Are We Aware That Liturgy is the Salvation of the World?

Magnificat really is a nifty little publication.
It proved NOT such a great gift for Mom, as its editors seem to generally try for a little variety and on weekdays in Ordinary Time, usually go for the readings, or at least Propers of optional memorials, and our weekday parish avoids such things, trouble with bookmarks, you know; so really not much help for those who, already struggling with hearing, are saddled with mumbling, ill-prepared readers.

But I, on the other hand, am really enjoying it, particularly the devotional readings from holy men and women of whom, oft as not, I have not heard.

Madeleine Delbrel, (+1964,) a French mystic, may well have been, judging from her date of death, immersed in the Liturgical Movement, and, again judging from the date of he death, surely had no reason yet to doubt the efficacy of the ongoing Vatican Council.

"Are we aware that liturgy is the salvation of the world? [emphasis added] If... it is once again necessary [to adapt the liturgy, it is not] a question of making the liturgy more human. It already is human, and tragically so; it is the Passion of the Son of God made man, made continually present among us."

Other Catholics with a grudge against Traddies, if not against Tradition itself, like to mock the phrase I coined, "Save the liturgy, save the world," as if it expressed some sort of simplistic belief that a return to the old forms is either necessary, or worse, sufficient for the salvation of mankind.

But the fact is, it had nothing to do with the Extraordinary Form, it is nothing more, nor less, than an expression of certainty of the utter importance of the Eucharistic Liturgy and its proper execution, an expression of a belief in the Eucharistic Liturgy's primacy in the economy of salvation, an expression of solidarity with the Vatican II dictum that the Eucharistic Liturgy is the very Source and absolute Summit of our Christian life.

Or Perhaps His Excellency is Planning to Whap the Confirmandi...

One of my CCD students is curious to know if we will be learning more about "Confrontation", the sacrament, one supposes, when the Holy Spirit comes down and smacks some sense into ya...

Cantorae S. Augustine, and the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed

I was fortunate enough to attend an evening of music of "Rest and Repose," presented by Cantorae S. Augustine last week. Quite lovely. I think I enjoyed the shape note music as much or more than anything because it was unexpected and unfamiliar. Mary Jane Ballou should be very proud indeed. I don't suppose I could drive 8 hours round trip and ask to sing with her? No, didn't think so....
Then, embarrassment of riches, SUNG Vespers. My mom, for whom All Souls is very special, was very pleased. Its evenings like that that keep me from tearing my hair out and screaming.

(In other news, in another diocese, at Mass on All Saints, Just a Song at 
Twilight struck someone as appropriate, and so was recited, for our edification 
and sanctification. So you see, it was a piece of great good luck that the PTB 
had decided to omit the Gloria and Credo leaving us plenty o'time for JaSaT.) 

Oh, after Vespers I complimented the altar servers. It was refreshing to see child servers who sang and spoke when they ought.

What does it say about a parish and its liturgical life when its expenditures for music for Mass are lumped in with Bingo expenses on the annual financial report? (Candles and altar flowers rate their own line.)

I Apologize to Florida...

... for ever having complained about the lack of change-of-season.

This has been a gorgeous week, and going to early morning Mass, has been such a grace and such a joy, (not to mention the fact that "early morning" means 9:00 am -- does it get any better than this?)

I am going to try to stop whining about things, I really am. I am so blessed.

Anglican Nuns and the Little Flower?

Can someone explain to me why there seems to be a statue of Therese of Lisieux in the convent of the St Raymond Nonnatus of Call the Midwife?
 

(So far, the most "pro-life" television series I can imagine. Please, PLEASE don't  change...)

Yeah, as a matter of fact it MAY be intended to emphasise the sacrificial aspect of the Mass

The only-to-be-expected whinging from one of the US Catholic columnists about the fact that, no, you can't sing, "Basket of Goodies, you take away the sins of the world..." in place of the Agnus Dei, nets an excellent, concise retort from Alan Hommerding, (emphasis added):

Though we are discussing an important ritual nexus, I think that it's also important to recall we're discussing less than 90 seconds of the total liturgy. There are still plenty of other places/opportunities to incorporate a rich diversity of images for Christ and the Eucharist. To me, it seems like an internal cohesiveness or logic in the rite is the goal of this directive; we offer a litany to the Lamb, we are invited to behold the Lamb, we are reminded of our joy in being called to the supper of the Lamb. Some have also criticized the bishops for spending their time and energy in addressing this when there are so many other important items on the agenda. This, I think, relegates the liturgy to a status of non-importance - certainly not a Vatican II view of the liturgy! And, speaking again for myself, before I expend my time and energy being critical of the bishops for their priorities, it's good for me to check first to make sure that my own priorities and spiritual household are in order.

I met Mr Hommerding at a seminar at Mundelien once, and he is a lovely gentleman. The columnist lauds Hommerding for his "generous and charitable reading" of what he seems to think is the American Bishops' decision.
I laud him for his "generous and charitable" rebuke to the sillysentiments expressed in the column.

