" PAST " CONFUSING ENTERTAINMENT AND REALITY.

SERVING WITH THE ANGELS

Pope Saint Pius X

 

Several years ago I heard on radio an American lady psychologist say that a large number of American people were finding increasing difficulty in distinguishing between entertainment and reality. It seemed to me at the time an important insight, explaining so much that we see in the mass media. It seems to Acolyte that it has become increasingly true of large numbers of people in Australia also. The advent of falsely-described “reality television “has accelerated the tendency.

Many Catholics, especially the young, bring this social confusion with them to Mass. For 30/40 years in most parishes, people have not been taught or reminded of the worshipping and sacrificial nature of the sacred liturgy. No wonder then that they tend to assess the experience in terms of entertainment    ”- how good was the “show”? Indeed the former Administrator of the northern Metropolitan Cathedral once insisted on the importance of the musical performance when brushing aside a complaint about the Choir Master standing in the Sanctuary with his back to the altar during the Consecration. The fact that the celebrant facing the congregation is very often concentrating on putting on a good performance only increases this misunderstanding. If any reader thinks this view somewhat extreme, reflect on the celebrant’s gaze after the Consecration when the prayers are addressed to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Is it directed to the Blessed Sacrament on the altar in front of him? Or is he looking out to the congregation, perhaps radiating a benign smile?

This brings us to the nub of the “full and active participation “in the Mass which the Council, and long before it Pope Saint Pius X, called for.This participation is NOT being a reader, NOT being an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and Not even doing anything physical other than kneeling,standing or sitting as required. So, what was it that the great Saint and the Council were calling for? 

The words used were “paticipatio actuosa”and NOT “participatio activa”. The latter is what the “spirit of the Council” people have pushed – physical involvement on the part of the laity. BUT NO, neither Pope St.Pius X, who first brought the phrase to prominence, nor the Council wanted that. Rather, what they desired was spiritual and mental participation in the offering of the Mass – uniting heart and soul and mind with the prayers and action of the Mass, actively engaging our attention and intention in the great work which the liturgy is.



Even in those far off days of the late 1800’s , let alone the Council’s 1960s,  there were universally available good vernacular translations of the Latin prayers of the Mass of the time.



But for the “now”people to really engage heart and soul and mind they must be taken out of the popular confusion of reality and entertainment, to realise that the Mass is for their salvation, not their entertainment. It is not something they watch , it is the great reality they DO – worshipping God Most High and offering the great sacrifice with the Priest who alone has the power, operating” in persona Christi”, to bring about the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body, Blood , Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

So pervasive is the wrong attitude, that I have heard our local Parish Choir referred to as "the performers" and regularly their "performances " are clapped at the end of Mass. As the old song said:"That's entertainment"! But it IS NOT worship or prayer.

Coming together to worship God in this Divinely given way- Holy Mass , is one of the most significant realities of our lives. It would be tragic, through social conditioning, to absentmindedly come to regard it as a spectacle to be watched. In that sense, it’s not about US – it’s about HIM.



ACOLYTE

The reverence due to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament

 

" PAST " HEROIC CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND THE ENGLISH DEFORMATION

• 

 The story of Friars Peto and Elstow 

of the Observant Franciscans of Greenwich England.

 

 

 

 In 1533.Henry VIII was so impressed by the Observant Friars that he wrote to Pope Leo X (1513-21) that he could not sufficiently commend their strict adherence to poverty, their sincerity, charity and devotion - that no Order battled more assiduously against vice, and none were more active in keeping Christ's fold. But that was in 1513, now in 1533 he was still without a male heir after nearly 24 years of marriage to his Queen , Catherine of Aragon. Pope Clement VII could not accede to Henry's petition for an Annulment of his valid marriage. In 1529 Henry had dismissed Cardinal Wolsey as Lord Chancellor for his "failure" to secure an Annulment. Henry was eager to marry Anne Boleyn.

Having compelled an English Bishop to "grant" a purported Annulment, Henry bigamously went through the form of marriage with Anne Boleyn on 25th January, 1533. He was then excommunicated by Pope Clement VII (1523-34). The Observant Friars' Convent, built by Henry's father, Henry VII, adjoined the Royal Palace at Greenwich. Its Chapel was used for Royal Baptisms



Henry VIII had supported the Friars moderately over the years, and Friar Forrest was the Queen's Chaplain.In 1533 the "Great Question"was initially the validity of the King's true marriage. Now, especially given the popular affection for Queen Catherine, the Great Public Issue became forcing acceptance of the Boleyn "marriage".



The Friars of Greenwich constantly and powerfully, in their preaching and conversation publicly defended the validity of the King's true marriage. On what seems to have been Sunday 11th May, 1533 the King himself assisted at Mass when Friar Peto "a man of good house and family"was the preacher. He vigorously and in detail defended the King's true marriage to his face. Bravery indeed! The King, "being thus reproved, endured it patiently and did no violence to Peto."(Stow) The following Sunday,the 18th, the King arranged for a Dr. Curwin( the name may have been Coren) to preach. Curwin was aware Peto was away, and launched into a scathing personal attack on him, as well as defending the Boleyn "marriage". Henry must have thought he had been suitably avenged when Curwen's peroration seared the air!



