The Cassock And Cotta

on informal styles of worship

2007-04-24T22:05:00.000+08:00

This usually involves singing of songs written in the modern idiom, very often from Protestant origin, which people would term "Praise and Worship".

I am uncomfortable with this term as used in this way, because the Church teaches that the ultimate Praise and Worship is done through the Liturgy, at Mass and at the Divine Office. I'd prefer some other name, maybe "songs of praise session".

I am uncomfortable with such a form of worship for two reasons:
(1) the choice of songs often leaves much to be desired, with very bizarre texts sometimes chosen eg. those that suggest "Jesus is my boyfriend". This is because we pray as we believe, and the texts of the songs have to reflect our beliefs.
(2) such a session often leaves the participants all emotionally fired up. However the effectiveness of prayer is not measured by one's emotions.

Two objections to my two reasons have been expressed to me:
(1) one should not "intellectualise" the process of prayer and worship
(2) everyone has the right to express his faith in his own way

I answer that
(1) we cannot divorce our intellect from the practice of the Catholic faith.
(2) while this is true, we must also not ignore the fact that we have to seek guidance and not be left to find our own way towards holiness.

Nevertheless, I'd leave those who prefer this style of worship alone.

just some thoughts. will revise this post if necessary.

on the question of liturgical language

2007-04-16T16:32:00.000+08:00

The Muslims have their Azan (Call to Prayer) in Arabic, and they have no issues with understanding it. I'm sure we Catholics can do likewise, and learn the meanings of simple Latin prayers too, starting from "Dominus vobiscum".

Sorry for the lack of posts. Have been very busy!

Jeff Randall of the Daily Telegraph...

2006-12-14T15:29:00.000+08:00

...defends Christmas:

Before you ask, I haven't become a weirdo fundamentalist. This is not a matter of religiosity (I flicker somewhere between an agnostic and a mild believer). My protest is about resisting those who seem hell bent on turning Christianity into a crime.

[...]

No, it's not the Muslims, Jews or Hindus who are behind the drive to secularise Christmas. They are not the culprits. The presence of a small cross round the neck of a British Airways check-in staff member does not prompt them to scream in protest, vomit in the aisle or rush for a transfer to another carrier. On the whole, they couldn't care less. The demons in this horror story of crucifying Christmas are white, middle-class do-gooders whose assumption of a superior morality is as disgraceful as it is disgusting. They are busybodies, obsessed with forcing on us their vacuous "ethical" code.

we ought to see this matter primarily as the occasion for an examination of conscience

2006-11-27T16:37:00.000+08:00

From Cardinal Ratzinger's address to Chilean Bishops. As someone pointed it out to me, it is no use saying that the other side is wrong if we don't actively correct our own faults too. Ergo,

For all these reasons, we ought to see this matter primarily as the occasion for an examination of conscience. We should allow ourselves to ask fundamental questions, about the defects in the pastoral life of the Church, which are exposed by these events. Thus we will be able to offer a place within the Church to those who are seeking and demanding it, and succeed in destroying all reason for schism. We can make such schism pointless by renewing the interior realities of the Church.

On New Mass vs Old Mass

2006-11-27T15:57:00.000+08:00

We must avoid falling into the trap of arguing which is better, or which should exist, and so on. What is good for one section of the church benefits the entire church (from Fr Z).

It is a fact that for now, many people are simply too used to the New Rite and will find the Old Rite totally foreign, and so any action taken for the good of the New Rite, eg. better translations, more reverent celebrations, will be good for the whole church.

At the same time, to deny that the Old Rite has a place in the church now is to ignore the exalted place it had in the Church after the Council of Trent. Any assertion that the old rite is no longer relevant or not needed is faulty. We keep on learning from the past, in studies of scripture, the writings of the Church fathers, the Saints. We still recite the Nicene Creed today. The Mass of St Pius V, which was the Rite in use by the Roman Curia, as well as the other rites, Sarum, Dominican, Carmelite etc etc are no exception. Along with the Eastern Catholic liturgies, they are treasures for us to learn from in their diverse expressions of the one True faith.

It is a tragedy that the Old Rite is thought to be associated with sectarian and polemical groups. Such groups are surely on the slippery slope towards separation, and this is the case whether you are left-leaning or right-leaning (eg. so-called "pro-choice catholics", Archbishop Millingo etc etc) .

There is nothing to be gained if we do not work together for the good of the Church. There is nothing to be gained if all there exists is criticism for the old rite, yet not acknowledging the deficiencies of the new rite, and not working towards better celebrations of the new rite. Very often we hear people say, "you know in the Old Rite if the priest left out certain things it would be mortal sin!", without actually having a certain familiarity with it. Heh - in the New Rite, if the priest left out the words of consecration ... .There is also nothing to be gained if the new rite is scorned and derided. Any assertion that the new rite is sacrilegious because of its faults is utterly ridiculous - the Church can never lead us to sin.

Keeping the old rite alive and encouraging its wider use serves to remind us that it still belongs to us, the whole Church, not to sectarian interests. Keeping the old rite alive serves to be an example for the rest of the new rite people to follow. Keeping the old rite alive serves to show the rest of divided Christendom that we have, like them, great respect for our traditions.

Your Bloggers: A Definition

2006-11-23T11:25:00.000+08:00

Norman --

[adjective]:

Extremely extreme!

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Constantine --

[noun]:

A hermit living in the big city

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Edward --

[adjective]:

Tastes like fried chicken

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Michael --

[adjective]:

Fuzzy to the touch

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Panagia Ierosolimitissa

2006-11-22T00:04:00.000+08:00

To those whom I gave prayer cards to during the past two weeks, if you were unable to read the (modern) Greek at the back, I have received a translation from Maria of the Greek consulate:

Panagia Ierosolimitissa (Theotokos of Jerusalem)

This is Gethsemane's Panagia, overlooking the empty tomb of the Most Holy Theotokos, blessing the numerous pilgrims to the Holy Land of Jerusalem. Today's small underground tomb is situated at Gethsemane, next to the Mount of Olives where the Saviour often prayed with His disciples. It was there that the Apostles gathered and buried the most-pure body of the Mother of God. Her icon remains there as an endless spring of blessings for all the Christians, celebrated (or venerated) by the name 'Panagia Ierosolimitissa'.

I hope this helps.

33rd sunday in ordinary time

2006-11-19T02:09:00.000+08:00

It is interesting to spot a thread that connects the propers in the liturgy. The collects speak about eternal life. The propers speak about praying without ceasing, and God's assurance that He will hear us. And the Gospel speaks about Him coming in glory. Look at what we lose if we ditch them for hymns arbitrarily chosen!

Ergo, We are taught in this Sunday to pray without ceasing, so that one day we may be with Him in the glory of eternal life.

In today's Introit, we have the following

The Lord said, "I am pondering thoughts of peace and not of affliction; you shall call upon me and I will hear you; and I will bring you back from all the lands where you are held captive."

and what do we call upon him in the Collect? From Fr Z

Grant unto us, we beg thee, O Lord our God, always to rejoice in your devotion, for happiness is perpetual and full, if we serve constantly the author of good things.

We ask in the Prayer over the Gifts that

acquire for us the effect of a happy eternity

The Alleluia Verse and Offertory verse reminds us of a very common attitude we must have when praying,

Out of the depths I have cried to you O Lord, Lord hear my voice/prayer.

Yet, the Gospel in year B assures us of

"And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power"

and the Introit comes to mind,

"you shall call upon me and I will hear you"

We are reminded again in the Communion antiphon that

Amen, I say to you whatever you ask in your prayers, believe that you shall receive it, and it shall be granted unto you.

and of course, God gives us what we need, not what we want, and our aim is to be close to Him in heaven.

comparing sacrosanctum concilium and ...

2006-11-17T01:16:00.000+08:00

Tra Le Sollecitudini, by Pope St Pius X.

Point 1. The Liturgy is for the glorification of God and the sanctification of the faithful, and Sacred Music plays an important role in this.

SC, 7.

To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. [snip] Christ indeed always associates the Church with Himself in this great work wherein God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified.

TLS, 1.

Sacred music, being a complementary part of the solemn liturgy, participates in the general scope of the liturgy, which is the glory of God and the sanctification and edification of the faithful.

To be continued.

For Pope Benedict XVI (Part II)

2006-11-16T23:52:00.000+08:00

It will be good to pray the Spiritual Pilgrimage with Pope Benedict XVI, as he embarks on his trip to Turkey.

random thoughts on Gregorian Chant

2006-11-16T01:32:00.000+08:00

I had it put to me the other day, "Gregorian Chant is young music - it is music of the Church's youth." Wow! *speechless*

I told a bunch of people the other day,"We walk the way of the Church fathers when we sing Gregorian Chant". This thought came to me after I attended, ironically, an Eastern liturgy. That's because these liturgies are ancient, and even though they may be in the vernacular today, they retain much of their liturgical traditions. They have something to teach us Latins on that.

On Tertullian

2006-11-16T01:23:00.000+08:00

From The Fathers of the Church, by Mike Aquilina, pg 92 - 93

Inspired by the courage of Christian martyrs, Tertullian converted to the faith when he was in his late thirties. [snip] Once in the Church, he wielded his pen like a blazing brand, to expose error by the light ot truth (one of his favourite words), and to immolate falsehood with the flames of his invective. It was Tertullian who first used the Latin word Trinitas (Trinity) to describe God.

Problems arose when he encountered infidelities, apostasy, cowardice, lukewarmness and immorality among his own people. He came, more and more, to excoriate those who called themselves Christian but who fell into mortal sin. Calling for a purer Church, he fell under the influence of the schismatic Montanus, who claimed to speak by the power of the Holy Spirit. In time, Tertullian came to invent a distinction between the "spiritual church" and the "church of a bunch of bishops." He joined the Montanist sect - though, ultimately, he would find even them unsatisfactory. He then founded his own sect, the Tertullianists, which would survive till St Augustine's day.

Get the book if you haven't. It makes for captivating reading, to learn about how the early Church was like, and to discover many parallels with the modern Church today.

Quo Primum was a disciplinary document

2006-11-15T11:35:00.000+08:00

and I cannot for the life of me understand how people will take it as "dogmatic" or use it to argue that the Church has no right to regulate celebrations of the old Mass. Take for example this article from Zenit, on the legal force of Quo Primum:

Another correspondent writing from the Middle East offers the parallel case of the 1568 document "Quod a Nobis" which introduced the new Roman breviary two years before the new missal. This document contains many expressions similar to "Quo Primum" regarding, for instance, the perpetual force of law, the obligation of use in all places, and the total prohibition of adding or omitting anything.

Our reader then comments: "As you are undoubtedly aware, St. Pius X radically rearranged the ancient Roman Psalter and changed a few lessons for a few days, and provided contracted lessons, among other changes in 1913. Moreover, he forbade the use of the old Psalter. This clearly shows that he was not bound by the prescriptions issued in 'Quod a Nobis' and since these are similar to those of 'Quo Primum,' those must not be binding either.

"I have found using 'Quod a Nobis' more effective because the adherents to 'Quo Primum' argue that it is restricted to the Ordinary (either whole or from the Offertory to Last Gospel), or to the Temporale only (despite evidence in encyclicals like 'Grande Munus' to the contrary). Since the Psalter is the most fundamental part of the breviary, no such statement can be made with regard to 'Quod a Nobis.'"

Of course I favour more celebrations of the old Mass (per Cardinal Ratzinger's comments), but I really can sympathise with bishops who hold back the indult because of people who will end up creating trouble for them. When (and that's a big when) Pope Benedict relaxes restrictions on it, one of the messages that action will carry is that the old Mass belongs to the Roman Church, not just to sectarian and polemical interests. [updated] A hasty action will serve only to act against the future of the Missal of St Pius V, just like how the introduction of the New Rite was like. As Catholics, united under the Vicar of Christ, we can offer up our prayers for the Holy Father, so that he may have the wisdom to discern when the right time is. In all things, charity, understanding and patience.

updated 16 Nov 2006.

