Saturday, July 12, 2008

Our Lady of Mount Carmel



Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Feast Day July 16

Upcoming Feast Day is a good time to enroll yourself or your children with the Imposition of the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Done by any priest this blessing invokes our Mother's intercession for the one who devoutly wears the brown scapular. More about this devotion can be found here.




Wednesday, July 9, 2008

American Bishops Reject English Translation

So we're back to the drawing board thanks to those who are still stuck in the 1980's. The Vatican has asked for an authentic translation from the Latin. The Magisterium even produced Liturgicam Authenticam as our guide. But it appears we American "Roman" Catholics don't want anything to do with Rome. Excerpt from article reads:

The restructured ICEL began producing translations based on the norms set forth in the 2001 Vatican document Liturgiam Authenticam, calling for closer adherence to the Latin original.

What is so difficult about doing what the Vatican desires or has Martin Luther re
turned from the dead? Have we in America become such rugged individualists that we cannot see beyond our own horizons? Church's faced East for a reason. The official language of the Church is Latin for a reason. The official liturgical music is Gregorian Chant for a reason. These unifying elements of our faith are what draws the small congregations throughout the world together to sing out with one cry to the Heavenly Kingdom; with one voice from an authentically unified ROMAN Catholic Church; from the one earthly kingdom we should be united in calling Christendom.

But Americans think, nowadays, that we know better than Rome. We believe that our fathers in faith were naive and patriarchal. It appears that many still believe this nonsense and are clinging to 'inclusive' and social collectivism.

What's the big deal with inclusiveness? While we think we're acting 'progressive' we are really regressing into an attitude that doesn't improve from the past, but rather dismisses the past in favor of a novelty. The idea that hordes of humans would convert immediately to Catholicism because we began using 'inclusive' language has proven a naive idea that has failed. According to a survey, fallen away Catholics make up the largest denomination in the world thanks to the failed novelties of the 'experts' who thought they knew our faith better than our fathers.

The only thing 'inclusive' language accomplished was a fragmented Church. The saying "the law of prayer is the law of belief" applies here meaning that we believe how we pray. One observation can attribute this denial of faith to the 'inclusive' language used in the Mass, the highest form of prayer. The English translation uses 'inclusive' language while others like Spanish don't. Why are English speaking parishes seeing drastic declines in mass attendance and outright dissension from the Roman Pontiff? Why are American groups like Call to Action and Catholics for a Free Choice acting with such boldness and assertion? Their fight for women to become ordained priests was born with the 'inclusive' language movement. Inclusive language can only affirm their aspirations of undermining the masculine role in the English speaking Church.

In the Spanish Mass we see and hear the words "Y con tu espiritu" meaning "And with thy spirit" which is the word for word translation from the Latin. Whereas, the English uses "And also with you". Again we see in Spanish the repeated use of the term "Hermanos . . . " (Brethren). Whereas, in English we have been using "Brothers and sisters . . . " This division in the missal has seen its deeper division in the Church. One cannot help but observe that in Spanish masses, where 'inclusive' language is not applied like in the English language, attendance is overflowing. This is apparent in every Spanish mass I have observed. Some things are better left original.

The word progressive is defined as
1. Moving forward; advancing.
2. Proceeding in steps; continuing steadily by increments: progressive change.
3. Promoting or favoring progress toward better conditions or new policies, ideas, or methods

However, in our Catholic 'progressive' movement there was never a clear goal what progressivists were moving towards, what they were advancing to or what end result they would be satisfied with. But they were certainly on their way.

Since our good Pope Benedict XVI was elected, 'progressivist' Catholics have been in a panic. When the Holy Father produced Summorum Pontificum, the 'progressivist' shuttered. They know deep down that the attempt at modernizing everything in our Church with 'progressive' novelties proved a disastrous failure as evident in our current crises. The fear that Latin mass will make a resurgence is clear. Clinging to the 1980's is their last gasp - they're desperate attempt to resist the faith of our fathers. We're seeing regularly, new parishes throughout the world reintroducing the Latin Mass which is a sore reminder that Catholics have had enough with the progressive movement.

However, more prayers and penance are required to finish off the movement since bad habits take time to unravel.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Beatification ceremony for the parents of St. Therese is imminent:

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints also certified a miracle through the influence of Ludovico Martin and Maria Zelia Guerin Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux. That miracle fulfills the requirements for their beatification. The announcement of their impending beatification comes as Catholics in Lisieux prepare to celebrate the 150th anniversary of their marriage, with ceremonies scheduled for July 12 and 13.

Full article covers the topic.