Curwin cried out:"I speak to thee, Peto, who makest thyself Micheas, that thou mayest speak evil of Kings, but now thou art not to be found, being fled for fear and shame, as being unable to answer my arguments." Knowing Friar Peto had to be absent, he no doubt thought he could get away with it, winning the King's gratitude. WRONG!! Alas for Curwen, Friar Elstow in the Rood Loft had heard it all . .



He leant over the Rood outraged by this cowardly attack and "he waxed hot, and spake very earnestly, so that they could not make him cease his speech until the King himself bade him hold his peace."(Harpsfield) As he leant over the Rood, Friar Elstow called: "Good Sir, you know that Father Peto , as he was commanded, is now gone to a Provincial Council held at Canterbury, and not fled from fear of you, for to-morrow he will return again." Friar Elstow continued:"In the meantime I am here as another Micheas, and will lay down my life to prove all those things true which he hath taught out of holy scripture. And, to this combat I challenge you before God and all equal judges. Even unto thee, Curwin, I speak who art one of the four hundred prophets into whom the spirit of lying is entered, and seekest by adultery to establish succession"....



"... betraying the King unto endless perdition, more for thy own vain glory and hope of promotion than for discharge of your clogged conscience and the King's salvation.""Great Harry" was not used to this! One can only imagine the alarm and anxiety in the Chapel!!Trying to come out on top, Henry had secured for himself a second humiliation. He resolved to risk no more. On Monday , by the King's direction, Friars Peto and Elstow were brought before the Privy Council. They stood their ground despite hectoring and bullying threats from members of the Council. The Earl of Essex told them that they deserved to be put into a sack and cast into the Thames! Friar Elstow gently and with a smile made his response:.....



.."Threaten these things to rich and dainty folk who are clothed in purple, fare delicately, and have their chiefest hope in this world, for we esteem them not, but are joyful that for the discharge of our duties we are driven hence. With thanks to God we know the way to heaven, to be as ready by water as by land, and, therefore, we care not which way we go."(Stow)



As it happens, it seems both escaped the death penalty, but were reprimanded and exiled from England. It is not necessary to die to be truly a heroic priest and Friars Peto and Elstow are among the most heroic. They faced down the the willful choleric Royal tyrant to the last. Perhaps Henry's guilty conscience saved their lives. Many others would not be so lucky.



• Fourteen years later, his mind deteriorating into syphillitic rages and his once handsome athletic body bloated and long vitually immobile, having plundered , decimated and corrupted Christ's Church in his realm, King Henry VIII like so many of his wives before him, went to meet the King of Kings.

" PAST " WHO WOULD BE THE NEXT METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP OF BRISBANE?

 

As July, 2011 approaches, many are looking at those spoken of as possible successors to Archbishop John A. Bathersby, with concern. We look back at an earlier post:

WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY referred to Queensland as the “sick man” of the Church in Australia. This has been evidenced by the 2006 Advent Pastorals in Toowoomba and Brisbane.


It seems the Pastoral Letter is in these cases something of a subconscious cry for help - “See how far I am from thinking with the Church? - Help me!” The doctor has been and gone and we await his most direct prescriptions.(Reference to the Apostolic Visitation of Toowoomba - which passed without obvious result other than Bishop Morris' audience with the Holy Father in the company of Archbishop Philip Wilson,President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference .)

BISHOP WILLIAM MORRIS - WHO COMPLAINS IN THE MEDIA ABOUT

 

 

 

                                                  BEING PERSECUTED BY "THE TEMPLE POLICE"

 

A recent Pastoral Letter for the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ has been issued by Bishop Michael Putney of Townsville. It is of an entirely different order to the letters mentioned above. It is no less disconcerting. In many ways more subtle, it would not be written much differently if one wished to undermine Faith and create doubt whilst always being able to point to covering clauses to show one really did no wrong.

Even in its second paragraph it hides the definitive Catholic teaching that Christ’s Presence in the Eucharist is par excellence and of an entirely superior order to His presence in the assembly, the priest and the Word. Instead the letter said, “He is present in us when we gather as a worshipping community. He is present in the consecrated bread and wine which we receive. He is present in the priest who presides.” Now all of this is literally true - but as we see not the whole truth, and the motive for the omission is our concern.

The next section of the letter - “The Eucharist and the Church” - entirely omits any reference to sacrificial worship, the emphasis being totally on the horizontal plane - we - God acting in us. The following paragraph does pick up this idea, but only after the strange impression left by this paragraph.

In a section beginning “Fifthly” there is a discussion of the meaning of our “Amen” immediately before receiving Holy Communion. Very oddly the one thing not mentioned is the true meaning of that “Amen”, which is that we are giving assent to the priest’s assertion that this is the Body of Christ - really.

Heart of the Problems

This brings us to the heart of the problems with the Letter. The section of the Letter headed “The Presence of Christ” commences, “Finally, we believe that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ in the eucharist. “ Well and good. The Letter goes on to set up a problem ... “how we are to understand the presence” ... “people are not sure”. The circumlocution which follows, with a nod to “St Thomas Aquinas” and “the Middle Ages”, “transubstantiation”, “substance”, winds up with, “There has been a change so that what we see now is the sign or symbol of something that we cannot see which it has become.”

Sign - yes - in its technical sense - as we know a Sacrament is a visible sign instituted by Christ to give grace.



Symbol - no - NEVER. This is the very thing the Blessed Sacrament is NOT. A symbol by definition is not the reality of the thing it symbolises. Just as a drawing/statue of a dove is not the Holy Spirit.