For Pope Benedict XVI

2006-11-03T23:47:00.000+08:00

Given the state of affairs in the Muslim world, can we, Catholics and Orthodox, dedicate a day of fasting and penance for Pope Benedict's trip to Turkey? It is on 28 Nov to 1 Dec.

There are many intentions for this, including:

a safe trip for Papa Bear
better relations between Cats and Dox
Turkey lifts its oppression against Christians

Patriarch hopes Papal trip to Turkey will help Orthodox minority.

All Saints

2006-11-03T12:56:00.000+08:00

Helped organize All Saints Mass on campus. Given the kind of singers I had and the time available for preparation, this is the best that I could do. Comparing with the kind of Masses we usually get (ie. Organizing Mass = Choose 5 Favourite Hymns with Mass of Creation/Celtic Mass), I'd say it was a minor coup of sorts.

There were the usual concerns "The Mass is not a performance and these songs are unfamiliar" to which I said, "we cannot have Everyone Sing Everything, but we can have As Many People to Sing As Many Things Possible". I restrained myself from saying "The Mass is not Karaoke either". So we did a run through before Mass and I was surprised that people picked it up quickly. I set the vernacular Gloria and Credo to Psalm tones and people took to it like fish to water. I made sure I explained that the point for doing so is to help people focus on the words, not being distracted by the melody, and I guess you can't dispute that kind of argument. Heh.

We started the evening with Sung Vespers in English set to Latin Psalm tones. We did not provide much explanation, but very soon everyone was singing along. Amazing! The powerpoint slides showed traditional line art and did not show one bit of modern music notation - we used the four-line notation. Who says Gregorian Chant can't work? Who says simple chanting can't work? Sorry, Mass settings like this silly and crappy one don't work anymore. Chant is the way to go.

The cooperation that I had from my uni-mates were first-class - we were doing it together, not me just barking orders. Recognizing that the Catholic community on campus is now international, we followed the example of the Vatican and had the intercessions in 8 languages. Of course, what came out in the end was not ideal. I left the Mass of Creation in to avoid too big a drastic change. I actually want the Propers to be sung and the entire mass in Latin, walking the way of the Church Fathers who had their liturgy this way. It is possible to sing the Propers to simple melodies. Maybe next time :).

Not forgetting the priest who gave a wonderful homily and for working tirelessly among the students on campus. It can only be good if the priest is so involved with the students on campus. I don't think I even know the depth and extent of the problems he has to deal with.

Entrance. For All The Saints. Sine Nomine, Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Kyrie. Taize Setting.
Gloria. Psalm Tone.
Responsorial Psalm. English, adapted from melody found in Simple Gradual.
Alleluia. Chant, adapted from chant melody.
Credo. Psalm Tone.
Prayer of the Faithful. Recited, adapted from Anglican Use Liturgy, Intercession II.
Offertory. O God Beyond Our Praising. Thaxted. Gustav Holst.
Sanctus. Mass of Creation.
Mysterium Fidei. Mass of Creation.
Per Ipsum. response was just "Amen".
Pater Noster. Latin Chant.
Agnus Dei. Chant Mass XVIII.
Communion. Panis Angelicus, Cesar Frank. (this choice was made by someone else)
Post-Communion. Soul of my Saviour.
Recessional Hymn. Holy God We Praise Thy Name.

Fasting Makes You Crabby

2006-10-21T18:25:00.000+08:00

"...attacks in Baghdad rising by 22 percent in the first three weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan"
- Yahoo! News, Thursday, October 19

We can relate, really.

"Conservative" Christianity

2006-10-21T18:02:00.000+08:00

...as the liberals view it.

Simply hilarious.

My favourite rant:
Aren't you all entitled to your half-assed musings on the divine? You've thought about eternity for twenty-five minutes and think you've come to some interesting conclusions.

I love the phrase "Internet-assembled philosophy". Sounds like a good number of liberals I know.

[via Clifton]

Remember to pray for our Pope

2006-10-06T17:24:00.000+08:00

Please call me a Pascendist

I can read the encyclicals of Leo XIII and understand their message. But I can little judge whether these are teachings for all time, or merely the prudential judgments of the Supreme Pontiff, to be followed until one of greater wisdom succeeds to the throne or the conditions of the time change so as to require new judgments.

About Leo XIII. Rerum Novarum is fantastic and spot on - came years before communism overtook Russia. Too bad nobody heeded the warnings.

*sigh* so much has happened in the past months. Keep on praying for our Pope. I can't imagine the weight of his responsibilities.

Metropolitan Vitaly, Memory Eternal

2006-09-26T00:25:00.000+08:00

Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov) of New York
(8.3.1910 - 25.9.2006)

His Eminence, Metropolitan Vitaly reposed yesterday (25th September 2006) about 3:45pm Eastern Standard Time.

Sympathies to my brothers and sisters of the ROCOR on the loss of Vladyka Vitaly.

Memory Eternal!

Announcement from the Synod

Боже духов и всякия плоти, смерть поправый, и диавола упразднивый, и живот миру Твоему даровавый: Сам, Господи, упокой душы усопших рабов Твоих Виталий: в месте светле, в месте злачне, в месте покойне, отнюдуже отбеже болезнь, печаль и воздыхание: всякое согрешение содеянное ими, словом, или делом, или помышлением, яко Благий Человеколюбец Бог прости. Яко несть человек, иже жив будет, и не согрешит: Ты бо един кроме греха, правда Твоя правда во веки, и слово Твое истина.

Яко Ты еси воскресение, и живот, и покой, усопших рабов Твоих Виталий, Христе Боже наш; и Тебе славу возсылаем, со безначальным Твоим Отцем, и с пресвятым и благим и животворящим Твоим Духом, ныне и присно, и во веки веков.

Аминь.

O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death, defeated the devil, and given life to Thy world. Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Vitaly, in a place of light, in place of green pasture, in a place of revival, whence all pain, sorrow and sighing have fled away. Forgive every sin committed by him, in thought, word and deed, in Thy goodness and love for men, O God. For there is no one who lives without sinning: Thou alone art without sin, and Thy justice is eternal justice, and Thy Word in Truth.

For Thou art the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Thy departed servant, O Christ our God, and to Thee we send up glory, with Thy Eternal Father, and Thy all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages.

Amen.

feed the hungry and clothe the naked

2006-09-25T00:15:00.000+08:00

The convent visit (and other things) made me realise - feed the hungry, clothe the naked etc etc - is a real task that needs to be done every day. One of my friends put it this way, "you REALLY don't know what they are going through".

Each one of us can but only contribute what little we have, slowly, day by day, together with others in His Church, and pray that together we may restore all things in Christ.

a little prayer request

2006-09-13T00:03:00.000+08:00

Recently I visited a convent, of the FMDM sisters . The nuns there are doing excellent work, caring for the sick at Singapore's only Catholic hospital. Pray for them - the nuns have not had new vocations for 11 years.

A new traditionalist institute is founded

2006-09-09T00:34:00.000+08:00

Hot off the press.

Rome has set up a new traditionalist fraternity accepting former priests and seminarians of the Fraterniy of St. Pius X.

Deo Gratias. Really. There is only one road, and that is to work together to restore all things in Christ.

From Fr Z , Rorate Caeli, and of all places, the International Herald Tribune.

Propers in the Mass

2006-09-09T00:20:00.000+08:00

Making a case for using the propers of the Mass.

I've always reduced it to a very simple argument. If the Church has chosen this for the particular day, what makes you think your judgement is better than the Church's in choosing a hymn?

I know the Gregorian Chants are difficult. So here's my solution. Use Psalm tones to the english translation. I have tried with youths a few years younger than me. Using Sunday Compline, I spent some time pointing the Psalms and Canticle, made up the music for some parts, and taught my peers at a retreat. The Antiphons were sung to psalm tones also. They took to it like fish to water.

Convertitis

2006-09-09T00:14:00.000+08:00

Convertitis - the phenomenon where new converts to a religion take their beliefs to extremes. I've been cautioned about it, and my friends and I have seen it for ourselves.

I hate converts (and I am one), by Jeffrey Tucker.

Well, what can I say? Take things one step at a time, and always be wary of pride. That's all. The battle is first and foremost within ourselves.

Catena Aurea - The Wisdom of the Fathers

2006-09-09T00:08:00.000+08:00

In case you guys didn't know, half of the Catena Aurea compiled by St Thomas Aquinas is available online. Simply fantastic and edifying. I wish more homilies I hear could quote from it!

Catena Aurea - Commentary on the Gospel of Mark

Catena Aurea - Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Orthodoxy Taught In Schools

2006-09-01T16:30:00.000+08:00

Russian Orthodox Christianity is made a compulsory school subject in 4 of Russia's regions

What better way to begin a new academic year in Russia than to have the basics of Orthodox culture made mandatory for schools in the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Smolensk regions and optional for a further 11 regions.

Western Europe could learn a lot from this move - along with the influx of Mohammedan immigrants as well as many secular values taking over many aspects of life, she is fast losing her status as the most cultured region on earth. As Patriarch Aleksey said, "If people practicing other religions live in our country, they should study their culture, of course, but they should also know the culture of the country they live in".

All cultured people should know their nation's history and basics of its culture.

"...all young people studying at school should know the histoy of their culture," Patriarch Aleksey II of Moscow and all Russia told journalists at the State History Museum.

Education Minister Andrei Fursenko voiced support, saying "schoolchildren must know the history of religion and religious culture".

Unsurprisingly, secular advocates (many of whom are probably bitter that state atheism has lost its hold on Holy Russia) have protested the introduction of such a course in schools.

[links via The Western Confucian]

Œcumenical Statement Condemns "Christian" Zionism

2006-09-01T02:41:00.000+08:00

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:19

Background Information
Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. The Christian Zionist programme provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it laces an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, together with her Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran counterparts, has issued a joint statement condemning what has come to be called "Christian" Zionism:

We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.

We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders and organizations with elements in the governments of Israel and the United States that are presently imposing their unilateral pre-emptive borders and domination over Palestine. This inevitably leads to unending cycles of violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world.

We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ. Rather than condemn the world to the doom of Armageddon we call upon everyone to liberate themselves from the ideologies of militarism and occupation. Instead, let them pursue the healing of the nations!

[via Fr Jim Tucker]

priests get sued

2006-08-30T15:12:00.000+08:00

We have some bizarre news in Singapore. From ChannelNewsAsia,

SINGAPORE : The Novena Church, two priests and seven helpers are being sued for an alleged act of exorcism, in an incident believed to have taken place two years ago.

Fifty-year old Amutha Valli Krishnan, an athlete in the 1980s, claimed that attempts to exorcise her later led to chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

A writ of summons was served last Thursday.

The key thing here is the "Writ of Summons", which is a legal document that initiates the process of suing someone. It basically says, "I sue you, and here's why, and here's what I want from you". The person doing the suing is known as the Plaintiff and the person(s) being sued is known as the Defendants(s).

The Defendants now have reply with a document known as a "Defence" where they state which points in the Writ of Summons they agree with, and which points they don't.

Once this is completed, the process of "discovery" begins. This involves both parties informing each other of their respective cases, and involves exchange of documents and questions and so on. If it becomes apparent at this step that one party has no case to answer, then the process ends here and the suit can be abandoned. Or, both parties might decide to settle privately.

It is quite an infrequent thing to proceed to a trial. In a trial, the judge, based on the cases presented by both parties, decides on the issues and the trial proceeds from there. For example, an issue might be, "Was the Rite of Exorcism conducted on the plaintiff?" and both sides will present their answers and the corresponding evidence. If it comes to a trial, the costs essentially escalate and the pockets of both sides will be hit. The shit hits the fan. Yes, even the winner will have to pay costs.

The CNA article merely reports the fact that someone is suing the Church. It does not say who's wrong and who's right. That is sorted out by the legal process. Hence, let us suspend judgement and pray, for the benefit of both parties, that the matter will be settled speedily and amicably, without proceeding to a trial.

*Legal procedure summarized from Chapter 2 of Basic Business Law in Singapore.

The One God

2006-08-20T23:13:00.000+08:00

The following is an excerpt from the sermon His Grace Coptic Bishop Daniel of Sydney delivered during his visit here some two months ago:

The first commandment is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Mark 12:29

Why do we have one God?

