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

Saturday, 6 December, 2008 (Advent)
First Saturday
ST NICHOLAS, Bishop and Confessor (III)
"The Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor is one of the most popular oriental saints. The spiritual and temporal needs of his flock were the first object of his pastoral care. This worker of miracles died A.D. 342; his body was eventually enshrined at Bari in Italy."

Collect: O God, who didst adorn the blessed Bishop Nicholas with countless miracles: grant, we beseech Thee, that by his merits and prayers we may be delivered from the flames of hell. Through our Lord Jesus Christ 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 Hebrews, 13:7-17.
[The faithful are exhorted to honour and obey their prelates.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, 25:14-23.
[The parable of the talents is applied to Confessor Bishops.]

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)

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

Friday, 5 December, 2008 (Advent)
First Friday
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, 121:25-33.
[We learn in this Gospel of the Second Coming of Christ: to render to each one according to his works.]

ST SABBAS, Abbot (Comm.)
"St. Sabbas organized monastic communities in Palestine and was famous for his virtues and austerities. He died A.D. 531.”


Collect: O God, who sendest us joy year by year on the feast of blessed Sabas, Thy Confessor which we are now keeping: mercifully grant on this day of his heavenly birth that we may grow like him in deed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Lesson: From the Book of Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11.
[The just man that hath not gone after earthly things is praised on earth and shall have glory everlasting.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke 12:35-40.
[Christ admonishes all to watch and be ready for His coming.]

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)

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

Thursday, 4 December, 2008 (Advent)
ST PETER CHRYSOLOGUS, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church (III)
"The holy Bishop of Ravenna was one of the most eloquent preachers of the Church (Chrysologus means ‘golden speech’). He died at Imola A.D. 450."

Collect: O God, who didst choose blessed Peter Chrysologus, the illustrious Doctor, and miraculously point him out as one fit to rule and instruct Thy Church: grant, we beseech Thee, that as we have had him for our teacher on earth, so we may have deserve to have him for our advocate in heaven. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: Second Letter of Bl. Paul the Apostle to Timothy, 4:1-8.
[St. Paul admonishes Timothy to hold firmly the sound doctrine of the Gospel. The Doctors of the Church were also renowned for their orthodoxy and their theological learning.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, 5:13-19.
[Like the Apostles, the Doctors of the Church are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.]

ST BARBARA, Virgin, Martyr (Comm.)
“This Virgin and Martyr died at Nicomedia about 235 A.D.”

Collect: O God, who among the other marvels of Thy power, hast granted even to the weaker sex the victory of martyrdom: mercifully grant that we who celebrate the heavenly birthday of blessed St. Barbara, Thy Virgin and Martyr, may be her example draw nearer to Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Lesson: From the Book of Ecclesiasticus, 51:1-8, 12.
[The Church, in union with the Virgin martyrs offers to the Lord 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)

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

Wednesday, 3 December 2008 (Advent)
ST FRANCIS XAVIER, Confessor (III)
"One of the first companions of St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, one of the greatest missionaries of all time, preached the Gospel in India and Japan. He converted innumerable pagans and died in 1552 on his way to China."

Collect: O God, who by the preaching and miracles of blessed Francis, wast pleased to join to Thy Church the nations of the Indies: mercifully grant that we who venerate his glorious merits, may likewise follow through the example of his virtues. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.
Epistle: Second Letter of Bl. Paul the Apostle to the Romans, 10:10-18.
[“How beautiful are they that preach the Gospel of peace”, the faith in Christ.]
Gospel: Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Mark, 16:15-18.
[Preach the Gospel of peace throughout the whole world.]

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)

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

Tuesday, 2 December, 2008 (Advent)
ST BIBIANA, Virgin, Martyr (III)
"St. Bibiana was martyred at Rome under Julian the Apostate A.D. 363."

Collect: O God, the giver of all good gifts, who in Thy handmaid Bibiana didst to the flower or virginity join the palm of martyrdom: do Thou, through her intercession, so unite our minds to Thee by the bonds of charity, that we may be shielded from every danger and reap eternal rewards. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Who livest and reignest with God the Father 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. Luke, 12:35-40.
[The parables 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)

Why can't I marry my tractor?

In every state where the question of “homosexual marriage” has appeared on the ballot, it has been voted down. Nevertheless, the powerful and well funded homosexual lobby, abetted by a credulous, pliant and willing media, screams like a spoiled child, and will push and shove our soporific population until it gets its way. And, if it cannot have its way in the charade of the legislature it will, sooner or later, get its way by appeal to the true rulers of these United States, the judicial class. So much for the political scene.

