The usual Open Thread rules apply: be concise, be charitable and, above all, be amusing.
Open Thread
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
(Need to vent.) Been visiting different parishes.
Last week visited to a parish where the priest said Mass reverently without any personal performance. It was wonderful.
This weekend another parish, and while there wasn’t any standup routine (sermon) nor clapping that I have found in other parishes. There was instead a reverent singing performance by the priest, who sang the entire Mass. This made the Mass difficult to follow. I left thinking that was different, a holy personal performance, but still – a personal performance.
Novus Ordo (I think) tempts the priest into thinking there is a license for innovation, hence the degradation to a personal performance. .
One of the central Illinois parishes I attend has an assistant pastor from Africa (as do many parishes in our area) who places printed transcripts of his homilies in the church bulletin for that week because his accent makes it very hard to understand his spoken homilies. It is helpful and maybe more parishes might consider it, not just for priests with heavy foreign accents but for the benefit of parishioners who are hard of hearing?
The ones who do the liturgy best in the vernacular are the Anglican Ordinariate, and the Orthodox Anglicans. Novus Ordo can be done reverently and should be done Ad Orientem instead of Versus Populum. And the old Latin Mass should be permitted wherever there is a need of the Faithful. In fact, everyone should try to learn some Latin and Koine Greek in order follow along intelligently whether at a Latin Mass or a Byzantine one.
BTW, while I am at, that horrid translation used for Novus Ordo Liturgy – the NABRE – should be burned with all its heretical notes and wiped off the face the Earth. It’s the Catholic version of the Protestant NIV and it is horrid. Instead, the RSV2CE or the ESVCE should be used for the Liturgy.
On a different topic, last month’s workout statistics are attached, and my physician is pleased. My 10-kilometer rowing time is now down to 43+ minutes or so, equivalent to my ability during triathlon training in my youth. Sadly, I still cannot run; knee joint pain and cardiovascular inefficiency prevent that. Nevertheless, for this 67-year-old diabetic cardiac patient, the Lord is my strength. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for letting me walk one more mile, lift one more repetition off the bench, and row one more kilometer. Overcoming obesity means giving up gluttony, and boy oh boy, do I “love” my seven deadly sins! But God is always good and always merciful despite my best efforts to the contrary.
Our pastor from Uganda does the same thing Elaine. He has been in the country for a quarter century, but he does have a bit of an accent. It poses no problems for me, but I am used to hearing the way English is spoken in different countries, and I think the printed homilies are helpful for most parishioners. I suspect it also makes homilies shorter, cutting down on digressions, or a priest engaging in extemporaneous homilies.
Fr Totleben is correct that people dislike being instructed to change their minds because they have been instructed to by authority. It is hard enough to submit to legitimate authority that acts legitimately and prudently. For all of my life we have had imprudent leadership in the Church that abuses its legitimate authority by doing imprudent things. When the father abused his station, the children are no longer quick to obey.
All of the above assumes that TC is legitimate and prudent. It is neither.
I agree a million times over on what a horrendous translation the NABRE is, it makes the Word of God on the level of a Hallmark greeting card. I’m a convert who only read the KJV before Catholicism. When I became Catholic, I was very disappointed by some of the translations, such a lack of beauty. Thankfully, I found the Douay-Rheims bible, it’s even pre-KJV! The ESV is also very good, I use it constantly. The NO mass would be greatly improved by have the option of a lectionary with the reading using the Douay-Rheims translation. The Catholic Study Bible is a great resource tool and the RSVCE is a good version also.
Matthew-
I took find the Douay Rheims to be of great help and comfort. I use the following site that provides the daily readings from the Douay Rheims.
https://www.catholicgallery.org/mass-reading/090625/
LQC and WS: Novus Disordo. Guy, Texas
Yesterday we had a deacon I don’t care for deliver a homily directed toward the kids in the children’s choir. It was actually a barn-burner about remaining active in one’s faith during summer vacation.
Regarding difficult to understand priests, on Palm Sunday we attended a parish that is not our usual parish. The Priest, who offered the Mass, had a bad lisp, making it very difficult to understand what he was saying and we had it in writing. It was an exceptionally long Mass.
Matthew, I wonder if one of the reasons there is this insistence from certain quarters for using terrible scripture translations is that use of those translations has to be paid for. The Douay-Rheims on the other hand is in the public domain, so no copyright owner is making money from its use.
I think that’s also a big reason why terrible contemporary hymns are preferred in some quarters, and older hymns (and chant, of course) are shunned— because those older compositions are in the public domain, so their use is free.