Our God is one because if there are two gods, this would mean that one of th two is greater than the other. This would also mean one of the two existed before the other and the one who existed before is greater - as such, the one who existed later will not be god.

Only one god will reign, should two gods exist. The second would not be god, because he must follow the one who leads.

God is omnipresent, there is no need for another.

In the Bible, we read that the one Lord cannot give His glory to another:

When the people of Israel worshipped idols (e.g. the golden calf) - God became angry at them.

When the Egyptians of old worshipped an entire pantheon of gods, God commanded Moses to lead His people of Egypt, that they may worship Him.

Likewise, people who worship idols, animals, plants and even other human beings are not right because they are not gods - they do not possess the power or the might to do everything and to be anywhere at any time.

[...]

Contrary to popular fiction, our Lord cannot procreate with a human being. We cannot accept, by all means, the marriage of the divine to the carnal because:

Humans can only procreate with humans. Anything else is not logical, acceptable nor biblical. This is very clear. We see this even in the animal kingdom. Never in the history of mankind, have we seen an elephant mating with a lion - but we certainly have seen the mating between a male elephant and a female elephant. If this is the case with animals, so it is for humans, let alone the one God.

In addition, we have witnessed some people, ordinary people, who were not married - like the great saint, Anthony, and the monastics and hermits. If a man like St Anthony was able to be celibate for God, what more can we say about the one God who created St Anthony?

You Reap What You Sow

2006-07-11T00:43:00.000+08:00

Embraced by the leadership of all the mainline Protestant denominations, as well as large segments of American Catholicism, liberal Christianity has been hailed by its boosters for 40 years as the future of the Christian church.

Instead, as all but a few die-hards now admit, all the mainline churches and movements within churches that have blurred doctrine and softened moral precepts are demographically declining and, in the case of the Episcopal Church, disintegrating.

When your religion says "whatever" on doctrinal matters, regards Jesus as just another wise teacher, refuses on principle to evangelize and lets you do pretty much what you want, it's a short step to deciding that one of the things you don't want to do is get up on Sunday morning and go to church.

So this is the liberal Christianity that was supposed to be the Christianity of the future: disarray, schism, rapidly falling numbers of adherents, a collapse of Christology and national meetings that rival those of the Modern Language Assn. for their potential for cheap laughs. And they keep telling the Catholic Church that it had better get with the liberal program — ordain women, bless gay unions and so forth — or die. Sure.

[from the Dunker Journal]

The Weight of One Holy Mass

2006-07-11T00:01:00.000+08:00

The following true story was related to Sister Mary Veronica Murphy by an elderly nun, who heard it from the lips of the late Reverend Father Stanislaus, SS.CC.

One day, many years ago, in a little town in Luxembourg, a Captain of the Forest Guards was in deep conversation with the butcher, when an elderly woman entered the shop. The butcher broke off the conversation to ask the old woman what she wanted. She had come to beg for a little meat but had no money. The Captain was amused at the conversation which ensued between the poor woman and the butcher.

"Only a little meat. . ."

"But how much are you going to give me?"

"I am sorry I have no money, but I'll hear Mass for you."

Both the butcher and the Captain were very good men, but very indifferent about religion, so they at once began to scoff at the old woman's answer.

"All right, then," said the butcher. "You go out and hear Mass for me, and when you come back, I'll give you as much meat as the Mass is worth."

The woman left the shop and returned later. She approached the counter and the butcher seeing her, said, "All right, then, we'll see."

He took a slip of paper and wrote on it, "I heard a Mass for you." He then placed the paper on the scale and a tine bone on the other side, but nothing happened. Next he placed a piece of meat instead of the bone, but still the paper proved heavier. Both men were beginning to feel ashamed of their mockery but continued their game. A large piece of meat was placed in the balanced, but still the paper held its own. The butcher, exasperated, examined the scales, but found they were all right.

"What do you want, my good woman? Must I give you a whole leg of mutton?"

At this, he placed the leg of mutton on the balance, but the paper outweighed the meat. A larger piece of meat was put on, but again the weight remained on the side of the paper. This so impressed the butcher that he was converted, and promised to give the woman her daily ration of meat.

As for the Captain, he left the shop a changed man, an ardent lover of daily Holy Mass. Two of his sons became priests, one a Jesuit and the other a Father of the Sacred Heart.

Father Stanislaus finished by saying, "I am the religious of the Sacred Heart, and the Captain was my father."

From that incident the Captain became a daily Mass goer and his children were trained to follow his example. Later, when his sons became priests, he advised them to offer Holy Mass well every day and never miss the Sacrifice through any fault of their own.

[hat tip to Long-Skirts]

disciplinary infallibility

2006-07-05T18:54:00.000+08:00

I have just added a link to a great blog on the side, the Lidless Eye Inquisition, which describes itself as

A weblog dedicated to the exposure of the crackpots of the lunatic self-styled 'traditionalist' fringe who disingenuously pose as faithful Catholics.

and has on its latest post

"If she [the Church] were able to prescribe or command or tolerate in her discipline something against faith and morals, or something which tended to the detriment of the Church or to the harm of the faithful, she would turn away from her divine mission, which would be impossible.

Ah, hmm. So from the Catholic Encyclopedia entry

The authors of these treatises decide unanimously in favour of a negative and indirect rather than a positive and direct infallibility, inasmuch as in her general discipline, i. e. the common laws imposed on all the faithful, the Church can prescribe nothing that would be contrary to the natural or the Divine law, nor prohibit anything that the natural or the Divine law would exact. If well understood this thesis is undeniable; it amounts to saying that the Church does not and cannot impose practical directions contradictory of her own teaching.

In its own laws, the Church cannot impose anything that is contrary to what it is supposed to teach. However, it does not mean that everything it imposes must be perfect or the best. What is perfection anyway? And so ...

From the disciplinary infallibility of the Church, correctly undersood as an indirect consequence of her doctrinal infallibility, it follows that she cannot be rightly accused of introducing into her discipline anything opposed to the Divine law; the most remarkable instance of this being the suppression of the chalice in the Communion of the laity. This has often been violently attacked as contrary to the Gospel. Concerning it the Council of Constance (1415) declared (Sess. XIII): "The claim that it is sacrilegious or illicit to observe this custom or law [Communion under one kind] must be regarded as erroneous, and those who obstinately affirm it must be cast aside as heretics."

Take for example communion on the hand. In this day, I see lots of people coming up to receive communion in a very sloppy manner, and I firmly support a tightening of discipline to encourage tongue+kneeling reception for its value in teaching the laity the proper dispositions. However, I cannot, for the life of me, see how communion on hand is a sacrilege and hence innately sinful, innately harmful and innately detrimental to the Church.

A WORD to the ORTHODOX

2006-06-30T21:32:00.000+08:00

...because Catholicity cannot be truly ‘Catholic’ - universal - without you, without the other authentic and apostolic ‘half’ of Christ’s Church [Orthodoxy], we have no intention of replacing you in this Church, for you are the only one capable of preparing us [the Eastern Catholics] a place in it.

Only as the Catholic Church opens and affords you a loving home within its fold, on an equal basis with the Latins, will we be able to feel at home in it ourselves.

Patriarch Joseph Slipyj of the Ukrainian Catholic Church

I want (not)

2006-06-27T13:39:00.000+08:00

No, part of being Catholic is not about what you want, or anybody else not in a position of authority wants. Its about what the Church wants. Its about discovering the mind of the Church.

Ralph McInerny says that the crisis after Vatican II is caused by the dissent of those who reject authority, and illustrates it with the rejection of the teaching authority of the Church when Humanae Vitae was released. A very readable book there.

Kevin Tierney says the same thing - the general decline in the lack of obedience. I once asked why Masses can be so frustrating. Kevin's answer is illuminating:

What will we do if Pope Benedict says faithful Catholics are not to attend SSPX chapels? I really don’t know how else I’ll be able to fulfill my Sunday Obligation, as I hate the Novus Ordo.

As we see, this is a clear case of the individual placing his own preferences, wants, desires over that of the Bishop of Rome’s prerogatives in defining who is in communion with him. In the case mentioned above, the answer is simple. Many drive a good distance to the schismatic illicit chapels as it is, if need be one can drive a long distance towards those Latin Masses approved by Rome. Otherwise, since they acknowledge the New Mass is valid, in order to fulfill their Sunday obligation they may have to sacrifice their personal preferences. It is a sad day when in the Church the liturgy becomes a place to practice penance, but if the situation warrants it, that is what our Church commands. In light of such obedience that pleases God, He will not let such cries go unheard.

The call to obedience is difficult. But we keep on trying.

Saints & Sinners

2006-06-22T18:35:00.000+08:00

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

Oscar Wilde

Religion is not necessary but spirituality is

2006-06-20T01:43:00.000+08:00

I first heard a similar line when I watched a movie on television some years ago. The details are fuzzy, but I remember the protagonist asking a mysterious character, who was meditating, whether he was religious. The latter replied that he was not. Rather, he said was spiritual and went on to elaborate how the two were different.

I never knew then that the same idea about the two being separate and distinct would return to haunt my future. I thought this concept belonged to the beatnik and hippie generations in the United States. Never did I expect it to show up here!

Thankfully, those of my age group (I’d say 13-23) are free of this erroneous thought. Most are attached to a religion, though I’d hesitate to describe some of them as ‘organised’. This concept afflicts the mindsets of the previous generation – young adults in their late 20s to early 30s.

My experience has shown me that whenever a popular (usually handsome) young teacher is asked which faith he belongs to, he’d (almost always) give one of two possible answers 1) that he’s not religious, but spiritual or 2) that he doesn’t believe in any religion because they’re all corrupted, hypocritical, etc. I heard option 2 spouted as recently as some months ago.

Curious to know what this “spirituality” so many spoke of, I delved into various (unhealthy) web sites in the name of research. The general consensus between the diverse web sites of the term is that many “spiritual paths” exist in this universe and that there is no objective truth about which is the best one to follow. Many emphasise on the importance of finding one’s own path rather than following one that people say works. It is not a religion – it is the vital connection to one’s soul, sense of the deep self, etc.

I would beg to differ. Spirituality is not reason-oriented as many adherents so nicely describe it. Spirituality is self-oriented – “I want to seek the truth on my terms; I don’t want to listen to anybody else”. Spiritual practitioners (if I may term them as such) are hardly connected to the world. They reject organised religion because of the rampant corruption and oppression that the hierarchy rains down upon the faithful. Some think that believers of organised religions are either brainwashed minions of the hierarchy, coerced to remain, or simply lack the level of experience/education to understand better.

Taking the cue, many religions either have been invented or have been re-invented to cater to the burgeoning demand for a “spiritual” faith – e.g. Christian Science, Charismatic Christianity, Neo-Confucianism, Pentecostalism, Kabala, Hare Krishna, Neo-Paganism, etc.

At the end of the day, the corrupt understanding of “spirituality” is not about seeking one’s purpose in the universe – it’s about feeling good. One can eschew all the commitments (i.e. obedience, charity, time for worship, etc) that religions would customarily demand and yet claim to have a connection with the supernatural at the same time. Now, if one had surrendered all worldly possessions and lived for some years in the desert/mountains/caves as a hermit, I could take their word for it – but those who have made such claims to me happen to be the very same folk who are terrified of commitment and yet desire to feel secure about the afterlife – they’re either heading to heaven, there is no hell, there is no afterlife, etc. Reminds me of someone who’s in a relationship for sex/money and not love.

It’s more than a belief, I hear some call out:
Spirituality is living life at a depth of newness and gratitude, courage and creativity, trust and letting go, compassion and justice!

Gosh, what innovative ideas! Why didn't we hear this kind of brilliance before? Why haven't we been hearing about it for forty... long... tedious... years?

More on spirituality and religion soon - comments/questions are welcome

WHO WE ARE

2006-06-19T00:27:00.000+08:00

The Cassock and Cotta was started in August last year to be a notepad of sorts to scribble down musings (along with random quotations) on the faith and liturgy from a traditionalist perspective. Today we attract a readership of about 2 a day.

