Sunday, November 30, 2008

Feast days of the week 30 November -6 December, A.D. 2008 (1962 liturgical calendar).

Monday, 1 December, 2008 (Advent)
FERIAL (III)
Collect:
Stir up Thy power, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and come: that from the threatening dangers of our sins we may deserve to be rescued by Thy protection, and to be saved by Thy deliverance: Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: Bl. Paul the Apostle to the Romans, 13:11-14.
[It is now the hour for us to rise from sleep ... Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness ... and walk honestly.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke, 12:25-33.
[We learn in this Gospel of the Second Coming of Christ: to render to each one according to his works.]

Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962
(Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter,
www.baroniuspress.com)

Sunday, 30 November, 2007

FIRST PART OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR: THE CHRISTMAS CYCLE (MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION).[i]

I. SEASON OF ADVENT

Sunday, 30 November, 2007
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (I)
"This First Sunday of Advent or the Fourth before Christmas, is the first day of the Liturgical Year. The Mass prepares us this day for the double coming (adventus) of mercy and justice. That is why St. Paul tells us, in the Epistle, to cast off sin in order that, being ready for the coming of Christ as our Saviour, we may also be ready for His coming as our Judge, of which we learn in the Gospel. Let us prepare ourselves, by pious aspirations and by the reformation of our life, for this twofold coming. Jesus our Lord will reward those who yearn for Him and await Him: ‘Those who trust in Him shall not be confounded.’”

Collect: Stir up Thy power, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and come: that from the threatening dangers of our sins we may deserve to be rescued by Thy protection, and to be saved by Thy deliverance: Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: Bl. Paul the Apostle to the Romans, 13:11-14.
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke, 12:25-33.

[i] Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962
(Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter, www.baroniuspress.com)

Advent

Notes from the Roman Missal (1962): Advent (The Christmas Cycle)

FIRST PART OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR: THE CHRISTMAS CYCLE (MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION).[i]

I. SEASON OF ADVENT (from the first Sunday of Advent to December 24).

"The liturgical texts used during the four weeks of the season of Advent remind the faithful of the ‘absence of Christ.’ The Collects of Advent do not end with, ‘through our Lord Jesus Christ,’ as during the rest of the year. In a spirit of penance and prayer we await the Mediator, the God-Man, preparing for His coming in the flesh, and also for His second coming as our Judge. The Masses for Advent strike a note of preparation and repentance mingled with joy and hope; hence, although the penitential purple is worn and the Gloria is omitted, the joyous Alleluia is retained. The readings from the Old Testament contained in the Introit, Gradual, offertory, and Communion of the Masses, taken mostly from the prophecies of Isaias and from the Psalms, give eloquent expression to the longing of all nations for a Redeemer. We are impressed by repeated and urgent appeals to the Messias: ‘Come, delay no longer.’ The Lessons from St. Paul urge us to dispose ourselves fittingly for His coming. The Gospels describe the terrors of the last Judgment, the Second Coming, and tell of the preaching of St. John the Baptist ‘to prepare the way of the Lord.’

In Advent, the Greek Church celebrates particularly the ancestors of Our Lord – all the Patriarchs and Prophets of the Old Testament, but especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Latin Church also mentions them often in this period. In the Breviary, many texts are taken from Isaias (Introit of the second Sunday, Communion of the Third Sunday).

The idea of Advent is ‘Prepare you for the coming of Christ.’ Therefore the very appeals of the Patriarchs and the Prophets are put in our mouths in Advent. Prepare for the coming of Christ the Redeemer, who comes to prepare us for His Second Coming as Judge.

When the oracles of the Prophets were fulfilled and the Jews awaited the Messias, John the Baptist left the desert and came to the vicinity of the Jordan, bringing a baptism of penance to prepare the souls for the coming of Christ. The world took him to be the Messias, but he replied with the words of Isaias: ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: prepare ye the way of the Lord.’

During Advent we make straight for Christ the way to our souls – and behold, our Lord will come at Christmas.”

[i] Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962
(Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter, www.baroniuspress.com)

Monday, November 24, 2008

Just be good for goodness sake.

Why believe in a god?