Clinton: I often wondered about having everything copyrighted by the USCCB, seems that want to make money off the sacraments and mass, limiting the choices that parishes and religious orders have in terms of liturgy. It’s not a good look. Copyrights for songs at mass are a scam, OCP charges an arm and a leg for its music.
Matthew, you nailed it, I fear. The same USCCB that collectively lost its mind when their USAID grift was exposed is ever on the lookout for the easy buck. Perhaps if they did a better job of being, well, shepherds, they wouldn’t need to grub so much.
Man, as a creature, cannot abide infinity.
Man as a creature can abide and does abide implicit baptism. Once man’s soul is created in original innocence and man’s body is procreated at conception, implicit baptism is man’s inheritance.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”
Amendment IX “The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
Implicit baptism is man’s inheritance until such time as he emerges from the womb and may be Baptized in the Sacrament.
Implicit infinity, as an inheritance from God as a consequence of becoming adopted children of God is not possible, since God cannot contradict Himself. As man is a creature created by God, adopted by God and invited into the Holy Eucharist, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Man cannot abide infinity nor even implicit infinity. Man has a beginning in his created being.
In truth, man cannot even begin to conceive of infinity.
Blessed Mary’s soul having been created in original innocence, as all men’s souls are created in original innocence; and with fully informed consent desired Perpetual Virginity. Perpetual Virginity was granted to Blessed Mary’s soul. Then Blessed Mary’s soul was begotten into the womb of her mother Saint Ann and Blessed Mary became the Immaculate Conception.
Blessed Mary has perfectly informed consent and Knowledge of God in her original innocence maintained and lived throughout her live on earth and in her Assumption into heaven. As Queen of Heaven and earth, implicit infinity is not of Blessed Mary’s integrity.
If Blessed Mary had implicit infinity, Blessed Mary would be divine. Blessed Mary is not divine nor does Blessed Mary seek to be divine.
Blessed Mary is fulfilled doing the will of God in heaven perfectly for all eternity.
I write because some writers are claiming that man has infinity inherited as children of God.
Last month, the 17 year old had another meltdown and reported me with an accusations of child abuse.
Last week, I had an appointment with an attorney who requested $150 in cash before a consultation. I was late to the appointment and had to cancel. The next day I received a letter from CYF that the accusation was “unfounded” and the investigation was closed. I saved $150.
On Sunday evening my aunt Elizabeth died. She had been in poor health for years. She lived with my uncle’s alcoholism for decades. She lived with the mental problems of her son and daughter, my cousins whom I have had to avoid.
Their daughter was SAed while in the Marines and their son, who had a good Army career going after a nightmare of a childhood, fell down a flight of stairs and had to take a medical discharge. His marriage fell apart and he has not seen his four daughters in I don’t know how long. He went to prison for a while as well. My aunt did her purgatory in this world and then some.
My little brother, who will be 52, got into an argument with his girlfriend, got drunk, drove, wrecked his new truck and when a police officer arrived he inexplicably ran. An altercation ensued. As a result, my brother ended up in a Hillsborough County jail for three weeks. He lost his job. He was facing felony charges. He is under house arrest. My mother asked me to go and visit him, which I intend to do in a week or two.
Then there are the little things…I broke a storm window while cleaning, my pressure washer would not start, the bathroom sink faucet won’t put out hot water, the toilet runs, the cars will soon need new front brakes, etc.
I knew in January that this was not going to be a good year. So far, so bad. Some days, I just want to start driving and just keep going.
PF, we have no control over how others lead their lives. All we can do is to lead our lives the best we know how to, and leave the rest up to God.
Penguins Fan-
If he is at all local, go see your brother ASAP. He may need a visit more than you think.
Just my 2¢.
Praying for you daily and trying to figure out what to do with the big wooden X digging into my shoulder. One day, one hour, at a time.
(Thanks be to God that CYF had a moment of sanity and has relented! I’d consider that a minor miracle…)
In The Lord’s Prayer, man worships God in heaven. Then man asks for his needs, his daily bread, Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist and then begs God to deliver us from evil; death, war, famine and pestilence. The perfect prayer.
In the Confiteor, at the beginning of Mass man confesses his sins: his commissions and his omissions and begs forgiveness.
The confession is very cleansing. Coming before the Lord in our need of grace. Obsessive compulsive behavior, bulimia, anorexia, and every violation of the will of God for man’s true joy, a plea for normalcy: the way God wishes to provide for man and the grace to avoid the seven deadly sins.
Jesus Christ goes before man and sanctifies man’s every coming and going: man’s breathing, man’s waking and sleeping, man’s eating and drinking, man’s thinking and loving.
Putting ourselves into the hands of God is very uplifting and refreshing. God is the God of Life.