Today, The Cassock and Cotta comprises of 4 contributors (some regular, some not so regular):

The Mastermind
Norman, confirmed as Paul, is someone we'd describe as a SNAG - Simple, Normal, Average Guy. Nothing of particular mention, really - except that he's currently pursuing a doctorate and that he's lector at his parish in West Singapore. However, he would rather be an altar server anytime. He is involved in several singing projects at point of writing. He remains an outspoken critic of the abuses and silly things done by the liberals as well as the disobedience shown and silly things done by the radical traditionalists.

[edited the last two sentences - Norman]

Co-Conspirators
Michael's grandmother described him as a "future secret society member, drug addict, bank robber and an inmate" - whether in a prison or mental institution, she has never clarified. Michael is quite the opposite of that description, really. Never one to jump to conclusions, Michael is the voice of reason in a blog that has a strong tendency to border on the inane. He likes to serve at the altar, and when he does, he always makes sure it is done properly. We all think black is his favourite colour.

[added the last two sentences - Norman]

Edward was born Roman Catholic and became heavily involved in traditionalist movement during his teenaged years - even becoming a Feenyite at some point. Despite becoming Eastern Catholic some years later, Edward has never ceased being traditionalist. In his own words, he "now understands that tradition is living - not dead and set in stone". With such a background (for that reason, he is sometimes regarded with suspicion by both the Orthodox and Catholics alike), Edward understands both East and West well enough to comment on either side. A graduate of King's College, London, he is fluent in approximately 7 to 8 languages and plays the lute.

["my godmother thought Edward was Jewish" - Constantine]

Constantine is the only contributor not in communion with Rome. Born and raised a Presbyterian, he made the momentous decision to convert to Eastern Orthodoxy some three years ago. Regularly attending church since, he was received into the Church on Holy Pascha this year. An avid reader of history, he understands full well that the Church can breathe with two lungs. Ecumenist he may well be, but liberal he is certainly not. He remains thoroughly fundamentalist on essential points of Orthodox doctrine. A Slavophile, he wants to visit Moscow - anyone with a plane ticket to spare?

[added the last sentence - Norman]

The Holy Father

2006-06-17T21:27:00.000+08:00

An assessment from a traditionalist priest in Ireland:

"Pope Benedict is misunderstood by both sides of the great debate. The progressives see hope for themselves in his gentle manner and slowness to act. The traditionalists see the same things, and despair. Neither reaction is sensible. This man is a thinker and something of a contemplative. Nothing is stranger to him than the methods of his predecessor, and he will reveal neither himself nor his intentions by big gestures or flamboyant pronouncements. He has had a year to watch and to pray.

That year, just passed, was quiet: decisions, although few, were all in one direction. Let us revisit them briefly: the cashiering of Archbishop Sorrentino and his replacement by a known friend of the liturgical tradition; the appointment of bishops sympathetic to the old rite in country after country; the hugely increased place of Latin, Gregorian chant, polyphony and even Mozart (as heard at the recent Mass in honour of the Swiss guards) at papal liturgies.

And outside the liturgical realm: the removal of Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald (a believer in “dialogue” with Islam) from the Curia, in place of the cardinal's hat widely predicted for him by his friends on the Left; the precise and deeply traditional tightening of the rules, become scandalously lax under John Paul, for beatifications and canonizations; the abolition of two dicasteries in what is widely understood to be but the first step in a root-and-branch reform of the bloated curial bureaucracy; finally, an insistence on every possible occasion that his role as pontiff is to pass on intact the deposit of the Faith and to draw the attention of the world not to himself, nor to a Christ one-sidedly human, but to Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

But Benedict is not the restorationist we might wish him to be: he is indeed a reformer, but to that perverse understanding of reform which has dominated in the Church for forty years he now counters with his own. He has made his understanding of an authentic reform clear on a number of occasions, but never more incisively than in his address to the assembled Curia on 22 December of last year (our photo was taken on that occasion: note the tiaras on Pope Benedict's throne). In asking, “Why has the reception given to the Council so far been so difficult?” he blamed a “hermeneutic of discontinuity and rupture” which he said had “caused confusion” and was “frequently able to find favour among mass media, and also certain sectors of modern theology”.

Alas, those sectors are broad and deep, and continue to dominate in many a seminary and even episcopal conference. Nevertheless they have taken notice, and fear that their time is short. Reform though can be radical even when authentic. We must all brace ourselves for immense changes in our relationship with the Orthodox for example. As undiplomatic a figure as Patriarch Alexis of Moscow has recently stated that Benedict will be the Pope whose “actions will become famous and will be remembered” for their positive effect upon relations between the two Churches. Too many traditionalists, precisely because they are not authentically so, see nothing but scandal here.

On the contrary, the reunion of East and West is the most radically traditional program imaginable. Successfully accomplished, it would revolutionize the position of Christianity in the world and give pause to the secularists. These last are in triumphant mood, but they have met their match in Benedict."

[via Katolik Shinja]

Pray a few Psalms each day

2006-06-12T22:17:00.000+08:00

And now, we stop our regular programming to bring you some messages!

Received in an email

"Pray a few psalms each day, simply starting at the beginning of the Book of Psalms and going through the whole book... These prayers, which were inspired by the Holy Spirit, will form our prayer. These are prayers Jesus prayed. They are prayers fulfilled in the New Testament. They can help us pray when we draw a blank and do not know what to say."
Ralph Martin
Called to Holiness Ignatius Press

Yes, Ralph Martin expresses it very well.

I'm sure many of us know how to take it one step further from "Pray a few psalms each day". It's called the Divine Office.

"our humble awareness that we don't see what the Pope is doing in the background; nor necessarily understand his overall strategy."

2006-06-01T13:30:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, other people express succintly what I have difficulty saying. This is it.

From NLM blog

The thing we must always keep in mind is that the Church is both human and divine.
We can be realists about the crisis surrounding us without succumbing to despair at the same time. Sure, look reality in the face; don't look at problems with rose-coloured glasses; acknowledge problems and lay out critiques where they are merited. But let us always remember that the Church isn't merely a human institution. History has show that institution can be brought to the brink but then brought back from it.

It is a trick of satan to ultimately go after the likes of Pope Benedict and despair that he is "doing nothing" for example -- even though we do not have the sight to see and know for certain what he is doing! What a great strategy of the devil! We attack those whom we should most support and trust, thus dividing ourselves.

The focus of our "attack", if you will, should rather be upon those things that are destroying our faith, and not on those whom we know share our faith and, one way or another, seek to help it. That is particularly where our trust and patience need come into play, and also our humble awareness that we don't see what the Pope is doing in the background; nor necessarily understand his overall strategy.

Christ, and heaven, will prevail.

not the whole truth

2006-05-26T13:38:00.000+08:00

An earlier post in this blog reports that the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED) "affirms, over and over again, that the Fraternity of St Pius X and its attendees are not excommunicates".

That short statement cannot be said to be telling the whole truth of the matter according to the PCED (if you accept its authority and competence, of course). Here it is:

(1) The Bishops consecrated without Papal Mandate in 1988 are excommunicated by virtue of Pope John Paul II's motu proprio "Eccelsia Dei".

(2) The priests of the SSPX are under the penalty of suspension, and hence not to exercise their priestly functions.

(3) In view of (1) and (2) and many other factors, the PCED does not recommend that the laity attend the Masses offered by the SSPX.

(4) No laity who attend the Masses offered by the SSPX have the canonical penalty of excommunication automatically applied on them.

(5) The laity who do find themselves at the SSPX anyway are not in sin if they attend out of a devotion to the old rite.

Because of points (1) and (2), point (3) does not prejudice (5). I dare to say that ignore point (3) at your peril. Its like entering the enclosure of wolves in a zoo, borrowing an analogy from InfernoXV. Most people shouldn't and must not enter (Point(3)) - but if you insist on going anyway, be very sure you understand the wolves very well (ie. remember points (1) and (2)) and know when not to touch them. Essentially, entering the wolves' enclosure is for zookeepers.

thoughts on von Hildebrand

2006-05-25T22:38:00.000+08:00

Time to get my thoughts down. Have been pondering over this for the past few months. There will be more to come.

I think D. von Hildebrand says it all when he says that two immediately evident responses to the crisis (for want of a better word) faced by the church are false alternatives, namely to either (1) reject in whole or in part the second vatican council or (2) to go along with the so-called "modernization" of the Church (putting it in my own words).

In Christendom today, we see many examples of (1) and (2), both claiming that their response is the right one in light of challenges faced today. At risk of making sweeping statements, I dare say that (1) fetishizes the past, while (2) fetishizes the secular world. (1) compares the dreary present to an imagined beautiful past, while (2) happily adopts the imagined wonderful secular present and rejects the imagined dreary past. I'm still speaking in general terms, and I could give many examples of (1) and (2), but time is limited at the moment - maybe later.

It seems to me that D. von Hildebrand makes it clear that the right response is not a middle way between (1) and (2), but rather a third way which rises above the two. The third way is simply to have faith in Christ's promise of the indefectibility of the Church.

A cursory glance at the history of the Church will find that there never has been a time when the Church has not faced problems. The solution to these problems has never been to reject or to disobey lawful authority given by Christ himself, nor to compromise on matters of faith and morals laid down by him. The solution is simply for each of us to be Christian, in the true and full sense of the word. Each of us does what little we can do as His instruments, and what we cannot change, we leave it to prayer and the hope that the Holy Spirit will guide the Church. We're not perfect, but we keep on trying.

Quoting Dante

2006-05-18T19:01:00.000+08:00

E'n la sua volontade è nostra pace

(And in His will is our peace)

The Divine Comedy, Paradiso, Canto III, line 85

The Orthodox Monk and the Dominican Friar

2006-05-18T01:39:00.000+08:00

There's the story of an Orthodox monk who lived next to a scholastic Dominican friar.

One day, after dinner, the friar was examining his fork. In true scholastic fashion, he tried to understand the nature and essence of a fork by stripping it down to bare minimals.

"This has 4 tines... if I remove one, leaving 3, will it still be a fork? YES! It picks up food still!"

"This has 3 tines... if I remove one, will it still be a fork? After all, it still pokes and picks up food..."

Finally, with one tine left, and finding that was the bare minimum he needed, he was excited at his discovery and went next door to the Orthodox monk to share his discovery.

"The essence of a fork is a toothpick; for even a toothpick is able to do what a fork does!"

The Orthodox monk, of course, looks very oddly at the scholastic. He says, "The essence of a fork is that it is here to feed us and sustain us so that we may give glory to God - we're better off glorifying God than to try and pick apart the essence of a fork."

They both went back to their houses thinking, "I don't understand this guy..."

ROCOR reunites with Moscow Patriarchate

2006-05-15T00:56:00.000+08:00

This topic may or may not belong to this blog, but it definitely deserves a comment!

Слава Богу! Unity! Communion!

The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) has returned into communion with the Moscow Patriarchate after 79 years!

"their experience will make them value ever more the importance of being in full communion with the Successor of Peter"

2006-05-08T00:56:00.000+08:00

From the Archdiocese of Bombay comes a letter by His Eminence Cardinal Castrillon-Hoyos. Whether the seminary in Australia truly harbours a "separatist mentality" or not (beyond the testimonies of the three seminarians who left), time will tell.

PONTIFICIA COMMISSIO

ECCLESIA DEI

No. 260/91 Rome, 24 February 2006

Your Eminence,

I wish to acknowledge with gratitude your kind letter to me of 5 February 2006 regarding the return to your flock of three seminarians who had left your Archdiocesan Major Seminary in 2002 to enter to the seminary of the Society of St Pius X in Goulburn, Australia. I am particularly appreciative of the memoranda by these seminarians which you have enclosed and I rejoice with you that they have responded to the grace to return to the fullness of the Catholic faith and life in India. I am very pleased to know that they have found in Your Eminence a paternal welcome back to the bosom of the Catholic Church and I pray that their experience will make them value ever more the importance of being in full communion with the Successor of Peter.

The testimony of these seminarians gives reason for great concern about the separatist mentality which surrounded them in the seminary in Goulburn and which they finally had the grace to reject. I sincerely hope that it will be possible to save their vocations. Their testimony could be a powerful apologetic argument in favour of Catholic unity.