As a part of my daily commute in and around the environs of Our Nation’s Capitol, I have the opportunity to stand at a bus stop, waiting patiently with my fellow wage slaves (he also serves who only stands and waits) for the sometimes reliable cross town J1 bus. While serving each morning by standing and waiting, I am entertained by scanning the ads plastered on the sides of the non-J1 busses (there’s always so many of them) as they swish by. There are lots of ads for the new James Bond movie. There are ads for television shows, some apparently featuring many girls with few clothes. There are ads for the local taxpayer-funded left wing NPR propaganda outlet, (which is not, I don’t believe, under any threat from the threatened “Fairness” Doctrine). There are ads asking me to be kind to turkeys this Thanksgiving and go vegan, and there’s an especially pleasant series of ads which feature pairs of healthy young men of various ethnic backgrounds, shown from just above the nipple line up. The young men are naked (at least the parts of them you can see in the ads) and they have some sort of stuff on them that makes their skin and hair slightly shiny. They are in intimate poses – holding hands, for example - and the ads exhort us to show our love and get tested together. Presumably somebody in the District Metro approves these things.

Today, though, I made a positive sighting of what heretofore had been mere rumour – a large ad in very seasonal red and green Christmas colouring, which said, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness sake.”

Why, indeed. I’ll just be good. However, as the J1 had not yet appeared (this by no means unusual) I had forced upon me a moment to reflect. What, exactly, is good? Is letting the little old lady who got on after me have my seat good? Why? After all, I was there first, and first come, first served is fair. Isn’t fair good? What about a phone call from work I had last night – is pouring tens of thousands of dollars into the NICU care of a 30 week premature infant with a massive bleed into her brain good? She’ll probably die anyway, and if she lives she’ll have all kinds of problems. Suppose, instead, her mother had chosen to have her partially delivered, and then chose to have the physician stick a sucker in her baby’s head, and suck out her brains. Is that good? Many English people, most English politicians, and virtually all of the English media and academic elite in the 1930’s thought the former German Army corporal with a flair for speechifying named Adolph Hitler was good. Not a few of the U.S. academic and media elite in the same time period thought Joseph Stalin was good. Was that good? What, exactly, is good?

The ad, of course, answers its own question, although I doubt in the way its sponsors (whoever they are) intend. The question posed is, “Why believe in a god?” The answer, so simple that it would fit on the side of a bus, is this: without God, we have no idea what good is.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Sunday, 23 November, 2008

Feast days of the week 23-29 November, A.D. 2008 (1962 liturgical calendar).

Sunday, 23 November, 2008
LAST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (I)
“Easter being variable, the number of Sundays to the First Sunday of Advent is, of course, variable also; but there cannot be less than 23, nor more than twenty-eight. The Mass for the Last Sunday after Pentecost is always said on the Sunday preceding Advent. If there are more than twenty-four Sundays after Pentecost, the Introit, Gradual and Communion of the twenty-third Sunday are repeated on all the remaining Sundays. But the Collects, the Epistle and the Gospel are taken from the Masses of the Sundays omitted after Epiphany.”

Collect: Stir up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the wills of Thy faithful to seek more earnestly this fruit of the divine work, that they will receive more abundantly healing gifts from Thy tender mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: From Bl. Paul the Apostle to the Colossians, 1:9-14.
[St. Paul exhorts the Christian people to bring forth all manner of good works, in order that strengthened by the glorious might of our Saviour, they may bear all adversities with patience, joy and thanksgiving.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, 24:13-25.
[Jesus foretells the destruction of the world, and His second Advent, when all nations shall see the eternal Judge coming with power and majesty in the clouds of heaven.]

ST. CLEMENT I, Pope. Martyr (III)
“St. Clement I was a companion and a disciple of SS. Peter and Paul, and the third successor of St. Peter. He was exiled by the emperor Trajan and cast into the sea A.D. 100.”

Collect: O God, who didst solidly found Thy Church on the apostolic rock and dost shield her from the dreaded gates of hell, grant, we beseech Thee, through the intercession of blessed Clement Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, that under Thy sure protection she may persevere in Thy truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: From Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Philippians, 3:17-21; 4:1-3.
[Destruction is the end of those who are enemies of the cross.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew,16:13-19.
[Peter’s confession of the Godhead of Christ. He is declared by Our Lord to be the Rock on which the Church rests securely.]

ST. FELICITY, Martyr (Comm.)
“St. Felicity, the mother of the Seven Holy Brothers, martyrs, was beheaded shortly after her sons A.D. 150.”
Collect: Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who are keeping the feast of blessed Felicity Thy Martyr, may be shielded by her merits and prayers. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Lesson: From the Book of Ecclesiasticus, 51:13-17.
[Utterance of praise and thanksgiving.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, 13:44-52.
[The parable of the hidden treasure, of the pearl of great price and of the net cast into the sea.]

Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962
(Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter,
www.baroniuspress.com)

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Saturday, 22 November 2008

Feast days of the week 16-22 November, A.D. 2008 (1962 liturgical calendar).
Saturday, 22 November 2008
ST. CECILIA, Virgin, Martyr (III)
“St. Cecilia (or Cecily), of an illustrious Roman family, converted her husband, Valerius, and her brother-in-law Tiburtius, preserved her virginity, and was beheaded during the pontificate of St. Urban I A.D. 230.”

Collect: O God, who dost gladden us with the yearly festival of blessed Cecily, Thy Virgin and Martyr, grant that we who honour her by this solemn rite, may follow the example of her godly life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.

Lesson: From the Book of Ecclesiasticus, 51:13-17.
[Utterance of praise and thanksgiving.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, 25:1-13.
[The parable of the ten virgins. They that were ready went in with the heavenly Bridegroom to the Eternal Banquet.]

Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962 (Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter, www.baroniuspress.com)

Friday, November 21, 2008

Better than nothing: Maine's Bishop Malone on homosexuals and marriage.

Maine diocese against gay marriage. So notes the Lewiston, Maine SunJournal. The text of the Bishop's homily is here, and can be found on the website for the Diocese of Portland, Maine.



Now, Maine is my home of legal record, and has been for over 20 years, despite the fact that I haven't actually lived there full time for quite awhile. Nevertheless, God willing, I will live there full time (and raise my family there) in the not too distant future so the antics of the Diocese of Portland and its Bishop are of great interest to me. Maine's diocese, you see, is more like the norm in the American Church than otherwise, meaning it is ultra liberal, filled with Catholic communities and "cluster parishes" where deadly boring homilies are delivered every Sunday by fewer and fewer priests on obscure or irrelevant topics. The fruits of the Second Vatican Council. However, the recent elections seem to have made even Bishop Malone realize that things might be getting out of hand, and he delivered the homily linked above. A ringing condemnation of homosexual "marriage" it is not, but considering that this is the same Bishop who endorses a Maine law requiring companies to extend benefits to homosexual "domestic partners" of their employees it is a small lurch in the right direction. President Obama, his Catholic vice-President Joe Biden, and Catholic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will very soon challenge the Church for the souls of the faithful in ways that have never before happened in this country. Perhaps this threat will stiffen the spine of Bishop Malone and his confreres.

Friday, 21 November 2008

Feast days of the week 16-22 November, A.D. 2008 (1962 liturgical calendar).
Friday, 21 November 2008
THE PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (III)
“Truly Mary became the Lady above all creation in her role as the Mother of the Creator. She was born in Joachim’s house near the Probatica, and was presented in the temple. Thereupon ‘planted in the house of God’ and nurtured by His Spirit, like a fruitful olive tree she flowered forth in all virtues.”

Collect: O God, who didst will that this day the ever blessed Virgin mary, dwelling place of the Holy Ghost, should be presented in the temple: grant, we beseech Thee, that through her intercession, we may be worthy to be presented in the temple of Thy glory. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who livest and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Lesson: From the Book of Ecclesiasticus, 24:14-16.
[Wisdom, seen as a figure of the Blessed Virgin, speaks of herself, her origin, her dwelling, her dignity and her fruits.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke, 11:27-28.
[The holy Mother of God is blessed among women.]

Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962 (Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter, www.baroniuspress.com)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Thursday, 20 November 2008

Feast days of the week 16-22 November, A.D. 2008 (1962 liturgical calendar).
Thursday, 20 November 2008
ST. FELIX OF VALOIS, Confessor (III)
“St. Felix, of the royal family of France, with St. John of Matha founded the Order of the Trinitarians for the ransom of captives. He died A.D. 1212.”

Collect: O God, who by the voice of an angel didst recall Thy blessed Confessor Felix from the desert to undertake the ransoming of captives: grant, we beseech Thee, that by Thy grace we may be freed from the bondage of sin through his intercession, and may be guided safely to our heavenly country. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: From the First Letter of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, 4:9-14.
[Like the Apostles the Confessors were renowned for their holiness and their sufferings.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke, 12:32-34.
[Be not solicitous for earthly things, but make yourselves a treasure in heaven.]

Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962 (Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter, www.baroniuspress.com)

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Feast days of the week 16-22 November, A.D. 2008 (1962 liturgical calendar).
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
ST. ELIZABETH, Widow (III)
“St. Elizabeth, daughter of Andrew, king of Hungary, was given in marriage to the holy landgrave of Thuringia, Louis IV. After the death of her husband, she entered the Third Order of St. Francis, and died in poverty and humiliation, exiled by her brother-in-law A.D. 1231.”

