REVERENCE AND RESPECT FOR THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT RECEIVED DURING MASS AND ADORED APART FROM MASS

THE MOST PROMINENT PLACEMENT OF THE TABERNACLE IN THE SANCTUARY

Reverent celebrations of the Mass in either form, this case the Ordinary Form:

Reverent and worthy reception of the Most Precious Body of our Crucified and Risen Lord

Worthy Reception of the Most Precious Blood of the Crucified and Risen Lord

Solemn Exposition and Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Preaching the homily as integral to the Liturgy of the Word

APOSTOLIC LETTER
MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE
OF THE HOLY FATHER
JOHN PAUL II
TO THE BISHOPS, CLERGY
AND FAITHFUL
FOR THE YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST
OCTOBER 2004–OCTOBER 2005

There is a particular need to cultivate a lively awareness of Christ's real presence, both in the celebration of Mass and in the worship of the Eucharist outside Mass. Care should be taken to show that awareness through tone of voice, gestures, posture and bearing. In this regard, liturgical law recalls—and I myself have recently reaffirmed(15)—the importance of moments of silence both in the celebration of Mass and in Eucharistic adoration. The way that the ministers and the faithful treat the Eucharist should be marked by profound respect.(16) The presence of Jesus in the tabernacle must be a kind of magnetic pole attracting an ever greater number of souls enamored of him, ready to wait patiently to hear his voice and, as it were, to sense the beating of his heart. “O taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Ps 34:8).

In Pope John Paul II's above exhortation, he along with Pope Benedict strive to reinforce the traditional piety, reverence and respect we should have for Mass and the moment of Holy Communion as well as adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament apart from the celebration of the Mass. Here are my suggestions:

1. During Mass, there should be full, conscious and active participation, which also means active contemplation and sacred silence. This type of participation is both interior and exterior. One could mouth all the words of the Pledge of Allegiance and not care one iota for the content of what is pledged. The same is true for Mass, mouthing the responses while important needs also an interior conviction about the words uttered.

2. This active participation during Mass, means also actively listening to the Word of God proclaimed and taking it to heart interiorly which then manifests itself once of is "commissioned" to "Go in Peace to love and serve the Lord."

3. The moment of receiving Holy Communion should be filled with awe and wonder and the intense desire to be free of all sin and in particular mortal sin. When one looks at the Easter Vigil which has recaptured the original order of the Sacraments of Initiation, that of Holy Baptism, Sacred Confirmation and the Most Holy Eucharist, one realizes that the reception of Holy Communion takes place after the washing away of sin in Holy Baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit received in Baptism and "signed and sealed" in Confirmation. The newly initiated do not dare approach the altar for Holy Communion without their sins washed away and thus fully united to the Church in its three expressions, "militant, suffering and triumphant." Thus how much more should Catholics recover the forgiveness of their Baptism prior the Holy Communion through Sacramental Confession or the Sacrament of Penance?

4. The actual reception of Holy Communion should follow the norms of the USA's adaptation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.
a. One should bow before receiving either form of the Sacred Species
b. personal piety should be restrained, but the Sign of the Cross made before or after or both receiving is a long custom in the Church
c. When receiving on the tongue, one should stand very still, open mouth and extend tongue slightly for the convenient placement of the host on the tongue
d. When receiving with the hand, one should be a throne with one hand clearly under the other, stand still, and then place the host in the mouth before departing. One should never place the host in the mouth while walking or ever take the host to the pew or to someone else
e. I personally think we should return to kneeling for Holy Communion or it should be a clear option that is not seen as disobedient to the norms of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal

5. The afterglow of the Real, substantial and magnificent gift of the Presence of the Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist remains in the Most Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle for the sick, dying and for adoration of the faithful. There are specific actions that accompany our belief in the Real Presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament:

a. sacred silence in the Church out of respect for the awesomeness of this Presence
b. genuflection to our Lord when passing directly in front of the tabernacle
c. prayer and adoration kneeling before our Lord in the tabernacle
d. periodic Solemn Exposition and Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Benediction
e. Perpetual Adoration chapels with 24 hour adoration of our Lord in the monstrance

6. Prominent placement of the tabernacle in the Church where all can see it and all can adore before and after Mass. While we understand that one should not be adoring the Most Holy Eucharist which is the Risen Lord under the species of the consecrated Bread during the celebration of the Mass, one should also be aware that Christ cannot be divided. He is Who He is.."I AM"! So there is no conflict in the various aspects of how Christ reveals Himself to us in the actions of the sacramental signs. It is He Who is! I AM!

CLERICALISM ISN'T JUST ABOUT THE CLERGY

Pictures are worth a thousand words


Real TV's "Vortex" can find the host being rather shrill and angry. He seems to find his energy in anger, so I 'm reluctant even to link him to my blog. But if you can get through the anger and resentment of the presentation, I think you will actually discover the bottom line that has true validity. It is the "clericalism" of some female religious orders.

Clericalism when it is applied to the clergy, refers to the the abuse of or the promotion of a privileged lifestyle with no accountability to those who are served, meaning the laity. What no lay person could get away with at home or on the job, the clergy in some of the most egregious acts they commit are given a pass and seem to think they deserve it, have a right to it.

For the most part, clergy have acknowledged this dark tradition in the priesthood and have been striving to overcome it, although it will always be with us to a certain extent.

What this video that I link shows is that within a minority of very liberal religious orders, most of which are on the verge of collapse anyway, there is a mentality of being above everyone else and not accountable to anyone, whether the laity or the hierarchy of the Church.

The most manipulative aspect of this feminine clericalism is the claim that "their anger and hurt" is not appreciated or acknowledged.

No one and certainly not I, begrudge or berate the religious orders of the past that opened schools and staffed them, opened hospitals and staff them, promoted vocations not only to their religious orders but in a very profound and special way to the priesthood. But that style of religious order in those who have undergone what is called a "post Vatican II" reorientation is long gone. Some of the more notoriously liberal religious orders of today are a mere shadow of their former self and the glorious days of being the backbone of the Church and more influential on generations of laity than any pope, bishop or priest ever was.

Today hospitals are being closed, schools are being closed and those that are open are too expensive for those who need them the most. There should be some righteous anger over this and prayer that new religious orders can recover what was lost and that there will be a new springtime of renewal for those orders that have the potential for it.

PRESS TO SEE THE VORTEX VIDEO HERE.

CONFESSION WASN'T GOOD FOR THIS PRIEST! BUT NORMALLY IT IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL!

