got a lot going on, between work, home, book-research, earthquakes, hurricanes, and roast pork tenderloins with plum barbecue sauce.

Yes, delicious pork with delicious plum sauce. Check out the recipe at my wife's blog, The Pursuit of Vegetables.

Euthanasia and compassion

2011-07-29T16:43:00.002-04:00

There are two words or phrases that are bandied about when euthanasia is brought up in a positive light: "compassion" and "putting someone out of his/her misery". One is wrong (and dreadfully so) and one is correct (and dreadfully so).

It is not "compassionate" to euthanize someone; at least, not according to what "compassion" means. It comes from the Latin com- ("with") passio -> patior ("suffer, endure"). To be compassionate toward someone is to suffer with them, not to remove their suffering (and their life along with it). Euthanasia is utterly anti-compassionate.

But euthanizing someone certainly does "put him out of his misery." Again, we must consider what "misery" and "miserable" really mean. The Latin root is miser ("pitiable"): misereo means "to show pity" and miserabilis means "worthy of pity." To show pity to someone means to show mercy to them. Indeed, the word "mercy" comes from the Latin misericors (misereo + cor "heart"), essentially meaning "a heart that shows pity". So yes, euthanizing a man puts him out of his misery! It removes from him the need to be shown mercy to; it removes from him that which compels another who has a heart to show him mercy.

Pius X, XI, and XII on congregational singing at Mass

2011-07-27T20:56:00.000-04:00

Special efforts are to be made to restore the use of the Gregorian Chant by the people, so that the faithful may again take a more active part in the ecclesiastical offices, as was the case in ancient times. (Tra le sollecitudini, Pius X, 1903)

In order that the faithful may more actively participate in divine worship, let them be made once more to sing the Gregorian Chant, so far as it belongs to them to take part in it. It is most important that when the faithful assist at the sacred ceremonies, or when pious sodalities take part with the clergy in a procession, they should not be merely detached and silent spectators, but, filled with a deep sense of the beauty of the Liturgy, they should sing alternately with the clergy or the choir, as it is prescribed. If this is done, then it will no longer happen that the people either make no answer at all to the public prayers -- whether in the language of the Liturgy or in the vernacular -- or at best utter the responses in a low and subdued manner. (Divini Cultus, Pius XI, 1928)

Therefore, they are to be praised who, with the idea of getting the Christian people to take part more easily and more fruitfully in the Mass, strive to make them familiar with the "Roman Missal," so that the faithful, united with the priest, may pray together in the very words and sentiments of the Church. They also are to be commended who strive to make the liturgy even in an external way a sacred act in which all who are present may share. This can be done [...] in high Masses when they answer the prayers of the minister of Jesus Christ and also sing the liturgical chant. (Mediator Dei, Pius XII, 1947)

It is the duty of all those to whom Christ the Lord has entrusted the task of guarding and dispensing the Church's riches to preserve this precious treasure of Gregorian chant diligently and to impart it generously to the Christian people. [...] May it thus come about that the Christian people begin even on this earth to sing that song of praise it will sing forever in heaven. (Musicae Sacrae, Pius XII, 1955)

In solemn Mass there are three degrees of the participation of the faithful: a) First, the congregation can sing the liturgical responses. These are: Amen; Et cum spiritu tuo; Gloria tibi, Domine; Habemus ad Dominum; Dignum et justum est; Sed libera nos a malo; Deo gratias. Every effort must be made that the faithful of the entire world learn to sing these responses. b) Secondly, the congregation can sing the parts of the Ordinary of the Mass: Kyrie, eleison; Gloria in excelsis Deo; Credo; Sanctus-Benedictus; Agnus Dei. Every effort must be made that the faithful learn to sing these parts, particularly according to the simpler Gregorian melodies. But if they are unable to sing all these parts, there is no reason why they cannot sing the easier ones: Kyrie, eleison; Sanctus-Benedictus; Agnus Dei; the choir, then, can sing the Gloria, and Credo. In connection with this, the following Gregorian melodies, because of their simplicity, should be learned by the faithful throughout the world: the Kyrie, eleison; Sanctus-Benedictus; Agnus Dei of Mass XVI from the Roman Gradual; the Gloria in excelsis Deo, and Ite, missa est-Deo gratias of Mass XV; and either Credo I or Credo III. In this way it will be possible to achieve that most highly desirable goal of having the Christian faithful throughout the world manifest their common faith by active participation in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and by common and joyful song. c) Thirdly, if those present are well trained in Gregorian chant, they can sing the parts of the Proper of the Mass. This form of participation should be carried out particularly in religious congregations and seminaries. (De Musica Sacra, Sacred Congregation for Rites (during Pius XII), 1958)

Looking for the following books...

2011-07-20T07:24:00.002-04:00

If you own any of the following books, and would be willing to part with it briefly so that I can read them and take notes from them, I would be most grateful!

Leave a comment letting me know which book(s) you can provide.

Understanding the Mass by Charles Belmonte
The Mass by Lucien Deiss
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by Martin Hellriegel
The Eucharistic Prayer by Josef Jungmann
Study the Mass by Pius Parsch
The New Mass by A. M. Roguet
The Canon of the Mass and Liturgical Reform by Cypriano Vagaggini
Discovering the Mass by Gerard Calvet
The Mass of All Time by Marcel Lefebvre
Christian Life and Worship by Gerard Calvet
Beyond the Prosaic by Stratford Caldecott

Is the Eucharist a sacrifice "before" it is a meal?

2011-07-08T10:00:00.002-04:00

The following is from a series of comments made on a post on the Pray Tell Blog. The comments have been edited slightly to keep the conversation focused on the matter of the Eucharist as a sacrifice "before" (my language) it is a meal.

Gerard Flynn: The offering, made by the community, of the body and blood of the Lord, to God, which takes places after the institution narrative, constitutes the sacrifice of the mass. It is the kernel of that which allows the mass to be called a sacrifice.

Jeffrey Pinyan: Certainly — it’s what makes the Mass a sacrifice. It’s what makes the Eucharist a sacrifice to God before It is a banquet for us.

Gerard Flynn: There is no basis for your claim that the eucharist is a sacrifice before it is a banquet. Your use of the word ‘before’ is ambiguous since, on the one hand, it may simply be an indication that X is anterior to Y. However, on the other hand, it may be interpreted in a qualitative, rather than in a temporal sense. In either case, it is unhelpful.

Jeffrey Pinyan: I don’t think that my claim is baseless or unhelpful. Chronologically speaking, the Eucharist is offered to (and received by) God as a sacrifice in the anaphora, and only after the anaphora is the Eucharist offered to (and received by) us as a communal banquet. Qualitatively speaking (from the Catholic perspective), does not the Eucharist as a communion meal derive its sign value and its efficacy from the very fact that it is a sacrifice? It’s not just Jesus’ favorite or last meal, or a meal to remember Him by. It is a sacrificial meal, not just of His Body and Blood, but of the Body which He gave and the Blood which He poured out. The Eucharist, being in the forms of bread and wine, is clearly meant to be received by us, to be eaten. I lament that western Catholics generally lost sight of that for centuries. But I think it is easier to lose sight of the Eucharist as being a sacrifice which we offer to God, and I would lament the loss of this understanding.

Gerard Flynn: If you simply mean that the eucharist is a sacrifice before it is a meal, in an anterior sense, the point is so trite and inocuous that it doesn’t deserve to have any cyber ink spilt over it.

Jeffrey Pinyan: I think it’s worth noting that such an important part of the anaphora, the offering of the Eucharist to God, can be missed if we’re not paying attention. It’s what makes the Mass a sacrifice and not just a factory for producing Communion. It’s hard to miss the Communion Rite, but it’s easy to miss the offering in the anaphora.

Gerald Flynn: Furthermore, to claim that God receives the sacrifice before the eucharist is consumed is to conflate and confuse the two spheres of human existence (time) and divine existence (eternity). It is anthropomorphic nonsense to speak of anteriority in this context.

Jeffrey Pinyan: Then keep the perspective temporal — we offer it to God before we presume to receive it ourselves. Or, you could say that God gets the first-fruits of the Eucharist.

At this point, Tom Poelker replied to my "qualitatively" point from my second response, which I'll repeat here:

Jeffrey Pinyan: Qualitatively speaking (from the Catholic perspective), does not the Eucharist as a communion meal derive its sign value and its efficacy from the very fact that it is a sacrifice? It’s not just Jesus’ favorite or last meal, or a meal to remember Him by. It is a sacrificial meal, not just of His Body and Blood, but of the Body which He gave and the Blood which He poured out.

Tom Poelker: Could someone better versed in Scripture and history than I please check this? Was not the Eucharist celebrated as a meal long before it was cited as a sacrifice? Was not the Eucharist valued as a memorial meal before it was valued as a sacrifice? If I am remembering this correctly,then it is impossible that “the Eucharist as a communion meal derive its sign value and its efficacy from the very fact that it is a sacrifice.”

Jeffrey Pinyan: The first Eucharist anticipated, or pre-presented, the sacrifice of the Cross. Christ called the bread His body “which IS given” and the wine His blood “which IS [being] poured out”. Our liturgical texts use the future tense because of the Clementine Vulgate, I think, but the Greek uses present passive participles.

Tom Poelker: Why are you not addressing the original perceptions of the Eucharist instead of repeating the later theological thoughts about it? This is exactly what I was trying to get away from, in seeking more information about what is known from Paul and Luke and the writings of the next generation or two. When did this looking back and connecting it to sacrifice begin, if I am correct that it is not the earliest frame of reference?

At this point, I decided to provide some scriptural starting points from which Tom and I could continue our discussion.

Jeffrey Pinyan: Tom, earlier, you had asked: “Was not the Eucharist celebrated as a meal long before it was cited as a sacrifice? Was not the Eucharist valued as a memorial meal before it was valued as a sacrifice?” Is the core of the matter whether Christians considered the Eucharist a sacrifice offered to God, or whether they considered the Eucharist to be sacrificial?

Here are some verses which I think display a first-or-second-generation perception of sacrifice in the (first) Eucharist.

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt 26:28)

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” (Mk 14:24)

“This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. … This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Lk 22:19-20)

“Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Cor 5:7)

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16)

“This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. … This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. ” (1 Cor 11:24-26)

“We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.” (Heb 13:10)

[Christians quickly (at least by Justin Martyr's time) saw the Eucharist as the fulfillment of Mal 1:11. That seems to say something about the nature of the Eucharist as an offering/sacrifice to God.]

Then I provided commentary on those verses.

Jeffrey Pinyan: Jesus says the bread is His body “which is (given) for” us; He refers to His blood as the “blood of the covenant”, or to the cup as “the new covenant in my blood.”

His institution of the Eucharist is marked by sacrificial language (especially when you consider the verb tense in the Greek) — the bread and wine become present manifestations of His future Passion. The “covenant” language evokes Exodus 24: “And Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, ‘Behold the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you …’” The blood comes from a sacrifice; my apologies if this point is trite or inocuous.

When Jesus says that we should “do this in remembrance” of Him, part of the “this” is the making present of the covenant-sacrifice by means of bread and wine. And it is not only being made present to us, but to the Father as well. This is why Paul can say that we participate in Christ’s body and blood via the bread and cup, and how we “proclaim the Lord’s death” by celebrating the Eucharist (and specifically by eating it).

The eating then brings us the “pasch” imagery. Jesus is our pasch, our Passover Lamb. Not only did the Israelites sacrifice a lamb and then eat it, but they smeared its blood on their doorposts, in effect “showing” the sacrifice to God. The Passover was at once a meal and a sacrifice, inextricably linked: if you sacrificed it but did not eat it, you were not following the commandment (and who knows if you would have ended up dead?); if you ate the meal without sacrificing the lamb (and smearing its blood), the meal was not a covenant meal at all.

So the Passover’s efficacy as a meal was rooted in it being a sacrifice, while its efficacy as a sacrifice was only realized if it was eaten as a meal.

Finally, the obscure mention of “an altar” from which Christians have a right to eat (I do not think I am out of bounds to say that) in Hebrews 13 implies a sacrifice offered on that altar, the fruits of which are consumed by those offering.

NEW Catechism Search

2011-07-01T16:14:00.001-04:00

I've spent the past two weeks developing a new version of my Catechism search engine. You can see the results of my labors here: http://www.catholiccrossreference.com/tools/

The Compendium, Lectionary, and Document search engines will be similarly updated during the month of July.

John is the voice: The Nativity of John the Baptist

2011-06-24T09:24:00.000-04:00

The following is from St. Augustine's sermon #293:

John is the voice, but the Lord is the Word who was in the beginning. John is the voice that lasts for a time; from the beginning Christ is the Word who lives for ever. Take away the word, the meaning, and what is the voice? Where there is no understanding, there is only a meaningless sound. The voice without the word strikes the ear but does not build up the heart.

However, let us observe what happens when we first seek to build up our hearts. When I think about what I am going to say, the word or message is already in my heart. When I want to speak to you, I look for a way to share with your heart what is already in mine.

In my search for a way to let this message reach you, so that the word already in my heart may find place also in yours, I use my voice to speak to you. The sound of my voice brings the meaning of the word to you and then passes away. The word which the sound has brought to you is now in your heart, and yet it is still also in mine.

When the word has been conveyed to you, does not the sound seem to say: The word ought to grow, and I should diminish? The sound of the voice has made itself heard in the service of the word, and has gone away, as though it were saying: My joy is complete. Let us hold on to the word; we must not lose the word conceived inwardly in our hearts.

Do you need proof that the voice passes away but the divine Word remains? Where is John’s baptism today? It served its purpose, and it went away. Now it is Christ’s baptism that we celebrate. It is in Christ that we all believe; we hope for salvation in him. This is the message the voice cried out.

Because it is hard to distinguish word from voice, even John himself was thought to be the Christ. The voice was thought to be the word. But the voice acknowledged what it was, anxious not to give offence to the word. I am not the Christ, he said, nor Elijah, nor the prophet. And the question came: Who are you, then? He replied: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord. The voice of one crying in the wilderness is the voice of one breaking the silence. Prepare the way for the Lord, he says, as though he were saying: “I speak out in order to lead him into your hearts, but he does not choose to come where I lead him unless you prepare the way for him”.

What does prepare the way mean, if not “pray well”? What does prepare the way mean, if not “be humble in your thoughts”? We should take our lesson from John the Baptist. He is thought to be the Christ; he declares he is not what they think. He does not take advantage of their mistake to further his own glory.

If he had said, “I am the Christ”, you can imagine how readily he would have been believed, since they believed he was the Christ even before he spoke. But he did not say it; he acknowledged what he was. He pointed out clearly who he was; he humbled himself.

He saw where his salvation lay. He understood that he was a lamp, and his fear was that it might be blown out by the wind of pride.

Two more books on the new translation of the Mass

2011-06-16T09:13:00.001-04:00

In addition to the three books I mentioned earlier, there are two more that have recently come to my attention. Magnificat has one coming out this month (The Roman Missal Companion), and another local author (Mary Poust, from the diocese of Metuchen, my former stomping grounds) published a book on the Mass and prayer in March, The Essential Guide to Catholic Prayer and the Mass.

Tools back online!

2011-06-14T07:55:00.001-04:00

Thanks to the generous offer from Ryan M. (who I know through the Catholic Answers Forums), my Catechism, Lectionary, and Magisterial Documents search tools now have a new home, with an easy-to-remember address (as recommended by John): www.CatholicCrossReference.com

I will be making several enhancements to the web site over the next two weeks, but the tools are operational right now. Look for a shiny "official" release on July 1 (the Feast of the Sacred Heart and the Feast of the Most Precious Blood).

Books on the new translation of the Mass

2011-06-12T18:29:00.001-04:00

I've just finished reading Mystical Body, Mystical Voice. I've already read A Biblical Walk Through the Mass and The Mass. These are the three other books on the new translation I'm aware of. In the near future (July?) I will post reviews of each of these books. I'll also highlight how my books differ from these others.

Have a blessed Pentecost!

Tools offline

2011-06-07T15:32:00.001-04:00

Update: The tools are back online at http://www.catholiccrossreference.com/

For the past two weeks or so, my Catechism, Lectionary, and Document search tools have been offline. This is a server problem which is outside of my control. The administrator of the web server which hosts my programs is attempting to resolve the issue.

The technical details: the web server did not restart after a power outage and is not booting up completely. The hard disk is expected to be recoverable (meaning my code is not lost), but I do not have a time-table for this.

I've received a few emails about this and have responded individually, but this is the most convenient way for me to get this information across to my readers and those who use the programs. When a solution has been found, I'll announce it here.

One possible solution was provided by a generous reader who offered free server hosting for the tool. I may very well take him up on this offer. Any recommendations for a good domain name for a web site hosting Catechism, Lectionary, and Church Document search tools? Memorable and easy-to-type are good qualities to aim for...

What Anthony Weiner can teach us

2011-06-07T10:43:00.000-04:00

After a rather lengthy absence from blogging — between my personal life and my work, including a coding binge during April so that I could take a nearly three-week vacation in May (including two glorious weeks in England... post coming on that later) — I'm back on the scene.

By now you have heard of Rep. Anthony Weiner (NY-D) and "Weinergate". Long story short: congressman has sexually explicit conversations with several women online and on the phone, and accidentally sends a woman an inappropriate picture via a public tweet. (He meant it to be a direct message, a private tweet.) In a panic, he began concocting a fable that his Twitter account was hacked, and that he was the victim of some hoax or prank. Yesterday, he set the record straight and took responsibility for his actions; he was visibly distressed during his public apology, which appeared heartfelt.

What can we learn from this? What can be gained by looking at this little (?) scandal from a Catholic perspective? A little foray into the Catechism of the Catholic Church (II.2.2.4 — The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, specifically nn. 1451-1454) sheds light on the matter.

When it comes to sin and reconciliation, Catholic theology calls the sinner's first step towards reconciliation contrition. The Catechism defines it as "sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again." (CCC 1451) The Catechism goes further and distinguishes between two kinds of contrition: imperfect and perfect.

Imperfect contrition is what we express when we consider the ugliness of sin or, more likely (I think), the eternal ramifications that our sins have on our own selves. Yes, I'm talking about "the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner." (CCC 1453) This imperfect contrition (also called attrition) is a contrition which grows out of fear. This sort of contrition is not the ideal, but it is still a gift of God, a movement of the Holy Spirit within us: it is sufficient for our honest entreaty to God for pardon and forgiveness, which is brought to completion in sacramental confession. Imperfect contrition is infinitely and eternally better than no contrition!

The ideal, however, is perfect contrition. While imperfect contrition is derived from fear of Hell, perfect contrition is derived from love of God, "a love by which God is loved above all else." (CCC 1452) Instead of thinking of ourselves and the mess we've gotten into, we think of God and how, by sinning, we have offended Him, Who is "all good and deserving of all [our] love", as one popular Act of Contrition puts it. This contrition moves us to be sorry for our sins out of our love for such a great and merciful God, a God Who endured the Passion and Crucifixion for us, because of our sins.

So what does this have to do with Rep. Weiner, the scandal, and the public apology?

If we take Rep. Weiner at his word, he is "deeply sorry" for the "terrible mistakes" he had made. He is aware of "the pain this has caused" his wife, family, constituents, friends, supporters, and staff. (Realize that his staff was told to lie about the situation — whether they knew it or not, they were spreading mistruths by advancing the "hacking" fable.) He admits to not telling the truth and to doing things he "deeply regret[s]", and he apologizes for it. He is "deeply ashamed of [his] terrible judgment and actions." One would hope he will not make this errors in judgment in the future; that is, that he has a "firm purpose of amendment." (He did not make this clear in his statement.)

Rep. Weiner is showing contrition for his sins, even if he didn't say it that way. But let us consider why he is contrite: due to a small accident of his keyboard, his actions were suddenly made public, brought to light. I'm sure he would have preferred no one else ever knew about these things. But because his conduct is becoming public knowledge, he feels remorse for what he has done. I think we could consider that "imperfect contrition". Who knows if he would have ever been moved to contrition if that inappropriate picture had been privately (rather than publicly) transmitted?

But let us not find ourselves in Anthony's situation of having a private mess made public, compounding our sin with more sin (such as lying), compelling us to come clean. We should not wait for imperfect contrition, for a soul-shuddering fear of Hell to move us to ask God for pardon. We must want to love God more fully so that our fear diminishes — as St. John so eloquently wrote in 1 John 4:18, perfect love casts out fear. Let us learn from Anthony's mistakes, and our own, and approach the throne of grace and mercy, not looking over the precipice to the depths below, but looking ahead and up at our loving Father. May we receive the grace to be truly and perfectly contrite for our sins.