But now the Letter proceeds to clarify the set-up problem. To what authority does it have recourse? Are the Councils of the Church quoted? The Popes? The Catechism or Compendium? The Saints? Too much to hope for........ Sacred Scripture? NO ... why are we distracted with these ... the Letter goes straight to ... the 1979 Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue! (Devoid of teaching authority of course.) The section quoted is about the meaning of “becoming” in the context of the bread and wine and the Body and Blood of Christ. Again it is accurate as far as it goes, but subtly it leaves the simple reader with the idea that Christ’s Presence in the Eucharist is “sacramental” rather than real, the one word studiously avoided throughout.






Bishop Michael Putney

As for what “sacramental” might mean to the simple reader, the section Sacramental Presence begins, “The ‘bread’ that we see is now only a symbol of Christ who is thereby present sacramentally.”

NO. NO. NO - as above. It seems everyone but Bishop Putney knows the difference between “symbol” and “reality”.



It finishes, “What we see has been changed not to our eyes but in reality so that it really functions now only as a sign making him present.”



Whatever the writer’s intention, this sentence would again nudge the simple reader to think, “Functions now only as a sign making him present???” What’s real about that? The writer goes on to say, “The other error would be to think that because Christ is present through the sign of bread, he has somehow taken on the size, colour, shape, location of bread. This is not our faith either.”



But if Christ has not “somehow taken on the size, colour, shape, location of bread”, how can he be really present? Why do we worship and adore the appearance of bread in its “location” in tabernacle, monstrance, ciborium, on our tongue - if Christ has not really taken on the size, colour, shape, location of bread?



The Letter finishes up with an acknowledgement that we do worship and adore the Blessed Sacrament “even after Mass has ended” and that this is praiseworthy.



The truth of the Real Presence would have been more accurately written about by many teenagers we know. Perhaps the writer - a great ecumenist - has spent too many years in ecumenababble to be able to recall basic Catholic teaching on the sacraments, and its precisely-honed language.



When Bishop Putney was first appointed, Archbishop Bathersby opined that “it would be good that we now have a theologian bishop in Queensland to stop the Southern bishops laughing at what’s done here”. His Grace was half right - they’re not laughing, they’re weeping along with the rest of us.



Let us ask Pope Paul VI to clear the air:



The Physical Reality of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist



"To avoid misunderstanding this sacramental presence which surpasses the laws of nature and constitutes the greatest miracle of its kind we must listen with docility to the voice of the teaching and praying Church. This voice, which constantly echoes the voice of Christ, assures us that the way Christ is made present in this Sacrament is none other than by the change of the whole substance of the bread into His Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into His Blood, and that this unique and truly wonderful change the Catholic Church rightly calls transubstantiation. As a result of transubstantiation, the species of bread and wine undoubtedly take on a new meaning and a new finality, for they no longer remain ordinary bread and ordinary wine, but become the sign of something sacred, the sign of a spiritual food. However, the reason they take on this new significance and this new finality is simply because they contain a new “reality” which we may justly term ontological. Not that there lies under those species what was already there before, but something quite different; and that not only because of the faith of the Church, but in objective reality, since after the change of the substance or nature of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, nothing remains of the bread and wine but the appearances, under which Christ, whole and entire, in His physical “reality” is bodily present, although not in the same way that bodies are present in a given place."



¬— Pope Paul VI in Mysterium Fidei [emphasis added]

Pope Paul VI pray for us and for the people of Townsville Diocese.

But wait - there is more out of Townsville:

At St Mary’s Church, Bowen on 17-18 May Father Bill Brady MSC deleted the Creed from the Mass and substituted the following:

I believe in God,
who is love and who has given the earth to all people.

I believe in Jesus Christ,

who came to heal in and through all who work for justice.

I believe in the community of faith,

which is called to be at the service of all people.

I believe in God’s promise to finally destroy the power of sin in us all,

and to establish the kingdom of justice and peace for all humankind.

I believe in human rights,

in the solidarity of all people,

in the power of non-violence.

I do not believe in racism,
in the power that comes from wealth and privilege,

or in any established order that enslaves.

I believe that all women and men are equally human,

that order based on violence and injustice is not order.

I do not believe that war and hunger

are inevitable and peace unattainable.

I believe in the beauty of simplicity,

in love with open hands, in peace on earth.

I do not believe that suffering need be in vain,

that death is the end,

that the disfigurement of our world is what God intended.

I dare to believe,

always and in spite of everything,

in God’s power to transform and transfigure,

fulfilling the promise of a new heaven and a new earth

where justice and peace will flourish.



Parishioners were asked “to return the printed text so that” it could be used again!!!



Given the problems with the Pastoral Letter it is perhaps less than surprising that this abuse of the Liturgy should take place in Townsville Diocese.



TONY DIXON

Copyright This article was first published in the June 2008 issue of FOUNDATION.

Archbishop John A. Bathersby

" PAST " CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE : CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL SEVERLY DAMAGED

 

BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHEDRAL, CHRISTCHURCH

 

 One of the true jewels of Christchurch, New Zealand's architectural heritage is the Catholic Cathedral on Barbadoes Street about fifteen minutes walk out of the CBD. Reading the tourist literature in this very Protestant inspired city - whose central square is Cathedral Square and another Latimer Square- you wouldn't guess it, for our Cathedral is hardly mentioned. Rather all the talk is of THE Cathedral, the Anglican Cathedral on Cathedral Square which in the media parlance of the day is "iconic"for the City.When a City has a Latimer Square and a not far distant Cranmer Street, Catholics should not expect too much I suppose.