I believe that in dealing with these seminarians, Your Eminence has found a sound way to proceed in any similar cases in the future.

Grateful to your kindness in sharing this information with me and assuring you of my sentiments of fraternal esteem, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,

+ Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos

Greek Catholic Worship...

2006-05-06T19:49:00.000+08:00

...in a Ukrainian village church (in two parts).

Part One

Part Two

"The world holds us to be fools; let us hold it to be mad." - St Francis de Sales

2006-05-06T12:54:00.000+08:00

The time is coming when people will be seized by manias and will behave like madmen. And if they see anyone acting reasonably, they will rise up against him saying: ‘You are insane’. And they will have accurately said this to him, for he will not be like them.

Abba Antonios

it is full of hope that the Church will triumph

2006-05-04T00:40:00.000+08:00

I'll let the words of an eminent philosopher speak. From Trojan Horse in the City of God, by Dietrich von Hildebrand, 1969. Chapter 1. What is the Latin word for Trojan anyway?

The distortion of the authentic nature of the Council ... expresses itself chiefly in the false alternatives between which we are all commanded to choose: either to accept the secularization of Christianity or to deny the authority of the Council.

[snip]

But these are false alternatives; for there is a third choice, which welcomes the official decisions of the Vatican Council, but at the same time emphatically rejects the secularizing interpretations given them by many so-called progressive theologians and laymen.

This third choice is based on unshakeable faith in Christ and in the infallible magisterium of His Holy Church. It takes it for granted that there is no room for change in the divinely revealed doctrine of the Church. It admits no possibility of change except that "development" of which Cardinal Newman speaks in the explicit formulation of what was present in the faith of the Apostles or of what necessarily follows from it.

[snip]

This is simply the Catholic position. It rejoices in any renewal that enlarges the "instaurare omnia in Christo" and brings the light of Christ in added domains of life.

[snip]

The response that we have been describing involves grave concern and apprehension over the present invasion of the life of the Church by secularism. It considers the present crisis the most serious one in the entire history of the Church. Yet it is full of hope that the Church will triumph, because our Lord himself has said:" And the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."

it is also necessary to speak the truth with strength

2006-04-26T18:05:00.000+08:00

From Bishop Robert Vasa

In our “compromising age” we are loath to name something too strongly. If we do, we are accused of harshness, judgmentalism, perhaps arrogance, certainly intolerance and possibly pharisaism. While it is always necessary to speak the truth with love, the Church also believes and teaches that it is also necessary to speak the truth with strength. It is necessary to defend truth and not be too quick to rationalize, justify or excuse misleading teachings or teachers. There is a point at which passive “tolerance” allows misleading teachings to be spread and propagated, thus confusing or even misleading the faithful about the truths of the Church.

Degrees of Nuttiness, East & West

2006-04-26T03:52:00.000+08:00

Upon reflection, it's funny how the clear divisions between strata of 'traditionalists' in East and West are exactly mirrored in their reactions to the Gregorian Calendar (for the Easterns) and the Novus Ordo Mass (for the Westerns). Take the following three strata, where 'X' indicates the Gregorian Calendar or the New Mass, and Y represents the Julian Calendar or the Tridentine Mass;

1) Those who believe the X is equally valid, if perhaps sometimes rather problematic. These people prefer Y over X for historical, cultural and various reasons, but do not see X as heretical.

2) Moderates. These believe X is seriously problematic and has heretical tendecies - Y is the solution to these modern heresies. These believe that while X is not invalid or graceless, they prefer to wall themseleves off, keeping Y and the true uncompromised faith, forming a sort of resistance, hoping for better times.

3) Extremists. These believe X is heretical and invalid and graceless. Those who adopt X have become heretics, outside the True Church, and that grace leaves that jurisdiction. Those who use X may only be saved if they renounce X and join Y, the only place where true believers may be found.

In the West, 1) is represented by the indult traddies, 2) by the SSPX and suchlike vagantes, 3) by the sedevacantists, feenyites, pius xiiiers, palmarians.

In the East, 1) is all those on the Old Calendar who maintain communion with Constantinople, 2) is ROCOR and the Cyprianites (Moderate Old Calendarists of Fili) and the Old Calendar jurisdictions of Romania and Bulgaria, 3) by the extreme True Orthodox Church of Greece and suchlike.

Now, isn't that curious? Comments and contributions welcome.

Avoiding Catholic-Orthodox polemics

2006-04-26T01:22:00.000+08:00

Avoiding Catholic-Orthodox polemics

So, in place of polemicism, let us witness to a better way: humility at all times about each of our own Traditions, charity towards one another now in all our dealings (even in our theological exchanges), and hope for a future that—like it or not—will put all things in proper perspective and that we will inevitably share.

Amen.

Alleluia!

2006-04-16T00:41:00.000+08:00

Pascha nostrum immolátus est Christus, allelúia: ítaque epulémur in ázymis sinceritátis et veritátis, allelúia, allelúia, allelúia.

Christ, our Paschal Lamb, has been sacrificed, alleluia; therefore, let us keep the feast by sharing the unleavened bread of uprightness and truth, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Happy Easter!

The Church is teaching the priest who he should be

2006-04-14T12:38:00.000+08:00

Fr John Zuhlsdorf on the washing of feet at Maundy Thursday

The Church is teaching the PRIEST who he should be. The priest, as your servant in your parish, shows in his words and deeds and instruction also how you should be to each other. The priest forms you lay people. However, this time you are being allowed to watch part of the priest’s own ongoing formation from Christ Himself in action in the Church’s liturgy. You are witnessing your priest being shaped into the kind of priest Christ wants for you.

It's a great thing that priests like Fr Z are using the internet so effectively in their role in forming the laity.

on Good Friday we also wish to direct our gaze to the pierced heart of the Redeemer

2006-04-14T02:16:00.000+08:00

From Pope Benedict's Address at the recent General Audience

Good Friday, centered on the Passion, is a day of fast and abstinence, oriented to the contemplation of the cross. Proclaimed in the churches is the account of the Passion, and the words of the prophet Zechariah resound: "They shall look on him whom they have pierced" (John 19:37).

And on Good Friday we also wish to direct our gaze to the pierced heart of the Redeemer in whom, as St. Paul writes, "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3), more than that, "in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2,9), for this reason, the Apostle can affirm his decision "to know nothing ... except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). It is true: The cross reveals "the breadth and length and height and depth" -- the cosmic dimensions, this is the meaning of a love that surpasses all knowledge -- love goes beyond what is known and fills us with "all the fullness of God" (cf. Ephesians 3:18-19).

In the mystery of the Crucified is brought about that "turning of God against himself in order to raise man up and save him. This is love in its most radical form" ("Deus Caritas Est," No. 12). The cross of Christ, wrote Pope St. Leo the Great in the fifth century, "is source of all blessings, and the cause of all blessings" (Discourse 8 on the Passion of the Lord, 6-8; PL 54, 340-342).

The Pope's speeches and writings are gems waiting to be discovered!

A Blessed Triduum to all!

Holy Week MMVI

2006-04-13T12:40:00.000+08:00

Palm Sunday procession in Lyse, Poland

Penitents of the San Gonzalo brotherhood participate in a Holy Week procession in Seville on Monday, 10th April

Penitents of Santa Genoveva prepare to participate in a Holy Week procession in Seville on Monday, 10th April

A young penitent of the Santa Genoveva brotherhood walks past a painting of Our Lady on Monday, 10th April

A young penitent of the La Paz brotherhood puts his gloves on during a Holy Week procession in Seville on Sunday

Christ become obedient for us unto death

2006-04-12T03:09:00.000+08:00

Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum: et dedit illi nomen, quod est super omne nomen.

Christ become obedient for us unto death, even to the death of the cross. For which cause, God also hath exalted Him and hath given Him a name which is above all names.

Prayers for Bishop Hlib

2006-04-02T02:05:00.000+08:00

Bishop Hlib Lonchyna has just returned to his residence at the Ukrainian Catholic Pilgrims' Hospice at Piazza Madonna dei Monti - after spending all week in hospital having surgery for a ruptured disk somewhere among the vertebrae, which was causing serious pain. He's not out of the woods yet, so please pray and pass the word along.

Background: Bishop Hlib is titular bishop of Bareta, a native of Detroit, a Studite Monk, and the bishop who served during Holy Week last year in Dublin when I was co-chanter with Andrij. He is currently attached to Santa Sofia (Holy Wisdom) Cathedral, which rather makes him a sort of Episcopal Ambassador to Rome from Patriarch Lubomyr of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.

Lenten Reflections

2006-03-31T02:19:00.000+08:00

The ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we were not created for comfort, but for greatness, for good.
Pope Benedict XVI

Repentance is the renewal of baptism.
Repentance is a contract with God for a second life.
Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort.
Repentance is self-condemning reflection, and carefree self-care.
Repentance is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair.
Repentance is reconciliation with the Lord by the practice of good deeds contrary to the sins.
Repentance is purification of conscience.
Repentance is the voluntary endurance of all afflictions.
Repentance is a mighty persecution of the stomach, and a striking of the soul into vigorous awareness.
St John Climacus

Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do.
St Thomas Aquinas, Two Precepts of Charity (1273)

No human being can take God as his Father unless he takes the Church as his mother.
St Cyprian

It is by warfare that the soul makes progress.
Abba John the Short

The goal of human freedom is not in freedom itself, nor it is in man, but in God. By giving man freedom, God has yielded to man a piece of His Divine authority, but with the intention that man himself would voluntarily bring it as a sacrifice to God, a most perfect offering.
St Theophan the Recluse

The knowledge of the Cross is concealed in the sufferings of the Cross.
St Isaac the Syrian

Veritas autem docendo persuadet non suadendo docet
(Truth persuades by teaching, but does not teach by persuading)
Tertullian, Adversus Valentinianos

I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, "What can get through from such snares?" Then I heard a voice saying to me, "Humility."
St Anthony the Great

He who really keeps account of his actions considers as lost every day in which he does not mourn, whatever good he may have done in it.
St John of the Ladder

Have patience with all things, but, first of all with yourself.
St Francis de Sales

It is our duty, therefore, to be faithful to God, pure in heart, merciful and kind, just and holy; for these things imprint in us the outlines of the Divine likeness, and perfect us as heirs of eternal life.
St Cyril of Alexandria

The way of humility is this: self-control, prayer, and thinking yourself inferior to all creatures.
Abba Tithoes

Worldly renown is naught but a breath of wind, which now comes this way and now comes that, and changes name because it changes quarter.
Dante, The Divine Comedy, Purgatorio Canto XI

He that has love is far from every sin.
St Polycarp

I am imperfect in many things, nevertheless I want my brethren and kinsfolk to know my nature so that they may be able to perceive my soul's desire.
St Patrick of Ireland

Remember your weakness, then you will be more cautious and you will not submit to the thoughts of pride and false glory.
Pope Shenouda III

When you pray to God in time of temptation do not say, "Take this or that away from me", but pray like this: "O Jesus Christ, sovereign Master, help me and do not let me sin against Thee. . ."
Abba Isaiah the Solitary

Many times have I spoken and regretted it, but silence I never regretted.
St Arsenios

When despondency seizes us, let us not give in to it. Rather, fortified and protected by the light of faith, let us with great courage say to the spirit of evil: "What are you to us, you who are cut off from God, a fugitive for Heaven, and a slave of evil? You dare not do anything to us: Christ, the Son of God, has dominion over us and over all. Leave us, you thing of bane. We are made steadfast by the uprightness of His Cross. Serpent, we trample on your head."
St Seraphim of Sarov

Prove your love and zeal for wisdom in actual deeds.
St Callistus Xanthopoulos

God has been very good to me, for I never dwell upon anything wrong which a person has done, so as to remember it afterwards. If I do remember it, I always see some other virtue in that person.
St Teresa of Avila

Even brute beasts and wandering birds do not fall into the same traps or nets twice.
St Jerome, Letter 54

If you are praised, be silent.
If you are scolded, be silent.
If you incur losses, be silent.
If you receive profit, be silent.
If you are satiated, be silent.
If you are hungry, also be silent.
And do not be afraid that there will be no fruit when all dies down; there will be! Not everything will die down. Energy will appear; and what energy!
St Feofil, the Fool for Christ

You cannot destroy the passions on your own, but ask God, and He will destroy them, if this is profitable for you.
St Anatoly of Optina

Even if an angel should indeed appear to you, do not receive him but humiliate yourself, saying, "I am not worthy to see an angel, for I am a sinner".
Apophthegmata Patrum

Is it not excessively ridiculous to seek the good opinion of those whom you would never wish to be like?
St John Chrysostom

It is better to eat meat and drink wine and not to eat the flesh of one's brethren through slander.
Abba Hyperechius

Humility is the only thing we need; one can still fall having virtues other than humility -- but with humility one does not fall.
Elder Herman of Mt Athos

Do not seek the perfection of the law in human virtues, for it is not found perfect in them. Its perfection is hidden in the Cross of Christ.
St Mark the Ascetic

The thief was on the cross and he was justified by a single word; and Judas who was counted in the number of the apostles lost all his labour in one single night and descended from heaven to hell. Therefore, let no-one boast of his good works, for all those who trust in themselves fall.
Abba Xanthias

You aspire to great things? Begin with little ones.
St Augustine

You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.
St Thérèse of Lisieux

I delivered the soul I loved into the hands of the wicked

2006-03-30T14:09:00.000+08:00

Animam meam diléctam tradidi in manus iniquórum, et facta est mihi haeréditas mea sicut leo in silva: dedit contra me voces adversárius, dicens: Congregámini, et properáte ad devorándum illum: posuérunt me in desérto solitúdinis; et luxit super me omnis terra: Quia non est invéntus qui me agnósceret, et fáceret bene.