The Day After Tomorrow (Family Radio Edition)

2011-05-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

If this post appears, it's a pretty good indicator that the "May 21, 2011" Judgment Day prediction advanced by Mr. Harold Camping was the latest in a long line of incorrect guesses about when Jesus Christ would return.

Jesus said on several occasions that He would return at an hour we do not expect.* See Matthew 24-25 for a few examples. He also made it clear that we cannot know the day nor the hour of His return: [The disciples] asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority." (Acts 1:6-7)

Anyone claiming to have such knowledge is claiming knowledge beyond that which was given to the Apostles, knowledge that Jesus Himself appears to have disavowed in His human nature. In Catholic terms, they're claiming to have an additional revelation that surpasses the deposit of faith which God placed in the Church.

* The trick to prevent Jesus from ever returning is to always be expecting Him to return, thus preventing Him from returning at an hour you do not expect. But I'm sure we have better things to do with our time!

Son Rise Morning Show, Tuesday, 7:45 AM (ET)

2011-04-30T17:15:00.000-04:00

I'll be on the Son Rise Morning Show on EWTN radio this Tuesday morning at 7:45, to talk about my second book on the Mass and the new translation, Praying the Mass: The Prayers of the Priest.

Book Signing at Ave Maria Shop in Morrisville, PA

2011-04-28T13:59:00.000-04:00

Jeffrey Pinyan will be doing a

Book Signing at the Ave Maria Shop

312 West Trenton Ave, Morrisville, PA

On Saturday, May 7, 2011, from 11 AM to 3 PM

Books on the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite

2011-04-19T19:46:00.000-04:00

Starting in June, I will begin work on the third volume of Praying the Mass, which looks at the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite (and their new English translation in the third edition of the Roman Missal). As of right now, I am not planning on including the Eucharistic Prayers for Children, but I may change my mind about that.

What follows is my research list; these are books that do at least one of the following:

provide a commentary on the whole Mass (including the Roman Canon and/or other Eucharistic Prayers)
provide a commentary on the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite (whether just the Roman Canon or other Eucharistic Prayers as well)

If you know of any books not on this list that you think I should get, please provide them in the comment-box!

The Bible and the Liturgy (Danielou)
The Bible and the Mass (Stravinskas)
The Canon of the Mass and Liturgical Reform (Vagaggini)
Catholics and the Eucharist (Clark)
The Church at Prayer (Martimort)
A Commentary on the Prefaces and the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Missal (Soubigou)
Discovering the Mass (Calvet)
The Eucharistic Prayer (Jungmann)
The Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite (Mazza)
Explanation of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (von Cochem)
Explanation of the Prayers and Ceremonies of Holy Mass (Gueranger)
The Great Prayer (Williamson)
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Gihr)
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Hellriegel)
How to Understand the Mass (Lefebvre)
The Liturgy of the Mass (Parsch)
Loving and Living the Mass (Kocik)
The Mass (Deiss)
The Mass (Fortescue)
The Mass (Jungmann)
The Mass (Oury)
The Mass of All Time (Lefebvre)
The Mass and its Folklore (Matthews)
The Mass of the Roman Rite (Jungmann)
The Mass and the Saints (Crean)
New Mass (Roguet)
The Origins of the Eucharistic Prayer (Mazza)
Prayers of the Eucharist (Jasper and Cuming)
The Reform of the Liturgy (Bugnini)
The Splendour of the Liturgy (Zundel)
Study the Mass (Parsch)
Understanding the Mass (Belmonte)
The Wisdom of Adrian Fortescue (Davies)

Eucharistic Prayer Inserts for Ritual Masses

2011-04-19T17:16:00.001-04:00

NUPTIAL MASSES
EP I
Latin	English 2008	English 2010
Hanc ígitur oblatiónem servitútis nostrae, sed et famulórum tuórum N et N totiúsque famíliae tuae, quae pro illis tuam exórat maiestátem, quaesumus, Dómine, ut placátus accípias: et sicut eos ad diem nuptiárum perveníre tribuísti, sic (tuo múnere desideráta sóbole gaudére profícias, atque) ad optátam sériem próvehas benígnus annórum. (Per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen.)	Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation of our service, that of your servants N. and N. and of your whole family, who entreat your majesty on their behalf; and as you have granted them to reach their wedding day, so (make them rejoice in your gift of the children they desire and) bring them in your kindness to the length of days for which they hope. (Through Christ our Lord. Amen.)	Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation of our service, the offering of your servants N. and N. and of your whole family, who entreat your majesty on their behalf; and as you have brought them to their wedding day, so (gladden them with your gift of the children they desire and) bring them in your kindness to the length of days for which they hope. (Through Christ our Lord. Amen.)
EP II
Latin	English 2008	English 2010
Recordáre quoque, Dómine, N et N, quos ad diem nuptiárum perveníre tribuísti: ut grátia tua in mútua dilectióne et pace permáneant.	Remember also, Lord, N. and N., whom you have brought to their wedding day, so that by your grace they may abide in mutual love and peace.	Be mindful also, Lord, of N. and N., whom you have brought to their wedding day, so that by your grace they may abide in mutual love and in peace.
EP III
Latin	English 2008	English 2010
Confórta, quaesumus, in grátia Matrimónii N. et N., quos ad diem nuptiárum felíciter adduxísti, ut fodus quod in conspéctu tuo firmavérunt, te protegénte, in vita semper consérvent.	Strengthen, we pray, in the grace of Marriage N. and N., whom happily you have brought to the day of their wedding, that with your protection they may always be faithful in their lives to the covenant they have sealed in your presence.	Strengthen, we pray, in the grace of Marriage N. and N., whom you have brought happily to their wedding day, that under your protection they may always be faithful in their lives to the covenant they have sealed in your presence.

SCRUTINIES
EP I
Latin	English 2008	English 2010
Meménto, Dómine, famulórum famularúmque tuárum, qui eléctos tuos susceptúri sunt ad sanctam grátiam baptísmi tui, et [recitantur nomina patrinorum et matrinarum] et ómnium circumstántium, quorum tibi fides cógnita est… Hanc ígitur oblatiónem, Dómine, ut propítius suscípias, deprecámur, quam tibi offérimus pro fámulis et famulábus tuis, quos ad aetérnam vitam et beátum grátiae tuae donum numeráre, elígere atque vocáre dignátus es. (Per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Amen.)	Remember, Lord, your servants who are to present your chosen ones for the holy grace of your Baptism, [here the names of the godparents are read out] and all gathered here, whose faith and devotion are known to you. Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation of our service, which we make to you for your servants whom you have been pleased to number, to choose and to call for eternal life and for the blessed gift of your grace. (Through Christ our Lord. Amen.)	Remember, Lord, your servants who are to present your chosen ones for the holy grace of your Baptism, [here the names of the godparents are read out] and all gathered here, whose faith and devotion are known to you. Therefore, Lord, we pray: graciously accept this oblation which we make to you for your servants, whom you have been pleased to enroll, choose and call for eternal life and for the blessed gift of your grace. (Through Christ our Lord. Amen.)
EP II
Latin	English 2008	English 2010
Recordáre quoque, Dómine, servórum tuórum, qui hos eléctos susceptúri sunt ad fontem regeneratiónis.	Remember also, Lord, your servants who are to present these chosen ones at the font of rebirth.	Remember also, Lord, your servants who are to present these chosen ones at the font of rebirth.
EP III
Latin	English 2008	English 2010
Adiuva grátia tua, quaesumus, Dómine, servos tuos, ut hos eléctos verbo et exémplo perdúcant ad vitam novam in Christo, Dómino nostro.	Assist your servants with your grace, O Lord, we pray, that they may lead these chosen ones by word and example to new life in Christ, our Lord.	Assist your servants with your grace, O Lord, we pray, that they may lead these chosen ones by word and example to new life in Christ, our Lord.

Lectors: prepare ahead of time!

2011-04-15T15:37:00.000-04:00

This delightful anecdote is from Paul Ford (around the 27-minute mark of the first video on this page).

Readers should never pretend to wing it. The worst example I can give you: the feast of Corpus Christi, the reader, a very talented actor in the parish, an Irishman, flew into the sacristy and said "What's the reading today?" They showed it to him, he looked it over, okay. 1st Corinthians. [He said:] "The bread that we break is not the body of Christ. The cup that we bless is not the blood of Christ."

From across the church, I cupped my hands and I said, "Is it not! Is it not!" And when he said, "The word of the Lord," I said "It is not!"

What is the Mass for?

2011-04-15T00:15:00.001-04:00

I know I slept through most of my RCIA classes, but what is the Mass for if not to meet the spiritual needs of the people attending?

I’m sorry that you slept through your RCIA classes. Learning about God and the Catholic faith shouldn’t have to be boring!

The sacred liturgy is, above all things, the worship of God. Even if we were to get nothing out of Mass — we were distracted during the readings, or we didn’t understand them, the homily was replaced by a Bishop’s Annual Appeal video, and we did not receive Holy Communion (for whatever reason) — still, vere dignum et iustum est, aequum et salutáre, nos tibi semper et ubíque grátias ágere, Dómine, sancte Pater, omnípotens aetérne Deus, per Christum Dóminum nostrum.*

But there’s more to it than that, of course. Mass has four ends; the acronym “ACTS” or “PACT” has been used as a mnemonic.**

Adoration
Contrition
Thanksgiving
Supplication/Petition

Even when we don’t particularly feel contrite, the Mass calls us to contrition; even when we don’t feel like giving thanks, there is the Eucharist; even when we are struggling to adore God in the midst of natural disasters that take the lives of thousands and tens of thousands, the liturgy puts on our lips a Gloria or a Glory Be or an Alleluia; and even when we think we’re doing pretty well for ourselves, thankyouverymuch, the Prayer of the Faithful challenges us to be “poor in spirit” and to throw all our cares (and those of the whole world) upon the Lord. That’s meeting our spiritual needs, even when we don’t acknowledge we have them. (And the Mass is beneficial even for those who aren’t in attendance.)
All these ends are directed to the glorification of God: adoration and thanksgiving immediately so, and contrition and supplication mediately, for God is glorified in His mercy and generosity. Those latter two ends are directed toward our sanctification.

To be even more succinct, the Mass and the whole liturgy of the Church is directed to the glorification of God and the sanctification of humanity. That’s what Vatican II said several times:

Christ indeed always associates the Church with Himself in this great work wherein God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. (SC 7)

From the liturgy [...] the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God [...] is achieved in the most efficacious possible way. (SC 10)

The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God. (SC 59)

There is hardly any proper use of material things which cannot thus be directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God. (SC 61)

The purpose of sacred music [is] the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful. (SC 112)

[source]

* "It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, to give you thanks always and everywhere, Lord, Holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord."

** Another mnemonic, PART, uses "Reparation" in place of "Contrition". Yet another is ALTAR: Adore, Love, Thank, Ask, Repent.

Responding to criticism about my books

2011-04-04T13:15:00.000-04:00

In a recent thread on the Catholic Answers Forum (now locked, because the conversation went off-topic), I had a bit of a back-and-forth with a clergyman (whether deacon or priest, I do not know) who goes by the handle FAB about my books.

I was bit short (and rude) with him as you can see below, but I'm trying to mellow out and be more civil and charitable as our conversation continues.

Apr 1, '11, 5:35 pm

FAB

Regular Member

Join Date: July 11, 2007

Posts: 1,126

Religion: Catholic

Re: New translation of Mass question

I read the parts of your books on Amazon. Even though they contain great historical information, they lean two much on the practices of the extraordinary form of the mass as well as explanations from that mass in attenpts to explain the Novous Ordum. Vatican II in what I read gets only brief mention and the quotes are given from various popes to particularly drive what seems to be a more traditional view. You talk of particiaption in the mass, but not of the communial nature of it, maybe you cover it else were, but since I'm not planing on buying them I'll won't find out. In my opinion there are many other books which cover the mass which do focus on it alone.

Apr 1, '11, 9:57 pm

japhy

Forum Supporter
Book Club Member

Join Date: February 28, 2007

Location: Ewing, NJ, USA

Posts: 5,381

Religion: Catholic (Roman Rite)

Re: New translation of Mass question

By all means, make your judgment based on only those parts of the book you could read for free on Amazon.

My books are about the Ordinary Form of the Mass. I draw on material about the Roman Rite, both old and new. Much of the source material is about the older forms of the Mass, because the Ordinary Form has only been around for a few decades. But because the Mass is the Mass, a lot of what was written 50, 100, 200, and 1500 years ago is applicable to our liturgy today.

I do cover the communal nature of the liturgy, especially when talking about the "communion of saints", the Confiteor (where we ask our brothers and sisters to pray for us, and they ask US to do the same for THEM), and other places throughout the books.

I do talk about what Vatican II said about the liturgy. But Vatican II is very recent in our liturgical history, and there's a lot more to be said about the liturgy than Vatican II said. But again, I do quote Sacrosanctum Concilium a great deal. And the modern Catechism too.

It's pointless for me to defend my book against someone who hasn't read it.

Yesterday, 9:51 am

FAB

Regular Member

Join Date: July 11, 2007

Posts: 1,126

Religion: Catholic

Re: New translation of Mass question

Amazon has the first chapter of each of you books on line, which is enough to get a flavor of them. You talk about past practices, and speak of them as though they should still be done, instead of using them as a reference and expaining why some practrices are no longer used. In doing so you mislead by implying that those practices were better or more sacred than the Novus Ordum. In doing so you implant seeds of doubt. They are promoting a certain agenda and not particularly a renewal of the understanding of the mass that the Bishops are promoting as part of the institution of the revised missal.

Yesterday, 11:17 am

japhy

Forum Supporter
Book Club Member

Join Date: February 28, 2007

Location: Ewing, NJ, USA

Posts: 5,381

Religion: Catholic (Roman Rite)

Re: New translation of Mass question

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

Amazon has the first chapter of each of you books on line, which is enough to get a flavor of them.

If you want another free sample, visit my web site and read a chapter from each book (free) on the Liturgy of the Word. Please, let me know what you think of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

You talk about past practices, and speak of them as though they should still be done, instead of using them as a reference and expaining why some practrices are no longer used.

Please give examples. You're being far too vague for me to make a sufficient response. Are you perhaps referring to the vesting prayers, which were once required but are no longer? And a longer fast before the Eucharist?

Generally speaking, I employ the "hermeneutic of reform in continuity", endorsed by Pope Benedict, whereby I believe that former liturgical practices can help inform and form our modern liturgical practices. There is value even in those things that have been, for one reason or another, discarded from the liturgy over time. Two examples which you won't see from the free samples of the books are the ancient (and discontinued) practices of the fermentum and the sancta (rites which predate and are not present in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass) during the Fraction of the Eucharistic Host.

The introduction of both books begins at the start of papal interest in the modern liturgical reform movement, which was Pius X's Tra la sollecitudini, then Pius XI's Divini cultus, then Pius XII's Mediator Dei. All three of those documents are sources for Vatican II's Sacrosanctum Concilium. For example:

When the faithful assist at the sacred ceremonies they should not be merely detached and silent spectators. (Pius XI, 1928)

The Church earnestly desires that Christ’s faithful, when present at Mass, should not be there as strangers or silent spectators. (Vatican II, 1963)

We are filled with a most ardent desire to see the true Christian spirit flourish in every respect in all the faithful, who acquire it from its foremost and indispensable font, which is the active participation in the most holy mysteries and in the public and solemn prayer of the Church.(Pius X, 1903)

Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithfulshould be led to that fully conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy … for it is the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit. (Vatican II, 1963)

Especially in the book on the priest's prayers, I use (discarded) elements of the Extraordinary Form to provide context for the (remaining) elements of the Ordinary Form.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

In doing so you mislead by implying that those practices were better or more sacred than the Novus Ordum. In doing so you implant seeds of doubt.

I do think that certain practices (like the use of the vesting prayers and a longer fast before the Eucharist) are better than our present ones, but I do not force that opinion on anyone. But I will certainly share those opinions, as well as the reasons for them. It's my book, after all.

I do not think I would call them "more sacred", however. I don't think I'm qualified to make such a judgment. And I do not think my books plant seeds of doubt -- in any case, that was certainly never my intent at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

They are promoting a certain agenda and not particularly a renewal of the understanding of the mass that the Bishops are promoting as part of the institution of the revised missal.

What is the "they" here? These older liturgical practices? My books?

Again, if you have not read the books, you have completely no way of knowing whether they promote "a renewal of the understanding of the mass that the Bishops are promoting."

Tell you what. If you're sincere about offering a critique of my books, I'll send you the PDFs of both of them free of charge. It's the least kindness I can do to a reviewer.

At this point, the thread was locked because the content of my books was not the topic, and the conversation on the topic had ended. So we went to messages.

Today, 11:28 am

FAB

Regular Member

Join Date: July 11, 2007

Posts: 1,126

Religion: Catholic

book

Japhy,

since the thread we were having our discussion has been closed, I did want to answer your last questions concerning your books.

I understand from the bio I read on you that you are by trade a computer programer, I didn't see any educational background on Theology, no did I see any colaboration in the righting of the books.

Besides the prayers for vesting which are no longer in use, to include these in a book to try to instruct clergy on praying the mass seems very much out of place. I not certain what he point of including it was except for a historical reference. Since I am part of the Catholic Clergy, I hope you were not in some way presuming to lecture on a practice that you feel should still be performed.

The other issue I found in the segment that I read had to do with the presentation of the gifts and the Chalice veil. You referenced that the GIRM in dacted that the the use of the veil was still laudable. Just to make certain I hadn't miss something, I went back this morning and read the sections on the GIRM conscerning the preparation of the altar and sacred vessels and found no such comment.
The other point I found an issue with was the presentation of the gifts, the idea that they represent Christ being lead to be crucified. Even in an pre Vatican II Explaintion of the gifts it describes them as the people offering themselve to God, and since the gifts come from Christ, the people join in that giving.
The current description is thast these are gifts from the people going back to the early Church when the faithful would bring gifts of food to be shrared.
Christ said you cannot put new wine into old wine skins. This seems to be waht you are attempting with your books. Trying to instruct on how to pray the Novous Ordum through the focus of previous lituries.

Peace and blessings

Today, 12:40 pm

japhy

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Join Date: February 28, 2007

Location: Ewing, NJ, USA

Posts: 5,381

Religion: Catholic (Roman Rite)

Re: book

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

you are by trade a computer programer, I didn't see any educational background on Theology, no did I see any colaboration in the righting of the books.

That is completely correct. I have a C.S. degree and am a computer programmer. I have no formal education in theology or liturgy. I've just done a lot of reading.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

Besides the prayers for vesting which are no longer in use, to include these in a book to try to instruct clergy on praying the mass seems very much out of place. I not certain what he point of including it was except for a historical reference. Since I am part of the Catholic Clergy, I hope you were not in some way presuming to lecture on a practice that you feel should still be performed.

The vesting prayers may no longer be required, but that does not mean they are not in use. They have been included in other resources for the liturgy, such as Bishop Peter Elliot's Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite.

I included them because I consider them to be a valuable means of preparing for the Mass. The prayers have good spiritual and doctrinal content. Meditating on them (whether you're ordained or not) might bear some spiritual fruit for someone.

And I do not think it is out of my place to suggest something to a priest. I am not ordering priests to pray these prayers, I am only reminding them of the prayers (or maybe they never knew of them in the first place?) and making a suggestion that they be used.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

I went back this morning and read the sections on the GIRM ... and found no such comment.

I referred directly to GIRM 118 in my book. I do not know what version of the GIRM you have, but here is what I see: 2002 GIRM: "It is a praiseworthy [laudibiliter] practice to cover the chalice with a veil, which may be either the color of the day or white." (#118)

If you're referring to the footnote which mentions the use of a veil in covering the tabernacle, the supporting documentation is: Eucharisticum Mysterium 57 (1967), Eucharistiae Sacramentum 11 (1973), and Inaestimabile Donum 25 (1980). I should have included at least one of those references in my footnote.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

The other point I found an issue with was the presentation of the gifts, the idea that they represent Christ being lead to be crucified.

That was simply one interpretation of the action, from Theodore of Mopsuestia (died in A.D. 428). It is presented simply to give another perspective, a perspective which interpreted the liturgy as depicting various stages of the Lord's life and/or Passion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

Even in an pre Vatican II Explaintion of the gifts it describes them as the people offering themselve to God...

(Theodore certainly was pre-Vatican II. He was pre-Ephesus and pre-Chalcedon!) As for "the people offering themselves to God", I do cover that, for example, pages 124-125 of Priest (with a quote from JP II). It is also addressed more fully in People (pages 106-107 and 109-112).