Collect: Shed Thy light upon the hearts of Thy faithful people, O merciful God, and through the glorious prayers of blessed Elizabeth, grant that we may despise worldly success and find our joy in heavenly consolation. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who livest and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Lesson: From the Book of Proverbs, 31:10-31.
[Description of all the necessary duties and virtues of the valiant woman.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, 13:44-52.
[The parables of the hidden treasure, of the pearl of great price and of the net cast into the sea.]

ST. PONTIANUS, Pope, Martyr (Comm.)
“St. Pontianus was exiled under Emperor Severus and was eventually scourged to death, A.D.235.”

Collect: O God, who didst solidly found Thy Church on the apostolic rock and dost shield her from the dreaded gates of hell, grant, we beseech Thee, through the intercession of blessed Pontianus, Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, that under Thy sure protection she may persevere in Thy truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: From the First Letter of Bl. Peter The Apostle, 5:1-4; 10-11.
[Christ is the model for Popes. The Pope directs the Church with love and according to the will of God.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew,16:13-19.
[Peter’s confession of the Godhead of Christ. He is declared by Our Lord to be the Rock on which the Church rests securely.]

Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962 (Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter, www.baroniuspress.com)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

NYT: Doctors who won't perform abortions don't need any more protections.

A friend sent me this link to a New York Times article here. The upshot of the article is that doctors (and other medical professionals) who oppose (and won't perform) abortion and contraception on moral grounds don't need any protection. Not too surprisingly, the Obama administration is in favor of forcing medical professionals to engage in these acts; sadly, the medical establishment (e.g., the AMA and its organs such as the New England Journal of Medicine, which is heavily pro-abortion) is in line with the Obama administration. This battle has been going on for years; it will heat up in the new year as the new Administration has stated that getting FOCA passed will be a priority. And how, you might ask, can a physician be forced into such things? Simple: medicine is the most highly regulated profession out there. Physicians can lose privileges for any number of reasons; hospitals can lose certification for any number of reasons. And, if that doesn't work, you just don't pay them (this may happen under the new administration anyway, but that is a separate topic). Some years back I saw an article in a Catholic bioethics journal arguing that the day may soon come when Catholic physicians and Catholic hospitals simply can't practice medicine. This is a distinct possibility. Perhaps we can all get a job at GM.

Remeber, American Catholics put the President-elect in power.

Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Feast days of the week 16-22 November, A.D. 2008 (1962 liturgical calendar).
Tuesday, 18 November 2008

THE DEDICATION OF THE BASILICAS OF SS. PETER AND PAUL (III)
The two Basilicas, of st. Peter on the Vatican Hill and of St. Paul without the Walls, on the Ostian Way, were erected by Constantine on the site of the martyrdom of these Apostles. They were consecrated by St. Sylvester on November 18 A.D. 325.”

Collect: O God, who, though unseen, upholdest all things, and yet for the salvation of mankind dost visibly show signs of Thy power: give glory to this temple by the might of Thy indwelling, and grant that all who in their deep distress shall come and call upon Thee here, may receive Thy goodly comfort. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Lesson: From the Book of the Apocalypse of Blessed John the Apostle, 21:2-5.
[The new Jerusalem, the Church described.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke, 19:1-10.
[This day is salvation come to this house, the Church.]

Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962 (Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter, www.baroniuspress.com)

Monday, November 17, 2008

Monday, 17 November 2008

Feast days of the week 16-22 November, A.D. 2008 (1962 liturgical calendar).

Monday, 17 November 2008
ST. GREGORY THAUMATURGUS, Bishop, Confessor (III)
“St. Gregory Thaumaturgus (the Wonderworker) was Bishop of Neo-Cesarea, his native city, in Pontus. He died famous for his missionary labours A.D. 276.”

Collect: Look down upon our weakness, almighty God; and since the weight of our own deeds bears us down, may the glorious intercession of blessed Gregory, Thy Bishop and Martyr, protect us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: From Blessed James the Apostle, 1:12-18.
[God is the Author of all good, but not of evil. The benefit of tribulations, of martyrdom.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Mark, 11:22-24.
[Pray and you shall receive.]

Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962 (Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter, www.baroniuspress.com)

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Fr. Jay Scott Newman, Catholics, and BHO (Follow up)

My understanding is that Fr. Newman's Diocese has no Bishop, but an Administrator. I assume he's the one mentioned in the story, and I am so thankful that he, too, is supporting this courageous priest. As is pointed out in another LifeSite article here, these are not times for the hierarchy of the Church, from His Holiness on down the chain of Command, to be "nuanced" about Church teaching. Nuance has already done too much damage, to the Church, and to souls - sinners, I foremost among them, look to nuance for the loopholes which allow me to continue in sin. The lines are clearly drawn. The opposition will push as hard and as far as they can. The pushback must be unambiguous and strong.