"If you could only hear and see... how quickly you would mark the ruse: a woman's right to plan and choose...."

Brilliant effort, a pro-life poem  by Kathy Pluth.
"Breathe for me," they haunt my prayer
with infant dreams of drawing air.
I shrink from sharp and sudden fear.
I shrink because the knife is near.
I feel a light initial blow--
but to the death my dreams don't go.

If you could only hear and see
the interest group that lobbies me--
whose privacy is not a right,
whose lives will end before tonight--
how quickly you would mark the ruse:
a woman's right to plan and choose.

A century beyond our own
will marvel at the evil done:
the terror and the salt and blood
in clean suburban neighborhoods;
the killing of one child in five
while you and I were here, alive.

I am watching a fascinating period piece on television, "Call the Midwife," dreading a moment when it betrays the reality of the time and place in whihc it is set and takes a politically correct pro-"choice" stance. (Perhaps it never will?) There was a little behind-the-scenes blurb after last nights episode, where the director, i believe, spoke of how, while filming, even the most hardened techies were awe-struck and teary eyed in the presence of the babies, in the presence of new life. Choice? Is there any other?

Great Shoes from Payless.Yes, PAYLESS

These are terrific shoes, look gorgeous, feel comfortable, (even to stand in for relatively long periods of time,) and were extremely reasonable.
Men think women are obsessed with shoes, with some justification.
But it is often not a matter of choice, it is because it is impossible to find something that "works" with clothing and is not torturous.
Unlike men's clothing, women's, by it's varying lengths, more extensive color palette, and drastically different fits and purpose requires partnering with more than a single pair of loafers.
(One of my brothers assures me that  his "go" with everything from a tuxedo to painting clothes)

Anyway, these are wonderful.
Height, faux patent finish, fit, flexibility and thickness of sole, really useful neutral color -- all wonderful. (And, no joke, 19.99)


This is not an advertisement.

Okay, it IS an advertisement, (unsolicited and gaining me no profit,) but it is mostly an endorsement, going on the theory that if I can persuade other people to purchase what have purchased and wish to be able to continue to purchase, its purveyors will profit and what I have purchased will continue to be made available to me to.... well, purchase.

(Curse all you tea drinkers who spurned Lipton's Amaretto Tea! It must be a decade since the stopped making it, and 8 years since I ran through what I managed to hoard, and I miss it every rainy morning of my life....)

St. Hildegarde is now a Doctor of the Church.

I cannot think of S Hildegarde without being transported by memories of Emma Kirkby's singing.

Was Christ a "Creature"?

Taken aback before Mass this morning, reading a mediation in Magnificat from Francois Mauriac:

Like all creatures, Christ is transformed by the person who is attracted to him.

Idiomatically, I would infer from this that the writer means Christ is a creature.
Maybe the original french has no such implication?

Vocal inflection would help.

"Like ALL creatures, Christ..."

Bad.

"Like all CREATURES, Christ...."

Good.

Overheard in Church

Mass this morning was even chattier than is usual on a weekday, (more crowded, solidarity with 9-11 victims, I believe.)

A woman sitting perhaps five feet from me spoke, (I will assume in charity she thought she was whispering....,) for a good twenty minutes straight before Mass, about me .

Since she referred to me by name, critiqued what I was wearing, and got enough details about me and Himself right, I am possibly not mistaken that I was her target, although I don't know her.

She at first, (this was a year ago,) misled by my hat and towering height, (that's right, five feet four and change,) thought I was a "man with a pony tail."

She likes my voice okay.

She thinks I keep my mother prisoner in her house, that I'm "in charge," prevent her going out to lunch with her friends, etc.

Mom's hearing is bad enough that she did not notice any of this, thankfully.

But I feel quite like Tom Sawyer, or was it Huck Finn? at his own funeral.

This made me cry...

Someone sent me this article on where pianos go to die.

Pianos and their thousands of moving parts can be expensive to fix, requiring long hours of labor by skilled technicians, whose numbers are diminishing. The market is filled with ... digital pianos and portable keyboards that can cost as little as a few hundred dollars.

I know if my rich patron hadn't paid for moving her grand to me, I could not have accepted the gift.
(The little spinet we had at the old homestead, we offered free to any interested young person, and it took forever to find a taker, and he had to do some finagling to get a truck and several brawny friends of his father's to make it feasible.)

So much for "the Great"

At the parish where civic holidays always trump sacred ones, we naturally did not celebrate the feast of Pope St Gregory, much less hear any chant, other than the tunes that run in my head.(On the other hand, we were also not asked to join in God Bless America, despite the rather vocal entreaties of a woman seated near me, so all in all, it was a great Mass, musically speaking...

But in this year of all years, wouldn't it be nice to have prayed this:

Through the intercession of Pope Saint Gregory, endow, we pray, with a spirit of wisdom those to whom You have given authority to govern

as a community?

The Real Issue

Finally, a well-expressed, humane point of view,, seemingly not calibrated simply to support or oppose some candidate.