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

The current description is thast these are gifts from the people going back to the early Church...

That is also covered in my books. Believe it or not, both of these explanations are still valid and current.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FAB

Christ said you cannot put new wine into old wine skins. This seems to be waht you are attempting with your books. Trying to instruct on how to pray the Novous Ordum through the focus of previous lituries.

(It's spelled Novus Ordo.)

Our Lord also said that the "scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old." (Matt. 13:52) And I think what I'm doing is taking old wine and putting in a new wineskins, not new wine in old wineskins... but I could be wrong.

If the use of older catechisms and older writings and older liturgies is forbidden or doomed to failure for catechizing people about the Ordinary Form of the Mass, then my efforts will not work at all. That's not what I've seen, though.

There's plenty of "old stuff" in our modern Roman Rite. Lots of the prayers are old. The Roman Canon is pretty ancient. Even older is Eucharistic Prayer II, which was plucked from the 3rd century, cleaned up a bit, and inserted into the modern Roman Rite a few decades ago. A lot of the explanations of these old prayers are old as well, such as the five catechetical lectures of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, yet they remain ever-relevant to our modern liturgy.

I'm trying to teach about about the Ordinary Form of the Mass in the context not only of the 1962 Missal, but of the whole liturgical history of the Church. I think an approach which shuns everything before 1969 (or at least, everything that is not present in the modern Roman Rite) is short-sighted and unnecessarily strict.

Concern for the new English translation example: Advent I

2011-03-29T11:51:00.000-04:00

(This comes from a thread on Catholic Answers Forum about the new translation.)

The following prayer is an example of poor translation: a pronoun not connecting intuitively with its antecedent. This example is sadly one which we will hear on the first day of the new translation's use!

First Sunday of Advent - Post-Communion

May these mysteries, O Lord,
in which we have participated, profit us, we pray,
for even now, as we walk amid passing things,
you teach us by them to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what endures.

What is the "them" referring to? It's so far away from "mysteries", and much closer to "passing things" (which it immediately follows) that the average reader -- or, more to the point, listener -- will connect "them" with "passing things". So this prayer will be interpreted to mean that the Eucharist will enable the "passing things" of this world to teach us "to love the things of heaven."

That's not what the prayer really says!

Prosint nobis, quaesumus, Dómine,
frequentáta mystéria, quibus nos, inter praetereúntia ambulántes,
iam nunc instítuis amáre caeléstia et inhaerére mansúris.

In the Latin, there is no confusion: "quibus" (by which) is in the ablative, and immediately follows the ablative expression "frequentata mysteria". The phrase "praetereúntia ambulántes" is in the accusative, as required by the preposition "inter".

Here's a rough literal translation, with the word order as it is in the Latin:

May [they] be of benefit to us, we pray, Lord,
[these] frequented mysteries, by which us, while walking amid passing [things],
even now you teach to love heavenly things and cling to abiding [things].

The "by which us ... you teach" is rendered like that simply to match the Latin word order, but it is really "by which you teach us". Here's a cleaner translation:

O Lord, may these mysteries we frequent profit us, we pray,
for you teach us by them, even now as we walk amid that which passes away,
to love heavenly things and hold fast to that which endures.

The previous revision of this prayer, from 2008, was clearer than the 2010 version:

May these mysteries in which we have participated
profit us, we pray, O Lord,
for even now, as we journey through this passing world,
you teach us by them
to love the things of heaven
and hold fast to what will endure.

It was clear that "them" refers to the "mysteries", despite the distance between "mysteries" and "them", because there was no other plural noun to confuse "them" with. Sure, the plural expression "praetereúntia ambulántes" was made into a singular (but collective/encompassing) noun "this passing world", but that sort of adjustment is not forbidden, and it is done elsewhere even in the 2010 translation!

So this is not a matter of getting used to Latin syntax (not required by the translation guidelines) or some elevated language. This is a bad editorial decision, a poor translation.

Support and concern for the new English translation

2011-03-27T14:02:00.000-04:00

Louie Verrecchio, a columnist for the Catholic News Agency, has put together a petition by which people can show their prayerful support of our bishops as they begin (or continue) their catechetical efforts to prepare people for the new English translation of the Roman Missal: "What If We Just Said 'Pray'?"

The petition reads:

We are very concerned about those who are attempting to undermine the new English translation of the Roman Missal. We believe that by [sic] imposing their negative attitudes on our people - especially before a program of preparation - will have an adverse effect on our prayer and cause serious division in our communities.

We are convinced that adopting these new translations, which are highly faithful and which leaders among our bishops as well as many highly respected liturgists and linguists consider to be substantially richer than the text we’ve been praying lo these past forty years, will be a great grace.

For this reason we earnestly applaud the bishops of the English-speaking world for their contribution to the new translations and we welcome this great opportunity to grow in our awareness of Holy Mass through liturgical catechesis.

Furthermore, we hereby commit ourselves to earnest prayer for our bishops; that they may be strengthened in their ministry, as well as for the conversion of all who oppose Holy Mother Church - especially those who struggle to embrace the new English translation of the Roman Missal.

We are convinced that this approach will lift up the entire People of God who have so much to gain by the corrected translations.

We realize that the power of intercessory prayer is unlimited, as are the graces made available to those who approach the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with humility.

Ad Iesum per Mariam!

Now, I would not go so far as to say that people who are "struggl[ing] to embrace the new English translation" are people "who oppose Holy Mother Church", but the petition has a laudable aim. I signed it because I am aware of efforts by various people to discourage Catholics from approaching the new translation inquisitively and calmly, and I think this makes any attempt at liturgical catechesis that much harder. I think we do need to pray for the bishops, and for all involved in liturgical catechesis, that they may be able to teach the people well.

At the same time, there are continued "reports" of flaws and deficiencies in the new translation. I am becoming less and less convinced of the degree to which the new translation is "highly faithful" to the Latin and to the principles of translation put forth in Liturgiam Authenticam and the Ratio Translationis. Examples such as the post-communion on the First Sunday of Advent, the translation of adstare as "to be" rather than "to stand" in Eucharistic Prayer II, the complete dropping of a phrase about an angelic messenger from the Preface for the Annunciation. These examples come from the contributors to and readership of the sometimes-controversial but resource-abundant Pray Tell Blog.

Pope Leo the Great on Lent II (Sermon 40)

2011-03-24T16:30:00.000-04:00

Each week of Lent, I will be posting a sermon of Pope St. Leo the Great on Lent, with my meager commentary on the right in smaller blue.

This is Sermon 40 (and here it is in Latin). In this sermon, which refers to the readings from the first Sunday in Lent, Leo makes a doctrinal point (Christ's dual natures: human and divine) while discussing Satan's tempting of our Lord in the desert.

I. Progress and improvement always possible
Although, dearly-beloved, as the Easter festival approaches, the very recurrence of the season points out to us the Lenten fast, yet our words also must add their exhortations which, the Lord helping us, may be not useless to the active nor irksome to the devout. For since the idea of these days demands the increase of all our religious performances, there is no one, I am sure, that does not feel glad at being incited to good works. For though our nature which, so long as we are mortal, will be changeable, is advancing to the highest pursuits of virtue, yet always has the possibility of falling back, so has it always the possibility of advancing. And this is the true justness of the perfect that they should never assume themselves to be perfect, lest flagging in the purpose of their yet unfinished journey, they should fall into the danger of failure, through giving up the desire for progress..	The season of Lent is meant to incite us even more (than the rest of the year) to the performance of good works. It is the sign of holiness and an indicator that a man is on the way of perfection that he never considers himself having reached perfection, and so no one can justly consider himself freed from the obligations of this holy season.
And, therefore, because none of us, dearly beloved, is so perfect and holy as not to be able to be more perfect and more holy, let us all together, without difference of rank, without distinction of desert, with pious eagerness pursue our race from what we have attained to what we yet aspire to, and make some needful additions to our regular devotions. For he that is not more attentive than usual to religion in these days, is shown at other times to be not attentive enough.	None of us is perfect in virtue, so we should all alike strive to grow in holiness and perfection, rather than consider ourselves good enough.
II. Satan seeks to supply his numerous losses by fresh gains
Hence the reading of the Apostle's proclamation has sounded opportunely in our ears, saying, "Behold now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation." For what is more accepted than this time, what more suitable to salvation than these days, in which war is proclaimed against vices and progress is made in all virtues? You had indeed always to keep watch, O Christian soul, against the enemy of your salvation, lest any spot should be exposed to the tempter's snares: but now greater wariness and keener prudence must be employed by you when that same foe of yours rages with fiercer hatred.	Pope Leo quotes 2 Cor. 6:2, which was the epistle reading for the First Sunday in Lent. He is saying that the days of Lent are indeed an acceptable time for directing our minds towards salvation and the conquering of vices by virtue.
For now in all the world the power of his ancient sway is taken from him, and the countless vessels of captivity are rescued from his grasp. The people of all nations and of all tongues are breaking away from their cruel plunderer, and now no race of men is found that does not struggle against the tyrant's laws, while through all the borders of the earth many thousands of thousands are being prepared to be reborn in Christ : and as the birth of a new creature draws near, spiritual wickedness is being driven out by those who were possessed by it.	The devil laments this penitential season when men and women are wrested from his grasp and brought into the bosom of the Church in the Paschal sacraments. Whether Leo meant by "now no race of men is found" that he thought the Gospel had truly been preached to the whole world, I do not know. Perhaps he thought it had reached the whole known world.
The blasphemous fury of the despoiled foe frets, therefore, and seeks new gains because it has lost its ancient right. Unwearied and ever wakeful, he snatches at any sheep he finds straying carelessly from the sacred folds, intent on leading them over the steeps of treasure and down the slopes of luxury into the abodes of death. And so he inflames their wrath, feeds their hatreds, whets their desires, mocks at their continence, arouses their gluttony.	Because souls are being freed from Satan's grasp, this penitential season is a cause for him to re-double his efforts as well.
III. The twofold nature of Christ shown at the Temptation
For whom would he not dare to try, who did not keep from his treacherous attempts even on our Lord Jesus Christ? For, as the story of the Gospel has disclosed, when our Saviour, Who was true God, that He might show Himself true Man also, and banish all wicked and erroneous opinions, after the fast of 40 days and nights, had experienced the hunger of human weakness, the devil, rejoicing at having found in Him a sign of possible and mortal nature, in order to test the power which he feared, said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." (Matthew 4:3)	Since Satan did not balk at the thought of tempting the Lord, we can be sure he will not be timid in tempting us. Here Leo begins to weave in the theme of the doctrinal importance of this Gospel passage, that Christ is true God and true man.
Doubtless the Almighty could do this, and it was easy that at the Creator's command a creature of any kind should change into the form that it was commanded: just as when He willed it, in the marriage feast, He changed the water into wine: but here it better agreed with His purposes of salvation that His haughty foe's cunning should be vanquished by the Lord, not in the power of His Godhead, but by the mystery of His humiliation. At length, when the devil had been put to flight and the tempter baffled in all his arts, angels came to the Lord and ministered to Him, that He being true Man and true God, His Manhood might be unsullied by those crafty questions, and His Godhead displayed by those holy ministrations.	Christ conquered Satan in the desert not by virtue of His divinity, but by virtue of His humanity. Then, when the devil left Him, the fact that angels came to minister to Him is seen by Leo as a sign of His divinity.
And so let the sons and disciples of the devil be confounded, who, being filled with the poison of vipers, deceive the simple, denying in Christ the presence of both true natures, while they rob either His Godhead of Manhood, or His Manhood of Godhead, although both falsehoods are destroyed by a twofold and simultaneous proof: for by His bodily hunger His perfect Manhood was shown, and by the attendant angels His perfect Godhead.	I do not know if there was a particular heretical group which Leo had in mind at this time, but he makes it clear that anyone who denies the divinity or humanity of Christ is at odds with this Gospel passage.
IV. The Fast should not end with abstinence from food, but lead to good deeds
Therefore, dearly-beloved, seeing that, as we are taught by our Redeemer's precept, "man lives not in bread alone, but in every word of God," and it is right that Christian people, whatever the amount of their abstinence, should rather desire to satisfy themselves with the "Word of God" than with bodily food, let us with ready devotion and eager faith enter upon the celebration of the solemn fast, not with barren abstinence from food, which is often imposed on us by weakliness of body, or the disease of avarice, but in bountiful benevolence: that in truth we may be of those of whom the very Truth speaks, "blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6)	Abstaining from food is done for natural reasons, but the purpose of the Lenten fast is supernatural, not merely natural. Thus our hunger, which comes naturally when we abstain from food, should be directed to the Word of God, that we may be filled by it.
Let works of piety, therefore, be our delight, and let us be filled with those kinds of food which feed us for eternity. Let us rejoice in the replenishment of the poor, whom our bounty has satisfied. Let us delight in the clothing of those whose nakedness we have covered with needful raiment. Let our humaneness be felt by the sick in their illnesses, by the weakly in their infirmities, by the exiles in their hardships, by the orphans in their destitution, and by solitary widows in their sadness: in the helping of whom there is no one that cannot carry out some amount of benevolence.	So our food should be the same as our Lord's: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work." (John 4:34) Pope Leo then lists works of mercy.
For no one's income is small, whose heart is big: and the measure of one's mercy and goodness does not depend on the size of one's means. Wealth of goodwill is never rightly lacking, even in a slender purse. Doubtless the expenditure of the rich is greater, and that of the poor smaller, but there is no difference in the fruit of their works, where the purpose of the workers is the same.	Charity is the great equalizer, for it is an operation of the soul, not of material wealth or power.
V. And still further it should lead to personal amendment and domestic harmony
But, beloved, in this opportunity for the virtues' exercise there are also other notable crowns, to be won by no dispersing abroad of granaries, by no disbursement of money, if wantonness is repelled, if drunkenness is abandoned, and the lusts of the flesh tamed by the laws of chastity: if hatreds pass into affection, if enmities be turned into peace, if meekness extinguishes wrath, if gentleness forgives wrongs, if in fine the conduct of master and of slaves is so well ordered that the rule of the one is milder, and the discipline of the other is more complete.	Our Lenten discipline is not only about increasing our works of charity, but also about decreasing our works against charity.
It is by such observances then, dearly-beloved, that God's mercy will be gained, the charge of sin wiped out, and the adorable Easter festival devoutly kept. And this the pious Emperors of the Roman world have long guarded with holy observance; for in honour of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection they bend their lofty power, and relaxing the severity of their decrees set free many of their prisoners: so that on the days when the world is saved by the Divine mercy, their clemency, which is modelled on the Heavenly goodness, may be zealously followed by us.	The secular example of emperors granting pardon is seen by Leo as the law of God's mercy permeating those in positions of power in the world.
Let Christian peoples then imitate their princes, and be incited to forbearance in their homes by these royal examples. For it is not right that private laws should be severer than public. Let faults be forgiven, let bonds be loosed, offenses wiped out, designs of vengeance fall through, that the holy festival through the Divine and human grace may find all happy, all innocent: through our Lord Jesus Christ Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns God for endless ages of ages. Amen.	If an emperor can be so merciful, surely we can be too.

liturgy.co.nz back online

2011-03-20T22:42:00.000-04:00

The liturgy blog of New Zealand Anglican Rev. Bosco Peters is back online.

Pope Leo the Great on Lent I (Sermon 39)

2011-03-16T15:23:00.001-04:00

Each week of Lent, I will be posting a sermon of Pope St. Leo the Great on Lent, with my meager commentary on the right in smaller blue.

This is Sermon 39 (and here it is in Latin).