Followup on Fr. Newman (link from LifeSite).

Sunday, 16 November, 2008

Feast days of the week 16-22 November, A.D. 2008 (1962 liturgical calendar).

Sunday, 16 November, 2008
TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (II)
(When there are 28 Sundays after Pentecost, the 27th Sunday uses the Mass of the 6th Sunday after Epiphany.)
"Our mother the Catholic and Roman Church is permeated with the word of Christ, and is admirably represented by the three measures of meal, which the energy of fermentation wholly leavened; and by the mustard tree, the greatest of its species, where the birds of heaven are glad to find shelter. May the ‘leaven’ of the doctrine of Jesus penetrate and transform our souls!"

Collect: Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that thinking everything over in our minds, we may accomplish, both in words and works, that which is pleasing in Thy sight. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: From Bl. Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians, 1:2-10.
[The word of God produces in the hearts of Christians the wonders of faith, hope and charity.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, 13:31-35.
[Jesus reveals to us ‘things hidden from the foundation of the world.’ Parables of the three measures of meal and of the mustard plant.]

ST. GERTRUDE, Virgin (III)
“St. Gertrude, born in 1256 in Germany, was a Benedictine abbess celebrated for her revelations concerning the Sacred Heart. Her writings are very important for mystical theology. She died A.D. 1334.”

Collect: O God, who in the heart of the holy Virgin Gertrude didst provide for Thyself a pleasant dwelling: through her merits and intercessions, do Thou, in Thy mercy, wash all stains from our hearts and grant us joyful fellowship with her. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who livest and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: From the Second Letter of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, 10:17-18; 11:1-2.
[Jesus is the heavenly Bridegroom of chaste souls.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, 25:1-13.
[The parable of the ten virgins. They that were ready went in with the heavenly Bridegroom to the Eternal Banquet.]

Remarks are abstracted from The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, from Editio Typica of the Roman Missal and Breviary, 1962
(Baronius Press Limited, London, 2004, in conjunction with the Fraternal Society of St. Peter,
www.baroniuspress.com)

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Fr. Jay Scott Newman, Catholics, and BHO

Just a day or two ago I was complaining about how BHO and his Democratic machine have cowed the Catholic hierarchy, and then along comes this priest at St. Mary's in South Carolina who has the stones to come out and say it: you can't vote for BHO and simultaneously be in be in a state of grace to receive the Blessed Sacrament. That's because in giving him your vote, you have materially cooperated with the most radical pro-abortion politician in the nation in helping him further his Godless agenda. I have no doubt that Fr. Jay Scott Newman will come under severe attack for this, and that many of the attacks will come from those who call themselves Catholic. I hope his Bishop has the courage to support him. I wish, oh I wish, that His Holiness would make men like Fr. Newman (and others, there are others, a few others, with courage) Bishops, and retire some of the nincompoops who currently hold the offices.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Sign the petition to stop FOCA!

Here is a link to the petition at Americans United for Life to stop FOCA (thanks to Children of God for Life for the link, which is now pasted on the sidebar).

Catholic Bishops oppose Catholic pro-abortion politicians.

I gratefully applaud those bishops who are showing some spine in this business of "Catholic" politicians and so-called abortion "rights".

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Understanding abortion.

"The appellee...argues that the fetus is a "person" within the language and meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment...If this suggestion is established, the appellant's case, of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life would then be guaranteed... All this...persuades us that the word "person", as used in the Fourteenth Amendment, does not include the unborn."
-Roe v. Wade

The question of abortion is not a religious issue. It is a secular one. To understand this, one must understand the question that the 1972 Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade was answering. The question decided by Roe was simply this: can the Federal Government define and identify a group of human beings to whom the legal rights and protections of personhood do not apply? This question is manifested in Blackmun’s own words, which form the header of this piece, and which bear repeating: "The appellee...argues that the fetus is a "person" within the language and meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment...If this suggestion is established, the appellant's case, of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life would then be guaranteed..." What was the point of this phrase?