I delivered the soul I loved into the hands of the wicked, and Mine inheritance has become to Me like a lion in the forest: Mine adversary inveighed against Me, saying: Gather ye together, and haste ye to devour Him. They placed Me in a lonely desert, and all the earth mourned for Me: Because there was none that would know Me, and do well.

We ought to get back the dimension of the sacred in the liturgy

2006-03-28T19:00:00.000+08:00

Remarks to the Bishops of Chile

We ought to get back the dimension of the sacred in the liturgy. The liturgy is not a festivity; it is not a meeting for the purpose of having a good time. It is of no importance that the parish priest has cudgeled his brains to come up with suggestive ideas or imaginative novelties. The liturgy is what makes the Thrice-Holy God present amongst us; it is the burning bush; it is the Alliance of God with man in Jesus Christ, who has died and risen again

O My chosen vineyard, I planted thee

2006-03-27T23:22:00.000+08:00

Vinea mea elécta, ego te plántavi, Quómodo convérsa es in amaritúdinem, ut me crucifigeres, et Barábbam dimítteres?

O My chosen vineyard, I planted thee: How art thou turned to bitterness, that thou shouldest crucify me, and release Barabbas?

Mine eyes are darkened by My tears

2006-03-27T13:01:00.000+08:00

Caligavérunt óculi mei a fletu meo, quia elongátus est a me, qui consolábitur me. Vidéte, omnes pópuli, Si est dolor símilis sicut dolor meus.

O vos omnes, qui transítis per viam, atténdite et vidéte. Si est dolor simílis sicut dolor meus.

Mine eyes are darkened by My tears: for He is far from Me that comforted Me. See, O all ye people, If there be sorrow like unto My sorrow.

O all ye that pass by, behold and see, If there be sorrow like unto My sorrow

Sono Pazzi Questi Romani

2006-03-22T14:23:00.000+08:00

Curious Roman customs from Zadok the Roman:

Romans leave votive offerings at the foot of the statue of Julius Caesar of Julius Caesar on the Via Fori Imperiali on the Ides of March. Flowers, candles, prayers in graffiti.

Marian Graffiti: The one on the right is simple enough - 'Our Lady, we love you!'. The one on the left is more dubious. 'Long live the Madonna. God doesn't have a gender, but if she did it would be feminine.'

Romans have always been an eccentric people who have had peculiar customs and practices (yep, since the days of the Empire or even the Republic). This often makes their actions regarding the running of the Church rather inexplicable...

Bringing the Petrine Ministry to a Whole New Dimension

2006-03-18T22:51:00.000+08:00

This ancient mosaic of St Peter looks eerily like Benedict XVI

Prayer of St Ephraem

2006-03-18T02:05:00.000+08:00

Here's the Lenten Prayer of St Ephraem, which we say several times a day:

O Lord and Master of my life
take from me the spirit of sloth
faint-heartedness,
lust of power
and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity,
humility,
patience,
and love to thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King
grant me to see my own errors
and not to judge my brother;
for Thou art blessed unto the ages of ages.

Amen.

Miracles

2006-03-17T01:17:00.000+08:00

God works through men; that is why He created them, to unfold His scheme for the world. We remember that God had to become a man to save mankind.

Miracles need not be showy - St Athanasios and St Cyril of Alexandria, if you read their writings, show themselves to be arrogant men, hungry for power. Yet the doctrines they fought for we still hold today, though the one has been dead almost a thousand years and the other close to nine hundred. Is that not something of a miracle?

- extract from Agent of Byzantium by Harry Turtledove

The Return of the Bishops

2006-03-15T23:14:00.000+08:00

Soundtrack: Star Wars Main Theme

"The Da Vinci Code is a mess, a riot of laughable errors and serious misstatements. Almost every page has at least one of each," the bishops wrote on the website Jesus Decoded.com.

About time somebody did something!

Romantic Love

2006-03-14T02:08:00.000+08:00

Christianity has always exalted love, because it was the founding idea of the religion. If you are a Westerner or just culturally westernised (which I'm sure many readers are), you may have a hard time realising that other cultures do not accord the same importance to it.

They may give more weight to obedience, responsibility, honour or detachment. Even within Christianity however, it was, through centuries, the love of God – something spiritual and mystic – that was the greatest love, not romantic love. St Thomas Aquinas praised love above all other virtues, but it was the love of God - the love of woman, Thomas Aquinas knew precious little.

It is only recently, that Western civilisation began to give a higher value to romantic love as a reflection of the love of God, though if you look at it with a squinty eye, it is a rather tortuous extension of the original idea. Nevertheless, it has stuck, and has spread to other cultures.

Have we confused love with lust?

How peaceful life would be without love. How safe, how tranquil... and how dull.

From My Wise Духовник/Dukhovnik

2006-03-09T14:33:00.000+08:00

We have also just been told off by someone asserting that Jesus doesn't care in the least whether we open and close the Royal Doors as prescribed or not. But it strikes me that people who claim to adopt that position are nevertheless remarkably uncomfortable and upset when some priest does, in fact, open and close the Royal Doors as prescribed. If Jesus doesn't care, why does the critic care?

Quite so! The same argument can be applied to those who oppose the Latin Mass, or to the Latinisers who oppose the full authentic Byzantine Liturgy with all its glorious ceremonial!

If Jesus doesn't care whether we use Gregorian Chant, the Antidoron, the leavened Eucharistic Bread, unabbreviated services.... why should the critics get all apoplectic when we love and wish to preserve them?

(incidentally, Духовник/Dukhovnik means Spiritual Father, and my Духовник is a priest of the greatest erudition and holiness)

Not Excommunicates.

2006-03-07T22:17:00.000+08:00

Ecclesia Dei Commission affirms, over and over again, that the Fraternity of St Pius X and its attendees are not excommunicates. Courtesy of Rorate-Caeli:

SSPX Priests and Faithful Not Excommunicates.

We must not forget that He is the one from whom all things come

2006-03-04T22:28:00.000+08:00

From Michael

The relative of someone close passed away yesterday (she was not of the Faith, I think) and it really brought home the line from Genesis, "for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return" (Gen 3:19). Perhaps sometimes we question why such a loving God will take someone so close to us away. But if we read Ecclesiastes, it goes on to say "And the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to God, who gave it." (Ec 12:7). We must not forget that He is the one from whom all things come. And sad as a passing may be, we can always hope and pray in the mercy of God.

Prayer is a genuflection of the will to God

2006-03-04T02:07:00.000+08:00

From The Catholic Way, by Bishop Donald Wuerl

Prayer is more than an exercise of the mind. It is also a genuflection of the will to God. Genuine devotion should not be confused with feeling satisfaction or emotion. Sometimes we hear people say that they do not pray or attend Mass because they do not feel uplifted or experience an emotional "high". Effective prayer is not measured by the rapidity or intensity of our personal satisfaction. True devotion is properly directed to God. At times our prayers may result in personal peace and joy, but such a response is not the gauge of their effectiveness. The more devoted to God one is, the closer is one's friendship with him, and the more likely that prayer will be heard - but not necessarily in the manner we determine. After all, it is God who answers. It is God who makes up the other side of the conversation.

Dominican Rite

2006-03-04T01:58:00.000+08:00

From a discussion on the Dominican Rite at the Catholic Online forum, a very meaningful prayer.

Prevent, O Lord, we beseech thee, our actions by thy inspiration, and continue them by thine assistance; that every one of our works may begin always from thee, and through thee be ended. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I suppose "prevent our actions by thy inspiration" means to "inspire our actions".

Let him become a fool that he may become wise...

2006-03-03T20:55:00.000+08:00

In ancient Greece a shrine dedicated to the pagan god, Apollo stood at Delphi. People seeking answers to questions from the god would travel to the shrine and ask the oracle, a priestess of Apollo, who would answer the question on behalf of the god. A man named Chaerephon once asked the oracle, “Who is the wisest man?” She replied that Socrates was the wisest man.

Upon hearing the oracle's answer from his friend, Socrates was puzzled. Knowing that he was not the wisest man, but unwilling to accept that the god lied; Socrates set out to talk to others with reputations for wisdom. By talking to these wise men he hoped to discover how he could possibly be the wisest man. After speaking with them, Socrates discovered that even though they possessed great reputations for being wise and they certainly saw themselves as being wise, they really weren’t wise at all. He found that they didn’t know much, but they thought they knew much more than they actually did. They had deceived themselves by overestimating their own wisdom. On the other hand, Socrates didn’t know much either, but he realized how little he knew. Therefore, Socrates concluded that he was indeed the wisest man because he recognized his own ignorance.

- Plato, The Apology

If we understand wisdom the way Socrates did, we can be rather unwise ourselves. We are ignorant of more than we know, but we can often overestimate our wisdom. Recognizing our own ignorance is humbling, but when we think we know more than we actually do we can become quite arrogant. Everyone around us seems less intelligent, wise, and knowledgeable than we are. We can even become so arrogant that we judge our Creator, the source of all knowledge and wisdom, as possessing less wisdom and knowledge than we do. How can anyone actually think that he or she has a more complete and coherent understanding of reality than the One who creates reality out of nothing? In our ignorance, we can question whether God is really infinitely holy, powerful, loving, merciful, and compassionate. How can we, who are sinners full of self-righteous pride, hedonistic lust, selfish ambition, and spiritual laziness, judge the true and living God? We are blindly arrogant and incredibly unaware of our own empty ignorance.

More HERE

The Jesus Prayer...

2006-02-27T00:29:00.000+08:00

In English, Greek, Russian and Latin, courtesy of Edward:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Κύριε Ιησού Χριστέ, Υιέ του Θεού, ελέησόν με τον αμαρτωλόν.
Господи Исусе Христе, Сыне Божий, помилуй мя грешнаго.
Domine Iesu Christe, Fili Dei, miserere mei, peccatoris.

A few days ago, I’ve found its Arabic translation:

ربي يسوع المسيح،يا ابن الله،ارحمنا نحن الخطأة

Now, I know there are a substantial number of readers who are able to read Greek and Cyrillic characters, so there is no need for transliteration, I think.

As for Arabic, it’s roughly pronounced “ya rabi yasoo almassieh, ya ebne ellah, arhamana nahno el khata”, which, I believe translates ‘a sinner’ as ‘the sinner’.

[Tip of the hat to Shaghayegh for the Arabic transliteration]

Communion in the hand ...

2006-02-19T00:42:00.000+08:00

... No way for me.