One of my favorite movies, Alfred Hitchcock's "I Confess" starring Montgomery Clift



Tonight, Thursday, December 16, St. Joseph Church is having our Advent Penance Service.

A couple of years ago as I flipped through the television stations, I landed on a Mega Church's pastor preaching up a storm, using props, wearing really cool, casual clothes and the whole "I'm just like you and really with it routine."

But he said something that has stuck with me. It is a sound bite, but very good.

Now his sermon that day was on SEX. He wanted to emphasize that unlike other Churches, his mega church saw sex as a gift. (News flash, so does the Catholic Church.) But then he went on to highlight the different types of sexual sins.

But this is how he described sexual sins: "USING A GOD GIVEN GIFT, IN A GOD FORBIDDEN WAY."

You know, that's cool and I like that description and I think you could use it to refer to sin in general, not just the abuse of the gift of sexuality.

Sin in general is using the gifts of God in a God forbidden way. Our life is a gift from God. Do we use God's gift of life to us in a God forbidden way?

I ask you decide.

FATHER RICHARD FRAGOMENI GIVES LITURGICAL TALK IN THE MACON DEANERY ON TUESDAY

A priest from the Albany Diocese, Father Fragomeni currently teachers at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. He has done extensive work in parish renewal, diocesan liturgy and liturgical music.

The last time I saw Fr. Fragomeni was in the early 1980's when I attended a workshop on the RCIA put on by the North American Forum on the Catechumenate. Both of us, I think, were more imbued with the "spirit" of Vatican II at that time than either of us are today.

To make this point, Fr. Fragomeni said yesterday, that in line with what is now being calling the "reform of the reform" or what the Holy Father calls, the "hermeneutic of reform within continuity" that liturgists can no longer appeal to just liturgical theologians, either past or present to make authoritative claims on the nature of the liturgy today, but rather we must appeal to papal teaching since the Second Vatican Council. We must look to Rome. I never thought that Fr. Fragomeni would be an "ultramontanist." But he said it out loud.

In his talk to us, he highlighted one papal document in particular, written by Pope John Paul II and released on October 7, 2004 in time for the "Year of the Eucharist." One can be sure that Pope Benedict as Cardinal Ratzinger had a hand in writing this also. The title of the Apostolic letter (and thus more than mere opinion of a particular pope) is MANE NOBISCUM DOMINE and you can down load it by pressing that title.

I'm paraphrasing Fr. Fragomeni, but one of the highlights of this Apostolic letter is that the Holy Father indicates that the presence of Jesus Christ is eternal and has always been in this world as a part of salvation history, past, present and to come. He is an Eternal Event. Thus the Holy Father expands the awareness of the Real Presence of Christ in a letter dedicated to the Holy Eucharist to include all times and places. This does not diminish the Lord's Real Presence in the Eucharistic Elements, but expands our understanding to see the Holy Eucharist, the Mass in general as well as its particular components as "focused moments" on the presence of Christ already manifest, but hidden or veiled in sacramental signs.

He then emphasizes that the Mass has two tables, the Table of the Word and the Table of the Eucharist. Personally, while I don't like disagreeing with a pope, I would prefer one table with two courses. At Mass we are fed with the Word of God and the Most Holy Eucharist from the one table or one altar. I think the unreformed Mass captures this a bit better and needs to be recovered, just my two cents.

Then the Holy Father speaks of the Holy Eucharist as meal. "There is no doubt that the most evident dimension of the Eucharist is that it is a meal. The Eucharist was born, on the evening of Holy Thursday, in the setting of the Passover meal. Being a meal is part of its very structure...As such it expresses the fellowship which God wishes to establish with us ad which we ourselves must build with one another."

But the Holy Father also adds this important codicil: "Yet it must not be forgotten that the Eucharistic meal also has a profoundly and primarily sacrificial meaning. In the Eucharist, Christ makes present to us anew the sacrifice offered once for all on Golgotha. Present in the Eucharist as the Risen Lord, He nonetheless bears the marks of his passion, of which every Mass is a "memorial" as the Liturgy reminds us in the acclamation following the consecration, "We announce your death, Lord, we proclaim your resurrection..." The Eucharist makes present what occurred in the past, it also impels us towards the future, when Christ will come again at the end of history." Sounds like the season of Advent doesn't it?

Finally, Fr. Fragomeni spoke of Pope John Paul's description of the Eucharist as a "Mystery." It is in the "obscurity" or the "hiddeness" of the signs and symbols used, that Jesus makes known His real presence. We speak of the Real Presence of Christ in the elements of bread and wine, not to indicate that other presences of Christ are "unreal" but rather to show forth that the Eucharistic Presence is Real Presence "par excellence." "Because Christ thereby becomes substantially present, whole and entire, in the reality of His Body and Blood. Faith demands that we approach the Eucharist fully aware that we are approaching Christ Himself."

I was intrigued personally by the concept that the Eucharist shows forth the Real Presence of Christ in an obscure, veiled, hidden way that demands the gift of Faith developed in the Church and the individual believer to see this Real Presence. This led me to ask Fr. Fragomeni about the long tradition in the East of the Eucharist being celebrated ad orientem and behind an Iconostasis or Icon Screen, and also the long tradition in the West or the Latin Rite of the Mass celebrated Ad Orientem, which in a sense hides or obscures the veiled presence of Christ but all the more makes it intelligible to the faith senses in an ironic, confounding way.

He acknowledged this as true and that even in the west, the Rood Screen served the same function as the Iconostasis, as well as celebrating Mass Ad Orientem.

He went on to say that today we must allow for a variety of celebrations of the Mass just as Summorum Pontificum allows for the older form of the Mass. This is not to undo the reforms of the post Vatican II Mass, but to adjust it to be in continuity with what did in fact precede it and for centuries. In other words, the "hermeneutic of flexibility" is necessary in our liturgical world today and even the same parish might have a great diversity of celebrations all within the context of "reform within continuity."

In other words, I liked Fr. Fragomeni's talk and hermeneutic, especially looking to the popes since Vatican II for authoritative teachings on this. That's a huge change from the 1970's until this century when we looked to liturgical theologians especially modern ones and mimicked on the parish level every silly suggestion they taught and modeled.

*BRAND NEW VESTMENT FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF OUR MASS

*In the Middle Ages, the Gallic Rooster was widely used as a religious symbol, the sign of hope and faith. The color blue is for our Blessed Mother. On the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, I will don this new vestment which also has the rooster on the ad orientem side. How do you like it? I think this will attract people of all liturgical stripes to our Masses, ad orientem and pro populum. What do ya think?