On March 6, 1857, United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Taney handed down the Court’s decision regarding the case of one Dred Scott, a black slave who had sued for his freedom based on his residence for a period of time in the free territory of Wisconsin. The Court’s decision was that Dred Scot was, and had always been, property, and the fact that his owner had temporarily resided Scott in the free territory of Wisconsin did not change that. The central point in all this was not whether Scott was a human being, a person – the Court clearly said that he was, and referred to him as such. The question was whether this person could also be property and as such be ineligible for full protection under the laws of the United States. The Court’s answer was, “yes”, as long as he is a member of a particular subset of persons, specifically, blacks of African descent. Further, the Court endorsed the right of a person to choose to own a member of this particular subset of persons. One of the central disputes in the Civil War was the issue of states’ rights vis a vis the Federal Government: the Confederacy had some very legitimate beefs regarding the expanding powers of the Federal Government. Unfortunately, the right that the Confederate States chose as a vehicle to launch what was, in principle, a legitimate complaint was the right to choose to own another human being, provided he was a member of a defined subset of human beings.

Subsequent to the Civil War, the Congress recognized this problem, and the 14th Amendment was born. It goes like this:

Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States... are citizens of the United States and the States wherein they reside... nor shall any State deprive any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

And so the matter stood in our nation for 104 years. Not all persons were citizens, but all persons were given equal protection under law. Thus, a man who climbs over the border fence into Texas is not a citizen (not as of this writing, anyway), but he is a person. As such, if I shoot him I am just as liable to prosecution as I would be if he were a citizen and I shot him. That the framers of the 14th Amendment simply assumed that the definition of “personhood” extended to include unborn babies is supported by the simple fact that virtually all the States in the Union already had laws outlawing abortion and there is no record that anyone in the late 1860’s felt any need to alter that. By 1973, though, things had changed: the power elite wanted abortion legal. Justice Blackmun realized that he couldn’t do this because the 14th Amendment stood in the way. Notice that nowhere here is anyone talking about whether the unborn child is human or not, or alive or not, because it so obviously is both of those things. So, to get around the question of personhood, the Court simply, unilaterally, declared the unborn child an unperson to whom the protection of the law did not apply. As Justice Byron White noted in his written dissent, this was an exercise in raw judicial power.

Consider these two statements, both from the United States Supreme Court, the firts from Roe v. Wade, the second from Scott v. Sanford:

"All this...persuades us that the word "person", as used in the Fourteenth Amendment, does not include the unborn."

"A free negro, of the African race, whose ancestors were brought to this country and sold as slaves, is not a "citizen" within the meaning of the Constitution of the United States."


What both Scott v. Sanford and Roe v. Wade were about was deciding whether the Government could identify groups of biological human beings who were not protected under the law. In both instances, the Court’s answer was, “Yes, we can. We can identify subgroups of human beings to whom the protections of the law do not apply." This point cannot be overemphasized. In the 19th Century the identified subgroup was blacks of African descent. In the 20th, they were unborn children unwanted by their mothers. At the dawn of the 21st Century – who knows? Anyone can be an unperson. There is no meaningful logical difference between a man’s right to choose to own a member of a specified subgroup of humans, and a woman’s right to choose to kill a member of a specified subgroup of human beings. Indeed, as evil as slavery is, abortion is even more evil. In slavery, the slave is not condemned to death. In abortion, the child will die.

The question of abortion is not a religious issue, but a secular one. The question, simply, is this: do the legal protections of “personhood” extend to all biological human beings, or can some groups be exempted? How we answer this question has profound implications for the society our children will inherit.

Thought you'd like to know.

President-elect Obama's transition chief said Sunday the incoming administration is looking to reverse President Bush's executive orders on stem cell research, oil and gas drilling and other matters.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

St. Charles Borromeo and the USCCB

“St. Charles, Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, was one of the greatest and holiest prelates of the years when the great Council of Trent was being completed and its enactments put into execution. He reformed the clergy and renewed the spirit of the monasteries in his diocese. He died A.D. 1584.” (The Daily Missal and Liturgical Manual, Baronius Press, 2004)

The other day, while in discussion with a colleague, the subject of religion came up. He asked if I was Catholic.
“Why, yes,” I quipped. “Can’t you tell? All those children (we have five).”
“Oh,” he said, “but the American Church allows contraception.” It is worth noting here that my colleague is also Catholic, of the “cradle” variety.
“No,” said I, “that’s not correct. The Church does not allow contraception, and the ‘American Church’ would have no authority to do such a thing.”
“Well, I didn’t know that,” he replied. “But”, he observed, “everyone does it anyway.”

That, of course, is true. Contraception rates among Catholic women are actually slightly higher than among women at large, 70% among Catholic women according to a 1995 study, compared to 64% among women at large.[i] A pretty sad state of affairs, but similar trends are seen regarding divorce and remarriage (everyone knows that “annulment” is simply “the Catholic divorce”), abortion and, if the composition of our elected officials is any indication, willingness to continue with abortion as the law of the land. In short, Catholics look no different demographically than any other identifiable group in this land.