I. The benefits of abstinence shown by the example of the Hebrews
In former days, when the people of the Hebrews and all the tribes of Israel were oppressed for their scandalous sins by the grievous tyranny of the Philistines, in order that they might be able to overcome their enemies, as the sacred story declares, they restored their powers of mind and body by the injunction of a fast.	He is referring to 1 Samuel 4, where the Philistines defeated the Israelites, and then 1 Samuel 7:6, where the Israelites fasted and sacrificed, and then defeated the Philistines.
For they understood that they had deserved that hard and wretched subjection for their neglect of God's commands, and evil ways, and that it was in vain for them to strive with arms unless they had first withstood their sin. Therefore abstaining from food and drink, they applied the discipline of strict correction to themselves, and in order to conquer their foes, first conquered the allurements of the palate in themselves. And thus it came about that their fierce enemies and cruel taskmasters yielded to them when fasting, whom they had held in subjection when full.	It is foolishness to seek a strictly natural solution to a supernatural problem. As the Psalmist says, unless the Lord builds the house, in vain do they labor who build it; so long as the Israelites battled against God because of their sinful conduct, they could not triumph over the Philistines. We must obtain victory in our interior battles if we wish to attain to victory in our exterior battles.
And so we too, dearly beloved, who are set in the midst of many oppositions and conflicts, may be cured by a little carefulness, if only we will use the same means. For our case is almost the same as theirs, seeing that, as they were attacked by foes in the flesh so are we chiefly by spiritual enemies. And if we can conquer them by God's grace enabling us to correct our ways, the strength of our bodily enemies also will give way before us, and by our self-amendment we shall weaken those who were rendered formidable to us, not by their own merits but by our shortcomings.	The physical foes of the Israelites correspond to the spiritual foes of Christians. We are made susceptible to the attacks of the devil and his angels "not by their own merits but by our shortcomings," and so we must implore God for His grace so that we can repent and reform our lives. Pope Leo emphasizes the primary role of God's grace in our self-correction.
II. Use Lent to vanquish the enemy, and be thus preparing for Eastertide
Accordingly, dearly-beloved, that we may be able to overcome all our enemies, let us seek Divine aid by the observance of the heavenly bidding, knowing that we cannot otherwise prevail against our adversaries, unless we prevail against our own selves. For we have many encounters with our own selves: the flesh desires one thing against the spirit, and the spirit another thing against the flesh. And in this disagreement, if the desires of the body be stronger, the mind will disgracefully lose its proper dignity, and it will be most disastrous for that to serve which ought to have ruled.	The struggle of the flesh against the spirit is described by St. Paul in Galatians 5:17 and Romans 6-7.
But if the mind, being subject to its Ruler, and delighting in gifts from above, shall have trampled under foot the allurements of earthly pleasure, and shall not have allowed sin to reign in its mortal body , reason will maintain a well-ordered supremacy, and its strongholds no strategy of spiritual wickednesses will cast down: because man has then only true peace and true freedom when the flesh is ruled by the judgment of the mind, and the mind is directed by the will of God.	In our fallen state, our intellect is darkened and our will is weakened, so our flesh has power over them, such that we do even those things we know we should not. The right ordering of things is that our flesh should be subjected to our minds, and our minds should be subjected to the will of God, so that what He wills, we will, and we do.
And although this state of preparedness, dearly-beloved, should always be maintained that our ever-watchful foes may be overcome by unceasing diligence, yet now it must be the more anxiously sought for and the more zealously cultivated when the designs of our subtle foes themselves are conducted with keener craft than ever. For knowing that the most hallowed days of Lent are now at hand, in the keeping of which all past slothfulnesses are chastised, all negligences alerted for, they direct all the force of their spite on this one thing, that they who intend to celebrate the Lord's holy Passover may be found unclean in some matter, and that cause of offense may arise where propitiation ought to have been obtained.	We are always to be on guard, but particularly so during the season of Lent, because our spiritual enemies seek to make us unworthy to partake in the Eucharist (the Passover of our Lord), so that we receive not mercy but condemnation. (cf. 1 Cor 11:27ff) Our participation in the Paschal feast of redemption, won for us at the price of our Lord's life, must not be an occasion for offending the Lord.
III. Fights are necessary to prove our Faith
As we approach then, dearly-beloved, the beginning of Lent, which is a time for the more careful serving of the Lord, because we are, as it were, entering on a kind of contest in good works, let us prepare our souls for fighting with temptations, and understand that the more zealous we are for our salvation, the more determined must be the assaults of our opponents.	Again, we should serve the Lord with our whole being at all times, but the season of Lent is a lens with which we can better focus our intentions and efforts. Because of the heightened penitence and motivation to charity, we can be sure we will be tempted even more intently.
But stronger is He that is in us than He that is against us (1 John 4:4), and through Him are we powerful in whose strength we rely: because it was for this that the Lord allowed Himself to be tempted by the tempter, that we might be taught by His example as well as fortified by His aid.	Just as the Lord submitted to being baptized by John "to fulfill all righteousness" and set Himself as a model for us, so too He allowed Himself to be tempted so that He could be our supreme example of resistance in the face of temptation. Thus, through the Son, God is able to teach us by His own example how to be obedient to Him, rather than simply to demand it of us.
For He conquered the adversary, as you have heard, by quotations from the law, not by actual strength, that by this very thing He might do greater honour to man, and inflict a greater punishment on the adversary by conquering the enemy of the human race not now as God but as Man. He fought then, therefore, that we too might fight thereafter: He conquered that we too might likewise conquer. For there are no works of power, dearly-beloved, without the trials of temptations, there is no faith without proof, no contest without a foe, no victory without conflict. This life of ours is in the midst of snares, in the midst of battles; if we do not wish to be deceived, we must watch: if we want to overcome, we must fight.	It would appear that the Gospel reading for this day was Matthew 4:1-11, the same as we use on the First Sunday of Lent (Year A). Jesus conquered Satan's temptations with the Word of God, not with miracles, showing that He had the power as man to conquer Satan.
And therefore the most wise Solomon says, My son in approaching the service of God prepare your soul for temptation (Sirach 2:1). For He being a man full of the wisdom of God, and knowing that the pursuit of religion involves laborious struggles, foreseeing too the danger of the fight, forewarned the intending combatant; lest haply, if the tempter came upon him in his ignorance, he might find him unready and wound him unawares.	The more firmly we dedicate ourselves to the service of God, the more violently Satan will combat us. Pope Leo quotes from the book of Sirach ("Ecclesiasticus"), a deuterocanonical book of the Bible.
IV. The Christian's armour is both for defence and for attack
So, dearly-beloved, let us who instructed in Divine learning come wittingly to the present contest and strife, hear the Apostle when he says, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this dark world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly things (Ephesians 6:12), and let us not forget that these our enemies feel it is against them all is done that we strive to do for our salvation, and that by the very fact of our seeking after some good thing we are challenging our foes.	Every good deed we perform, and every intention to perform a good deed, is a barb in the side of Satan and a frustration of his attempts to separate us from God.
For this is an old-standing quarrel between us and them fostered by the devil's ill-will, so that they are tortured by our being justified, because they have fallen from those good things to which we, God helping us, are advancing. If, therefore, we are raised, they are prostrated: if we are strengthened, they are weakened. Our cures are their blows, because they are wounded by our wounds' cure.	The wicked spirits cannot stand our good deeds, which flow from the grace of God which we have in Christ Jesus, through the salvation He won for us on the cross. The ultimate cure for our wounds, Christ's torturous Passion, was a torture for Satan as well.
Stand, therefore, dearly-beloved, as the Apostle says, having the loins of your mind girt in truth, and your feet shod in the preparation of the gospel of peace, in all things taking the shield of faith in which you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the evil one, and put on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17). See, dearly-beloved, with what mighty weapons, with what impregnable defences we are armed by our Leader, who is famous for His many triumphs, the unconquered Master of the Christian warfare.	The spiritual clothing of a Christian is both a weapon and a defense against the "wickedness and snares of the devil."
He has girt our loins with the belt of chastity, He has shod our feet with the bonds of peace: because the unbelted soldier is quickly vanquished by the suggester of immodesty, and he that is unshod is easily bitten by the serpent. He has given the shield of faith for the protection of our whole body; on our head has He set the helmet of salvation; our right hand has He furnished with a sword, that is with the word of Truth: that the spiritual warrior may not only be safe from wounds, but also may have strength to wound his assailant.	Satan is the "suggester of immodesty" and the ancient "serpent" who bites at the heel. But we are protected from his attacks by wearing the spiritual clothing provided by our champion and the "pioneer and perfecter of our faith."
V. Abstinence not only from food but from other evil desires, especially from wrath, is required in Lent
Relying, therefore, dearly-beloved, on these arms, let us enter actively and fearlessly on the contest set before us: so that in this fasting struggle we may not rest satisfied with only this end, that we should think abstinence from food alone desirable. For it is not enough that the substance of our flesh should be reduced, if the strength of the soul be not also developed. When the outer man is somewhat subdued, let the inner man be somewhat refreshed; and when bodily excess is denied to our flesh, let our mind be invigorated by spiritual delights.	We do not fast and abstain simply for physical reasons; our fast is not only from food, as Isaiah reminds us. (cf. Isa. 58) The physical fast we undergo should strengthen us in spirit.
Let every Christian scrutinise himself, and search severely into his inmost heart: let him see that no discord cling there, no wrong desire be harboured. Let chasteness drive incontinence far away; let the light of truth dispel the shades of deception; let the swellings of pride subside; let wrath yield to reason; let the darts of ill-treatment be shattered, and the chidings of the tongue be bridled; let thoughts of revenge fall through, and injuries be given over to oblivion. In fine, let every plant which the heavenly Father has not planted be removed by the roots (Matthew 15:13). For then only are the seeds of virtue well nourished in us, when every foreign germ is uprooted from the field of wheat.	Simply put, we should replace every vice with the virtue it offends. Instead of seeking to separate the wheat from the chaff in the Church (which is for the angels to do at the end of time, cf. Matt. 13:24ff), let us straighten out our own gardens.
If any one, therefore, has been fired by the desire for vengeance against another, so that he has given him up to prison or bound him with chains, let him make haste to forgive not only the innocent, but also one who seems worthy of punishment, that he may with confidence make use of the clause in the Lord's prayer and say, Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12). Which petition the Lord marks with peculiar emphasis, as if the efficacy of the whole rested on this condition, by saying, For if you forgive men their sins, your Father which is in heaven also will forgive you: but if you forgive not men, neither will your Father forgive you your sins (Matthew 6:14-15)	The measure we give will be the measure we receive (cf. Matt. 7:2), and so we must forgive others — the innocent and the guilty alike — if we (who are guilty) wish to receive forgiveness from the Father.
VI. The right use of Lent will lead to a happy participation in Easter
Accordingly, dearly-beloved, being mindful of our weakness, because we easily fall into all kinds of faults, let us by no means neglect this special remedy and most effectual healing of our wounds. Let us remit, that we may have remission: let us grant the pardon which we crave: let us not be eager to be revenged when we pray to be forgiven. Let us not pass over the groans of the poor with deaf ear, but with prompt kindness bestow our mercy on the needy, that we may deserve to find mercy in the judgment.	Our forgiveness of others is fruitful for us, because we do need God's forgiveness, due to our many faults.
And he that, aided by God's grace, shall strain every nerve after this perfection, will keep this holy fast faithfully; free from the leaven of the old wickedness, in the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:8), he will reach the blessed Passover, and by newness of life will worthily rejoice in the mystery of man's reformation through Christ our Lord Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.	God's grace is what enables us to desire to reach that perfection of faith, hope, and charity which finds us welcome in His kingdom; it gives us the power to keep the holy fast of Lent faithfully and so participate worthily in the Paschal banquet on Easter, on earth as it is in heaven.

Documents on the Liturgy - Latin

2011-03-12T23:36:00.000-05:00

DOL 1: Sacrosanctum concilium (constitution on the liturgy), 4 Dec 1963
(36) 36.1. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.

(54) 54. With art. 36 of this Constitution as the norm, in Masses celebrated with the people a suitable place may be allotted to their mother tongue. This is to apply in the first place to the readings and "the universal prayer," but also, as local conditions may warrant, to those parts belonging to the people. Nevertheless steps should be taken enabling the faithful to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass belonging to them. Where a more extended use of the mother tongue within the Mass appears desirable, the regulation laid down in art. 40 of this Constitution is to be observed.

DOL 23: Inter oecumenici (first instruction on the orderly carrying out of the Constitution on the Liturgy), 26 Sep 1964
(351) 59. Pastors shall carefully see to it that the Christian faithful, especially members of lay religious institutes, also know how to recite or sing together in Latin, mainly with simple melodies, the parts of the Ordinary of the Mass proper to them.

(379). 87. [...] Nevertheless, this faculty [use of the vernacular in individual cases by those clerics for whom the use of Latin constitutes a serious hindrance], conceded solely to make the recitation of the divine office easier and more devout, is not intended to lessen in any way the obligation of priests in the Latin rite to learn Latin.

DOL 332: Doctrina et exemplo (Instruction on the liturgical formation of future priests), 25 Dec 1965
(2686) 15. The language of the liturgy in the Mass and divine office in seminaries will be Latin, the language of the Latin Church, which all clerics are required to know (SC art. 36.1 and art. 101.1). It will be advisable, however, to use the vernacular in the celebration of Mass on some specified days (for example, once a week) -- to the extent permitted by the lawful authority for each region and confirmed by the Holy See -- so that the clergy will be better prepared for the vernacular celebrations in the parishes. Thus use of the vernacular must never become the general practice at the expense of Latin. In granting the use of the vernacular, the Church does not intend that clerics think themselves freed from going to the sources or that in their preparation for the priesthood they neglect even slightly the universal language of the Latin Church.

DOL 32: L'heureux developpement (letter on problems in the reform of the liturgy), 25 Jan 1966
(424) It is only right that where the use of the vernacular in the liturgy is concerned, one should be guided not only by the spirit of the Liturgy Constitution, but also be an awareness of the given situation in different places. Here and there, in fact, the adoption of the vernacular in the Mass has given rise to some signs of disquiet. It would be good if local Ordinaries were to consider the eventual suitability of preserving in some churches, especially in big cities and in places where they are large influxes of tourists, one, or more if necessary, Mass in Latin.

DOL 508: Musicam sacram (instruction on music in the liturgy), 5 Mar 1967
(4168) 47. According to the Constitution on the Liturgy, "particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites."* At the same time "use of the mother tongue ... frequently may be of great advantage to the people."** Therefore "the competent ecclesiastical authority ... is empowered to decide whether and to what extent the vernacular is to be used. ... The acta of the competent authority are to be approved, that is, confirmed by the Apostolic See."*** These norms being observed exactly, there should be a wise use of the kind of participation that is best suited to the capabilities of each assembly. Pastors should see to it that, in addition to the vernacular, "the faithful are also able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass belonging to them."****
* Sacrosanctum Concilium 36.1
** Sacrosanctum Concilium 36.1
*** Sacrosanctum Concilium 36.1
**** Sacrosanctum Concilium 54, Inter Oecumenici 59

(4169) 48. Once the vernacular has been introduced into the Mass, local Ordinaries should determine whether it is advisable to retain one or more Masses in Latin, particularly sung Masses. This applies especially to great cities in churches with a large attendance of faithful using a foreign languages [sic].

DOL 512: Letter to the Italian conference of bishops (on liturgical music), 2 Feb 1968
(4199) [...] In any event we must not lose the important ecclesial bond that consists of a solid repertoire in Gregorian chant and therefore in Latin. THe national liturgical commission is responsible for a program that will include the Credo and the Pater noster among the Gregorian melodies that the people should know well (see SC art. 54; the instruction Inter Oecumenici no. 59; and Musicam sacram no. 47).

DOL 121: Address to Latinists (excerpt on Latin and the vernacular), 26 Apr 1968
(835) Today in the presence of this assembly of men of great wisdom, we desire to repeat: the study of Latin must still be cultivated in our times and above all in seminaries and houses for the religious formation of the young. In no way is it permissible to ignore this language if there is to be any genuine attempt to create keen minds in the young, to train them in humane letters, to probe and reflect on the words of the Fathers, and above all to prepare them to share fully in the ancient treasures of the liturgy. Without the knowledge of Latin something is altogether missing from a higher, fully rounded education — and in particular with regard to theology and liturgy. The people of our times expect such an education of their priests and the Fathers of Vatican Council II repeatedly endorsed it, in the Decree Optatam totius on priestly formation, in the Constitution on the Liturgy (art. 16), and in other conciliar norms. Because of the power and effectiveness of Latin to develop the mind and to open the way to the more advanced fields of study, we have the strong desire that it continue to receive the attention it deserves. At the same time the whole world knows that, in willing and eager obedience to the wise norms of Vatican Council II, we ourself have taken every step to have all the modern languages introduced into the liturgy. No lack of regard for Latin has moved us in this direction, but rather the keen awareness of our own pastoral responsibility and a deep sense of the need for pastors to provide plentifully the food of God's word contained in the liturgy. But it must also be presented in such a way as to be understood and in a way that will lead Christ's faithful to experience the loveliness of the liturgical rites and to take part in them eagerly and intently.

(836) We want to say something very plainly to those whose shallow minds or unthinking passion for the new lead them to the idea that the Latin language must be totally spurned by the Latin Church. To them we say that it is absolutely clear that Latin must be held in high honor and especially for the excellent and serious reasons that we have mentioned. On the other hand, we also address those who, out of an empty aestheticism that goes too far in seeking to preserve what is old or out of a prejudice against anything new, have bitterly denounced the changes recently introduced. To them we say that we must clearly never forget that Latin must be subordinate to the pastoral ministry and is not an end in itself. Any defense, thereofre, of the rights this language has acquired in the Church must avoid at all costs impeding or constricting the renewal of pastoral service mandated by the Council. In this matter, too, the highest law must be the well-being of souls.

DOL 545: Domus Dei (decree on the title of minor basilica), 6 Jun 1968
(4352) 8. As may seem advisable, in every basilica especially on holydays, one or more of the Masses, recited or sung, is to be in Latin.* When sung, such Masses are to have Gregorian melodies or sacred polyphony performed with great care and attention.
* Sacrosanctum Concilium 54, Inter Oecumenici 59, Musicam Sacram 48

DOL 212: Address to a general audience on the new Ordo Missae, 26 Nov 1969
(1762) Morever, the new Mass rite lays down the provision that the faithful "should know how to sing at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the profession of faith and the Lord's Prayer."*
* 1975 GIRM 19

DOL 216: Instructione de Constitutione (notification on the Roman Missal, book of the LOTH, and the Calendar), 14 Jun 1971
(1773) 4. Regarding the language used: a. For Masses with a congregation [...] It is for local Ordinaries to judge, with the good of the faithful as the decisive consideration, whether once use of the vernacular has begun it seems advisable to have one or more Masses in Latin, especially sung Masses*, in certain churches, especially those attended by people of a foreign language.
* Musicam Sacram 48

DOL 329: Ecclesiae imago (directory on the pastoral ministry of bishops), 22 Feb 1973
(2656) 86e. Finally, it is up to the bishop to see that pastors make proper provision for the faithful coming from places where a different language is spoken, especially in the churches of larger cities and in populous vacation centers. These faithful are to have the opportunity to assist at Mass celebrated according to their own practices and in their own language or, in case there are many languages, in the majority language or in Latin. [...]*
* Eucharisticum Mysterium 19

DOL 521: Letter from Cardinal Villot to Cardinal Siri (on sacred music), Sep 1973
(4234) [...] [Pope Paul] notes the many requests worldwide to preserve the Latin, Gregorian singing of the Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Pater noster, and Agnus Dei. The POpe again recommends, therefore, that every appropriate measure be taken to transform this desire into fact and that these ancient melodies be treasured as the voice of the universal Church and continue to be sung as expressions and demonstrations of the unity existing throughout the ecclesial community.

DOL 522: Address at an audience for choir members, 12 Oct 1973
(4235) [...] Furthermore, we must all commend the concern of those who are striving to keep in the repertoire of customary liturgical song at least the several texts that have always and everywhere been sung in Latin and in Gregorian chant. These texts make communal song possible even for people of different countries at certain special occasions in Catholic worship. The Gloria, Credo, and Sanctus of the Mass are examples.

DOL 523: Voluntati obsequens (letter to bishops accompanying Iubilate Deo), 14 Apr 1974
(4237) Pope Paul VI has expressed often, and even recently, the wish that the faithful of all countries be able to sing at least a few Gregorian chants in Latin (for example, the Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei). [...] I also take this occasion to commend to your own pastoral concerns this new measure intended to ensure the carrying out of the prescription of Vatican Council II: "Steps should be taken enabling the faithful to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass belonging to them."*
* Sacrosanctum Concilium 54

DOL 208: General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 27 Mar 1975
(1409) 19. [...] Since the faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is desirable that they know how to sing at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the profession of faith and the Lord's Prayer, set to simple melodies.*
* Sacrosanctum Concilium 54, Inter Oecumenici 59, Musicam Sacram 47

DOL 335: In ecclesiasticam futurorum sacerdotum (instruction on liturgical formation in seminaries), 3 Jun 1979
(2798) 19. A good knowledge of Latin and Gregorian chant is extremely useful for the students. There is a need to safeguard for the faithful the opportunity to join together in song and prayer at international gatherings, as Vatican Council II envisioned.* It is also right that future priests have a thorough grounding in the tradition of the Church at prayer, understand the authentic meaning of texts, and thus be able to explain vernacular translations by comparing them to the original.
* Sacrosanctum Concilium 54

Lent is coming! Lent is coming!

2011-03-07T17:12:00.000-05:00

In addition to the five sermons of Pope St. Leo the Great on Lent (which I will be posting in their entirety, with my commentary, on the first five Sundays of Lent), I recommend reading this introduction to Lent at New Advent:

Origin of the customSome of the Fathers as early as the fifth century supported the view that this forty days' fast was of Apostolic institution. For example, St. Leo (d. 461) exhorts his hearers to abstain that they may "fulfill with their fasts the Apostolic institution of the forty days" — ut apostolica institutio quadraginta dierum jejuniis impleatur (P.L., LIV, 633), and the historian Socrates (d. 433) and St. Jerome (d. 420) use similar language (P.G., LXVII, 633; P.L., XXII, 475).

But the best modern scholars are almost unanimous in rejecting this view, for in the existing remains of the first three centuries we find both considerable diversity of practice regarding the fast before Easter and also a gradual process of development in the matter of its duration. The passage of primary importance is one quoted by Eusebius (Church History V.24) from a letter of St. Irenaeus to Pope Victor in connection with the Easter controversy. There Irenaeus says that there is not only a controversy about the time of keeping Easter but also regarding the preliminary fast. "For", he continues, "some think they ought to fast for one day, others for two days, and others even for several, while others reckon forty hours both of day and night to their fast". He also urges that this variety of usage is of ancient date, which implies that there could have been no Apostolic tradition on the subject. Rufinus, who translated Eusebius into Latin towards the close of the fourth century, seems so to have punctuated this passage as to make Irenaeus say that some people fasted for forty days. Formerly some difference of opinion existed as to the proper reading, but modern criticism (e.g., in the edition of Schwartz commissioned by the Berlin Academy) pronounces strongly in favor of the text translated above. We may then fairly conclude that Irenaeus about the year 190 knew nothing of any Easter fast of forty days.

Read the rest at New Advent.

The Prayers of the Priest now in print!

2011-02-23T16:04:00.001-05:00

The second volume of the Praying the Mass series is now in print! I am thrilled to announce that The Prayers of the Priest is available for sale as of February 23, 2011. The book is 250 pages and is $16.00 plus shipping. Orders in the USA and Canada can be made through PayPal. Details on purchasing the book are found here. The book is not yet available overseas

The book's foreword was written by Fr. Tim Finigan (of The Hermeneutic of Continuity).

Fr. Ruff's letter on the new translation

2011-02-04T12:40:00.002-05:00

This is from America Magazine. I have a comment in response to it at their web site.

An Open Letter to the U.S. Catholic
Bishops on the Forthcoming Missal

Anthony Ruff | FEBRUARY 14, 2011

Y our Eminences, Your Excellencies,

With a heavy heart, I have recently made a difficult decision concerning the new English missal. I have decided to withdraw from all my upcoming speaking engagements on the Roman Missal in dioceses across the United States. After talking with my confessor and much prayer, I have concluded that I cannot promote the new missal translation with integrity. I’m sure bishops want a speaker who can put the new missal in a positive light, and that would require me to say things I do not believe.

I love the Church, I love the sacred liturgy, I love chant in Latin and English, and I treasure being involved with all these as a monk and priest. It has been an honor to serve until recently as chairman of the music committee of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) that prepared all the chants for the new missal. But my involvement in that process, as well as my observation of the Holy See’s handling of scandal, has gradually opened my eyes to the deep problems in the structures of authority of our church.

The forthcoming missal is but a part of a larger pattern of top-down impositions by a central authority that does not consider itself accountable to the larger church. When I think of how secretive the translation process was, how little consultation was done with priests or laity, how the Holy See allowed a small group to hijack the translation at the final stage, how unsatisfactory the final text is, how this text was imposed on national conferences of bishops in violation of their legitimate episcopal authority, how much deception and mischief have marked this process—and then when I think of Our Lord’s teachings on service and love and unity…I weep.