On some blogs I sense a real discomfort with priests who wear lace albs and brocade chasubles. I suspect those who have a real antipathy toward those kinds of vestments will really embrace this vestment as not exciting any prejudices or repressed, passive aggressive, projectionary tendencies in terms of those who are attracted to this type of vesture.

*This post tongue in cheek.

MY DECEMBER NEWSLETTER ARTICLE FOR OUR PARISH ON ADVENT AND LITURGICAL CHANGES

The Church's Advent season is all about preparing for the coming of Christ by celebrating His birth and anticipating is Second Coming at the end of time and the General Judgment of the living and the dead. Like the Lenten season, Advent is a penitential season although not as severe. Unfortunately, the commercialization of Christmas makes Advent a confusing season. Many of us are so swept up in shopping, baking and singing Christmas carols at home and other gatherings that the Church’s austere approach to Advent strikes us as a disconnect from what society is doing. Then, just as the Church starts to sing Christmas carols on the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord, (Christmas) everyone else quits. Some people even throw out the Christmas tree and decorations on Christmas Day.

Of course as Catholics we know that Advent ends the morning of December 24 and Christmas begins the Vigil of December 24th or Christmas Eve. This year the Christmas season concludes in the Ordinary Form Roman Calendar on January 9, the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord. In the Extraordinary Form Roman Calendar, the Christmas/Epiphany Season normally concludes on February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. This includes blessing of liturgical candles and thus is also known as “Candlemas.” Some people keep the manger scene or some remnants of their Christmas decorations up until February 2. Your choice, you decide, but please don’t take things down before New Year’s Day. The eight days beginning with December 25th and concluding with January 1st is known as the “Octave of Christmas (8 Days) and extends Christmas Day for eight days, making eight days one big day to celebrate this wonderful feast. We do the same with Easter and its Octave.

We are making some minor changes to our parish custom of celebrating the Mass. No longer will we pray before Mass the Prayer for Stewardship and the Diocesan Prayer for Vocations. These will remain in the hymnal and I ask that you pray them on your own. Rather, we will pray the Diocesan Prayer for Vocations as the last petition of the General Intercessions and include an intercession for our Stewardship intentions based upon the prayer in the hymnal. The reason for this is that we shouldn’t be adding things to the Mass prior to the Mass beginning. The Processional Hymn begins the Mass as well as the official Entrance Antiphon. We need silent prayer before Mass begins.

In terms of the official texts and music of the Mass did you know that the hymns we sing from our hymnal are not the official prayers or music of the Mass? The official words and music of the Mass are the following:

1. Official Entrance Antiphon (Introit)
2. Kyrie
3. Gloria
4. Responsorial Psalm
5. Gospel Acclamation
6. Credo
7. Official Offertory Antiphon
8. Sanctus
9. Mystery of Faith
10. Great Amen
11. The Our Father
12. Agnus Dei
13. Official Communion Antiphon

All the metrical hymns and anthems that we sing, such as the processional hymn, offertory anthem, communion hymns and recessional hymn are chosen solely at the discretion of the music director with the approval of the pastor. They may be incorporated into the Mass, but are not essential, but we’ll continue to sing these in addition to the official chants.

Thus, beginning the First Sunday of Advent, our choir or cantor will chant every Sunday the official Entrance Antiphon (Introit) after the processional hymn, once the celebrant is at his chair. The same will occur at the offertory. We will continue the custom already established for chanting the Communion Antiphon. This way, we will begin to hear the actual preferred chants for the Mass, which most of us haven’t heard for 40 years.

I pray that you have a very blessed Advent Season. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the reason for this season. It’s not “Seasons’ Greetings” but Merry Christmas! God so loved the world that in the fullness of time He sent us His only begotten Son, not to condemn the world but to save it. God bless you and Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year of 2011 in the Year of our Lord.

A MASS OF ANOTHER COLOR

This is our All Souls' Mass where our combined choirs sang Faure's Requiem. I was in Bismarck, North Dakota so Fr. Daniel Firmin, our Diocesan Chancellor was the celebrant, Fr. Justin Ferguson the sub-deacon and Deacon Don Coates the Deacon, talk about a demotion for Fr. Justin! I only got these today. By the way, I just looked at the temperature in Bismarck. The current temperature was -8 degrees and the high will be 0 degrees. Oddly, though, it said it felt like only -7, so go figure! All I can say is "Thank you Jesus for Macon!"

Click on any picture to explode it if you are opposed to this form of the Mass!

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME IS STILL A ROSE!

With all the preoccupation concerning the sexuality of priests these days, this is a group photo of Fr. Justin, our parochial vicar, our deacons and me. I seldom if ever wear an amice, but last night the amice served a very good purpose. We wanted to remain anonymous during the celebration of our Gaudete Sunday Vigil Mass last night as we donned our fancy pink. I suspect we should take this route too when we wear lavender. Do real priests wear pink? Are amices good for anything?

This is not I. But I will wear rose today, but only briefly facing in the direction of this picture. But can you tell the tell tale sign that it's not me? Come to think of it, it would be easier to remain anonymous wearing pink today facing in this direction. What a great idea! These modern liturgists, what will they think up next?

What's wrong with this picture?

THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE AND THE TILMA

We celebrate Saturday morning the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The next parish over has a large ministry to Mexican immigrants; we have almost none. So we will be very sedate in celebrating this feast with only Mass at 8:00 AM.

READ ABOUT THE MIRACULOUS CHARACTER OF THE TILMA HERE.

ABOUT THE APPARITION HERE.

And finally, an outside procession in honor of this feast. It seems to me that this is the appropriate venue for devotions of this type. Celebrate Mass first, then process outside for this sort of wonderful devotions. Makes me feel like I'm in Napoli again. We Napolitanos know how to do this well also!

MY BULLETIN LETTER FOR THE 4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

Our Nativity from about three years ago. It's more lavish this year with a real flowing water fall and pond! We have talent in my parish! Click on image to enlarge

I thought I would post this letter early to my blog readers for comment. My parishioners for the most part won't see it until the 4th Sunday of Advent, December 18/19.

What do you think about the proliferation of vigil Masses on Christmas Eve? Our schedule on the 24th is 4:00 PM; 6:00 PM Children's Mass; 8:00 PM and then Midnight with only two on Christmas Day, 8:00 AM and 10:00 PM (actually only one is needed as both are half empty.)