The tragic earthquake which struck the City at lunchtime yesterday has produced an appalling loss of life with 65 confirmed dead (38 identified) and at least 150 missing and perhaps more hidden under mountains of rubble.

Interior of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Christchurch

 

Media coverage in Australia has been exhaustive and much has been made of the collapse of the spire of "THE"Cathedral (Anglican)in the centre of town. No mention has been made of the collapse of the facade and two front towers of the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral (shown above). In fact one would not be aware of it save for brief helicopter overflight pictures of Barbadoes Street, in which the damage could very clearly be seen. No commentary was made. The great Cupola appeared intact, as did the nave.But some local contact suggests more extensive damage, perhaps inside. The Cathedral is very beautiful, and it is a shame it is not better known. An unusual feature is the location of the Cupola over the Sanctuary rather than at the Crossing.

The people of Christchurch deserve our continuing prayers - for the dead, the bereaved, those still trapped/missing , those anxiously waiting news of loved ones and friends who are missing, and for all the survivors traumatised by this violent event, following so closely on the earthquake of 4th September last year. Their future holds a great deal of uncertainty in more ways than one, as strong aftershocks continued through the night and Government officials are too immediately pre-occupied to consider the issue of future reconstruction or development. The City's sea port of Littleton has evidently also suffered serious damage and loss of life - it was much closer to the epi -centre of the quake.

" PAST " DO THEY KNOW WHO THE POPE IS?

 

 To-day 22nd February, 2011 the HOLY SEE's Press Office site on the Web has released the text of "the Holy Father Pope John Paul II's " address in preparation for Lent!

It is totally bizarre that such an error could be made. So much so, that the conspiracy theorists will have a field day. How many hours till it is corrected? And who will be the recipient of a well merited appointment to Tehran a la Bugnini?

"

CYCLONE YASI  -  1,000 Kms Wide

 

 We stand in a difficult position – in the midst of great physical travail as a nation. As I write, the mud of the recent catastrophic floods is barely dry over much of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and in New South Wales and Victoria, firefighters are battling bushfires. And then, and then…. off Far North Queensland, the terrible spectre of Cyclone “Yasi” steadily works its dreadful way across the sea toward the region of Cairns and Townsville. It threatens death and destruction we are told, on a scale not seen since Cyclone “Tracey” which destroyed Darwin. Well might Dorothea Mackellar in the poem “My Country” write about “her beauty and her terror “.

But we are approaching the commemoration of another, infinitely greater tragedy. We are given every opportunity to approach this coming commemoration with great care and all attention. And just as the residents of Far North Queensland are given ample opportunity to prepare and are doing so, we should take the opportunities offered to us as we approach the sacred commemoration of the Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. Our loving holy mother the Church offers us the 40 days of Lent – commencing on 9th March 2011 with Ash Wednesday.

Oh, we’ve seen the Penitential Season of Lent bleached, gutted, diminished for some 40 years now – as we have been urged to shuck off “all that medieval stuff”. Queer thing that, most of the clerics who ran that effort have died, left the priesthood or self-indulgently “retired”- leaving us to clean up after them. But, as she has done for 2,000 years the Church has survived despite their worst efforts. Survived and still proposes to us, in continuity with her immemorial custom, the Penitential Season of Lent, so that we might dare to then approach the foot of the Cross “on which the Saviour of the world hung”

The floods, the bushfires and even the spectre of the giant cyclone are truly terrible – but in truth, they pale, yes pale – before the prospect of GOD MADE MAN BEING BEATEN, SCOURGED AND CRUCIFIED because of His innocence of any wrong. AND ALL OF THIS FOR US AND OUR SALVATION. No wonder the Earth trembled, the “dead arose and appeared to many “and the veil of the Holy of Holies in the Temple was torn “from TOP to bottom”. The Old Covenant was brought to an end, having been superseded by the New Covenant in Christ’s Blood.

So let us, each one, “get with the programme” as the Advertising people say and really make something of this Lent. Remember Christ’s own words about the efficacy of “Prayer and Fasting “in driving out Devils? That’s right – He didn’t exclusively concentrate on works of mercy. No – He also urged “prayer and fasting”. So we need to work on ourselves – diminish our selfishness (how “medieval”!) Look around us and we find a mightily self-indulgent society – not beyond causing 100,000 abortions a year, and ever more boldly espousing or tolerating any vice publicly recognized – can you doubt that there are Devils to be cast out?

Please keep your mind’s eye on the Man on the Cross. Pray, fast and do good works this Lent – for your sake, for the sake of our society and for Christ’s sake. Don’t let that great LOVE be treated perfunctorily.

ACOLYTE

COPYRIGHT TONY DIXON - First published in January, 2011 Issue of FOUNDATION

" PAST " PRAY FOR THE HOLY FATHER

 

Pope Benedict XVI

Sometimes it is good to be reminded of basic spiritual benefits we can convey and receive:

We each have it in our power to petition God Who loves us all, to strengthen, protect and bless our Holy Father the Pope. He is the Vicar of Christ Our Saviour, and, as such, is the particular target of the Evil One who seeks to directly hurt him and frustrate his work for Our Lord.