Akin’s efforts to defend the prolife view had the opposite effect, by feeding the (entirely unfair) narrative that pro-lifers are ignorant of and callous toward women’s true needs. The abortion debate is one between decent people with honest disagreements on the moral status of the unborn, not of women.

Of course, speaking so ineptly as to seem to suggest that rape victims could block conception just by resisting, is dangerously close to implying that the victim is responsible when pregnancy does occur: hence a third source of outrage at Akin's words.

And this, finally, gives rise to another implication, which should especially trouble pro-lifers. Whatever one’s ultimate view of a rape exception to laws protecting the unborn, no remotely plausible case against such an exception could rest on assumptions about the mother (as Akin’s seems to do), rather than beliefs about the unborn child's rights. Some social conservatives, including Mitt Romney, would allow an exception; others would not. But what all pro-lifers seek, and what Akin's comments make harder to realize, is a world in which there is finally no zero-sum game between mothers' needs and those of their unborn children; in which the equal dignity of every human being — including the smallest and weakest — isn’t premised on blaming or punishing women, or indeed on anything else, but shines by its own light, as a self-evident truth.

Well, Did Ya Lift Up Your Heart?

Thought provoking post about the Propers, by Kathy Pluth, but what really struck me was a phrase in the Combox, by anzlyne.

I think participation is the key here.Sursum corde on purpose. It might be boring if you are not really into it. but if the participation is actual, nothing is boring.

The cliched answer to the cliched complaint, (I don't get anything out of it -- well, what did you put into it? ,) is too pat to provoke conversation, but I am looking forward, when I begin teaching CCD in a few weeks, to asking in response to the almost inevitable, well, did ya lift up your heart?

Sursum corde on purpose indeed.

"Halfway Between Awe and Love"

Thanks to Kathy Pluth, (the new Ephrem?) for this from the"old" Ephrem

It captured my experience at Divine Liturgy last week. Most Sundays other obligations prevent my traveling so far, so a "silent" Latin Rite is my choice, and this was both refreshing and exciting. Even Himself, (who, don't tell him I said so, is a touch scared of the "spoon"...) offered unprompted that we should go back whenever we can.
And like most Byzantine parishes it is small, so one feels that ones offering will really make a difference.

Interesting thing, congregation seemed at least half Refuge Romans. I gather a priest sympathetic to both Tradition and tradition has recently been transferred, leaving both EF and R2 Catholics, (and serious musicians,) in the area bereft, and it is in the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom is where they have sought comfort.

Priest and parishioners were at great pains to make us and other non-Easterners welcome, to explain things, to help us find our place in the hand-outs.

I was reminded of the terrible job in this regard I recently discovered many Roman Catholic parishes and/or dioceses have done, so far as the new translation is concerned.

To whit - nearly half of the several dozen parishes at which I have attended Mass since the First Sunday in Advent used English language "worship aids" that contained neither the Our Father nor the Lamb of God.

That's right.

They didn't bother to include the "parts that didn't change that everyone knows."

Everyone?

So much for visitors, seekers, recent converts, etc.

I always used to joke that with the paucity and brevity of traffic and street signage in parts of New England, they might as well replace them all with the same sign: If it wuh any of yuh damn bus'ness, yuh'd ahl ready know.

Isn't that kinda what we told people in the pews?

Um, did ya know you said that out loud?

Did you even think about what you were saying? Father David Cooper, the pastor at St. Matthias Parish in Milwaukee asks,

“Why is it that the Holy See is able to make exceptions that seem to benefit those who are on the right of theological issues, who are very orthodox and very conservative and very traditional in their outlook, but we can’t seem to get any understanding of the issues for the people on the other side of the spectrum?

According to your own words, it seems that these "people on the other side of the spectrum" are on the wrong side of theological issues and are heterodox. Don't know about anyone else, but I would prefer exceptions not be made to put persons who eschew orthodoxy in positions of authority.

US Catholic, always interesting....

Reason # 394,102,879 that I Love Himself

"Hey, honey, you know, this is two weeks in a row that we have attended Sunday Mass at a cathedral, the one in Salt lake was awe-inspiring, the one at ______ somewhat less so, to be charitable, but wouldn't it be cool to go to a THIRD cathedral on this Sunday, and didn't you say you knew the music director in one of the places we'll be near on the drive home, and....?"

And that is how we happened to find ourselves in Charleston last Sunday.

How I have missed this face!:

Oh, and upon returning home the lovely, but.... we'll say, efficient (to the point of brusqueness,) priest who usually has daily Mass is busy and the "subs" are suitably solemn and painstaking, (and one at least, is a very good confessor,)
So anywhooo,the near-euphoria occasioned by the liturgical riches of the Colloquium has just gone on and on and on....

Elizabeth, Head of the Church of England

Fr Z likes to refer to Benedict XVI, (and quite rightly,) as "the Pope of Christian Unity." (The Westminster Abbey Choir joining the Sistine choir at St. Peter's Basilica for the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul, for instance, was brilliant.)

He has a religious leader from another faith giving him a run for his money:

Queen Elizabeth II leaves St Michaels Roman Catholic
church in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday.

That all may be one....