Dear parishioners,

Well, Christmas is almost here! This Friday is Christmas Eve. You will note the Mass schedule. As in the past, let me warn you not to save any seats for family members who might be arriving later than you. In the past this has nearly caused “Christmas Riots” which is not a pleasant thing on the eve that we celebrate the Prince of Peace. So, may I say in the most delicate, politically correct way that I can, don’t save any damn seats or I’ll get Santa Claus red with anger along with others who want those seats!

Now, let’s get back to the Prince of Peace. The most peaceful Masses we have are actually on Christmas Day, the 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. In fact, you can save pews for late coming relatives and no one will blow their top.

There are some in the Church who lament the fact that we allow so many vigil Masses on Christmas Eve. I lament it too. We have shifted our Christmas celebration to the 24th of December when in fact Christmas Day is the 25th. In the old days, before Vigil Masses were allowed, the first Mass of Christmas was at Midnight, which was Christmas Day. The Masses on Christmas Day were packed and additional ones needed. Technically, we could get by today with only one on Christmas Day, but I’m praying that more people will start attending on Christmas Day eventually.

The laity like getting Mass over with on Christmas Eve so all of the less important things of Christmas Day can take place, like opening a ton of Christmas toys and other presents. Shouldn’t the secular side of Christmas take a back seat to the fact that the Christ Mass should actually be celebrated on the day it was intended, December 25th?

I’m not the pope, so I won’t make any changes to our Christmas Eve schedule until there is some formal decree. Even the Holy Father in his old age has moved St. Peter Basilica’s Midnight Mass to 10:00 PM much to the chagrin of purists. But at least think about what I write and maybe start making family adjustments.

God bless you and Merry Christmas!

Your pastor,
Father Allan J. McDonald

MY HOMILY FOR THIS PAST SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, WHAT WILL I PREACH THIS PINK SUNDAY?

Introduction: A few advents ago, Bishop Raymond Boland of Kansas City, our Bishop Boland’s brother composed a prayer for impatient customers and frazzled postal employees for the advent/Christmas season. It went, in part like this: “God, our Father, may everything we do be first-class. Imprint your own loving zip code upon our hearts so that we may never go astray. Provide in your gracious Providence special handling for those of us who are fragile and keep us in one piece. And when our days draw to a close and we are marked “Return to Sender,” be there to greet us at Heaven’s door so that nobody may ever say “Unknown at this address.” Amen.”

Topic Statement: The Lord Jesus comes to us not to condemn us but to save us within the family that is called the "Church."

1. John the Baptist’s call to repentance is urgent since reconciliation and a strong family bonds with the Lord is a necessary part of our accepting the gift of forgiveness and union with Christ in his family the Church.

A. My fantasy of a good Catholic family is a bit too Leave it to Beaver-like, but here goes anyway. My ideal Catholic family, if I could wave my magic wand and make it happen, is one where the husband and wife really love, respect and obey one another and try to treat each other as Christ treats His bride, the Church. This couple is open to children and see all children as a gift from God both the ones planned and unplanned. This family makes time for God everyday in prayer. They say grace before meals and pray the rosary in whole or in part in the evening as family time prayer. They attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation and make God and the Church the center of their lives. They even put religious events above the sporting events of their children and of television. They have supper together every night at the same time and all are expected to be there; the television is turned off during meal time and the table is set with a real table cloth and real plates and glasses and proper etiquette at the table is taught and observed. And they remain for a time after the meal to just simply talk to one another. In other words the family supper is a little bit like Mass.

B. John the Baptist in his earthy sort of way wants to wake us up on this Second Sunday of Advent. His message is rather sobering. His communication is stark and direct. John tells us the time is near. Jesus is coming. The just judge will gather the holy ones into God’s kingdom as wheat into a barn. Those who remain obstinately unrepentant will experience the eternal fire of hell, separation from the family of God. John the Baptist’s stark and simple call was “repent!” the kingdom of God is at hand. Do you want to be included in the family of God that lasts forever? Repent. The advent message is simple. Taking that message to heart begins at home, what is called the "Family," the "Church in Miniature."

2. For Catholics, the ordinary means of repentance and receiving Jesus’ forgiveness is through the Sacrament of Penance especially when the dysfunction of sin enters the family through its individual members.

A. On Thursday I went to our sixth grade class to talk about the two reasons for the season of Advent. The first one is to place ourselves in the position of God’s chosen people who longed for the day that the Messiah would be given to them. They had to be patient and to be of a repentant heart for His coming. They had to wait centuries. Advent also prepares us to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the long awaited Messiah. But we must also be like the Jews in waiting once again for the return of the Jesus at His Second Coming to judge the living and the dead. The Church, like the Jews, has been waiting centuries for this to happen.

I asked the sixth graders if they feared the Second Coming of Christ. If we pretended that it would happen on Christmas Day, what would we do? One of the sixth grade boys raised his hand and said, I’d go to confession right away. I said, I would too, I would track down Msgr. Cuddy and go to Him with the added benefit that he can’t hear what I’m confessing! But that’s one of the things that I remember in a very warm way about my family. My father would get us all in the car on Saturday afternoon, about once a month, usually the first Saturday of the month, and we’d all go to confession. I have great memories of that and how my friends I was playing with on Saturday didn’t understand why I had to stop playing in order to go the Church on Saturday to confess my sins. My older sister and brother, by five and six years older, were already teenagers, and they complained the most about this family tradition. But my father made it clear that he was the head of the house (even through the place he assumed at the head of the family table) and that we were the kids and we would do what he said. He was very black and white about these things.

B. Of course, when we open ourselves to the truths of the Church, we know deep down as Catholics that the ordinary way for mortal (serious) sins to be forgiven is through the ministry of the Church and the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance. In other words it’s not a do-it-yourself procedure, but a Church celebration which includes doing penance. Of course, this presumes that one is truly sorry for one’s sin and is making the decision to turn from sin and back to God. John the Baptist once again in this Advent season reminds us to repent. He reminds us as God’s family, the Church to “get to confession and regularly!” Forgiveness is the medicine of for the ailment of a dysfunctional family.

Conclusion: The great sacrament of the forgiven and redeemed is the Holy Eucharist. Let us make sure our repentance is sincere and our sins are properly forgiven as we partake of this great Sacrament. Let us be in a state of grace and holiness to receive our Lord at this Mass and when He returns in glory.

APPARITION OF OUR LADY APPROVED!

The Catholic Church has always allowed for the possibility of "private revelations" being true when these in no way contradict the teachings of the Catholic faith. One such apparition has just been approved "worthy of belief" and you can read all about it HERE, APPARITION OF OUR LADY APPROVED.