Check out Fr Z's comments on communion on the hand/tongue

Just sit/kneel at the first row pew beside the aisle. It's shocking. Some people walk up as though they were heading to the bar to get a drink. I've seen the host drop on two occasions, due to lack of a communion-plate. If my parish priest needs more servers, I'll volunteer to hold the communion-plate!

come to me, all you who labour

2006-02-18T01:27:00.000+08:00

From writings of St John of the Cross

The soul that carries within itself the least appetite for worldly things bears more unseemliness and impurity in its journey to God than if it were troubled by all the hideous and annoying temptations and darknesses describable; for, so long as it does not consent to these temptations, a soul thus tried can approach God confidently, by doing the will of His Majesty, who proclaims: Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will refresh you [Mt. 11:28].

on the Liturgy

2006-02-16T01:47:00.000+08:00

There are very many enlightening posts from Brother Lawrence Lew, O.P. at Threshold of Hope here and here.

I think we have to find the right questions to ask. No, It is not "Does (insert instrument) here help us to experience God at the Mass?". The questions, I feel are

1.What does the Church teach about the Liturgy?
2.What does the Church want in the Liturgy? (Note. Its not what we want.)
3.How do we go about serving the Church based on 1 and 2?

Very simple. If I want to remember only one thing from Brother Lawrence's remarks, it will be

The only real purpose of the Liturgy is the glorification of God and the sanctification of His people

That's all.

You can also see that the discussion got a bit messy at one point. Conducting a proper discussion is actually a skill that comes with practice. An online discussion lacks the element of body language, facial expressions and tone, and so words have to be chosen very very carefully.

Since we come into contact with the Liturgy every Sunday, it is hard to avoid discussions about it. Many points of implementation in the Liturgy. eg. choice of hymns, language, rite etc etc have very wide-reaching implications, especially if the three questions above are not answered correctly.

Of course, we must not be preoccupied about these issues and forget about our calling to Holiness and Love, which a correspondent (more than one, actually) mentioned to me about. (See Pope Benedict's remarks also). In view of this, it is a challenge to remain calm after a Mass where the hymns are ambiguous and disrupt your prayer, and the words get changed all over the place. But we must try. (of course try to avoid that particular Mass timing also)

I think there comes a point when we have to find ways of answering question 3 above and carrying them out - instead of engaging in polemics that lead us to nowhere. You can call it channeling the frustration to somewhere else, I guess.

every flower created by Him is beautiful

2006-02-16T01:36:00.000+08:00

From Story of a soul by St Teresa of Lisieux

I often asked myself why God had preferences, why all souls did not receive an equal measure of grace. I was filled with wonder when I saw extraordinary favours showered on great sinners like St. Paul, St. Augustine, St. Mary Magdalen, and many others, whom He forced, so to speak, to receive His grace. In reading the lives of the Saints I was surprised to see that there were certain privileged souls, whom Our Lord favoured from the cradle to the grave, allowing no obstacle in their path which might keep them from mounting towards Him, permitting no sin to soil the spotless brightness of their baptismal robe. And again it puzzled me why so many poor savages should die without having even heard the name of God.

Our Lord has deigned to explain this mystery to me. He showed me the book of nature, and I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose its springtide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enamelled with lovely hues. And so it is in the world of souls, Our Lord's living garden. He has been pleased to create great Saints who may be compared to the lily and the rose, but He has also created lesser ones, who must be content to be daisies or simple violets flowering at His Feet, and whose mission it is to gladden His Divine Eyes when He deigns to look down on them. And the more gladly they do His Will the greater is their perfection.

food for thought

2006-02-09T16:18:00.000+08:00

From Fr Z,

(emphasis mine)
I recently spoke to the pastor of a parish where the bishop permits use of the older, traditional form of Mass with the 1962MR. He told me how the auxiliary bishop used to enjoy coming there to say Mass for them, and did so regularly. He stopped coming, because every time he showed up people were at him with bitter comments and complaints. What they had was never enough and there was little sense of gratitude for what they did have. It wasn’t the message, it was the way it was delivered. Go ahead and argue, “It’s my RIGHT!”, but the priests and bishops you are picking always have the final say: they say Mass - you can’t. My experience in working in this same area confirms what that concerned pastor told me. Too many bishops have learned through bitter experience to say, “Here comes trouble!”, when “conservatives” or “traditionalists” come to him or write, even if he would tend to be on their side. How about a new approach? Were we more “conservative” or “traditional” Catholics to write frequently supportive and positive things, even to the most troubling of prelates, it might happen after a while that bishops would begin to see the “trads” as their real friends and spiritual allies and be embolden so to act in their favor. “We shouldn’t have to encourage bishops!”, you restort. “They should just do it! It’s their job and our RIGHT!” Uh huh… and how is that approach working? Goin’ pretty well, is it?

Edited. In short, let not the disappointing thoughts and feelings get in the way of expressing positive sentiments.

posted with kind permisson from Fr Z.

Indulgence Alert - Feb 11

2006-02-07T17:47:00.000+08:00

From Zenit.org , both plenary indulgence and partial indulgence available for World Day of the Sick.

Plenary indulgence involves taking part in "a sacred ceremony established by the ecclesiastical authority held to beseech God for the intentions of the World Day of the Sick." If you can't go because you are providing "charitable assistance to the sick as if they were tending to Christ the Lord Himself", then you qualify also. Finally,

the faithful who through sickness, old age or similar reason, are prevented from participating in the aforementioned ceremony, may obtain the plenary indulgence if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the conditions required, they spiritually participate together with the Holy Father in the aforesaid ceremony, pray devotedly for the sick, and offer -- through the Virgin Mary, "Health of the Sick" -- their physical and spiritual sufferings to God.

Partial indulgence. Between Feb 9 - 11, "with a contrite heart, raise devout prayers to the merciful Lord calling for these aspirations to be met in order to help the sick."

pro-choice Catholics?

2006-02-06T00:31:00.000+08:00

In a recent issue of the Economist, Arnold Schwarzenegger is described as being a "pro-choice Catholic".

Very amusing. It is as though the term "Catholic" is a status symbol.

Deus Caritas Est - Comments

2006-02-04T00:27:00.000+08:00

Have finished reading it twice over since the last time I posted. Slowly each time. It is very hard for someone like me who sees numbers, equations and computer programming code everyday to digest an article with words only, but I can say I tried. However, I don't understand it well enough to summarize for you all here.

Nevertheless, if there is anything that I would read all over again, it is paragraph 18, especially this:

If I have no contact whatsoever with God in my life, then I cannot see in the other anything more than the other, and I am incapable of seeing in him the image of God. But if in my life I fail completely to heed others, solely out of a desire to be “devout” and to perform my “religious duties”, then my relationship with God will also grow arid. It becomes merely “proper”, but loveless. Only my readiness to encounter my neighbour and to show him love makes me sensitive to God as well. Only if I serve my neighbour can my eyes be opened to what God does for me and how much he loves me.

This too, from paragraph 39:

Faith, hope and charity go together. Hope is practised through the virtue of patience, which continues to do good even in the face of apparent failure, and through the virtue of humility, which accepts God's mystery and trusts him even at times of darkness. Faith tells us that God has given his Son for our sakes and gives us the victorious certainty that it is really true: God is love! It thus transforms our impatience and our doubts into the sure hope that God holds the world in his hands and that, as the dramatic imagery of the end of the Book of Revelation points out, in spite of all darkness he ultimately triumphs in glory. Faith, which sees the love of God revealed in the pierced heart of Jesus on the Cross, gives rise to love. Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working. Love is possible, and we are able to practise it because we are created in the image of God. To experience love and in this way to cause the light of God to enter into the world—this is the invitation I would like to extend with the present Encyclical.

Try reading it. It will engage your heart and soul.

The Love of God

2006-02-02T01:43:00.000+08:00

O God, if I worship Thee in fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship Thee in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, withhold not Thine evelasting beauty.

Liturgical Question

2006-01-30T19:37:00.000+08:00

Good fellows, this question has been bugging me for years - now that I have a good number of Latin Traddies reading this blog, I thought I might ask you chaps:

When the Divine Office is sung by laymen, what (if anything) does one do about the Versicle 'Dominus vobiscum' and the Response 'Et cum spiritu tuo'? I've heard from one source (who is not to be regarded as authoritative) that it is replaced with 'Domine exaudi orationem meam' and 'Et clamor meus ad the veniat', but that leaves a rather awkward order when 'Dominus vobiscum' and 'Et cum spiritu tuo' are followed directly by 'Domine exaudi orationem meam' and 'Et clamor meus ad te veniat'. I haven't seen any instructions on this matter anywhere - does the presiding layman sing the Versicle?

While we're at it - what changes to the order and texts are made if the Office is sung by laymen (or a lone layman even)? I'm curious because the Byzantine Offices have clear provisions for what is to be omitted or replaced when a Reader presides, yet the Romans don't seem to have an equivalent set of instructions. My thoughts were that this is because the Byzantine Offices are often done by laymen without a priest, yet in the Roman uses, the Divine Office has become a highly clericalised thing that was no longer considered really the common property of the faithful, hence the proliferation of votive hours (of the Virgin, of the Holy Spirit, of the Holy Cross...) in the West.

Anyone out there able to answer this one?

What the Angelus reminds us of

2006-01-30T00:47:00.000+08:00

Fr Leo J. Trese tells us in page 79 of The Faith Explained

Because it was by her own free consent that Mary chose to be the mother of the Redeemer, and because it was freely (and so intimately!) that she shared in His Passion, Mary is acclaimed by the Church as the Co-Redemptrix of the human race.

It is this grand moment of Mary's consent and our own salvation that we commemorate each time that we recite the Angelus.

The beauty of reciting set prayers.

Deus Caritas Est

2006-01-26T13:40:00.000+08:00

I'm so happy. Printed Deus Caritas Est out - all eighteen pages of it, and a cursory glance suggests to me that it is worth spending time on to digest.

Can God Sin?

2006-01-26T00:58:00.000+08:00

If God is almighty and omnipotent, can He commit a sin?

To answer that question, let us divide it into three parts, and define "can", "God", and "sin".

When one asks, "Can ____?" the "can" may be interpreted in at least three ways. For example, "Can we eat mealworms?" The three ways which we understand "can" are: physical freedom, psychological freedom, and moral freedom.

A bird is physically free to do anything it likes. But is it psychologically free, or morally free? Can a bird think about what to eat for breakfast and what for supper? No, because the bird does not possess something called intellect. Intellect is what separates us from the brute animals. Is the bird morally free? No, because it does not know what is right or wrong. It does not have a conscience, nor free will, nor knowledge of good and evil. It cannot make a moral choice.

A prisoner is both psychologically and morally free, but he is not physically free.

What about a normal man, then? A man like you and me. Are we truly free? Yes, but to a limited extent. We are physically, psychologically and morally free to do as we wish, but whether we have the right, whether we may do as we wish, is another question. I may want to feed mealworms to my friends, but if the person does not want to eat mealworms, may I force him to?

After defining "can", we define "God". By definition, God is Almighty, Supreme, Eternal, Omnipotent and Omniscient. He can do all things. Everything.

So we have defined "can" and defined "God". Can God sin?

What is sin? The theological definition of sin is an absence of good. To use an analogy, darkness is an absence of light. Is darkness something? No, darkness is not some-thing that exists in and of itself. Darkness is an absence of light. Where there is no light, there is darkness.

One may argue then, why can't light be an absence of darkness? That is because darkness cannot overcome light. No matter how weak or dim the light, darkness is dispelled. No amount of darkness can overcome how small a flame, simply because darkness is not something. It is a no-thing.

So also for sin. Where there is a lack of goodness, there is sin. Sin is not a something. It is a no-thing. Just as darkness is absence of light, sin is an absence of goodness.

Can God sin? No, because sin is a no-thing, and while God can do everything, it is against His nature to do no-thing. Sin is an absence, it may be said, of God. How can God be without Himself?

Can God sin? No, because it is against His nature.

A related question that is often asked to trick theists is: if God is almighty, can He create a rock so big He Himself cannot carry?