I see a good deal of disillusionment with the Catholic Church among my friends and acquaintances. Some leave the Catholic Church out of conviction, some gradually drift away, some join other denominations, some remain Catholic with difficulty. My response is to stay in this church for life and do my best to serve her. This I hope to do by stating the truth as I see it, with charity and respect. I would be ready to participate in future liturgical projects under more favorable conditions.

I am sorry for the difficulties I am causing others by withdrawing, but I know this is the right thing to do. I will be praying for you and all leaders in our church.

Pax in Christo,

Fr. Anthony Ruff, O.S.B.

Can only celibates show that God is alive?

2011-01-29T12:26:00.002-05:00

Mauro Cardinal Piacenza recently gave an address on priestly celibacy, drawing on papal teaching from the past century (from Pius XI to Benedict XVI). An English translation is provided by ZENIT. The address was brought up in a recent thread on Pray Tell, about German politicians and clergy calling for the ordination of married men to the priesthood. Bill deHaas had something to say about it, and I was not at all pleased. Here's the exchange. My reply is currently awaiting moderation... [No longer moderated: 12:32 PM]

#82 by Bill deHaas on January 29, 2011 - 11:10 am

Mauro Cardinal Piacenza: “…only celibates can show that God is alive…..”

Vita of this Cardinal:

15 September 1944 – Born in Genoa
21 December 1969 [25] – ordained a Priest in Genoa
13 October 2003 [59] – President, Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church
15 November 2003 [59] – Ordained Bishop [extinct Diocese of Victoriana]
28 August 2004 [60] – President, Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology
7 May 2007 [62] – Secretary, Congregation for the Clergy
7 May 2007 [62] – Appointed Archbishop [extinct Diocese of Victoriana]
7 October 2010 [66] – Prefect, Congregation for the Clergy

20 November 2010 [66] – Cardinal
24 January 2011 [66] – Address to Priestly Celibacy Congress in Ars [France] – “Only Celibates can show that God is alive” [Zenit]

Curious about the 30 years between ordination and his elevation to the episcopal ranks. Hopefully, he has a little pastoral experience that can relate to the “average” diocesan or missionary priest in the field. Sorry, his speech truly does resemble a archeological dig into the past 100 years but not much linkage to current reality on the ground. If we are going to quote from popes, can we include the behavior of popes during the Renaissance; for example, Julius III, who made a 15 year old Parma boy found on the streets a cardinal and then secretary of state.

From Teilhard de Chardin, “The Evolution of Chastity”:

“Every unborn and new-born child is a Gift-from-God – “A-Deo-Datus” – the name that Augustine (354-430) gave to his only son (372-389) before they were Christened together in 387.
However `sublimated’ man may be imagined to be – he certainly is NOT a Eunuch. Spirituality comes down NOT upon a MONAD but upon the human DYAD.
First we have the appearance of a Reflective MONAD [individual] and then – to complete it – the formation of the Affective DYAD [loving couple].
There is no future in Celibacy – no earthly future. The Celibate has no personal stake in the Future. On the other hand, we are all called to CHASTITY – Celibate Chastity [unmarried and childless] or Conjugal [Married] Chastity.
Thus we have the Evolution not of Celibacy but of Chastity.”

#83 by Jeffrey Pinyan on January 29, 2011 - 12:06 pm

+JMJ+
Bill, did you read the ZENIT article, or are you simply copying and pasting (without attribution) from the Catholica forum? Or are you “Roch” there?

You put “only celibates can show that God is alive” in quotes and attribute it to Mauro Cardinal Piacenza. That is a blatant false attribution; you should have attributed it to Helen. Piacenza never said that, and you do a disservice to casual readers of this blog who don’t have the time to read Piacenza’s address. They see your sound-bite quote and think he actually said it.

Here’s some of what he did say:

> The essential question, then, is not to direct the debate so much to Celibacy as to the quality of the faith of our communities. Could a community which lacks great esteem for Celibacy, as an “awaiting” for the Kingdom or as a Eucharistic “yearning”, be truly said to be alive?

> [W]e must recuperate the reasoned understanding that our Celibacy offers as a challenge to the world, placing its secularism and agnosticism in profound crisis and crying out, through the centuries, that God is Present and Active!

I challenge you to present evidence from his address that he believes that “only celibates can show that God is alive”, or else to retract the statement entirely.

We'll see what comes of this.

ZENIT's "Spirit of the Liturgy" Series

2011-01-28T10:52:00.001-05:00

During the Year for Priests, ZENIT ran a bi-weekly series called The Spirit of the Liturgy. I had a "Letter to the Editor" about the series published in ZENIT in late 2009:

Spirit of the Liturgy

Article: ZENIT Launches "Spirit of the Liturgy"

It is great to see ZENIT addressing the ways in which the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms express the same lex credendi. I think this series has the potential of dispelling confusion and of confirming our Catholic heritage and identity (especially in our priests).

As an author preparing a catechetical guide to the priest's prayers in the new English translation of the Mass, I will be looking forward to this series over the next several months!

Jeffrey Pinyan

The series ran from November through July. A few months later, they started a second series under the same name. Here are the articles from both the first and the second series:

The Priesthood and the Mass, Fr. Mauro Gagliardi (Nov. 11, 2009)
A Silence That Contemplates and Adores, Fr. Gagliardi (Dec. 4, 2009)
Liturgical Vestments and the Vesting Prayers, Fr. Gagliardi (Dec. 18, 2009)
Introductory Rites Unite Priest and Congregation, Fr. Paul Gunter, OSB (Jan. 15, 2010)
The Priest and the Liturgy of the Word at Mass, Fr. Gagliardi (Feb. 5, 2010)
The Priest in the Offertory of the Mass, Fr. Juan José Silvestre Valór (Feb. 19, 2010)
The Priest and the Canon of the Mass, Fr. Gagliardi (Mar. 5, 2010)
The Priest in the Communion Rites, Fr. Gunter (Mar. 19, 2010)
The Priest and the Paschal Triduum, Fr. Nicola Bux (Mar. 26, 2010)
The Priest in the Concluding Rites of the Mass, Fr. Gagliardi (Apr. 30, 2010)
The Priest's Preparation and Thanksgiving for Mass, Fr. Gunter (Jun. 18, 2010)
Observance of Liturgical Norms and "Ars Celebrandi", Fr. Gagliardi (Jul. 9, 2010)

Liturgical Formation for the People of God, Fr. Mauro Gagliardi (Nov. 12, 2010)
The Noble Simplicity of Liturgical Vestments, Fr. Uwe Michael Lang (Nov. 26, 2010)
Beauty and the Liturgical Rite, Fr. Gagliardi (Dec. 13, 2010)
Sacred Music at the Service of Truth, Fr. Paul Gunter, OSB (Dec. 24, 2010)
More Than Words: External Signs of Faith by the Celebrant, Fr. Nicola Bux (Jan. 21, 2011)

I'll continue to update this post as new installments come in.

The need for a new evangelization

2011-01-28T10:05:00.000-05:00

From Fr. Longenecker's blog:

We must return to the supernatural realities of the historic faith and evangelize like the Apostles of old. The big difference is that the Apostles knew their targets were pagans and the pagans knew they weren’t Christians. We’re dealing with a huge population of Americans (Catholics and Protestants alike) who are pagan but who think they’re ‘good Christians.’

That's a pretty good exercise in compare-and-contrast!

"Praying the Mass" at Incarnation Catholic Church in Collierville, TN

2011-01-19T13:40:00.002-05:00

Here are the four talks (and Q&A session) of my recent parish retreat on "Praying the Mass" at Incarnation Catholic Church in Collierville, TN.

First Talk (33:28)

Second Talk (49:36)

Third Talk (53:10)

Fourth Talk (58:18)

Q&A Session (27:03)

More on Latin from Vatican II

2011-01-16T11:14:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd share yet another quote from Vatican II on the importance of Latin. This is from Optatam Totius, the decree on priestly training (i.e. the priestly formation of seminarians).

13. Before beginning specifically ecclesiastical subjects, seminarians should be equipped with that humanistic and scientific training which young men in their own countries are wont to have as a foundation for higher studies. Moreover they are to acquire a knowledge of Latin which will enable them to understand and make use of the sources of so many sciences and of the documents of the Church. The study of the liturgical language proper to each rite should be considered necessary; a suitable knowledge of the languages of the Bible and of Tradition should be greatly encouraged.

That's all. Have a blessed Sunday.

Parish Retreat at Church of the Incarnation in Collierville, TN

2011-01-03T21:13:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM I will be leading a parish retreat at Incarnation Catholic Church in Collierville, TN. Through four sessions, I will talk about how the Mass is a prayer that engages the mind, soul, strength, and heart.

My wife and I are driving out there. The trip from Trenton to Memphis is about 17 hours. We're driving two days out there and two days back. So... we'd certainly appreciate prayers for a safe trip and a fruitful retreat!

Early origins of liturgical practices

2010-12-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

I am amazed to read how early we have written records of things such as daily celebration of the Eucharist and multiple Masses in a day.

From St. Augustine, on daily Mass:

I promised you, who have now been baptized, a sermon in which I would explain the Sacrament of the Lord's Table, which you now look upon and of which you last night were made participants. You ought to know what you have received, what you are going to receive, and what you ought to receive daily. (Sermon 227)

Thus [Christ] is both the Priest who offers and the Sacrifice offered. And He designed that there should be a daily sign of this in the sacrifice of the Church, which, being His body, learns to offer herself through Him. (City of God X, 20)

There are other things, however, which are different in different places and countries: e.g., some fast on Saturday, others do not; some partake daily of the body and blood of Christ, others receive it on stated days: in some places no day passes without the sacrifice being offered; in others it is only on Saturday and the Lord’s day, or it may be only on the Lord’s day. (Epistle LIV, 2)

Some one may say, “The Eucharist ought not to be taken every day.” You ask, “On what grounds?” He answers, “Because, in order that a man may approach worthily to so great a sacrament, he ought to choose those days upon which he lives in more special purity and self-restraint; for ‘whosoever eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself.’” ... If, however, his sins are not so great as to bring him justly under sentence of excommunication, he ought not to withdraw himself from the daily use of the Lord’s body for the healing of his soul.” (Epistle LIV, 4)

For the wolf will come — not man, but the devil, who has very often perverted to apostasy believers to whom the daily ministry of the Lord’s body was wanting... (Epistle CCXXVIII, 6)

The sacrament of this thing, namely, of the unity of the body and blood of Christ, is prepared on the Lord’s table in some places daily, in some places at certain intervals of days, and from the Lord’s table it is taken, by some to life, by some to destruction: but the thing itself, of which it is the sacrament, is for every man to life, for no man to destruction, whosoever shall have been a partaker thereof. (Tractates on the Gospels of John XXVI, 15)

From Pope St. Gregory the Great, on multiple Masses in a day:

Because [by the Lord's bounty] I am going to celebrate the eucharist three times today, I can comment only briefly on the Gospel lesson. But [our Redeemer's] birthday compels me to say something, however short. (Homily 7, in Forty Gospel Homilies)

(H/T to Fr. Daren Zehnle)

Latin? In my Mass?!

2010-12-20T10:52:00.001-05:00

I recently asked a Benedictine priest (who has a rather conservative liturgical ideal) what he thought about the virtual absence of Latin from the typical parish liturgical experience today. I am referring to Sacrosanctum Concilium (the Vatican II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy) article 54:

In Masses which are celebrated with the people, a suitable place may be allotted to their mother tongue. This is to apply in the first place to the readings and "the common prayer," but also, as local conditions may warrant, to those parts which pertain to the people, according to tho norm laid down in Art. 36 of this Constitution.

Nevertheless steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.

And wherever a more extended use of the mother tongue within the Mass appears desirable, the regulation laid down in Art. 40 of this Constitution is to be observed.

It seems that the only parts of this article that get real attention are the first and third sections, which deal with the inclusion of the vernacular in the Mass... potentially (and actually, as experience has shown) throughout the entire Mass. But what about the second section? “Nevertheless steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.”

The saying or singing in Latin of certain parts of the Order of Mass is not the experience of most Catholics nowadays. In fact, the ability for the faithful to do so is virtually non-existent. And yet, our weekly experience of the reformed liturgy includes 1) an expanded Lectionary, 2) the regularity of homilies, 3) the Prayer of the Faithful, 4) the use of the vernacular, 5) the partaking in the sacrifice offered at that Mass (rather than Hosts consecrated at a previous Mass and retrieved from the tabernacle), 6) Communion under both kinds, 7) and a new rite of concelebration.

Those seven reforms I just mentioned are part of the typical parish experience (priest shortage notwithstanding), and they are the products of articles 51-58 of Sacrosanctum Concilium.

So why have the other reforms been so successfully implemented (and then some!) and generally well-received, but that pesky little sentence in article 54 about Latin can’t seem to get its foot in the door? Why do Catholics who otherwise support the reforms they experience from articles 51-58 become indignant whenever mention is made of the mere possibility of making Latin responses at Mass? (Such a reaction can be found in the comment-boxes at the National Catholic Reporter web site, for example: here, here, and here.)

What’s the problem with that sentence about Latin in article 54? People — at least SOME people — were making the responses in Latin before 1963. Why did it become impossible and undesirable? Is it obsolete? Opposed to "full, conscious, and active participation"? A monastic ideal not appropriate for normal parish life? A compromise sentence which was never meant to be taken seriously?

Advent Hymns: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

2010-12-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

The second Advent hymn we'll look at is the popular favorite, "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" ("O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"). I will provide the Latin verses, a traditional translation with which you are probably familar, and then my own translation of the Latin, along with some commentary. I present the verses in no particular order.

At the bottom of this post is some information on the O Antiphons, the prayers which are the ancestors of the verses of this hymn.

1. VENI, veni, Emmanuel captivum solve Israel,
qui gemit in exsilio, privatus Dei Filio.

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

Come, Emmanuel, come: unbind captive Israel,
who, deprived of the Son of God, laments in exile.

The context of this hymn is the exile and captivity of Israel, and the promise of a coming Messiah, the Son of God. This exile need not be confined to their historical captivity among the Assyrians and Babylonians; Israel mourns for lack of Emmanuel up until His coming... and perhaps even now though He has come.

R: Gaude! Gaude! Emmanuel nascetur pro te Israel!

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall be born for you, Israel!

I think the common translation fails to capture the sense of the Latin: Emmanuel will not just come to Israel, He will be born for Israel. Yes, He is for all mankind, but His advent is centered upon God's promises to Israel. And so Israel, even in her exile, has cause for rejoicing.

2. VENI, veni, Adonai, qui populo in Sinai
legem dedisti vertice in maiestate gloriae. R.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of Might, Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the law in cloud, and majesty, and awe.

Come, Lord, come, Who at the top of Mount Sinai
gave the law to Your people in the majesty of Your glory.

Note that this hymn is about the coming of Emmanuel. By this verse, the Lord Who gave the Law to Israel at Mt. Sinai is the same Lord Who is Emmanuel, the One Who will be born for Israel. And if He gave the Old Law in maiestate gloriae, how much more glorious will His own coming be?

3. VENI, O Iesse virgula, ex hostis tuos ungula,
de spectu tuos tartari educ et antro barathri. R.

O come, thou Rod of Jesse’s stem, from every foe deliver them
That trust thy mighty power to save, and give them victory o’er the grave.

Come, O shoot of Jesse: lead Your own out from the grasp of their enemies,
and from the sight of hell and the grave of the dead.

The seven verses of the hymn are built around seven titles for the Lord (found in seven prophecies of His coming, received by Isaiah). This title, the "Rod (or Shoot) of Jesse" (Iesse virgula in the hymn, Iesse radix ("Root of Jesse") in the O Antiphons, "virga de radice Iesse" in the Vulgate of Isa. 11:1), was heard in this Sunday's First Reading from Isaiah 11. The verse points to the Lord's power to save His own from their enemies and from the very power of death.

4. VENI, Clavis Davidica, regna reclude caelica,
fac iter tutum superum, et claude vias inferum. R.

O come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.

Come, Key of David, open up the heavenly kingdom,
make the heavenly road safe, and close up the path of hell.

The prophecy of the key of the house of David (cf. Isa. 22:19ff) is often seen as a precursor to our Lord's words to St. Peter: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt. 16:19; cf. "And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open," Isa. 22:22, and "The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens", Rev. 3:7)

But the prophecy pertains to Christ as well: Christ is the key Who opens the gate of Heaven to us. In doing so, we pray that He both secure the path to Heaven and bar the road to perdition; for He is the way.

5. VENI, veni O Oriens, solare nos adveniens,
noctis depelle nebulas dirasque mortis tenebras. R.

O come, thou Day-spring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadow put to flight.

Come, O Daybreak, come: comfort us by Your advent;
dispel the dreadful clouds of night and the shadow of death.

The Lord is called the "Orient": the East, the Daybreak, the rising Sun. Jesus describes His second coming "from the east" like the lightning; His Ascension amid clouds of glory took place to the east of Jerusalem, and the angels assured the disciples that His return would be in the same manner. His coming will be as a light shining on those who have dwelt in darkness. (cf. Isa. 9:2) This is He whom Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied, saying, "the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death." (Luke 1:78-79)

6. VENI, veni, Rex Gentium, veni, Redemptor omnium,
ut salvas tuos famulos peccati sibi conscios. R.

O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, and be Thyself our King of Peace.

Come, King of the Nations, come: Redeemer of all, come:
in order to save Your servants, conscious of their own sin.

I have not found a lyrical version of this verse which translates the Latin; they all appear to draw upon the antiphon, which mentions the "desire of nations", the "cornerstone", and making one of many. This verse, in the Latin, heralds the coming of the King of all nations (consider the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe) and the Savior of all men. If I have not translated it incorrectly, the verse draws attention to our sense of sin: we, who are servants of the Lord, are aware of our having sinned against Him. Thus we beg Him come and save us: Hosanna!

7. VENI, O Sapientia, quae hic disponis omnia,
veni, viam prudentiae ut doceas et gloriae. R.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.

Come, O Wisdom, Who ordains all things here below;
come to show us the way of prudence and glory.

The last verse acknowledges God as that Wisdom Who orders and ordains the affairs of this world. We wish to have His wisdom, to learn from Him and follow His way, which leads us to His glory.

The O Antiphons, which are part of the Divine Office (or Liturgy of the Hours) from December 17th through December 23rd, are the ancestors of this hymn. Here they are in the order they are prayed, one per night:

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O Adonai, et dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur; veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardere.

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel: qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentis in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unem: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator erum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.

The first letters of these titles for the Lord, taken in reverse (Emmanuel, Rex gentium, Oriens, etc.) spell "ERO CRAS" in Latin, which means "Tomorrow, I will be (here)", which is very fitting for December 23rd: the next night heralds the birth of Christ.

I also recommend reading Dom Prosper Guéranger's commentary on the O Antiphons, a truly amazing resource.

Is Advent a penitential season? Should it be?

2010-12-01T14:54:00.001-05:00

This post is not an attempt to start a fight, nor to put a current bishop on the spot. It is rather a meager attempt to start a dialogue about what sort of season Advent is. We can agree, can we not, that Lent is most assuredly a penitential season. But is Advent also a penitential season? Its liturgical colors are the same as those of Lent (violet/purple and rose), for one thing. But is there fasting and abstinence during Advent? Is there mortification and penance during Advent? Is there special attention drawn to our sins during Advent?

It would seem that before Vatican II (although since when, I cannot tell) there was a penitential character about Advent, and that after Vatican II this character has been obscured or even removed completely in some locales. (Let it be known, though, that at my previous parish, there were two special Reconciliation liturgies — including individual confession — held during the year: one in Lent and one in Advent.) Yet Advent is a time when we prepare for the Lord's second coming (which brings with it the Final Judgment) at the same time that we recall His first coming (which was to save His people from their sins).

I bring this up because a bishop recently wrote the following in his pastoral letter on Advent:

The word advent comes from the Latin for “coming” or “arrival”. What arrival are we waiting for? The General Norms for the Liturgical Year helps us understand the season a little bit better by explaining:
The season of Advent has a twofold character: It is a time of preparation for Christmas when the first coming of God’s Son . . . is recalled. It is also a season when minds are directed by this memorial to Christ’s second coming at the end of time. It is thus a season of joyful and spiritual expectation. (General Norms for the Liturgical Year, 39)
You will notice that this is not a penitential season. It is a season of joyful hope, a time of preparation and waiting. “Thus the Sundays of Advent, while commemorating [Christ’s] birth and anticipating his return, celebrate in word and sacrament his coming now in the midst of this world.” (Normand Bonneau, The Sunday Lectionary: Ritual Word, Paschal Shape, Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998, 131.) This season is not just about preparing for the birth of Christ at Christmas, but for the Christ who is continually being born in our midst and transforming the Church ever more into his body in the world.