As Catholics, though, we are not required to believe in any private revelations, even those approved by the Church, like even the most famous of these, Fatima and Lourdes. Of course, if these teach the truth, we are not free to disregard the truth taught!

But all of this reminds me of a humorous story about Our Blessed Mother's appearing at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. While I love this particular Shrine and all of its excesses, there are others who think that it is "gaudy." This was especially true when I was in the seminary in the 1970's, that horrid period that was into iconoclasm as it concerns our Church, her teachings and her traditional architecture. So this is from the 1970's and its filters:


The Blessed Mother it is said has appeared on numerous occasions at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Numerous people have witnessed her miraculous apparitions. She is weeping each time she appears in this Shrine. Her message has been consistent and all those who have seen Our Blessed Mother and have seen her crying and have heard her comments have corroborated the authenticity of her message at this Shrine. Her message is: "BUILD ME A BEAUTIFUL SHRINE ON THIS SPOT!"

DAN RATHER REPORTS, BUT YOU HAVE TO BUY IT

This is a preview for Dan Rather Reports which aired last night. It is not available free on the internet, unless someone knows something I don't. But here is a preview of what would have been seen last night. It looks very interesting. If you can find the actual show on Youtube, let me know.

THE BEATLES' TRIBUTE TO MOTHER MARY!

It's the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's murder. I am a Beatles' fan and when I was a child in the early 1960's and the Beatles' British Invasion conquered America and Ed Sullivan, I watched his program live on that historic Sunday night when they appeared on his program. And yes my father forbade my brother and me from letting our hair grow out and cut like the Beatles haircut which originally was quite conservative! But I think we did get a Beatles' wig!

Yes, I was shocked and saddened by John Lennon's tragic death on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception 30 years ago this very day. I will say a private prayer for the repose of his immortal soul today at our Immaculate Conception Masses.

AND YES, THE FOLK GROUP OF MY PARISH CHURCH IN THE 1960'S WHERE I GREW UP SANG THIS SONG FREQUENTLY AT MASS! AT THE TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS COOL, TODAY I WOULD PUKE! BUT I LOVE THAT SONG AND I LOVE THE VIDEO ABOVE. IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF SECULAR MUSIC THAT COULD BE USED FOR DEVOTIONAL PURPOSES BUT NEVER DRAGGED INTO THE MASS. THERE SHOULD BE A DICHOTOMY BETWEEN DEVOTIONAL AND LITURGICAL MUSIC.

TODAY IS THE SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

A Reflection for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

An adult Catholic reflected on his childhood in the 1950’s. His family was very poor, but his parents made sure the family got to Mass every Sunday and had at least one set of nice clothes to be their Sunday best. Sometimes the family had to rely on outside help to pay bills and provide food. Even at Christmas, gifts were given to the children that the parents got from the Church’s assistance to those in need.

When he grew up and got married, he vowed he would give his children a better life then he had and give them all the things he did not have. They had a beautiful home, three nice cars, many television sets and all the technical gadgets possible. The children had toys galore. But after his children grew up, he began to come to the realization that he had made a terrible mistake. While he had given them all the things and material possessions his parents couldn’t give to him, he failed to give them the best thing his parents did give, the Catholic faith. He neglected rearing his children in the Catholic faith. He simply did not bring them to Mass, although they were baptized.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of Catholics and a powerful part of our Catholic collective identity is our love for our Blessed Mother. Of course she's also the mother of our Lord; but Jesus gave her to us as he reigned from the cross.

We think so highly of her because God did.

It is hard for us to fathom eternity, because we are finite beings. But from all eternity, God knew that He would choose the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of His only begotten Son, who would be consubstantial with Him.

When at the appropriate time, St. Anne and St. Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, were have marital relations, at the moment of Mary’s conception, God intervened and preserved her from the taint of original sin. She was immaculately conceived, not apart from nature, but by God’s overflowing grace persevering her from original sin at the moment of her natural conception. Hail Mary, full of grace!

Unlike Adam and Eve who were created miraculously without original sin and allowed to live in the Garden of Eden, the Blessed Virgin Mary had no Garden of Eden to make her home. Her home was the real world, infected by both original and actual sins of others. The devil was an influential part of this real world too.

Yet she never chose to give into temptation and sin unlike Adam and Eve who only had to contend with a talking snake, a quaint, benign apparition of Satan whose temptation of them was very mild. By being full of grace, the Blessed Virgin Mary cooperated with the manner in which God created her. She was not a robot, or a programmed computer though, she could have acted against her consecration and sinned like Adam and Eve, but she didn’t; she was faithful until the Lord called her home, body and soul! The Blessed Virgin Mary is the new Eve, her Offspring, the New Adam. We inherit from them, but through the merits of Jesus Christ, abundant, overflowing grace especially in the sacraments of the Church to assist us as we make our pilgrimage through this "veil of tears."

At what point in her life was she most tempted to curse God and go against her nature as consecrated in holiness by God? My opinion is that it was when Jesus was crucified and taken from the cross and laid in her lap. Even then, she did not betray God’s purpose for her.

By God’s grace given to us in Holy Baptism that washes away Original Sin, we too can view the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculately conceived as a role model for us. Let us pray that we will use the grace that God gives us in all of the Sacraments, especially Penance and Holy Communion to live holy lives like the Blessed Virgin Mary and to be faithful to God in good times and bad.

OF FORKS IN THE ROAD AND THE NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY MASS

Most Reverend Blase Cupich, Bishop of Spokane, presents on the new translation of the Roman Missal.

In the late 1980's when I was vocation director for the Diocese of Savannah, we had college seminarians at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. Bishop Cupich was the rector of this seminary at the time which also included the major seminary. Bishop Cupich offered me a position at the college level program as "dean of students" which might be better classified as "prefect of discipline." Of course I was quite flattered and told him he would need to write a letter to Bishop Lessard requesting that I be released from the Diocese to take on this position. I certainly wanted a letter like that in my file to counterbalance all the negative ones! But I really wasn't enthused about the position and leaving the diocese, so when Bishop Lessard asked if I wanted to go, I said I had prayed about it and would prefer to carry on as is. But I often wonder where my life as a priest would be now if I had taken the assignment. When the road forks, and one takes one direction over another, will there be parallel time in heaven for us to see what might have been?

At any rate, I 'm sure you will set aside about three hours to view these videos on the revised English Mass!

From Sacramentary to Roman Missal, Part 1 from Diocese of St. Petersburg on Vimeo.

From Sacramentary to Roman Missal, Part 2 from Diocese of St. Petersburg on Vimeo.