Why is should the Catholic care about this? First, because homosexuals are men who engage in grave sin and I must, as a Catholic, hope and pray that they will find their way out of their sin just as I hope and pray that every sinner bound up in grave sin (myself, when it applies, included) will find his way out of the sin to confession, repentance, absolution, forgiveness, and penance. In that respect I do not view the man who engages in homosexual activity any differently than the man who engages in, say, adultery. The difference lies in the politics, and that is the second reason the Catholic should care about this.

An adulterer is an individual who engages in a grave sin. He may identify himself based on his philandering and may even - correctly - claim that his is a special “lifestyle”. But he doesn’t claim special privilege because of it. No one hears any discussion about “adulterer’s rights” because, in fact, there is no legal difference between the person who practices adultery and the one who does not. The adulterer can vote in an election, and so can the non-adulterer. The non-adulterer cannot break traffic laws with impunity, and neither can the adulterer. On an individual level, the act places the adulterer in a different place than the non-adulterer with respect to God and His judgment, but on a societal level adultery is invisible to the law, and only becomes a problem if it becomes widespread and accepted, because it is destructive to the general good order.
Likewise homosexuality. To be clear, homosexuality is a behavior in which an individual chooses to engage. The reasons that he chooses to do so may be as varied as those of the adulterer and, like the adulterer, the homosexual may identify himself based on his behavior, claiming that he has a different “lifestyle” than the man who does not engage in that activity. Like the adulterer, the act places the homosexual in a different place with respect to God and His judgment. Like adultery, homosexuality is generally invisible to the law, and only becomes a problem for society if it becomes widespread because, like adultery or any other immoral sexual activity, it is destructive to the general good order.

Consider: the homosexual claims he is discriminated against because he cannot marry another homosexual. However, what we really have is a man who desires to marry another man. So, we have a man, let us call him Joe, who wants to marry another man, and claims he is discriminated against because he cannot. But, I cannot marry another man either, so how is Joe discriminated against? Joe will say that the reason he cannot marry another man is because he and the other man wish to engage in homosexual activity. Well, suppose I wish to marry another man because he is a squash player and will play squash with me if I marry him. I still cannot marry him. I can claim that the reason I cannot marry him is because he is a squash player but the true reason that I cannot marry him is because he is a man. Besides, I do not need to marry him to play squash with him. Likewise, the man who engages in homosexual activity does not need to marry another man in order to copulate together. They can do it without being married. Where I live that goes on all the time. But for a man to marry another man is destructive to the institution of marriage in specific, and societal good order in general. Why? Marriage is a unique societal institution whose function is the renewal of society through the begetting, raising and educating of children. This bears repeating: the purpose of marriage is the renewal of society. There are wholesome and legitimate marriages which are for whatever reason childless, but that doesn’t change the primary purpose of marriage. It is also true that children can be begotten in ways other than marriage. They can be created quasi-synthetically, or they can be produced outside of natural marriage using the old fashioned methods of fornication or, perhaps, adultery. But the production of children leaves open the question of how they are to be raised (and, thus, how the society will renew itself), and there are only three answers to that question: the family, the state (which would include various state-derived experiments like communes and “same sex couples” raising children), or the street. Experience across all stable societies and thousands of years has shown the first choice to be, in general, the best one by far. So, marriage is central to the good order of society be cause it is central to the orderly renewal of society. A family comes from a marriage, and a marriage is between a man and a woman because children are produced only by a man and a woman.

So why can’t a man marry a man? Because the definition of marriage is a man married to a woman. I can cohabitate with another man, and I can engage in sex with another man, but by definition I cannot marry another many. Why can’t we broaden the definition? First, because changing the definition nullifies the definition. The “union” becomes a contract between two individuals, nothing more, and whatever it is you have, it is not a marriage. It is something else. Second, if two men can “marry”, there is no logical limit to who, or what, can be “married”. Why can’t three men get “married”? Three men and a boy? Three men and a teenage girl? A woman and a dolphin? Indeed, why I can’t I marry my tractor? I love my tractor, and we are in a stable long term relationship. But this is silly, you say. Well, so is marriage between two men.

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)

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, 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, 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)

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, 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, 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)

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, 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)

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).