What do you think? Is Advent a penitential season? Should it be?

For your edification and education, here is a selection of quotes from magisterial documents from the past century or so about Advent.

In the period of Advent, for instance, the Church arouses in us the consciousness of the sins we have had the misfortune to commit, and urges us, by restraining our desires and practicing voluntary mortification of the body, to recollect ourselves in meditation, and experience a longing desire to return to God who alone can free us by His grace from the stain of sin and from its evil consequences. (1947, Pius XII, Mediator Dei 154)

Accordingly, the playing of the organ, and all other instruments is forbidden for liturgical functions, except Benediction, during the following times: a) Advent, from first Vespers of the first Sunday of Advent until None of the Vigil of Christmas; b) Lent and Passiontide, from Matins of Ash Wednesday until the hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo in the Solemn Mass of the Easter Vigil; c) the September Ember days if the ferial Mass and Office are celebrated; d) in all Offices and Masses of the Dead. (1958, Sacred Congregation of Rites, De Musica Sacra 81)

The playing of these same instruments as solos is not permitted in Advent, Lent, during the Sacred Triduum and in the Offices and Masses of the Dead. (1967, Sacred Congregation of Rites, Musicam Sacram 66)

Advent has a twofold character: as a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ's first coming to us is remembered; as a season when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ's Second Coming at the end of time. Advent is thus a period for devout and joyful expectation. (1969, General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar 39)

This accentuates the penitential dimension, already present in the Advent season and vividly recalled by the person of John the Baptist, who teaches, precisely, that the way of the Lord is prepared by changing of one's mentality and life (cf. Mt 3: 1-3). (1999, John Paul II, Angelus of 28 November)

During Advent the floral decoration of the altar should be marked by a moderation suited to the character of this season, without expressing prematurely the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord. During Lent it is forbidden for the altar to be decorated with flowers. Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts are exceptions. (2002, GIRM 305)

In Advent the organ and other musical instruments should be used with a moderation that is consistent with the season's character and does not anticipate the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord. (2002, GIRM 313)

Advent is a time of waiting, conversion and of hope: 1) waiting-memory of the first, humble coming of the Lord in our mortal flesh; waiting-supplication for his final, glorious coming as Lord of History and universal Judge; 2) conversion, to which the Liturgy at this time often refers quoting the prophets, especially John the Baptist, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mt 3,2); 3) joyful hope that the salvation already accomplished by Christ (cf. Rm 8, 24-25) and the reality of grace in the world, will mature and reach their fulness, thereby granting us what is promised by faith, and "we shall become like him for we shall see him as he really is" (John 3,2). (2002, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy 96)

Popular piety, because of its intuitive understanding of the Christian mystery, can contribute effectively to the conservation of many of the values of Advent, which are not infrequently threatened by the commercialization of Christmas and consumer superficiality. Popular piety perceives that it is impossible to celebrate the Lord's birth except in an atmosphere of sobriety and joyous simplicity and of concern for the poor and marginalized. The expectation of the Lord's birth makes us sensitive to the value of life and the duties to respect and defend it from conception. Popular piety intuitively understands that it is not possible coherently to celebrate the birth of him "who saves his people from their sins" without some effort to overcome sin in one's own life, while waiting vigilantly for Him who will return at the end of time. (2002, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy 105)

If Advent is the season par excellence that invites us to hope in the God-Who-Comes, Lent renews in us the hope in the One who made us pass from death to life. Both are seasons of purification - this is also indicated by the liturgical colour that they have in common... (2008, Benedict XVI, Homily of 6 February)

"Praying the Mass" at St. Gregory the Great in Hamilton, NJ

2010-11-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

I'll be at St. Gregory the Great in Hamilton, NJ, on Wednesday, December 1st, at 7pm to talk about a prayerful approach to the Mass. Here's the announcement from their bulletin:

If you're in the area, I recommend you stop by for an hour of solid liturgical catechesis in the spirit of Luke 10:27.

O Lord, I am not worthy...

2010-11-29T10:41:00.000-05:00

What the centurion said to Jesus, we too will say when the new English translation of the Roman Missal is put into liturgical use next Advent. There are two reasons that the centurion responded to Jesus' offer to "come and heal" his servant. (cf. Matt. 8:5-13)

On the one hand, Jesus’ going to his house was unnecessary: Jesus, having authority, need only say the word to heal the centurion’s servant. (Personally, I wish the liturgical response in the Latin and in the English were: "and your servant shall be healed.") On the other, Jesus’ going to his house would have complicated matters: it was unlawful for Him to do so, and He would have been considered ritually impure because of it. (cf. Acts 10:28)

I think the response of the centurion on our lips is a fitting reaction on our part to the Lord’s “condescending love”: “Lord, You needn’t go through all that trouble, You needn’t get mixed up with me. You’re powerful enough to do it from where You are.” Or, as St. Peter exclaimed, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8)

And yet Christ invites us to Him. (cf. Matt. 11:28) And so there is a meeting (at the very edge of the sanctuary and the nave, if a Communion rail is employed) where we come to Jesus, and He comes to us. He does for us what He did not do for the centurion, and I am most grateful for it. He “goes through the trouble” of coming under my roof (which I understand to be the roof of my mortal frame, the roof of this temple of the Holy Spirit) and “risks” impurity to associate with me in such a sacramental way.

That’s why this newer, closer translation of this is meaningful to me, and I hope it’s meaningful to others as well.

I wonder: if the “yoking” language of Matt. 11:28-30 were employed in the Latin liturgy, if it would need to be “interpreted” by an English translation. I think modern — or at least non-agricultural — man sorely misunderstands the imagery of the yoke, especially as employed by Jesus. But does this misunderstanding require interpreting away the scriptural words and replacing them with a modern idiom? Can’t we have both the scriptural words and a true comprehension of them?

Advent Hymns: People, Look East

2010-11-27T17:56:00.000-05:00

I'm going to attempt a series of posts (always a bad idea!) on the blog, looking at Advent and Christmas hymns. I'll explain them and uncover their important doctrinal and theological message.

My first hymn is one of my absolute favorites: "People, Look East". I'll post the five verses as I know them, although I understand that verse 3 ("Birds, though you long...") is not as well-known, and that verse 5 ("Angels, announce...") has a few variations.

This hymn was written by Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) in 1928. Farjeon, a Catholic, also penned "Morning Has Broken," an ode of "praise for [creation] springing fresh from the Word," which is perhaps more well-known for being sung by Cat Stevens.

"People, Look East" is a hymn about preparation. Each verse of this hymn personifies Love: Guest, Rose, Bird, Star, Lord. Love is on the way, Love is coming, Love is about to arrive; and so the one who will be receiving Love must prepare accordingly.

1. People, look East: The time is near / of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able: / trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look East and sing today: / Love, the Guest, is on the way.

Love is a guest. To prepare for his arrival, the house is tidied up, the fireplace is properly cleaned and adorned, and the table is set for the meal. Preparation in this verse is expressed as a desire to get your house in order so that the guest does not feel unwelcome. The Lord is, indeed, a Guest: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." (Rev. 3:20)

2. Furrows, be glad! Though earth is bare, / one more seed is planted there.
Give up your strength, the seed to nourish, / that in course the flower may flourish.
People, look East and sing today: / Love, the Rose, is on the way.

A furrow is a groove or trench in dirt, the kind that would result from plowing the soil. Furrows are dug, seeds or bulbs are planted in them, and then the dirt is raked over to cover what has been planted. These furrows have perhaps been abandoned for some time, or maybe they just have not produced well; but yet one more seed is planted in them. The soil, then, should "give up [its] strength" to nourish that seed so that the flower may grow. The preparation here calls for holding nothing back. The Lord is a Rose: "Lo, how a rose e'er-blooming from tender stem hath sprung," says the German hymn. Jesus is the bud springing forth from the shoot of the stump of Jesse, as we will hear on the Second Sunday of Advent. (cf. Isaiah 11:1-10)

3. Birds, though you long have ceased to build, / guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen / He for fledging time has chosen.
People, look East and sing today: / Love, the Bird, is on the way.

The nest is built before the eggs are laid. The building of a nest is more industrious task than staying put and guarding eggs. But preparation for the hatchling requires both the labor and the waiting. And the hour when the egg will hatch may be the least expected — or desired — hour, but it is the one God has chosen. Our preparation requires self-sacrifice and enduring hardships for the sake of the beloved. Medieval minds associated Jesus with the pelican (Pie pellicane, the pellican-in-her-piety), which was believed to pierce her own breast to feed her young on her own blood when food was scarce.

4. Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim / one more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather, / bright as sun and moon together.
People, look East and sing today: / Love, the Star, is on the way.

Stars are the sentinels of the sky, "keep[ing] the watch." They must shine the brighter as the night grows darker. Yet in the cold and dark of night shall come one more light, a light brighter than both sun and moon together, which "shall brim" "the bowl"; that is, it will cause "the bowl" of the heavens to be filled to the brim with its light. The stars teach us the need to be watchful in our waiting and preparing. The Lord is the "star [which] shall come forth out of Jacob" (Num. 24:17) Who was signaled by another star appearing in the heavens which led the Magi to Him. (cf. Matt. 2:2) He is the "bright" "morning star" Who brings the day. (2 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 2:28; 22:16)

5. Angels, announce on this great feast / Him Who cometh from the East.*
Set ev'ry peak and valley humming / with the word: "The Lord is coming!"
People, look East and sing today: / Love, the Lord, is on the way.

The great feast is that of Christmas, of course, the Nativity of our Lord. The hymn's repeated call to "look East" is explained here: the Lord "cometh from the East." His star rose in the East (cf. Matt. 2:2), and He announced His coming to be like lightning which "comes from the east and shines as far as the west." (Matt. 24:27) The Lord ascended into Heaven from Mt. Olivet, a "sabbath day's journey" to the East of Jerusalem, and the angels told the Apostles that He would return "in the same way." (Acts 1:9-12) The angels repeat the message of the prophets, especially Isaiah and John the Baptist. Every peak and valley should be stirring with that message, "The Lord is coming." Every peak should be humbled by it, and every valley should be filled with it. We too are angels, messengers, and we should announce the coming of the Lord, not only on the approaching feast of Christmas, but on every Lord's day, and on every day the Lord graces us with breath and life.

The word "Advent" comes from the Latin adventus ("an arrival, a coming"), from advenire (ad- + venire, "to come to"). Until the One is coming arrives, we are waiting. But our waiting is not a sit-on-our-hands sort of waiting; it is an active and lively waiting. Advent is a time of preparation, and I think this hymn presents this theme very well.

Our spiritual houses should be put in order to receive the Lord worthily. We should rejoice despite whatever spiritual barrenness we may be suffering, and so nurture with all our energies the gift of grace which has been planted in us. We should brave the cold and dark nights of our souls, being willing to endure sacrifices for the sake of our Lord, Who bore such great burdens for us. We should stay awake and keep watch; we should remain vigilant, for we know not the hour nor the day of the Lord's return. And we should not neglect our duty as messengers of our Lord to proclaim His coming in every peak and valley of our lives.

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

* Alternate wording: "Angels, announce with shouts of mirth Christ who brings new life to earth" and "Angels, announce to man and beast Him who cometh from the east".

Crisis with the Roman Missal: 2010 text looking terrible

2010-11-25T23:41:00.002-05:00

I'll get right to the point. The 2008 English translation of the Roman Missal looked very good, very promising.

The 2010 text, on the other hand, looks atrocious. It is full of errors and oddities and other problems that just make it ugly and stilted. Please, please, please give us back the 2008 translation. The 2010 text is going to result in an absolute disaster. Eyes (and heads) will roll.

Important Update: the linked text is from April. It is not the final revised version of the text that we are eagerly awaiting. But it goes to show you what sort of translation was approved for use back in 2010! How did it get such approval with all these serious shortcomings?!

Lord almighty, help us out here!

"Action items" for the faithful from Verbum Domini

2010-11-23T14:19:00.000-05:00

Our Holy Father encourages us to many things in Verbum Domini. Here is a selection of them, most of which were found by searching for the word fragment "encourag" in the text:

I encourage all the faithful to renew their personal and communal encounter with Christ, the word of life made visible, and to become his heralds, so that the gift of divine life – communion – can spread ever more fully throughout the world. (VD 2)

The faithful need to be better helped to grasp the different meanings of the expression, but also to understand its unitary sense. (VD 7)

It is important that the faithful be taught to acknowledge that the root of sin lies in the refusal to hear the word of the Lord, and to accept in Jesus, the Word of God, the forgiveness which opens us to salvation. (VD 26)

In our day the faithful need to be helped to see more clearly the link between Mary of Nazareth and the faith-filled hearing of God's word. I would encourage scholars as well to study the relationship between Mariology and the theology of the word. (VD 27)

I encourage scholars and pastors to help all the faithful to approach these [difficult] passages through an interpretation which enables their meaning to emerge in the light of the mystery of Christ. (VD 42)

Promoting common translations of the Bible is part of the ecumenical enterprise. I would like to thank all those engaged in this important work, and I encourage them to persevere in their efforts. (VD 46)

I encourage the Church's Pastors and all engaged in pastoral work to see that all the faithful learn to savour the deep meaning of the word of God which unfolds each year in the liturgy, revealing the fundamental mysteries of our faith. (VD 52)

To have a deeper experience of the reconciling power of God's word, the individual penitent should be encouraged to prepare for confession by meditating on a suitable text of sacred Scripture and to begin confession by reading or listening to a biblical exhortation such as those provided in the rite. (VD 61)

I also encourage communities of consecrated life to be exemplary in the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, and thus to become a point of reference and an inspiration for the spiritual and pastoral life of the whole Church. (VD 62)

The Synod Fathers encouraged all pastors to promote times devoted to the celebration of the word in the communities entrusted to their care. (VD 65)

I encourage Pastors to foster moments of recollection whereby, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the word of God can find a welcome in our hearts. (VD 66)

I encourage our Christian communities to offer every possible practical assistance to our brothers and sisters suffering from [seeing and hearing] impairments, so that they too can be able to experience a living contact with the word of the Lord. (VD 71)

I encourage pastors and the faithful to recognize the importance of [making the Bible the inspiration of every ordinary and extraordinary pastoral outreach]: it will also be the best way to deal with certain pastoral problems which were discussed at the Synod and have to do, for example, with the proliferation of sects which spread a distorted and manipulative reading of sacred Scripture. (VD 73)

The General Catechetical Directory contains valuable guidelines for a biblically inspired catechesis and I readily encourage that these be consulted. (VD 74)

A knowledge of biblical personages, events and well-known sayings should thus be encouraged; this can also be promoted by the judicious memorization of some passages which are particularly expressive of the Christian mysteries. (VD 74)

The Synod frequently encouraged all Christians to grow in their relationship with the word of God, not only because of their Baptism, but also in accordance with their call to various states in life. (VD 77)

Mindful of the inseparable bond between the word of God and Mary of Nazareth, along with the Synod Fathers I urge that Marian prayer be encouraged among the faithful, above all in life of families, since it is an aid to meditating on the holy mysteries found in the Scriptures. (VD 88)

The Synod also recommended that the faithful be encouraged to pray the Angelus. (VD 88)

As we proclaim the Gospel, let us encourage one another to do good and to commit ourselves to justice, reconciliation and peace. (VD 99)

I therefore encourage the faithful to meditate often on the Apostle Paul's hymn to charity [1 Cor. 13] and to draw inspiration from it. (VD 103)

I encourage the competent offices and groups to promote in the Church a solid formation of artists with regard to sacred Scripture in the light of the Church's living Tradition and her magisterium. (VD 112)

During the Synod, it was clear that a number of local Churches still lack a complete translation of the Bible in their own languages. ... I would encourage the investment of resources in this area. (VD 115)

The Synod asked Conferences of Bishops, wherever it is appropriate and helpful, to encourage meetings aimed at helping Christians and Muslims to come to better knowledge of one another, in order to promote the values which society needs for a peaceful and positive coexistence. (VD 118)

I wish once more to encourage all the People of God, pastors, consecrated persons and the laity, to become increasingly familiar with the sacred Scriptures. (VD 121)

Verbum Domini — "The God Who Speaks" (6-14)

2010-11-21T17:03:00.000-05:00

This is the second installment of my commentary on Pope Benedict's post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church, Verbum Domini (which you can download here). This covers Part One, Section One (Verbum Dei: The God Who Speaks, paragraphs 6-21); this particular post addresses paragraphs 6-14.

The God of the Universe is a God Who speaks: He does not simply place some clues scattered throughout time and space, He actively speaks in — and to — His creation. He reveals Himself to His people through His Word, the Logos, Who is uncreated, God from God. This revelation is a dialogue within God, Who is a Trinity of Persons, as well as a dialogue with humanity. "God makes himself known to us as a mystery of infinite love in which the Father eternally utters his Word in the Holy Spirit. Consequently the Word, who from the beginning is with God and is God, reveals God himself in the dialogue of love between the divine persons, and invites us to share in that love." (VD 6)

The expression "the word of God" can be understood in many ways; I quote paragraph 7 in its entirety (with my own emphases).

The analogy of the word of God

In the light of these considerations, born of meditation on the Christian mystery expressed in the Prologue of John, we now need to consider what the Synod Fathers affirmed about the different ways in which we speak of "the word of God". They rightly referred to a symphony of the word, to a single word expressed in multiple ways: "a polyphonic hymn". The Synod Fathers pointed out that human language operates analogically in speaking of the word of God. In effect, this expression, while referring to God's self-communication, also takes on a number of different meanings which need to be carefully considered and related among themselves, from the standpoint both of theological reflection and pastoral practice. As the Prologue of John clearly shows us, the Logos refers in the first place to the eternal Word, the only Son, begotten of the Father before all ages and consubstantial with him: the word was with God, and the word was God. But this same Word, Saint John tells us, "became flesh" ( Jn 1:14); hence Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, is truly the Word of God who has become consubstantial with us. Thus the expression "word of God" here refers to the person of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Father, made man.

While the Christ event is at the heart of divine revelation, we also need to realize that creation itself, the liber naturae, is an essential part of this symphony of many voices in which the one word is spoken. We also profess our faith that God has spoken his word in salvation history; he has made his voice heard; by the power of his Spirit "he has spoken through the prophets". God's word is thus spoken throughout the history of salvation, and most fully in the mystery of the incarnation, death and resurrection of the Son of God. Then too, the word of God is that word preached by the Apostles in obedience to the command of the Risen Jesus: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mk 16:15). The word of God is thus handed on in the Church's living Tradition. Finally, the word of God, attested and divinely inspired, is sacred Scripture, the Old and New Testaments. All this helps us to see that, while in the Church we greatly venerate the sacred Scriptures, the Christian faith is not a "religion of the book": Christianity is the "religion of the word of God", not of "a written and mute word, but of the incarnate and living Word". Consequently the Scripture is to be proclaimed, heard, read, received and experienced as the word of God, in the stream of the apostolic Tradition from which it is inseparable.

As the Synod Fathers stated, the expression "word of God" is used analogically, and we should be aware of this. The faithful need to be better helped to grasp the different meanings of the expression, but also to understand its unitary sense. From the theological standpoint too, there is a need for further study of how the different meanings of this expression are interrelated, so that the unity of God's plan and, within it, the centrality of the person of Christ, may shine forth more clearly.

There is a great deal to meditate upon when we consider the ways in which that Word has been communicated to mankind throughout history. However, we must caution against considering all religions as genuine receptions and interpretations of that Word.

Because "[c]reation is born of the Logos" it "indelibly bears the mark of the creative Reason which orders and directs it." (VD 8) Thus the cosmos is an echo of the Word of God; as St. Bonaventure says, "every creature is a word of God, since it proclaims God." (VD 8) This relationship between creation and the Word centers on the creation of man: "Contemplating the cosmos from the perspective of salvation history, we come to realize the unique and singular position occupied by man in creation." (VD 9) Or, to put it more astonishingly: "human salvation is the reason underlying everything." (VD 9) One consequence of this is that the Word of God has been made present in the "natural law" written on the human heart: "Listening to the word of God leads us first and foremost to value the need to live in accordance with this law 'written on human hearts' (cf. Rom 2:15; 7:23). Jesus Christ then gives mankind the new law, the law of the Gospel, which takes up and eminently fulfils the natural law, setting us free from the law of sin..." (VD 9)

[At this point, I think it's worthwhile to comment on the sheer number of scriptural references made in this document, more than in any other document I can recall reading. There are over 240!]