It is widely and reliably expected that by Easter the Holy Father will sign a new Motu Proprio governing the implementation of the earlier Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum", following the receipt and analysis of reports from the world's Bishops concerning the implementation results. Some have sought to put about the idea that the pressure to be more restrictive from some Bishops has been such that the new Motu Proprio will resemble some sort of a retreat.Other sources, claiming official but unnamed advisers say nothing of the sort is involved. We tend to accept the latter view.

However, there obviously is pressure on the Holy Father about this and other matters.It is therefore more appropriate than ever for us to pray for our beloved Holy Father.

The redoubtable Father John Zuhlsdorf has launched a Spiritual Bouquet campaign to end on the Feast of Saint Joseph 19th March, the Holy Father's Name Day (JOSEPH Ratzinger). Those wishing to join
in the effort should do so at WDTPRS BLOG.

Father Z reminds us of the spiritual benefits which flow to those who pray for the Supreme Pontiff:

From the the Enchiridion of Indulgences, #25:


A partial indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who, in a spirit of filial devotion, devoutly recite any duly approved prayer for the Supreme Pontiff (e.g., the Oremus pro Pontifice):



V. Let us pray for our Pontiff, Pope Benedict.



R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and bless him upon earth, and deliver him not to the will of his enemies.



Our Father. Hail Mary.



Let us pray.



O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Benedict, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(In the matter of Indulgences we are mindful that Our Divine Lord said to Saint Peter : "Whatsoever you shall bind upon Earth , it shall be bound also in Heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose upon Earth, it is loosed also in Heaven." This is a fact that protestants choose to ignore . The Catholic Church listens to the Lord and takes to heart His every word.)


PLEASE JOIN IN THIS MOST WORTHY AND  COMPELLING EFFORT.

" PAST " ONE OF THE " WE, WE ....." SONGS

 

ST.BONIFACE WHO BROUGHT THE FAITH TO GERMANY - HE COULD HAVE TOLD MS. DUCK SOMETHING ABOUT CREEDS AND CUSTOMS

 

 Isn't it great to assist at Holy Mass when there are no liturgical abuses, no heresies in the homily, all the readings well done, the Celebrant devout and concentrated on what he is doing in Persona Christi, and ideally with good music and chant or hymns to complement your participatio actuosa (in heart and mind -- actively participating in the prayers of the Holy Mass.) ? ...........

 How often do you experience it?

For me it last happened on Christmas Eve - special circumstances - a visiting Priest , home from his studies in Canada. More routinely we have minor liturgical abuses, no recent heresies, the quality of the readings unreliable ( there seems to be a problem for some in reading intelligently without lapsing into the dramatic or the infantile) ,of the several celebrants,  devotion is not a problem , but one or two still can't resist looking at the congregation after the Consecration , even when praying to Jesus Christ Himself! And yet another goes about the Altar clockwise whilst incensing it. Then there is the matter of music and singing under the guidance of our non- Catholic Choirmaster. The Choir under his direction is first rate. The choice of hymns is frequently a problem.

Consider this little "Duesie"from this morning's 10.00 am Mass :

As a fire is meant for burning
With a bright and warming flame,
So the Church is meant for mission,
Giving glory to God's Name.    (OK So far)
Not to preach our creeds or customs,(WHAAAAAT!)
But to build a bridge of care,
We join hands across the nations,
Finding neighbours ev'rywhere.

Second verse more  of the same, but 8 "We"s

Third verse  is plumped up with "green buds", "springtime", "rainbow lights", "storm", "radiance"and "dawn".

Of course the "We...we..."s  and the "Nature"" gush are sad and bad enough. 

BUT "Not to preach our creeds and customs"is outrageous and heretical - in effect, the words are saying that the role of the Church, her "mission"is to be simply a big , warm and fuzzy social service organisation to make us all feel good about ourselves and each other. 

Well, put simply: NO.

What was the Great Commission Our Divine Lord gave His disciples , this :".......Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, Baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you........"What Our Lord had commanded as far as belief is distilled in our "creeds"and enshrined in our "customs"such as devotion to Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Where did this protestantising "hymn"come from? It is No 481 in the dreadful "Gather Australia" Hymn Book published by the Archdiocese of Melbourne during the time of Archbishop Frank Little ( whose motto was "Kyrie Eleison"). It is written by one Ruth Duck of Melbourne and sung to a fine Irish melody "The Sacred Harp" arranged by the infamous Marty Haugen. "Kyrie Eleison"Indeed!

 

 

 

                                     ST. FRANCIS XAVIER  S.J THE APOSTLE TO ASIA - 

                                        HE COULD HAVE TOLD MS. DUCK A THING OR TWO

 

 

But away from unpleasant things. The Homily was preached by our Nigerian transitional Deacon, so no worry about heresy, just great content, strong and intelligent reference to the first and second readings, excellent delivery and he moves with great devotion and grace in the Sanctuary, and joins his hands properly with fingers extended, not joining them clasped together like some dear old lady who has lost her puppy (as many others do.)

They are doing something right in Nigerian Seminaries.

So, how was your Sunday Mass?

" PAST " LOST ICONS RETURN!