The answer again is no. God indeed can make anything, but the question is self-defeating, and is totally meaningless, because it asks whether God can do a no-thing. It is like asking whether God can draw a square-circle. A square is a square, and a circle is a circle. It is the nature of a square to have four corners, and a circle to be round with no corners. A square-circle is a contradiction in nature, and does not exist. Therefore, God cannot draw a square-circle, and cannot make a rock so heavy He himself cannot carry, simply because the question contains a contradiction in nature.

But as people who profess a Trinity, we can have a little more fun with the rock question. If someone asks whether God can create a rock so heavy He cannot carry, we may say in answer: God the Father may create a rock so heavy, God the Son in the frailty of His humanity cannot carry.

Edited 26 Jan 2006: First posted at The Sleepless Eye. - Norman

Today the West celebrates the feast of...

2006-01-25T17:27:00.000+08:00

Holy & Glorious Apostle Paul
Teacher of the world, pray to the Master of all to grant peace to the world and great mercy for our souls!

Liturgical Abuses

2006-01-24T01:07:00.000+08:00

A Sunday never passes without attending a Mass where I can spot some liturgical abuse. One Sunday it was some weird text in place of the Gloria, another Sunday it was children standing around the altar during the Our Father, and the Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion approaching the altar too early.

There is a limit to how many complaints I can make. So far I've made only one, and I pondered over it for some time before writing. There are other more pressing tasks to do, like making up for the wretched catechesis that I received in my younger days by doing the necessary reading.

I try my very best to be positive about it all. I've told myself, no point getting vexed at Mass, for I can't be spending all my time making complaints. Might as well just focus on what the Mass really is, like the example Fr Z is giving to all of us. If things are so bad, then the only way it can go from now is up.

Veni, Creator Spiritus

2006-01-23T14:17:00.000+08:00

I have never ceased to be awed by the sheer beauty of its expressive lyrics, as well as its exquisite melody. This hymn is, in my own humble opinion, perhaps the most magnificent the Church has produced in its long history.

In this day and age where the Holy Spirit has been relegated to the role of a mere assistant especially in most Protestant churches, this hymn stands out as being one that truly recognises the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, is together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified.

The beauty and complexity of its lyrics coupled with the soft and emotional tune is more than enough to make it prominent among the other Latin hymns. Many who have listened to it have told me how this simple hymn always manages to raise their spirits. Personally, I feel this hymn is too unique to be sung in anything but Latin – but of course, that is just how I, a devout Latinist, feel. The English lyrics fit in with the tune perfectly, though.

VENI, Creator Spiritus,
mentes tuorum visita,
imple superna gratia
quae tu creasti pectora.

COME, Holy Spirit, Creator blest,
and in our souls take up Thy rest;
come with Thy grace and heavenly aid
to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

Qui diceris Paraclitus,
altissimi donum Dei,
fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
et spiritalis unctio.

O comforter, to Thee we cry,
O heavenly gift of God Most High,
O fount of life and fire of love,
and sweet anointing from above.

Tu, septiformis munere,
digitus paternae dexterae,
Tu rite promissum Patris,
sermone ditans guttura.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known;
Thou, finger of God's hand we own;
Thou, promise of the Father, Thou
Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Accende lumen sensibus:
infunde amorem cordibus:
infirma nostri corporis
virtute firmans perpeti.

Kindle our sense from above,
and make our hearts o'erflow with love;
with patience firm and virtue high
the weakness of our flesh supply.

Hostem repellas longius,
pacemque dones protinus:
ductore sic te praevio
vitemus omne noxium.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
and grant us Thy peace instead;
so shall we not, with Thee for guide,
turn from the path of life aside.

Per te sciamus da Patrem,
noscamus atque Filium;
Teque utriusque Spiritum
credamus omni tempore.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
the Father and the Son to know;
and Thee, through endless times confessed,
of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Deo Patri sit gloria,
et Filio, qui a mortuis
surrexit, ac Paraclito,
in saeculorum saecula.
Amen.

Now to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death, be glory given,
with Thou, O Holy Comforter,
henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen.

One of the most widely used hymns in Church before the reforms of 1962 – Veni, Creator Spiritus (Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blest), is attributed to Rabanus Maurus (776-856). It is used at Vespers, Pentecost, the Dedication of a Church, Confirmation, Holy Orders and whenever the Holy Spirit is solemnly invoked.

Lyrics/info: Thesaurus Precum Latinarum

What did the prayer really say?

2006-01-19T23:25:00.000+08:00

This post is to recommend this site by Fr John T. Zuhlsdorf, What Did The Prayer Really Say? So far it has really helped me to look at the collects in the Mass in a totally new way.

Also, this is pretty interesting, if you have half-hour or so. Write to Cardinal Arinze and tell him how much you want a good translation of the Roman Missal.

Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect

2006-01-05T00:49:00.000+08:00

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church. All emphases are mine.

IV. CHRISTIAN HOLINESS

2012 "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him . . . For those whom he fore knew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified."⁶⁴

2013 "All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity."⁶⁵ All are called to holiness: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."⁶⁶

In order to reach this perfection the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ's gift, so that . . . doing the will of the Father in everything, they may wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor. Thus the holiness of the People of God will grow in fruitful abundance, as is clearly shown in the history of the Church through the lives of so many saints.⁶⁷

2014 Spiritual progress tends toward ever more intimate union with Christ. This union is called "mystical" because it participates in the mystery of Christ through the sacraments - "the holy mysteries" - and, in him, in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. God calls us all to this intimate union with him, even if the special graces or extraordinary signs of this mystical life are granted only to some for the sake of manifesting the gratuitous gift given to all.

2015 The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle.⁶⁸ Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes:

He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows.⁶⁹

2016 The children of our holy mother the Church rightly hope for the grace of final perseverance and the recompense of God their Father for the good works accomplished with his grace in communion with Jesus.⁷⁰ Keeping the same rule of life, believers share the "blessed hope" of those whom the divine mercy gathers into the "holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."⁷¹

64 Rom 8:28-30.
65 LG 40 § 2.
66 Mt 5:48.
67 LG 40 § 2.
68 Cf. 2 Tim 4.
69 St. Gregory of Nyssa, Hom. in Cant. 8:PG 44,941C.
70 Cf. Council of Trent (1547): DS 1576.
71 Rev 21:2.

A church is ...

2006-01-01T01:35:00.000+08:00

Extract from the Archdiocesan newspaper. A new church is going to be built, and this article describes the design brief.

As a central place of worship, the proposed church is "to express and promote community by encouraging prayer, liturgical participation and social interaction".

What about giving parishioners a sense of the sacred, a sense that you are in a Holy place, a place where the source and summit of Christian life takes place?

The seating arrangement is to be fan-shaped to foster a sense of community and to bring the celebration of the Mass closer to the participants.

Doesn't coming together already give people a sense of community? By being present in Church, am I not already close to the celebration of Mass?

"The bottom line is that congregations are best served by sound and visual systems which work in harmony with the space and environment with properly designed acoustics", the Brief explains. "This consideration is of utmost importance as it enhances the worship experience."

"Worship experience"? What is that?

To be fair, note that I am commenting on extracts. Hence, I risk quoting out of context. Ideally I would like to post the entire article here, so that readers may judge for themselves.

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T01:22:00.000+08:00

We at The Cassock and Cotta wish all our readers a Happy New Year!

Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,"Speak to Aaron and his sons and say:

'This is how you must bless the Israelites. You will say:

May Yahweh bless you and keep you.
May Yahweh let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May Yahweh show you his face and bring you peace.'

This is how they must call down my name on the Israelites, and then I shall bless them."

Numbers 6:22 - 27

For the New Year

2005-12-28T00:10:00.000+08:00

From the Enchiridion of Indulgences

Dec 31

The Te Deum. PLENARY INDULGENCE when recited publicly on the last day of the year. Otherwise a partial indulgence is granted to those who recite the Te Deum in thanksgiving.

Jan 1

"Come, Holy Spirit, Creator Blest." PLENARY INDULGENCE if recited on the first of January or on the feast of the Pentecost. Otherwise, a partial indulgence is granted to those who recite it.

Don't forget!

In Nativitate Domini

2005-12-25T14:15:00.000+08:00

My apologies for the lack of posts.

As all of you will know, the season before Christmas is full of activities - catching up with friends, concerts, shopping for presents, going to church etc etc. I sometimes wonder if things can be spread out more evenly - why do people choose to catch up with friends only in December?!!

Wishing our readers a blessed Christmas! Leaving you all with something to contemplate.

O Magnum Mysterium

O magnum mysterium et admirabile sacramentum
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum
jacentem in praesepio.

O beata Virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt
portare Dominum Jesum Christum.
Alleluia!

O great mystery and admirable sacrament,
that animals could see the birth of our Lord
lying in a manger.

O how truly blessed is the Virgin whose womb was worthy
to bear and bring forth the Lord Christ Jesus.
Alleluia!

[source]

Respect For Health

2005-11-30T01:56:00.000+08:00

Let us examine in this post what the Church teaches about health. Your blogger spends a significant amount of money on medicine each year, so a little investigation was made.

2288 Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good.

This includes taking my medicine regularly! Why reasonable care?

2289 If morality requires respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute value. It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote the cult of the body, to sacrifice everything for its sake, to idolize physical perfection and success at sports.

Hence, Taking care of your health does not mean you get obsessed with it.

2290 The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco or medicine.

Yes, don't eat too much, don't drink till you get drunk, don't drink too much cough mixture, don't take too much of my medicine till I get overdose (it's possible).

However, I'm puzzled that tobacco is lumped with food, medicine ~~and alcohol~~ . I'll put it this way - when I eat my favourite food, I don't put myself at risk of being addicted to it.

Let's see the next paragraph.

2291 The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offence.

There are no therapeutic grounds for nicotine, contained in all forms of tobacco, except to help people quit smoking.

UPDATES:

On 2291. "except on strictly therapeutic grounds". Its quite interesting to know that morphine (from opium) has therapeutic grounds as a painkiller.

Alcohol is removed from comment to 2290. A flip though the Merck Manual of Medicine shows alcohol as part of Drug Use and Abuse. Good reminder here for me.

Pipe smoking is seen to be harmful too.

nirvana

2005-11-23T01:02:00.000+08:00

yes. you are not looking at the wrong title. if you feel really weird why such a title should appear on a catholic blog. you are on the right path.

if not. think about mentioning it to your priest in the confessional. and perhaps consider revising your catechism. recall the athanasian creed's last statement.

this is the catholic faith. and anyone who does not believe it fully and firmly cannot be saved.

gasp?

in a local church. your blogger has spotted the church bulletin has no mention of the catholic church in the read-up section. but to my utter horror. the front page shows the way to nirvana. the buddhist's version of sainthood.

no. i am not being judgemental here. it is not i who judge. but he. i mean. as a church bulletin. there should at least be the mentioning of the church. but the entire bulletin seems to be only promoting buddhism as the way to life everlasting.

the message i want to bring across is that the church. or more specifically. the catholic church of this particular region of southeast asia. in its quest for ecumenism. may have lost its the 2000 year old church teaching that only through this one catholic church may one be led to the almighty god.

buddhism. in its original meaning. is not a religion. a religion. being made up of the re and ligare. which meant again and join respectively. therefore. by dissecting the word religion. we will understand that a religion must be a path to reunite the two seperate parties. namely. human and god.

but buddhism is not intended to be a religion. buddha never proclaimed himself as god. neither did he reveal that he is of a divine nature. buddhism is meant to be more of a philosophy. a way of understanding life. and to attain inner-peace.

oops. i hope i have not been driving too far off the course. the crux and bottomline of all these is actually to show that the eight-fold way of buddhism cannot directly and definitely lead you to the one true god as the catholics believe.

but again. it is up to the mercy of him who judge them.

to a non-catholic who may have seen the bulletin. he may be thinking that the catholic church is promoting buddhism as the way of life. and perhaps other religions in the series that are yet to come.

and wait till the bulletin starts to endorse and encourage the protestant way to heavens. i am sure saint ignatius of loyola. will start plucking his hair in frustration to see that the horror he had tried to defend has seeped into the sanctuary of the holy mother church.

please correct me if any facts are wrong. and meanwhile.

sed libera nos a malo.