From Sacramentary to Roman Missal, Part 3 from Diocese of St. Petersburg on Vimeo.

THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS TODAY, THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT AT SAINT JOSEPH CHURCH, 2:00 PM! BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!

Today we celebrate the monthly EF High Mass at St. Joseph Church at 2:00 PM. Our schola will assist all in singing the parts of the Mass. Please join us!

INTROIT
Isaias 30:30
People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice to be heard, in the joy of your heart. -- (Ps. 79. 2). Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. V.: Glory to the Father . . . -- People of Sion

COLLECT - Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way of Thine only-begotten Son: that through His coming we may attain to serve Thee with purified minds. Who liveth and reigneth, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God . . .

EPISTLE
Romans 15:4-13
Brethren, What things soever were written, were written for our learning: that, through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures, we might have hope. Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of one mind and with one mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive one another, as Christ also hath received you unto the honor of God. For I say that Christ Jesus was minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: but that the Gentiles are to glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: Therefore will I confess to Thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to Thy Name. And again He saith: Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with His people. And again: Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and magnify Him, all ye people. And again, Isaias saith: There shall be a root of Jesse; and He that shall rise up to rule the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing: that you may abound in hope, and in the power of the Holy Ghost.

GRADUAL
Psalms. 49: 2,3,5
Out of Sion, the loveliness of His beauty: God shall come manifestly. V.: Gather ye together His Saints to Him, who have set His covenant before sacrifices. Alleluia, alleluia. V.: (Ps. 121. 1) I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go unto the house of the Lord. Alleluia.

GOSPEL
Matthew 11: 2-10
At that time, when John had heard in prison the works of Christ, sending two of his disciples, he said to Him: Art thou He that art to come, or look we for another? And Jesus, making answer, said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them: and blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in Me. And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: What went you out into the desert to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are clothed in soft garments are in the houses of kings. But what went you out to see? A prophet? Yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: Behold, I send my Angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee.

OFFERTORY
Psalms 84: 7,8
Thou wilt turn, O God, and bring us to life, and Thy people shall rejoice in Thee: show us, O Lord, Thy mercy, and grant us Thy salvation.

SECRET - Be appeased, we beseech Thee, O Lord, by the prayers and sacrifices of our humility: and where we lack pleading merits of our own, do Thou, by Thine aid, assist us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son . . .

PREFACE (Preface for Advent) It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God, through Christ our Lord. Whom Thou, clement and faithful, promised as a Saviour to the lost race of men; Whose truth instructed the ignorant, Whose sanctity justified the impious, Whose virtue strengthened the weak. Therefore while the advent approaches of Him Whom we exult in pious joys in this confidence of Thy promises. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army we sing a hymn to Thy glory, ever saying: Holy, Holy, Holy...

COMMUNION
Baruch 5: 5; 4:36
Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high, and behold the joy that cometh to thee from Thy God.

POST COMMUNION - Filled with the food of spiritual nourishment, we humbly entreat Thee, O Lord, that by our partaking of this Mystery, Thou wouldst teach us to despise the things of earth, and to love those of heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son . .

MARGARET SANGER INTERVIEWED BY MIKE WALLACE

I haven't watched the whole thing, but this is a bit of a time capsule, especially as it regards cigarette advertisement and birth control. This was produced in 1957 when secularism was only then beginning to become a force to be dealt with. What I really find fascinating, apart from the smoking, is Mike Wallace's very serious question about sin. Yes, he asked her questions about sin, on a CBS news program in 1957 and no one at that time would have thought it odd to include a question like that, a question on sin. Could you imagine Katie Courick asking such a question today? She'd be a laughing stock amongst her secular friends. But not so in 1957 America. My how times have change! Sanger has some chilling things to say:

WATCH THE MIKE WALLACE INTERVIEW HERE

CAN THERE BE THE SAME LEVEL OF ABUSE IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS AS IN THE ORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS?

This is an Extraordinary Form Mass in a very modern church building:

I don't think this would go over well or even fit in anywhere in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass:

The following video is an Aztec dance in honor of Our Lady of Guadeloupe. I'm not sure even if Aztec Catholics would understand this dance to be spiritual in a liturgical setting. It is occurring either after Holy Communion or at the offertory, not sure. I'm not oppose to these kinds of exuberant pious and cultural expressions, but it seems to me to be more appropriate in an outdoor procession, rather than inside the Church and during Mass. The problem with the post-Vatican II mentality concerning the Mass is that this sort of thing, while appropriate outside of Mass and outdoors as a religious expression of a particular feast, is dragged indoors and during the Mass. It's like having bag pipes during Mass! Folks, bagpipes belong outside not inside! Just my humble opinion!

In the my post on celebrating well both forms of the Mass, Marc asks the following:

It makes me wonder, and perhaps Fr. McDonald can jump in on this, whether we would see those same instances of liturgical abuse and inventiveness if we were only celebrating the EF Mass? I'm just not sure.


Most people who are of a traditional mindset would say that when the priest and the congregation put too much of themselves into the center of the liturgy, meaning that it becomes a narcissistic, self-enclosed celebration, then this is an abuse. I would agree and I think it happens more in the Ordinary Form of the Mass and very seldom if at all in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

On this level, the Ordinary Form of the Mass makes it easier to denigrate the Mass in this way. Because of the vernacular, the priest facing the congregation and sometimes the congregation facing each other, the "cult of the personality" of both the priest and the congregation overwhelms the sacred mysteries that are to be celebrated and relegates the primary purpose of the Mass to a secondary or tertiary reality.

The Ordinary Form of the Mass makes creativity and improvisation a real temptation. In fact creativity and improvisation were encouraged by the liturgists of the 1970's and onward, although not too much today. These liturgists are well into their 60's and hopefully looking at retirement and death, not to mention taxes.

It is more difficult to manipulate the Extraordinary Form of the Mass because not many people, priests or laity, can improvise with that language. With the priest joining the laity in facing the same way, the role of the personality of the priest is incarcerated in the ad orientem position. This is good for the most part. All priests, good looking ones like me and those other dastardly looking ones are all placed on the same level. It's not their personality that should make or break the Mass, but rather how well they execute what is expected of the celebration by following the rubrics, that is "saying the black and doing the red."

I guess you could have guitars and other instruments in this Mass for the vernacular hymns and accompanying some of the Latin chants. I don't think I would classify this as an abuse, but these instruments seem to impose a false informality upon this form of the Mass.