 

   As you can see my lost Networked Blogs Followers' Icons have returned ! Alleluia! And doubly so because they came back with one extra - a new Follower. Just precisely which of the furiously active measures I took worked, I cannot tell. But I prefer to thank my dear Patron Saint , Saint Anthony of Padua and my Guardian Angel who is so active - and always has been - in looking after my interests - what a Team!

Have you ever thought what it will be like to converse with your Guardian Angel in Heaven? How embarrassing the many times we have failed and frustrated his efforts to guide us - how pathetic we humans must seem to the Holy Angels - YET - the Angels must moderate their consideration, with the knowledge that God the Son became One of us, and that God loves us so much He willed that it should be so, and that the Son of Man should die for us puny humans.

Angel of God, my Guardian dear,
To whom God's Love commits me here,
Ever this day, be at my side,
To light and to guard,
To rule and to guide. Amen

Angelus Dei, qui Custos es mei,
Me tibi commissum pietate superna,
hodie illumina, custodi,
rege et guberna

.Amen

TONY DIXON

" PAST " THE SUFFERINGS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN

 

 

"And thy own soul a sword shall pierce"( Luke II : 35)

 

 

 

"We see here how God mixes bitter things with sweet. Our Lady had heard Simeon in praise of her Son while he recounted the blessings He was to give.What joy this was to her! But now she heard of a sword that would pierce not her body, but her soul. As a Mother, and as a most loving Mother of such a Son, she would feel as none other the injuries He was to suffer, for injury to a loved one is a torment to one who loves..........

II  Let us think why God desired Our Blessed Lady to be impressed by the prophecy of this sword of sorrow even while Christ was in His Infancy. Perhaps it was that He willed that thus she would become more like Christ herself, that just as He from His Infancy always had His Passion before His eyes, so would she likewise always anticipate what was to come......

III  The prophecy was fulfilled at the moment it was spoken, but more especially at the time of Christ's Passion. Let us review in our minds the torments that Christ endured, and see Our Lady standing before the Cross. Let us think of the Mother's anguish at seeing what was done to such a Son......."

Extracts from THE LIFE AND TEACHING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST By Fr Nicola Avancini S.J.( 1612 - 1686)

Avancini, in his further comments on these thoughts, urges his readers to consider how well we bear sufferings for Jesus' sake, using this as a measure of our love for God. He then urges the reader to become more like Christ by accepting a life of Cross bearing and mortification - thus virtue increases and we become ever more Christ like.To do so we must embrace the Cross with all our heart and soul. He concludes the section by reminding the reader that it is our sins for which Christ suffered , and therefore, effectively it is we who have driven the sword of sorrow into Our Mother's heart. He bids the reader to make acts of sorrow and to fear the anger of God.

These Meditations apply to every one of us. They were written originally for those in Religious life. It is a measure of the state we are in that too many not so religious Religious to-day would find them quite alien and seek to justify their position with NewChurchspeak which is totally emptied of Christ .

" PAST " IN PURSUIT OF A GREATER GOAL

 

"I shall console myself with the reflection,

that life is not long enough to do more than your best,

whatever that might be;

that they who are ever taking aim,

make no hits;

that they who never venture,

never gain;

that to be ever safe,

is to be feeble;

and that to do substantial good,

is the compensation for much incidental imperfection."

Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman - "University Sketches" 

As was noted around the time of his Beatification, Blessed Cardinal Newman was not some effete academic, but a Priest with his feet planted firmly on the ground.

" PAST " LOST ICONS OF FOLLOWERS

Despite my apparent composure in the  image above, once again, Blogger has your devoted scribe clutching his hands like a modernist priest ( you know, the reverend  guys who don't know how to join their hands during the Liturgy and 

only succeed in looking like anxious old ladies!).

 

Tempted by the recent successful template updates by the famed Father Tim Finigan (Hermeneutic of Continuity Blog) and by  Mac McLernon (Mulier Fortis Blog),I once again ventured into the thorny thicket of design update in Blogger! 

 

Fools rush in.... Whilst placing pictures in any Blogger Post should qualify as a major penitential act, template updating/revision may stand some chance of meriting a Plenary Indulgence (under the usual conditions, of course)

Firstly, it will only take background pictures up to 300kb ( my chosen image from the crypt of the desecrated Church of St.Genevieve in Paris-called by the republican desecrators the Pantheon) is over 600 Kb and my efforts to reduce it led me far afield into the wilder reaches of PICASA without success and with great frustration. Secondly, that first disaster left me wary about trying to change the colour of the middle background which is stuck on a depressing dark grey. And thirdly, and worst of all - for no apparent reason the Icons of my valued 13 Networked Blogs Followers simply DISAPPEARED whilst the equally valued 8 Google Followers remain intact.

All efforts to retrieve the 13 Networked Blogs Followers Icons have so far failed 

 

Apologies dear Followers - though your Icons are missing you are greatly valued.

 Perhaps, like Caesar Augustus I may yet lock myself in my room and grow my beard whilst crying out :"Quintilius Varus (BLOGGER) Give me back my Eagles(FOLLOWER'S ICONS)! "

Watch that space and pray - please.

TONY DIXON

" PAST " THE MIRACLE OF LOVE SAINT PETER AND THE HOUND OF HEAVEN

 

This post had an unusual origin but I believe it will be useful, perhaps to a particular person I shall never meet.