For the one who recognizes the presence of the Word of God in creation, each creature is seen as a precious creation of God: "Those who know God's word also know fully the significance of each creature." (VD 10) At the same time, we are called to recognize that creatures are just that: creatures, not the Creator. "[T]he realist is the one who recognizes in the word of God the foundation of all things. This realism is particularly needed in our own time, when many things in which we trust for building our lives, things in which we are tempted to put our hopes, prove ephemeral." (VD 10) Thus these creations, because they are less than their Creator, are "incapable of fulfilling the deepest yearnings of the human heart." (VD 10)

Having looked at the Word in creation, and then specifically in the creation of Man, we now consider the Word in its Christological context. Paragraph 11 begins by quoting the opening of the letter to the Hebrews: "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world." (Heb. 1:1-2) It is affirmed, then, that "the entire Old Testament already appears to us as a history in which God communicates his word." (VD 11) This communication from God is seamless from the Old to the New Testament, because the Word becomes flesh in Jesus Christ, whose "unique and singular history is the definitive word which God speaks to humanity." (VD 11)

[Here, Pope Benedict quotes Deus Caritas Est 1, that "Being Christian is [the result of] the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction," just as I had in my previous post. I quoted DCE without having read this far in the document, so it's a small delight to me to able to draw a connection that the Holy Father drew as well!]

The faith of the apostles teaches us that "the eternal Word became one of us. The divine Word is truly expressed in human words." (VD 11) In the patristic and medieval tradition, this act of condescension was called the "abbrevation" of the Word, a rather clever play on words... pun intended! Benedict quotes from his homily of December 24, 2006:

"The Fathers of the Church found in their Greek translation of the Old Testament a passage from the prophet Isaiah that Saint Paul also quotes in order to show how God's new ways had already been foretold in the Old Testament. There we read: 'The Lord made his word short, he abbreviated it.' (Is 10:23; Rom 9:28) ... The Son himself is the Word, the Logos: the eternal word became small – small enough to fit into a manger. He became a child, so that the word could be grasped by us." (VD 12)

In Jesus, the Word was expressed in "perfect humanity" and perfect obedience to the will of the Father. (VD 12) This Word goes to the extreme of becoming "muted" in the crucifixion: "Jesus' mission is ultimately fulfilled in the paschal mystery: here we find ourselves before the 'word of the cross' (1 Cor 1:18). The word is muted; it becomes mortal silence, for it has 'spoken' exhaustively, holding back nothing of what it had to tell us." (VD 12) This silencing of the Word is then given its "authentic and definitive meaning" in the "most luminous mystery of the resurrection." (VD 12) So it is in the Paschal mystery that "the unity of the divine plan" is made clear: the New Testament repeatedly asserts that the Paschal mystery is accomplished "in accordance with the Scriptures." (VD 13)

Because Jesus is the Word incarnate, He is "the culmination of revelation [and] the fulfilment of God's promises." (VD 14) This means that "the Christian dispensation, since it is the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ." (VD 14, quoting Dei Verbum 4) Benedict quotes the same passage from St. John of the Cross that Fr. Corapi quotes often as well: "Since he has given us his Son, his only word (for he possesses no other), he spoke everything at once in this sole word – and he has no more to say... because what he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has spoken all at once by giving us this All who is his Son." (VD 14)

Pope Benedict then provides some helpful guidelines for the reception and application of private revelation, which I quote in full with my emphases:

Consequently the Synod pointed to the need to "help the faithful to distinguish the word of God from private revelations" whose role "is not to 'complete' Christ's definitive revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history". The value of private revelations is essentially different from that of the one public revelation: the latter demands faith; in it God himself speaks to us through human words and the mediation of the living community of the Church. The criterion for judging the truth of a private revelation is its orientation to Christ himself. If it leads us away from him, then it certainly does not come from the Holy Spirit, who guides us more deeply into the Gospel, and not away from it. Private revelation is an aid to this faith, and it demonstrates its credibility precisely because it refers back to the one public revelation. Ecclesiastical approval of a private revelation essentially means that its message contains nothing contrary to faith and morals; it is licit to make it public and the faithful are authorized to give to it their prudent adhesion. A private revelation can introduce new emphases, give rise to new forms of piety, or deepen older ones. It can have a certain prophetic character (cf. 1 Th 5:19-21) and can be a valuable aid for better understanding and living the Gospel at a certain time; consequently it should not be treated lightly. It is a help which is proffered, but its use is not obligatory. In any event, it must be a matter of nourishing faith, hope and love, which are for everyone the permanent path of salvation. (VD 14)

The next post in this series will complete looking at "The God Who Speaks", paragraphs 15-22.

Pope Benedict on the liturgy's symbolism

2010-11-15T08:53:00.000-05:00

In the technological culture of today, the Gospel is the guide and the permanent paradigm of inculturation, purifying, healing and elevating the better elements of the new languages and new forms of communication. For this difficult and fascinating task, the Church can draw on the extraordinary patrimony of symbols, images, rites and gestures of her tradition. In particular, the rich and dense symbolism of the liturgy must shine forth in all its power as a communicative element, to the point of deeply touching the human conscience, heart and intellect. The Christian tradition has always been closely linked to the liturgy and to the language of art, the beauty of which has its special communicative power. (ZENIT)

Verbum Domini — Introduction (1-5)

2010-11-13T23:28:00.000-05:00

This is the first installment of my commentary on Pope Benedict's post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church, Verbum Domini (which you can download here). This covers the introduction (paragraphs 1-5).

The opening sentences are worth quoting verbatim (pun certainly intended!).

"The word of the Lord abides for ever. This word is the Gospel which was preached to you." (1 Pet 1:25; cf. Is 40:8) With this assertion from the First Letter of Saint Peter, which takes up the words of the Prophet Isaiah, we find ourselves before the mystery of God, who has made himself known through the gift of his word. This word, which abides for ever, entered into time. God spoke his eternal Word humanly; his Word "became flesh." (Jn 1:14) This is the good news. This is the proclamation which has come down the centuries to us today. (Verbum Domini [VD] 1)

This certainly sets the tone for the whole document. Benedict is writing to us about the good news, the Word-made-flesh, Who abides forever.

For those of us — myself included — who aren't aware just how much work goes into these bishops' synods, Benedict lists the documents he will be revisiting in his exhortation:

the Lineamenta, the Instrumentum Laboris, the Relationes ante and post disceptationem, the texts of the interventions, both those delivered on the Synod floor and those presented in written form, the reports of the smaller discussion groups, the Final Message to the People of God and, above all, a number of specific proposals (Propositiones) which the Fathers considered especially significant. (VD 1)

The purpose of the exhortation is "to point out certain fundamental approaches to a rediscovery of God's word in the life of the Church as a wellspring of constant renewal" so that "the word will be ever more fully at the heart of every ecclesial activity." (VD 1)

Then the Holy Father quotes the beginning of St. John's first epistle, drawing attention to the direct contact the Apostles had with the Word of life, and their desire to bring others into fellowship — that is, communion — with that Word Who is Jesus, and with His Father. We have had contact with that Word, too: "Being Christian is [the result of] the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." (Deus Caritas Est [DCE] 1) We must renew this encounter with Christ and be His heralds so that this gift of communion with God can be spread throughout the earth. It is "the Church's gift and unescapable duty to communicate that joy" which is sharing in the God's divine life, since God alone has "the words of eternal life." (VD 2; John 6:68)

Benedict considers the Church's journey with the Word since Vatican II's Dei Verbum. The previous Synod's theme was "The Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church's Life and Mission," and this theme naturally led to the Synod on the Word of God: "the Church is built upon the word of God; she is born from and lives by that word." (VD 3) The faithful draw strength from the Scriptures, growing by hearing, celebrating, and studying them. He notes the increase in Catholic biblical studies in ecclesial (not merely academic) life over the past few decades. The Catholic Commentary on Scripture, the Ignatius Study Bible series, and of course the Great Adventure Bible Timeline come to my mind as excellent examples of this. The years between Vatican II and this Synod

have also witnessed a growing awareness of the "trinitarian and salvation-historical horizon of revelation" against which Jesus Christ is to be acknowledged as "mediator and fullness of all revelation." (VD 3)

The Church continually preaches Christ as "completed and perfected revelation" to every generation. (VD 3) The Synod was called "to review the implementation of the [Second Vatican] Council's directives [regarding the Word of God], and to confront the new challenges which the present time sets before Christian believers." (VD 3)

At this point, I think I found an error in a footnote. It is said that "In the last forty years, the Church's magisterium has also issued numerous statements on" questions pertaining to revelation and Scripture. (VD 3) A footnote lists Pope Paul VI's Summa Dei Verbum by mistake, I think — while this document's title includes "Dei Verbum" in it, it is about seminaries; it does not mention "Scripture" nor "Bible" at all, only "Biblical" once. I think an overzealous researcher for magisterial pronouncements included this one without vetting it first!

In paragraph 4, His Holiness makes an important note about the way in which the Scriptures must be read: "we can deepen our relationship with the word of God only within the 'we' of the Church, in mutual listening and acceptance." (VD 4) Put another way, the Scriptures must be read in the Church, that is, from within the Tradition of the Church. That being said, he also drew attention to the participation by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, and by a rabbi who offered "a precious witness on the Hebrew Scriptures." (VD 4) With these perspectives, there is also "an ongoing Pentecost" in the Church today: "various peoples are still waiting for the word of God to be proclaimed in their own language and in their own culture." (VD 4)

This emphasis on evangelization brings to mind St. Paul, whose year was being celebrated during the Synod:

Paul's life was completely marked by his zeal for the spread of God's word. How can we not be moved by his stirring words about his mission as a preacher of the word of God: "I do everything for the Gospel" (1 Cor 9:23); or, as he writes in the Letter to the Romans: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith." (1:16) Whenever we reflect on the word of God in the life and mission of the Church, we cannot but think of Saint Paul and his life spent in spreading the message of salvation in Christ to all peoples.

Finally, the pope reiterates his desire that the fruits of the Synod's labor "have a real effect on the life of the Church: on our personal relationship with the sacred Scriptures, on their interpretation in the liturgy and catechesis, and in scientific research, so that the Bible may not be simply a word from the past, but a living and timely word." (VD 5)

The three parts of his exhortation follow the prologue of St. John's Gospel (John 1:1-14), "a magnificent text [...] which offers a synthesis of the entire Christian faith." (VD 5) These three parts are Verbum Dei (The Word of God), Verbum in Ecclesia (The Word in the Church), and Verbum Mundo (The Word to the World).

Verbum Domini — Plain Text and MS Word

2010-11-11T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here are links to three versions of Verbum Domini. They're smaller in page-count than the 208-page PDF!

Plain text
MS Word (letter, 58 pages)
MS Word (folio, 84 pages)

These documents do not differ from the original English PDF, except for formatting, and the exclusion of the Index from the end of the document. In the MS Word documents, the footnotes included as actual footnotes; in the plain-text document, they are endnotes.

Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhoratation Verbum Domini due today!

2010-11-11T15:09:00.000-05:00

Pope Benedict is expected to publish his second Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation today. His first was Sacramentum Caritatis, following the Synod on the Eucharist; this one is Verbum Domini, following the Synod on the Word of God.

Dr. Brant Pitre has the same concern I do:

Some have speculated that the delay is tied to the debate over inerrancy and interpretation that took place during the synod; I have no way of verifying or falsifying that, but it will be interesting to see whether the exhortation addresses it, since Proposition 12 from the bishops requested clarification on “the inspiration and truth” of Scripture. Will Benedict give it in this exhortation? We’ll find out.

For those of you who had not followed the Synod's proceedings, there was a garish statement made in the instrumentum laboris (the "working document") that "with regards to what might be inspired in the many parts of Sacred Scripture, inerrancy applies only to 'that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation' (DV 11)." (15c) That needs to be answered by the Pope!

Update (9:30 am) — Around noon, Vatican time, the document was released, as reported by this Vatican press release. Apparently, it's been released as a PDF. Normally, I would say, that's cool. But the English text is a 208-page PDF with a large font-size. Not cool. The Latin PDF is 150 pages; still crazy. I'd prefer the HTML version so I can copy the text and format it in a Word document that doesn't require 100+ sheets of paper!

Update (3:09 pm) — I've produced three versions (one plain-text, two MS Word) of Verbum Domini in place of the 208-page PDF. You can download them here.

Augustine on catechesis (1-6)

2010-11-07T15:27:00.000-05:00

As I read St. Augustine's De Catechizandis Rudibus (DCR), I'm going to share some highlights and my commentary with you, faithful reader!

First, a bit of context about this document. A deacon in Carthage named — get this — Deogratis had asked St. Augustine to "send [him] in writing something which might be of service to [him] in the matter of catechising the uninstructed." Deogratias had "the reputation of possessing a rich gift in catechising, due at once to an intimate acquaintance with the faith, and to an attractive method of discourse." But he expressed some reservations to Augustine "regarding the point at which our statement of [some Christian doctrine] ought to commence, and the limit to which it should be allowed to proceed" and whether catechists "ought to make use of any kind of exhortation, or simply specify those precepts in the observance of which the person to whom [they] are discoursing may know the Christian life and profession to be maintained." Deogratias was also doubtful how he can be profitable to his audience if, during a long address, he seems "profitless and distasteful" even to himself! (DCR 1)

So Augustine gladly takes up the task of responding to Deogratias. (DCR 2) First, he lets Deogratias know that it is possible for a speech to be profitable to an audience and yet seem distasteful to the one speaking it. (DCR 3-4) Then Augustine tells him about the manner of "narration" to use in catechesis:

5. The narration is full when each person is catechised in the first instance from what is written in the text, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, on to the present times of the Church. This does not imply, however, either that we ought to repeat by memory the entire Pentateuch, and the entire Books of Judges, and Kings, and Esdras, and the entire Gospel and Acts of the Apostles, if we have learned all these word for word; or that we should put all the matters which are contained in these volumes into our own words, and in that manner unfold and expound them as a whole. For neither does the time admit of that, nor does any necessity demand it.

But what we ought to do is to give a comprehensive statement of all things, summarily and generally, so that certain of the more wonderful facts may be selected which are listened to with superior gratification, and which have been ranked so remarkably among the exact turning-points (of the history); that, instead of exhibiting them to view only in their wrappings, if we may so speak, and then instantly snatching them from our sight, we ought to dwell on them for a certain space, and thus, as it were, unfold them and open them out to vision, and present them to the minds of the hearers as things to be examined and admired. But as for all other details, these should be passed over rapidly, and thus far introduced and woven into the narrative. The effect of pursuing this plan is, that the particular facts which we wish to see specially commended to attention obtain greater prominence in consequence of the others being made to yield to them; while, at the same time, neither does the learner, whose interest we are anxious to stimulate by our statement, come to these subjects with a mind already exhausted, nor is confusion induced upon the memory of the person whom we ought to be instructing by our teaching.

This sounds a bit like the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, which follows fourteen books of the Bible that provide a constant narrative, dwelling on major events (especially the establishing of covenants) in those books, while letting you know where the other books fit into the big picture.

Augustine then goes to talk about the attitude of the catechist, which should be one of charity, and how the charity of God — expressed in the preparation for the advent of His Son and its realization in the Incarnation — is the necessary lens through which all the Scriptures must be read:

6. In all things, indeed, not only ought our own eye to be kept fixed upon the end of the commandment, which is charity, out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned, to which we should make all that we utter refer; but in like manner ought the gaze of the person whom we are instructing by our utterance to be moved toward the same, and guided in that direction.

And, in truth, for no other reason were all those things which we read in the Holy Scriptures written, previous to the Lord's advent, but for this—namely, that His advent might be pressed upon the attention, and that the Church which was to be, should be intimated beforehand, that is to say, the people of God throughout all nations; which Church is His body, wherewith also are united and numbered all the saints who lived in this world, even before His advent, and who believed then in His future coming, just as we believe in His past coming.

Now Augustine interprets the birth of Jacob as a type of salvation history! This is an amazing exercise in biblical typology:

For (to use an illustration) Jacob, at the time when he was being born, first put forth from the womb a hand, with which also he held the foot of the brother who was taking priority of him in the act of birth; and next indeed the head followed, and thereafter, at last, and as matter of course, the rest of the members: while, nevertheless the head in point of dignity and power has precedence, not only of those members which followed it then, but also of the very hand which anticipated it in the process of the birth, and is really the first, although not in the matter of the time of appearing, at least in the order of nature.

And in an analogous manner, the Lord Jesus Christ, previous to His appearing in the flesh, and coming forth in a certain manner out of the womb of His secrecy, before the eyes of men as Man, the Mediator between God and men, who is over all, God blessed for ever, sent before Him, in the person of the holy patriarchs and prophets, a certain portion of His body, wherewith, as by a hand, He gave token beforetime of His own approaching birth, and also supplanted the people who were prior to Him in their pride, using for that purpose the bonds of the law, as if they were His five fingers. For through five epochs of times there was no cessation in the foretelling and prophesying of His own destined coming; and in a manner consonant with this, he through whom the law was given wrote five books; and proud men, who were carnally minded, and sought to establish their own righteousness, were not filled with blessing by the open hand of Christ, but were debarred from such good by the hand compressed and closed; and therefore their feet were tied, and they fell, while we are risen, and stand upright.

But although, as I have said, the Lord Christ did thus send before Him a certain portion of His body, in the person of those holy men who came before Him as regards the time of birth, nevertheless He is Himself the Head of the body, the Church, and all these have been attached to that same body of which He is the head, in virtue of their believing in Him whom they announced prophetically. For they were not sundered (from that body) in consequence of fulfilling their course before Him, but rather were they made one with the same by reason of their obedience. For although the hand may be put forward away before the head, still it has its connection beneath the head.

Wherefore all things which were written aforetime were written in order that we might be taught thereby, and were our figures, and happened in a figure in the case of these men. Moreover they were written for our sakes, upon whom the end of the ages has come.

Brilliant! Of course, it's not the only interpretation of Jacob's birth, but it's an interpretation which treats of all Scripture and salvation history as a whole, and which serves to illustrate Augustine's point that all that is written in the Bible about the time before Christ's advent is meant to point to it and prepare us for it.

On memorization in catechesis

2010-11-06T17:31:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Rich Leonardi at Ten Reasons posted a quote from Ven. Pope John Paul II's 1979 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi Tradendae. It emphasized the importance of memorization in the building up of our Catholic faith.

A certain memorization of the words of Jesus, of important Bible passages, of the Ten Commandments, of the formulas of profession of the faith, of the liturgical texts, of the essential prayers, of key doctrinal ideas, etc., far from being opposed to the dignity of young Christians, or constituting an obstacle to personal dialogue with the Lord, is a real need, as the synod fathers forcefully recalled. We must be realists. The blossoms, if we may call them that, of faith and piety do not grow in the desert places of a memory-less catechesis.

Believe it or not, I haven't read this document! It's one I should, though, given its subject matter. But I've decided, first, to read St. Augustine's work De Catechezandis Rudibus.

October: Month of the Rosary

2010-10-21T09:36:00.000-04:00

The month of October is dedicated to the Rosary. A couple of years ago, I had the idea of writing a series on the thirteen encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII on the Rosary. That didn't go as planned. I had hoped to revisit the encyclicals this month. That didn't go as planned. Between my professional career, my book-writing, my Bible studying, and my personal life, I just haven't had the time to do Church-document reading like I had in 2007 and 2008.

That said, I'd like to link to the first two articles I posted about the Rosary encyclicals. I will eventually get around to reading and writing about the whole set.

God does not grade on a curve

2010-10-19T11:44:00.000-04:00

The readings for this coming Sunday all point to one common truth: the Lord is a just judge, an important thing to remember as we approach the month of November, with its days dedicated to all saints and all souls, and the Solemnity of Christ the King (which was originally celebrated on the last Sunday of October, right before those first November feasts).

The first (cf. Sir. 35:12, 18) and second (cf. 2 Tim. 4:8) readings make this abundantly clear. In the Gospel (Luke 18:9-14), the justness of the Lord's judgment is veiled in terms of a parable of two men who go to the temple to pray:

He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.

"Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'

"I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

To explain this theme, and this parable, to the students at Rider University who attend the Catholic Bible Study I host, I began by asking if they have ever taken a class or an exam where the teacher graded on a curve.

There are many ways to grade on a curve. Perhaps the most infamous way is the "bell curve", which reflects what should be the statistically-sound normal distribution of grades among a body of students, as shown on the right. Few students get As and Fs, more get Bs and Ds, and the most get the "average" grade, C. This grading scheme can be good or bad for students. It can be good because it means that the student who got the highest raw (uncurved) score on the exam is assured an A, no matter how objectively poorly he did. It can be bad because it means that if everyone in the class aces the exam, they are all merely "average" and get Cs.