The greatest abuse of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass is the priest and altar boys rushing through the prayers. I have heard that in the pre-Vatican II days, some priests could finish the Low Mass in less than 12 minutes. The only part of the Mass that wasn't rushed or slurred was the words of consecration.

I haven't tried to rush the Low Mass, but the fastest I can finish, if that is the goal, which it isn't, is in 35 minutes. This form of the Mass is longer than the Ordinary Form. I can finish a daily Mass in the Ordinary Form, singing all the parts of the Mass and preaching a two minute homily in about 20 to 25 minutes. I do not rush it either.

In short, the Ordinary Form of the Mass lends itself to more abuse than the Extraordinary Form of the Mass. But if the Ordinary form of the Mass is celebrated as it is meant to be celebrated, it is very beautiful and reverent.

What those who prefer the Extraordinary Form of the Mass really prefer, I think, is the built in reverence of the EF Mass. By this, I mean the reverent silences, hushed tones, more kneeling, especially for Holy Communion and the reverent "look" of the ad orientem position of the priest which includes more genuflections and profound bows in the rubrics. I think a vernacular EF Mass would still meet all the criteria of what is seen as superior when it comes to reverence compared to the Ordinary Form of the Mass. Latin might play into that, but is not the primary issue.

I think all of this could be captured in the Ordinary Form of the Mass without manipulating the rubrics too much or bringing in any Latin. I think simply kneeling for Holy Communion would bring about a tremendous change in the attitude about this Mass and instill a greater sense of belief and reverence in the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacred Species of Holy Communion and what our attitude to Christ should be during Mass, one of adoration and praise. The Ordinary Form celebrated ad orientem might help as well.

WHO SAYS WE'RE NOT ECUMENICAL ON THIS BLOG

You'd think this is a Catholic commercial and it should be and could be, just make an adaptation to the ending:

Kudos to the denomination that produced it!

SACRED HEART CHURCH, NO I MEAN CULTURAL CENTER, CELEBRATES ITS 110TH ANNIVERSARY

Laura Cameron, now 94 and still a strong dancer and also the former wedding director of St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church in Augusta, plays the piano at Sacred Heart's anniversary celebration. Laura was the organist for my sister's wedding in 1966. She's an amazing woman!

SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH, NOW SACRED HEART CULTURAL CENTER CELEBRATES 110 YEARS! PRESS HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT.

CELEBRATING THE MASS, EITHER THE EXTRAORIDNARY FORM OR THE ORDINARY FORM, WELL AND WITH DIGNITY

Just how do we celebrate the two forms of the one Latin Rite Mass well?

Let me start with the older form, what is now called the Extraordinary Form of the Mass.

I believe it is easier to celebrate this form of the Mass well. It is very clear, the rubrics are very specific and no creativity is allowed. That's simple.

The priest and altar servers need to know what they are doing. The priest and the altar servers need to be deliberate in all they do, not rush the Latin prayer which is a great temptation in this Mass and to be aware that they are leading the "priestly people" of God in offering Jesus' one Sacrifice to the Father. The laity count! This was made very clear in the liturgical movement of the 1950's. But this movement was born of previous eras that sought to highlight the role of the laity during the Mass.

The laity should be encouraged, cajoled and even chastised to participate out loud with all the parts of the congregation once voiced only by the altar boy. Of course they should be encouraged to have a missal, follow the prayers and speak and sing those parts that pertain to them. Music directors should pick settings of the Mass that the congregation can sing also. Only rarely should "concert" Mass settings be sung that are impossible for the laity to sing also, but there is more than one way to participate in the liturgy and silently is a venerable tradition, but should not be the primary one.

The Scripture readings of the Mass should be read to the congregation and in the vernacular.

Silence is built into this Mass with the various prayers of the priest including the Roman Canon prayed silently or in a low voice. This should not be seen as to exclude the laity from hearing these prayers, the laity should indeed follow in their missals, but the low voice is to show forth in a particular way the sacredness of what is prayed, done so in hushed tones.

Attentions to detail is important too. Clean cassocks and surplices for the altar boys, nice vestments for the priest and deacons and well decorated, uncluttered altars, with beautiful altar clothes. All the accouterments should be worthy of the celebration that perpetuates the one Sacrifice of Christ.

Now for the Ordinary Form of the Mass:

This form of the Mass is more difficult to celebrate well. In terms of all the accouterments of the celebration from altar server cassocks and surplices to what the priest wears and how the altar is vested should be similar to the EF Mass and there should be continuity while still respecting the General Instruction of the Roman Missal for the Ordinary Form of the Mass.

The official antiphons of the Mass, Entrance, Offertory and Communion Antiphons should be sung or chanted by the choir or the cantor. The congregation should be encouraged to participate. However, because these change each Sunday, there is no reason why a processional hymn sung by all could not be first and then the choir or cantor singing the Introit. In other words these antiphons should not be omitted even if other hymns are selected in addition to these.

There is not as much built in silence in the OF Mass as in the EF Mass. Therefore, there should be silence after the Scripture readings, after the homily and after Holy Communion, even instruments should be silent. This is a time for contemplation. The OF Mass is very wordy with almost everything prayed aloud.

The prayers of the Mass should be prayed by the priest and deacon in a way that makes clear that these prayers are not directed to the laity or congregation. The priest should not "read" these prayers as though he is reading the Gospel to the congregation. If the presiding chair is to the side of the altar, the priest should not turn directly to the people to pray the orations of the Mass, but turn toward the altar which represents Christ in a symbolic way.

Having the Benedictine altar arrangement for the prayers at the altar (Liturgy of the Eucharist) will help the priest to focus his eyes not on the congregation but on the crucified Lord. This will help to reduce the visual appearance that the Eucharistic prayer and the other prayers are being prayed to the people.

I do not rule out Ad Orientem celebrations of the OF Mass, but this should be decided in consultation with the pastoral council, the other clergy and staff of the parish and ultimately with the bishop. It should not be foisted on people or based upon the sole discretion of the priest celebrating a particular Mass. There should be consistency in a parish setting and even in a diocesan setting, not to mention the Universal Church.

Lay lectors, Extraordinary Minsters of Holy Communion, and altar servers should be well practiced and there should be a choreographed plan for all the movements of these "ministers." Those who wear lay apparel for reading and distributing Holy Communion should wear Sunday best. If this presents a problem, then they should be vested in an alb which could be understood as the baptismal garment of the people of God whether clergy or laity. The surplice over the cassock serves the same function as it is a "mini" alb.

As with the EF Mass, the priest celebrating the OF Mass should "SAY THE BLACK; DO THE RED." There should be no improvising, narcissistic creativity or personal or congregational adaptations. The laity should not change their parts either.