 

Saint Peter is of particular importance in the long history of the Church. We know a reasonable amount about him. He came from Capharnaum where he lived with his wife and mother-in-law. He was a fisherman together with his brother Andrew, and it seems they had more than one boat , so they may have been significant among the local fishermen. Fishermen are proverbially rough and tumble folk , hardy and hard living. So it might seem surprising that Jesus chose Simon Bar-Jonah - for that was then his name, to be an Apostle.Jesus knew all about Simon of course, but Simon did not yet know that.
 

Such was the power of God's grace at work, that when Jesus bade Simon and Andrew to "Come follow Me, and I will make you Fishers of men", they dropped their nets and followed Him. In those earliest days their following of the Master was evidently not full time. For a day or so later , we find the two have been fishing when Jesus comes to them and bids them to push out into the deep , and put down their nets for a catch. Here, the Fisherman in Peter comes out fully and he tells Jesus they have been out all night and caught nothing, but, God's grace gets the better of the Fisherman, and because it is Jesus who makes the request, Simon will do it.

 

And what a catch it is! The nets are full to breaking!

 

Simon is no fool- he knows that what he is seeing is supernatural and that Jesus is the Person responsible for it. He still does not understand that Jesus knows everything. He kneels before Our Lord and begs Him in great humility :"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man O Lord".

 

Centuries later , the poet Francis Thompson ( 1859-1907),  because of the misguided medical practice of his day, became addicted to the tincture of Opium, called Laudanum , then very widely used for the relief of pain. Thompson was a devout man , and haunted by his addiction, which after repeated relapses killed him. He was always conscious of God's love and of God's pursuit of him no matter how seriously he fell. He wrote the marvellous, harrowing poem "The Hound of Heaven" to describe the unremitting character of God's love for him, even when -  in the grip of his addiction - he was rejecting it. He wrote of the Hound of Heaven pursuing him "down the labyrinthine ways". He was aware that this loving pursuit was part of a process , and cried out in anguish:

 

 "Must Thou char the wood, ere'st Thou can limn with it?"

Saint Peter was at the beginning of the discovery of the constant faithfulness of God's Love, at the beginning of being "charred"that the Lord might "limn"with him.
 

SAINT PETER

 

 

 

We know even more about Saint Peter, for his personality radiates strongly from the Gospels and his Epistles. Saint Peter is seen to be a man of burning enthusiasms which cause him to often commit himself beyond the strength of his will or common prudence.He is a spontaneous, big-hearted man .He means well but often stumbles. Jesus in due course let Peter know that He had him summed up all along. For He said to him "Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not, and thou being once converted confirm thy brethren."

This was a remarkable Revelation of the Life of the  Trinity in effect, but Simon's personality has no time for reflection on Divine wonders : his gratitude and enthusiasm wells up and he positively gushes : "Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death." We will return to this exchange in due course - but for the moment it clearly reveals the generous, well-intentioned  character of Saint Peter.

Earlier on , Our Lord had given Simon Bar - Jonah  a new name - the beginning of the ancient tradition of adopting "names in religion" - e.g. Brother Albanus, Sister Austin, Father Antonio and Pope Pius XI. In many areas this custom begun by Our Lord has been abandoned by those who say"I gotta be ME". Be that as it may, Our Lord gave Simon the name "Cephas"( in Greek) that is "Petrus"(in Latin) and "Peter"(in English).
The word means "Rock" and Our Lord went on to say "And upon this Rock , I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it."

There are two times in the Gospels when it seems to me anyway, we can, between the lines see a loving affectionate smile likely on Our Lord's face. One is when the rather short, rich publican Zaccheus clambers up into a sycamore tree in his enthusiasm to see the Lord. He must have looked ridiculous, short, rich , no doubt overweight hanging up there in a tree like some street urchin. And Jesus bids him by name to come down quickly "for this day I must abide in thy house". Each time I read it I cannot avoid the thought that Our Lord was gently, kindly looking upon this man who was in haste and desperation to know Him. Similarly, Our Lord chose the name "Rock"for Simon to reflect the historic role this improbable man was to have in the history of the world. Yet, knowing Simon as the Sacred Scripture presents him to us, warts and all, is there anyone who could be in essence less like a "Rock"? Solid, reliable - that is not the Simon we come to know. But Jesus knows EVERYTHING about Simon Peter and knows all his weakness, and He also knows what he can become with the Holy Spirit's help. Jesus loves Simon Peter, he loves that bigheartedness, that generosity of spirit, and even that weakness that brings all the positives so often undone.It is hard to resist the thought that there was a certain gentle, loving irony in Our Lord's choice of "Rock"for His very wobbly Apostle.

Time and again we see Saint Peter revealed in  various situations, acting in the same way. On the Lake the Apostles  see the a figure walking on the water as they fear their boat will sink in the storm. "Be of good heart : it is I, fear not"Jesus says. Peter as usual in moments of stress or trouble is the one to speak up :"Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come to Thee upon the waters."

Now, a more natural response would have been " Lord , come here and save us ". But Peter was no doubt inspired to say what he did in order that a salutary lesson could be taught.Jesus simply answered "Come"" and that was enough for Peter, over the side he went and began to walk on the water toward Jesus! His Faith drove him. But, what was this? The wind was howling in his face and the sea was lashing him and :"seeing the wind strong, he was afraid: and when he began to sink he cried out saying : "Lord save me".And immediately Jesus stretching forth His hand took hold of him , and said to him : "O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?"The lesson is plain for the Church and for all of us, our Faith must be strong and constant in good times and in the face of horrendous opposition, and Our Loving Lord will always see us through!