I write this the morning after the election. The reason, the pundits say, that the Republicans have lost it all is because they have not been true to their base, trying to curry favor with the opposition by disregarding traditional conservative principles. It is certainly possible that if the Republicans had remained true to themselves they would have lost the elections anyway – after all, the opposition has a well documented abhorrence of those principles, and they won a majority – but at least the Republicans could look at themselves in the mirror. Currently, they have the worst of both worlds: abandonment of their principles, and loss of the election. So be it.

There is a parallel with the Catholic Church. The Church has largely abandoned her principles, at least for purposes of public discourse, anyway, and tries to appease her opponents, who have no interest in being appeased. This represents a failure in leadership. Starting at the top, with the Pope, and proceeding down throughout the ecclesial chain of command (bishops are, after all, put in their positions by the Pope) the hierarchy has diluted Church teaching and in so doing she has lost her ability to speak definitively and clearly to the Catholic on matters of faith and morals, matters which in turn guide the Catholic in the choices of day to day life. None of this is to say that the current Pope, any of his predecessors, or any of the bishops are in any way illegitimate. They are not. They are duly and legally appointed, and regardless of whatever shortcomings they may have as men, we owe them all the respect due their offices. But the simple fact is the recent Popes have appointed to high authority men who are, more often than not, incompetent to do their duties, and the Church and the faithful have suffered for it.

However, the Church is not a political party or a secular government, superficial resemblances notwithstanding. The Church is instituted by God, and is protected by Him from destruction, despite the foibles of the weak and willful men entrusted with her care. No political party, and no nation, can make the same claim. That doesn’t mean God won’t allow the men of the Church to make some grievous mistakes before things are set right. After all, it was decades of bad judgment by Church leadership which led to the Protestant Revolt and, only after this pain was inflicted did the Church right herself with the Council of Trent. Which brings us to St. Charles Borromeo and the American Church. St. Charles was one of the many true leaders of that time, the time of the dissolution of Christendom, who stepped forward and helped right the Church with clear and uncompromising teaching on matters of faith and morals. The Church had nothing to lose, after all; the fracture had happened, and was (and remains) beyond the grasp of men to correct. But the Church could to her own self be true, and that she did. Today the Church lacks true leaders, men who can stand unflinchingly against the forces arrayed against her. At least, she doesn’t have very many. There are a few, to be sure, and they deserve our support. But for the most part we have got not leaders in the USCCB but administrators and politicians, men who are primarily concerned with preserving their personal offices. Most are incompetent. And now we in the United States are faced with an Administration and a Congress which plans to make a centerpiece of the devaluation of human life, the redefinition of a legal person from a human being to an entity defined by the State, and to force those who would oppose these things to legal sanctions under the Freedom of Choice Act. And, the Vice President-elect, and the Speaker of the House, major architects of the monstrosities which await us, are Catholic. They were voted in by American Catholics. The Speaker received the Blessed Sacrament at the Papal Mass in the United States this past summer, and bragged about it. One hopes, and wonders, and prays, that the US Council of Catholic Bishops will have the stones to directly and clearly confront these people in their iniquity.



[i] Data from the National Center for Health Statistics, published in Fehring, R. and Schlidt, A.M. "Trends in Contraceptive Use Among Catholics in the United States: 1988-1995" The Linacre Quarterly - Journal of the Catholic Medical Association Vol.68 No. 2, May 2001. Pp. 170-185.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

NSF

Perhaps now we shall find out exactly what he means by this.

Flu vaccines 2008

Ever since I first became aware of the vaccination question, I have dreaded the arrival of the "flu season", and its attendant, required flu shots. Some sort of flu vaccine, either the shot or the snorted version, is required for pretty much anyone who works in a hospital, whether you're a physician, nurse, or work in the laundry. Getting the shot per se doesn't bother me. It may even almost make sense from an epidemiologic standpoint. What bothers me is the fact that - sooner or later - the shot is going to be manufactured using cell cultures derived from aborted babies, and that will put it on the "morally tainted" list. When this happens, I will no longer be able to passively roll up my sleeve and let the corpsman jab me in the arm (full disclosure: I'm too old for the snorted version). Rather, I shall have to refuse on moral grounds and this shall jam me up with my bosses for sure: I have no doubt that I will find myself standing, not sitting, in front of the big boss's big wooden desk, trying to explain why, as a Catholic, I should refrain from partaking of a vaccine whose manufacture involved the use of cell lines derived from aborted babies. Not being of martyr material, I dread that this day may come, as I have many mouths in my house who depend on me for their daily bread. So, for the past year or two have found myself reviewing the package inserts for all the year's current crop of flu vaccines so as to see where I stand. This year is no different. I went to the FDA's "Resources for health professionals" and obtained the list of all the vaccines and inhaled mists for this flu season. Then I checked their package inserts, generally a pretty good way of finding out what you need to know about a thing. Whew! They're all manufactured the good ole' fashioned way, culturing the viri in embryonated chicken eggs. That's bad news if you're a chicken embryo, but it's good news for me: I can put off doing the rug dance in the boss's office for another year.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Obama's abortion stance sends young evangelicals to McCain