The bell curve, and other forms of curving, make up for the defect of the students' mastery of the material by comparing them to each other. On a 100-question quiz, if no one gets more than 50 questions right, then that "failing" grade becomes an A. Regardless of the highest-scoring student's knowledge of what he is being tested on, he receives a passing grade, because he scored better than the rest of his class. Without the bell curve, the students are not compared to each other, but to the material covered on the exam; they receive objective grades based on their mastery of the material, not based on their relative performance.

In the parable which Jesus addressed to those who "were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else," our Lord mentions a Pharisee and a tax collector (or "publican" in some translations). His audience, hearing the parable unfold, might have had the following impression: "A Pharisee! Gosh, they sure are holy, with their phylacteries and their praying in the Temple and their knowledge of the Scriptures. Ugh, and a tax collector? My neighbor Zacchaeus is one of those traitors, taking my hard-earned money and giving it the Romans... and probably taking a little of the top for himself as well. I'm sure Jesus wouldn't want to have anything to do with him."

The Pharisee compared himself to others, and believed himself to be better than them. As they heard the Lord retell the Pharisee's prayer &mdash "to himself," which might just be idiomatic, but is also quite a condemnation! — they could have thought, "I might not be as good as the Pharisee, but I too am at least better than that tax collector!" If they had to put the Pharisee and the tax collector on a scale and assign them letter grades, they would give the Pharisee an "A" and the tax collector an "F". And then, if they had to assign themselves a grade, they would certainly place themselves above the dreaded tax collector. Even if they got a "D", that was still a passing grade, right?

The tax collector's prayer was very different. He did not compare himself to the Pharisee or to anyone else. He compared himself to the divine law: "O God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

Jesus tells us that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified. The tax collector, comparing himself to the divine law and to God Himself, graded himself objectively; but the Pharisee, comparing himself to others, graded himself subjectively, on a curve; and God does not grade on a curve. Our justification and salvation are not determined by comparing our performance with others'. Our very need for justification and salvation are predicated on the great contrast between our conduct and God's law. It does no good to compare ourselves to one another; St. Paul did not write that "some have sinned and fall short of the glory of their neighbor," but that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) God is the standard, most perfectly embodied in His Son Jesus Christ, in Whom the God was able to show us, by His own example, obedience to Him.

So as we approach the month which reminds us of the Last Things, let us not say, "God, I thank you that I am not like that adulterer, like that thief, like that murderer..." but instead, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

Theology on Tap notes — New Translation

2010-10-17T23:29:00.001-04:00

Here are my notes and translation examples for this Tuesday night's Trenton diocese Theology on Tap at Kilarney's Publick House in Hamilton, NJ.

New Translation at Theology on Tap

2010-10-16T07:52:00.000-04:00

This coming Tuesday, October 19, at 7:30 pm, I will be the presenter for the Trenton diocese's Theology on Tap. I will be talking about the new English translation of the Mass at Kilarney's Publick House in Hamilton. (1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Rd., Hamilton, NJ 08619) If you're in the area, stop by!

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Take the Aquinas Pledge!

2010-10-01T09:10:00.001-04:00

Composed by Russ Renter at Crossing the Tiber

Please feel free to copy, paste and post this.

I, as a Catholic who has agreed to accept and obey all the teachings of the Catholic Church, will commit to learning all God wishes to teach me regarding the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist. As an integral aspect of this pledge, I will seek to grow in my understanding of what the Eucharist is and what place it has in my spiritual life.

I hereby pledge to make Christ in the Eucharist the source and summit of my faith and to meditate on the mystery of his Body and Blood offered to me in the appearances of bread and wine.

I hereby pledge to study the history of the early Christians and the writings of the Church Fathers to gain an appreciation for the role of the Eucharist in the life and growth of Christendom.

I hereby pledge to study the lives of the saints who have made the Eucharist the center of their lives and to ask their intercession that I too will grow in Eucharistic amazement and wonder.

I hereby pledge to never receive Christ's body and blood unless I am in a state of grace, meaning: I harbor no mortal sin as I approach the altar to receive Him. As a part of this pledge, I resolve to confess my sins to a priest at least once a month in order to be fully receptive to all the grace Jesus has for me.

I hereby pledge to make extra visits to my parish when possible to worship Him in adoration/exposition and/or to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament reposed in the Tabernacle.

I hereby pledge to share my understanding and love of the Eucharist with other Catholics and non-Catholics who may be interested in hearing why we wish to live Eucharistically centered lives.

I hereby pledge to live a life pleasing to God in profound gratitude for this most ineffable gift He has left His Church.

New Bible studies

2010-09-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

I'm involved in two Bible studies right now. One for college students at Rider University on Monday nights, where we look at the readings for the coming Sunday; and another (associated with St. David the King parish in West Windsor) for young adults, reading the book of Proverbs.

I'll share some notes from Proverbs later today.

Defenders of the new translation prefer an oblivious congregation?

2010-09-23T11:55:00.000-04:00

"The US Bishops’ website has cultivated this disjunction between the priest’s part and the people’s part and most defenders of the new translation seem happy with the idea that the people don’t even notice what the priest says anyway." ~ Fr. Joseph O'Leary, September 3, 2010

"Who are those defenders?" ~ me, September 3, 2010

"Fr. Joseph, could you please back up your claim that 'most defenders of the new translation seem happy with the idea that the people don’t even notice what the priest says anyway'?" ~ me, September 5, 2010

I don't know if he'll back up or retract his claim. It's a rather serious charge.

Dominican book on prayer

2010-09-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

One of the clerical bloggers I follow, Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP, has a new booklet out, Beatitudes and Beads, published by Liguori.

The booklet contains an original rosary with prayers and meditations based on the Sermon on the Mount. It is available in English and Spanish. Each booklet is $2.50. All the royalties from this booklet go to my province.

Praying the Mass on the Radio!

2010-09-14T15:41:00.001-04:00

Praying the Mass is hitting to the radio waves! This Wednesday, September 15th — which happens to be the two-year anniversary of WFJS 1260-AM Trenton (Domestic Church Radio) going on-the-air — I will be recording two episodes for a 13-part radio series on the Mass, based on my books.

Today (Tuesday, September 14th) around 5:45 PM, I will be doing a test-run of these two shows at home, making sure I can fit the content into the allotted time. Tomorrow (Wednesday) around 5:15 PM, I will be recording them at the radio station.

Both today and tomorrow I will be simulcasting and recording those two shows on my ustream channel. I encourage and welcome you to visit ustream.com to watch and listen as I record and speak about the Mass. If you watch and listen today, please send me feedback!

Response to Fr. William Grimm

2010-09-10T10:35:00.002-04:00

Is the new English translation of "for you and for many" (pro multis) heretical? Yes, says Fr. William Grimm, because it should be "for the many."

Here is my response:

1. The English translation is not based on "probable Aramaic words" but on known Latin words. The issue here is not exclusion or inclusion, but an accurate rendering of the Latin words of the Missal, which are based on the Greek words of the New Testament. (Greek, by the way, does have articles, and there is no article associated with 'pollon' [many] in Matthew 26:28 or Mark 14:24.)

2. The Latin 'pro multis' could be "for many" or "for the many", it is true. But if "for the many" leads to the erroneous interpretation that all are forgiven because Jesus shed His blood "for the many," then those words should be avoided. While God wills all men to come to knowledge of the truth and be saved, that is sadly not going to happen, and it belongs to God's "desirous" will rather than His ordaining will. Jesus makes it clear that not all will be saved. (e.g. Matt. 7:13-14)

3. Jesus did shed His blood for the many, indeed, for all, but the words continue: "for the forgiveness of sins." The current translation "for you and for all SO THAT sins may be forgiven" is not a heretical statement (although it's not an accurate translation), because Jesus shed His blood for all of us for the possibility of the forgiveness of sins. But the new translation "for you and for many FOR THE forgiveness of sins" is also not heretical (and it is more accurate), because Jesus shed His blood for the forgiveness of the sins of many, but not of all. The Roman Catechism (after the Council of Trent) makes this clear:

"They serve to declare the fruit and advantage of His Passion. For if we look to its value, we must confess that the Redeemer shed His blood for the salvation of all; but if we look to the fruit which mankind have received from it, we shall easily find that it pertains not unto all, but to many of the human race. ... With reason, therefore, were the words for all not used, as in this place the fruits of the Passion are alone spoken of..."

Book Review: Why God Matters

2010-09-08T22:06:00.002-04:00

A deacon and daughter duo — Dcn. Steve Lumbert (a convert) and Karina Lumbert Fabian (a cradle Catholic) — have written a pleasant and spiritually uplifting book on recognizing God in everyday life, Why God Matters. It's a quick read, and because of that, I think it's likely to catch you off-guard.

Through fourteen chapters, the authors bring you through "the long religious slog of the everyday" (Walt Staples (President of the Catholic Writers Guild), dust jacket) and relate how they found God operating in the seemingly unremarkable events of their lives. Instead of taking the approach of systematic theology, they share steps of their journey of faith that brought them closer to God — or rather, that reminded them of just how close God is to them.

From Deacon Steve, I was reminded that the faith is not something to merely be "observed" (like President's Day); instead, "God must be an active part of our lives." (Chapter 1) During his teenage years he and his brothers were known as trouble-makers, a reputation which landed them in a jail cell for a day... for a crime they didn't commit. The experience inspired him later in life to teach his children "about honesty, integrity, truth, and resisting temptation" (Chapter 3), something I think we can all relate to.

His sensible words about balancing his life as a deacon (between marriage, work, and the diaconate) is especially timely for me: "It's not easy to keep balance. ... The temptation to overextend myself by saying yes to everything is strong." When we find ourselves biting off more than we can chew, we should ask ourselves, "What has God given [me] as [my] first vocation?" (Chapter 11) Finally, the patience of a friend in an airport reminded him of God's unmatchable patience with us: "Like a good friend, God waits patiently for us at journey's end." (Chapter 13)

His daughter challenges us to stop being martyrs over trivialities and lay our cares and worries upon the Lord. When she senses herself making mountains out of molehills, she says this simple prayer: "Lord, let this end in me now." (Chapter 4) By learning how to pace herself throughout the day, she finds peace throughout her week, and Sundays become a day of rejoicing rather than refueling. Her advice to pacing yourself spiritually includes committing yourself to Confession at least once a quarter, and then once a month; and in order to help your family follow your example, "Gently lead them from the front rather than push them from behind." (Chapter 10) When it comes to dealing with a family member who does not believe in God (another situation I can relate to), she candidly admits, "it scares me as nothing has ever scared me before." What's her response? "I pray for him ... and I make small sacrifices on his behalf." Instead of despairing, she loves and gives an example of hope. (Chapter 14)

But her most stunning advice comes in Chapter 12. For her, a "personal relationship" with Jesus Christ doesn't quite cut it. "It smacks to me of name-dropping," she says. She identifies the ways that a "personal relationship" for humans falls short of the sort of relationship we're called to have with God. Even the closest friends keep things private from one another in their relationships: "Do I want limits on my relationship with God?" Personal relationships include trivial banter, but "I am not a peer with God." And then there's the inevitable give-and-take of our human relationships — "once in a while, the other person will be weak" — but that's not the case with God.

Karina challenges us to have a relationship with God that is "more than personal," a relationship that lets God be God and reminds us that we're not! The "life lesson" of the chapter asks, "Does [your relationship] encompass all of God, or is it the 'personal' relationship of 'my buddy Jesus,' or the aloof spiritual relationship of an untouchable deity?"

I'll be honest: I usually read books with "closely reasoned theology" and "appeal[s] to ancient writers of the Church" (Walt Staples), which sometimes leave other readers feeling cold. This book came out of left field and reminds me to breathe with both lungs, to think with head and heart. It has reminded me to look for God in the everyday. It has pointed out to me that God is not just a matter to discuss: God matters.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the Creed

2010-09-02T14:40:00.001-04:00

But in learning the Faith and in professing it, acquire and keep that only, which is now delivered to you by the Church, and which has been built up strongly out of all the Scriptures. For since all cannot read the Scriptures, some being hindered as to the knowledge of them by want of learning, and others by a want of leisure, in order that the soul may not perish from ignorance, we comprise the whole doctrine of the Faith in a few lines. This summary I wish you both to commit to memory when I recite it, and to rehearse it with all diligence among yourselves, not writing it out on paper, but engraving it by the memory upon your heart, taking care while you rehearse it that no Catechumen chance to overhear the things which have been delivered to you.

I wish you also to keep this as a provision through the whole course of your life, and beside this to receive no other, neither if we ourselves should change and contradict our present teaching, nor if an adverse angel, transformed into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) should wish to lead you astray. For though we or an angel from heaven preach to you any other gospel than that you have received, let him be to you anathema. (Galatians 1:8-9)

So for the present listen while I simply say the Creed, and commit it to memory; but at the proper season expect the confirmation out of Holy Scripture of each part of the contents. For the articles of the Faith were not composed as seemed good to men; but the most important points collected out of all the Scripture make up one complete teaching of the Faith. And just as the mustard seed in one small grain contains many branches, so also this Faith has embraced in few words all the knowledge of godliness in the Old and New Testaments. Take heed then, brethren, and hold fast the traditions which you now receive, and write them on the table of your heart.

Catechetical Lecture #5, 12

Scriptures to meditate upon as you make the Sign of the Cross

2010-08-28T16:55:00.000-04:00

Here are some Scripture verses to think about as you make the Sign of the Cross. (Not that I have anything against "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit", but there are other verses we can meditate upon as we cross ourselves.)

"He who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Matt. 10:38; cf. Luke 14:27)

"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matt. 16:24; cf. Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23)

As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross. (Matt. 27:32; cf. Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26)

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)

"I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (John 12:32)

"Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." (Acts 2:36)

We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. (Rom. 6:6)

The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor. 1:18)

We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:23-24)

I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Cor. 2:2)

He was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. (2 Cor. 13:4)

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20)

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal. 5:24)

Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal. 6:14)

For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end. (Eph. 2:14-16)

Being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:8)

In him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col. 1:19-20)

God made [us] alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Col. 2:13-14)

Look to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:2)

English Translation Approved

2010-08-20T16:50:00.001-04:00

This just in from the USCCB:

Cardinal George Announces Vatican Approval of New Roman Missal English-Language Translation, Implementation Set for First Sunday of Advent 2011

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has announced that the full text of the English-language translation of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, has been issued for the dioceses of the United States of America. ...

Cardinal George announced receipt of the documents in an August 20 letter to the U.S. Bishops and issued a decree of proclamation that states that “The use of the third edition of the Roman Missal enters into use in the dioceses of the United States of America as of the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. From that date forward, no other edition of the Roman Missal may be used in the dioceses of the United States of America.”

The date of implementation was chosen to allow publishers time to prepare texts and parishes and dioceses to educate parishioners.

“We can now move forward and continue with our important catechetical efforts as we prepare the text for publication,” Cardinal George said. ...

The USCCB Roman Missal web site has already been updated to reflect this final edition of the translation. Volume 1 of the Praying the Mass series, The Prayers of the People, has undergone another slight revision, but I will not be releasing it just yet. Volume 2, The Prayers of the Priest, which is still in production, has already been adjusted to reflect the new texts.

Book Review: The Crucified Rabbi by Taylor Marshall

2010-08-15T17:45:00.000-04:00

I finished The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of Catholic Christianity by Taylor R. Marshall this morning before Mass. This is the first in his "Origins of Catholic Christianity" trilogy.

In thirteen chapters, Marshall takes us through shared concepts of Judaism and Catholicism, providing the Jewish origin (or at least precedent) for the Catholic concept, practice, or belief. Some are more readily apparent than others: Messiah and Christ mean the same thing, for example. Others might surprise you: the ritual Tevilah washing and the sacrament of Baptism, or the Jewish Nazirites and Catholic monastics. Marshall quotes from Scripture, rabbinic sources, and the historical accounts of Josephus and others, giving a clear and consistent picture of the development of these facets of Catholicism from their Jewish roots.

The book is an easy and quick read. It's educational and informative without sounding too technical or academic. It has its share of typos, but nothing too serious. An appendix contains some 300 Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

If you are looking for a book to help you fill in the gaps between the Old and New Covenants, or if you're looking for an accessible resource to share with a Jewish friend curious about the claims of Christianity, I recommend The Crucified Rabbi.

Ad in H&PR

2010-08-13T11:51:00.001-04:00

I attended a one-day conference on devotion to the Sacred Heart a few months ago in New York City. One of the presenters was Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ, editor emeritus of Homiletic & Pastoral Review (H&PR). Last week, I received a free trial issue. It sure looks like a solid resource, and I've heard good things about it in the past.

So I decided, with all these good priests and laity writing for and subscribed to the periodical, I should look into advertising the Praying the Mass series in it. I'll have a quarter-page ad in the October, November, and December issues. With only about 8 square inches of space, I had to choose my words carefully:

That's what it will look like. Hopefully the bold-face catches the eye of a pastor or director of religious education!

A well-used Bible!

2010-08-09T12:46:00.000-04:00

I was watching an episode of Mother Angelica Live, and the cameramen included a rare (as far as I know) look at Mother Angelica's bible! It has certainly been read and re-read, and she was not too timid to underline and take notes in it!

The Cross Reference

Treasures of the Roman Missal: Eucharistic Prayer IV

Critiquing the new translation alongside earlier ones

Translating the Sanctus

Biblical exegesis and interfaith sensitivity

New Translation: Awkward wording in the doxology

Does the new translation of the Mass over-emphasize our sinfulness?

"Praying the Mass" receives Seal of Approval from the Catholic Writers' Guild

The commandments of Jesus

Winner of Godspell ticket-drawing....

Godspell in two acts

Preparing the way of the Lord

Bible Study for College Students

Malachi 1:11 in Patristic literature

Jerome: "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ"

On Communion under both kinds

How would you teach third-graders about the Church?

Approaching the altar

The Gospel at Mass

Different methods of translation

"And with your spirit" and the new Gloria

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Plum Barbecue Sauce

Euthanasia and compassion

Pius X, XI, and XII on congregational singing at Mass

Looking for the following books...

Is the Eucharist a sacrifice "before" it is a meal?

NEW Catechism Search

John is the voice: The Nativity of John the Baptist

Two more books on the new translation of the Mass

Tools back online!

Books on the new translation of the Mass

Tools offline

What Anthony Weiner can teach us

The Day After Tomorrow (Family Radio Edition)

Son Rise Morning Show, Tuesday, 7:45 AM (ET)

Book Signing at Ave Maria Shop in Morrisville, PA

Books on the Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite

Eucharistic Prayer Inserts for Ritual Masses

Lectors: prepare ahead of time!

What is the Mass for?

Responding to criticism about my books

Concern for the new English translation example: Advent I

Support and concern for the new English translation

Pope Leo the Great on Lent II (Sermon 40)

liturgy.co.nz back online

Pope Leo the Great on Lent I (Sermon 39)

Documents on the Liturgy - Latin

Lent is coming! Lent is coming!

The Prayers of the Priest now in print!

Fr. Ruff's letter on the new translation

An Open Letter to the U.S. Catholic Bishops on the Forthcoming Missal

Can only celibates show that God is alive?

ZENIT's "Spirit of the Liturgy" Series

The need for a new evangelization

"Praying the Mass" at Incarnation Catholic Church in Collierville, TN

More on Latin from Vatican II

Parish Retreat at Church of the Incarnation in Collierville, TN

Early origins of liturgical practices

Latin? In my Mass?!

Advent Hymns: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel

Is Advent a penitential season? Should it be?

"Praying the Mass" at St. Gregory the Great in Hamilton, NJ

O Lord, I am not worthy...

Advent Hymns: People, Look East

Crisis with the Roman Missal: 2010 text looking terrible

"Action items" for the faithful from Verbum Domini

Verbum Domini — "The God Who Speaks" (6-14)

Pope Benedict on the liturgy's symbolism

Verbum Domini — Introduction (1-5)

Verbum Domini — Plain Text and MS Word

Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhoratation Verbum Domini due today!

Augustine on catechesis (1-6)

On memorization in catechesis

October: Month of the Rosary

God does not grade on a curve

Theology on Tap notes — New Translation

New Translation at Theology on Tap

Take the Aquinas Pledge!

New Bible studies

Defenders of the new translation prefer an oblivious congregation?

An Open Letter to the U.S. Catholic
Bishops on the Forthcoming Missal