Still later, very late in the day , as Our Lord , in the Upper Room, goes to wash the feet of Peter, we see typical Peter - he has looked askance as Jesus  washed the feet of the others - this is not fitting he thinks, and he  cannot stop himself saying "Lord, doest Thou wash my feet?"  Unworthy me - and you the Christ - the Son of the Living God! But Jesus answers simply : "What I do thou knowest not now;  but thou shalt know hereafter."Peter is determined and emphatic : "Thou shalt never wash my feet."

Jesus is calm , but resolute : "If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with Me." The response is typically Peter - the big heart, the great enthusiasm : "Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head". Jesus answers him gently, correctingly, as one might speak to an excitable child: "He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. And you are clean, but not all of you."( The discourse goes on to deal with Judas Iscariot.)

Later in the evening, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the Temple police/soldiers come to arrest the Lord, and they move to lay hands upon him, Peter - ever excitable- forgets Jesus' foretelling that He must suffer, and whipping out a sword lashes out and cuts off the ear of one of the Temple police. Instantly Jesus commands him to put up his sword and heals the man's ear. Peter is slow to learn , but very quick to act and talk. Earlier he had, as we know assured Our Lord that he would gladly go to prison or to death with Jesus. And the Lord had promised him that before the cock crowed Peter would deny Him three times - not once, but - systematically - three times.

So it happens, in the outer courts of the High Priest's home, whilst the Lord of the World is being questioned and insulted by the proud High Priests who had bought their offices from the Roman conquerors, and assaulted by their crude troops, Peter is hovering safely outside hoping to hear what happens.

 

 Not so safely, as it transpires. For three time in succession he is challenged as a follower of Jesus by common servants of the household.The cock indeed crows and as the Lord is being led out . He is to be imprisoned for a few hours until they can hurry Him as early as possible on Friday before the Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate. The Gospel is dramatically sparse in recording the scene. Here is Peter, still in the panicky flush of his third denial of Christ - Jesus is led out past him, and Peter sees his sorry, bloodied condition and the rough handling He is receiving. He is stricken and sick with guilt. And Jesus... and Jesus.. the Gospel tells us simply two words : "Conversus Dominus". The Lord turned and looked at Peter. No words of reproof, no accusation, no correction. 

 

The Anointed One - the Christ -  simply, sadly looked at Peter. And Peter, we are told, burst into bitter and uncontrolled tears. Tears which were to recur and recur as the years passed and he absorbed the horror of what he had done. Tradition has it that his tears created great furrows down his face.

SAINT PETER - El Greco 

 

Time passed, the Resurrection, the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and Peter is transformed - there he is , the Leader preaching to and converting thousands, speaking out boldly in front of the Temple authorities and defying their strictures not to preach about Christ.He is transformed - largely - but still human. When there are no Jews around Peter rightly ignores the now displaced old Law dietary restrictions. But when some Jews come to town, rather than risk a confrontation with them, Peter conforms to those dietary restrictions. Saint Paul , not without his own human weaknesses , as he tells us elsewhere,and we see for ourselves, will have none of this and confronts Peter on the point and wins the day. A little glimpse of the old weak willed Peter had been seen and put down.

Peter is now no longer a young man. This work of evangelisation had obviously not come easily to someone who had known nothing but catching fish. But he had walked with Jesus Christ and learned from Him and he had received the Holy Spirit, and years on the Mission had made the most of him, from Capharnaum to Jerusalem, to Antioch and finally to Rome the home of the Beast the monstrous pagan Empire. Now as an old man, he works on in the heart of the Evil Empire when persecution breaks out. It seems that the whole future of the Church             (Christ's promise to be with her always, forgotten perhaps) is at risk. It is decided that Saint Peter and numbers of the disciples should save themselves by escaping the City. Out they tramp along the Appian Way, until Saint Peter meets..... he meets Jesus Himself carrying His Cross in the opposite direction! Peter cries out to Him:

 

 "Quo Vadis , Domine?"    "Where are you going Lord?"

The answer is concise "Iterum Romam Crucifigi!' "I am going to Rome to be crucified again!" Saint Peter, even in his old age is still being pursued and humiliated by his failings. He turns about and returns to Rome against all human wisdom. Here traditionally. he was martyred on the very same day as Saint Paul. 

 

Paul a Roman Citizen - that proudest boast of the ancient world - had the "privilege"of being beheaded. But this Jewish Fisherman, Peter,  is to be crucified as befits aliens. But now he has courage in word and in deed : he asks that he be crucified upside down, saying he is not worthy to be crucified as was Jesus Christ. And so it happened on the Circus of Nero across the road from the Vatican Hill and he was taken across that road for burial in the cemetery there which can now be seen in the Scavi or Excavations under Saint Peter's Basilica's High Altar..

Crucifixion of SAINT PETER - Carravagio

The Hound of Heaven , the Love of God , had pursued Peter across the Roman world and won the conclusive victory at what is now the Heart of Christ's Church. The lesson is immense for all of us, God's Love for us is relentless and ardent. No matter what our weaknesses, no matter how often we stumble, God loves us and pursues us for our salvation .

 

The Miracle of Love - how could we fail to respond?

TONY DIXON