As for music, the best should be chosen and there should be a strong repertoire of congregational singing for the actual parts of the Mass and any additional hymns. I recommend buying a hard back good traditional hymnal and avoiding at all costs paperback hymnals and misalettes that contain music. New music constantly thrown to the congregation is the best way to cause them to stop singing.

At St. Joseph Church, we have had our current People's Mass Book for over 6 years. In my previous parish, they've had the worship hymnal now for almost twenty years. The congregation sings with gusto! They know a strong, traditional, easy to sing repertoire.

As it concerns the distribution of Holy Communion, my personal opinion is that kneeling is better and looks more reverent and instills reverence in the congregation. However, the norm in the USA for the Ordinary Form of the Mass is to stand. Say the Black do the red and be consistent! Thus until the option of kneeling for Holy Communion is explicitly decided by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and USA Adaptations, we should teach our people how to reverently receive Holy Communion while standing, either by tongue or by hand. It takes catechesis and regularly so. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal has guidelines for the reverent receiving of Holy Communion while standing.

PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! WHATEVER YOU DO, IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OR THE ORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS,IN THE NAME OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY, NEVER, EVER, EVER DO THIS:

NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION PREFACES, WE THINK, FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS

I'm not showing the variations on these prefaces or the old prefaces correlating to these that we are currently using. So read them over and tell me if you think God will be pleased with these prayers to Him and if you, as a member of the praying and offering community, are pleased to offer these prayers to God the Most High:

PREFACE I of Advent:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.
For he assumed at his first coming
the lowliness of human flesh,
and so fulfilled the design you formed long ago,
and opened for us the way to eternal salvation,
that, when he comes again in glory and majesty
and all is at last made manifest,
we who watch for that day
may inherit the great promise
in which now we dare to hope.
And so, with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominions,
and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven,
we sing the hymn of your glory,
as without end we acclaim:

PREFACE II OF ADVENT

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.
For all the oracles of the prophets foretold him,
the Virgin Mother longed for him
with love beyond all telling,
John the Baptist sang of his coming
and proclaimed his presence when he came.
It is by his gift that already we rejoice
at the mystery of his Nativity,
so that he may find us watchful in prayer
and exultant in his praise.
And so, with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominions,
and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven,
we sing the hymn of your glory,
as without end we acclaim:

PREFACE I OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For in the mystery of the Word made flesh
a new light of your glory has shone upon the eyes of our mind,
so that, as we recognize in him God made visible,
we may be caught up through him in love of things invisible.
And so, with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominions,
and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven,
we sing the hymn of your glory,
as without end we acclaim:

PREFACE II OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.
For on the feast of this awe-filled mystery,
though invisible in his own divine nature,
he has appeared visibly in ours;
and begotten before all ages,
he has begun to exist in time;
so that, raising up in himself all that was cast down,
he might restore unity to all creation
and call straying humanity back to the heavenly Kingdom.
And so, with all the Angels, we praise you,
as in joyful celebration we acclaim:

PREFACE III OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks.
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.
For through him the holy exchange that restores our life
has shone forth today in splendour:
when our frailty is assumed by your Word
not only does human mortality receive unending honour
but by this wondrous union we, too, are made eternal.
And so, in company with the choirs of Angels,
we praise you, and with joy we proclaim:


PREFACE OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
Christ the light of the nations

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For today you have revealed the mystery
of our salvation in Christ
as a light for the nations,
and when he appeared in our mortal nature,
you made us new by the glory of his immortal nature.
And so, with Angels and Archangels,
with Thrones and Dominions,
and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven,
we sing the hymn of your glory,
as without end we acclaim:

AMAZING GRACE, HOW SWEET THE SOUND THAT SAVED A "WRETCH" LIKE ME, OR "SAVED AND SET ME FREE?"

Pope stunned by Church’s wretchedness!

We don't normally hear the pope speak of the Church in such frank, negative terms, but that's precisely what Pope Benedict XVI said in his book long interview, "Light of the World."

When I teach RCIA classes, I highlight for them the fact that the Catholic Church's teachings on humanity are much more positive than classical Protestant teachings such as Martin Luther and John Calvin. More so with Calvin, humans are viewed as wretched worms, miserable sinners, so much so, they cannot merit salvation on their own accord nor do their good works even merit grace. In the salvation event and the wretch's acceptance of Christ, what saves the wretch is not anything good within himself but rather that Christ covers the miserable sinner. God the father looks then not to the person, but rather His perfect Son, hiding the sinner and sees only the goodness of the Son. In effect, Jesus saves the wretch by hiding the true reality of the person out of love for that person.

The Catholic position is that Christ's saving death and our baptism into it and our subsequent reception of the other Sacraments, especially the Most Holy Eucharist opens us to God's grace and sanctifies the sinner. Our good works are meritorious of actual grace that assists us in conforming our lives to Christ. In other words, God through Christ sees us, loves us and offers us the grace to help us on our way to perfection which will be fully realized after death and through the purification process that is life, death, judgment, purgatory if needed and eternal life in heaven.

For those who reject God's love, God sees the wanton malice involved and death and judgment leads to eternal damnation.

This is what the Holy Father said about the wretchedness of the Church in his interview as reported by Catholic News Service, John Thavis:

An entire chapter and parts of others were dedicated to the clerical sex abuse scandal. The pope called it "a great crisis" that left him "stunned by how wretched the Church is, by how much her members fail to follow Christ."

"It was really almost like the crater of a volcano, out of which suddenly a tremendous cloud of filth came, darkening and soiling everything, so that above all the priesthood suddenly seemed to be a place of shame," he said.

I think the Extraordinary Form of the Mass captures better the Augustinian approach to the sinner's unworthiness before God than does the Ordinary Form Mass. Keep in mind that Martin Luther was an Augustinian Monk and therefore his "negative" theology about the wretchedness of the sinner comes from Saint Augustine.

In the EF Mass, we have the long prayers at the Foot of the altar. The priest has his own Confiteor to which the congregation offers him "absolution." Then the congregation has its own Confiteor. At the "Lord, I am not worthy," The priest says it three times for his personal reception of Holy Communion. The Roman Missal prior to 1962 has the congregation repeat the Confiteor and then prior to their reception of Holy Communion, they repeat three times, "Lord I am not worthy."

Maybe we need to revisit Vatican II's overly optimistic view of salvation and of humanity and go back to Saint Augustine and find balance. It might also serve ecumenism. Pope Benedict is leading the way.