So reads the header of a story in the 30 October edition of the Washington Times. The centerpiece of the article is a Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll which says that two thirds of all Catholics and white evangelical Protestants of all ages oppose funding for poor women overseas, and 70% of evangelicals say abortion should be illegal in all of most cases. The implication is that these people will vote for McCain over Obama, though I was unable to convince myself that the poll results say precisely that.

Evangelicals, in general, take their religion far more seriously than Catholics do theirs. It is the evangelicals, not the Catholics, whom the abortionists fear. While a few Catholic groups and some individual Catholics (and the all too rare Bishop) are quite staunch and heroic in their opposition to the murder of unborn children, as a group, American Catholics are, well, toothless. Certainly the hierarchy is wishy-washy: if the Catholic hierarchy were starched regarding settled issues of the faith (including, but by no means limited to, abortion), the elite and the media would be ridiculing the US Council of Catholic Bishops as fiercely as they do Focus on the Family, and Nancy Pelosi would not have received the Blessed Sacrament at a Papal Mass. But they don't, she did, and Catholic Church parking lots are filled with cars sporting Obama bumper stickers. Just so we're clear - Hussein Obama is arguably the most radical, pro-abortion politician to have ever held office, and will far and away be the most pro-abortion President if we are so unfortunate as to have him elected. And, if that misfortune befalls us, Catholics will have contributed greatly to his victory.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Daylight Savings Time 2008

For those of you who, like me, can never remember this stuff, I have the following from our friends at the U.S. Naval Observatory:

"Starting in 2007, daylight time begins in the United States on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. On the second Sunday in March, clocks are set ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. local standard time, which becomes 3:00 a.m. local daylight time. On the first Sunday in November, clocks are set back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local daylight time, which becomes 1:00 a.m. local standard time. These dates were established by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. no. 109-58, 119 Stat 594 (2005).
Not all places in the U.S. observe daylight time. In particular, Hawaii and most of Arizona do not use it. Indiana adopted its use beginning in 2006.

In 2008, daylight time begins on March 9 and ends on November 2.

In 2009, daylight time begins on March 8 and ends on November 1.

Many other countries observe some form of "summer time", but they do not necessarily change their clocks on the same dates as the U.S.
Daylight time and time zones in the U.S. are defined in the U.S. Code, Title 15, Chapter 6, Subchapter IX -
Standard Time.
History of Daylight Time in the U.S.
Although standard time in
time zones was instituted in the U.S. and Canada by the railroads in 1883, it was not established in U.S. law until the Act of March 19, 1918, sometimes called the Standard Time Act. The act also established daylight saving time, a contentious idea then. Daylight saving time was repealed in 1919, but standard time in time zones remained in law. Daylight time became a local matter. It was re-established nationally early in World War II, and was continuously observed from 9 February 1942 to 30 September 1945. After the war its use varied among states and localities. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 provided standardization in the dates of beginning and end of daylight time in the U.S. but allowed for local exemptions from its observance. The act provided that daylight time begin on the last Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday in October, with the changeover to occur at 2 a.m. local time.
During the "energy crisis" years, Congress enacted earlier starting dates for daylight time. In 1974, daylight time began on 6 January and in 1975 it began on 23 February. After those two years the starting date reverted back to the last Sunday in April. In 1986, a law was passed that shifted the starting date of daylight time to the first Sunday in April, beginning in 1987. The ending date of daylight time was not subject to such changes, and remained the last Sunday in October. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 changed both the starting and ending dates. Beginning in 2007, daylight time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
For a very readable account of the history of standard and daylight time in the U.S., see
Ian R. Bartky and Elizabeth Harrison: "Standard and Daylight-saving Time", Scientific American, May 1979 (Vol. 240, No. 5), pp. 46-53."