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Father Erik's Sayings: #1

2010-01-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

No one has ever died from not having sex.

(Corollary: But, many folks have died from having it.)

May We Please Have Our Holy Days Back?

2010-01-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

In yet another compromise with secularism, in many diocese a dispensation has been granted for this holy day of obligation. I suspect that it mostly has to do with priests not wanting to have to deal with another holy day so close to Christmas. However, the message that it really sends is that religion in general and worship in particular is a thing only for Sunday (or Saturday night, but don't get me started on that.) Well, it looks like we are too busy with football and hangovers to honor the Mother of God on her fundamental feast day.

Merry Christmas To The White House.

2009-12-26T13:04:00.001-07:00

A bit risque, so be warned. (Zucchetto spin to Orange Joe.)

What I Got For Christmas, Pt. I.

2009-12-26T11:02:00.002-07:00

Alas, no one has yet gotten me anything on my principal gift list (not even a u-boat captain's or a Kolchak hat), but, hey, Christmas isn't over for a few weeks yet.

A great family in the parish did get me my own Chiabama head. I will water him and fertilize him… and put him in the sun....and name him Barry!Then at a time of my own choosing, he will go in a dry, dark closet. And I will repeat the process! Muahahahaha!

Ben Nelson Wimps Out.

2009-12-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Never trust a Democrat. Never trust a Senator. Never, never trust a Democrat Senator. So much for pro-life Democrats.

What To Get Your Priest For Christmas.

2009-12-17T15:08:00.001-07:00

I'm just saying....

What If We Just Don't Wait.

2009-12-17T12:12:00.002-07:00

The lovely and gracious Miss Adoro informs us of a petition that supports the implementation of the new English translation of the Roman Missal. Here is the text of the petition:

We believe that the newly approved English translation of the 2002 Missale Romanum needs to be implemented as soon as possible.
We believe that the Church in English-speaking nations has waited far too long for an accurate, faithful translation of the original Latin.
We believe that the current translation currently in use in English-speaking nations is overdue to be replaced, as it was developed using the method of dynamic translation, a method rejected by the Vatican in the document Liturgiam Authenticam.
We stand united with the English-speaking bishops' conferences in their approval of the new translation.
We oppose any efforts to continue to delay this new translation.

You know you agree and want to sign!

About Time? Amen.

2009-12-17T09:52:00.002-07:00

The Vatican has announced that Emmanuel Milingo, former Archbishop of Lusaka, exorcist, charismatic, excomunicant, and Moonie stooge, has been defrocked. My admittedly unscientific and personally biased survey of the web finds that the usual reactions, "About time!" To this I say, "Amen!" It seems to me that for too long Rome has treated erring bishops with kid gloves. Some of this is due to a right concern and desire for their repentance. But, I think the larger portion is due to a fear of schism. Well, guess what at least in Milingo's case, the schism, as well as heresy, was already present. It is heartening to see Rome recognize this and take decisive action. Would they they would do more of it, particular in cases where if the miscreant were a simple priest the defrocking would be a fore-drawn conclusion. There must not even be the appearance that an old boys club is circling the wagons around one of their own. In this country, this would mean that the Dallas Charter would apply to bishops as well as priests and deacons. Anyone want to bet how quickly after that ebtter safeguards protecting the rights of the accused would be added?

Where in the world is Mr. Emmanuel Milingo? Who cares. Hit it Rockapella.

All Ahead! Full Steam!

2009-12-12T14:39:00.002-07:00

The Famous LarryD reports that there is a group of Trautmanites agitating for a halt on the new English Translation of the Mass. Signatories include a who's who of dissenters and trendy liturgists. Thomas Reese, check. Archbishop Hunthausen, check. One will also discover many authors of modern liturgical music. (I guess they fear for their royalty checks.) I was greatly edified in seeing only one signer from Utah. But who else did I see? The liturgy sister (and nemesis) from my time at the seminary! If I had any doubts about the new translation (which I don't and have not), they are washed away in the light of this revelation. Anything she opposes has to be good!

Woot! About Six Months Until My Next Wedding.

2009-12-11T13:54:00.001-07:00

School Penance Services...

2009-12-11T12:37:00.002-07:00

not a big fan. Don't get me wrong, I like hearing kids confessions, even though Archbishop Sheen's line about being stoned to death with popcorn comes to mind. However, I think that all too often it lets parents off the hook with regards to getting their kids to Confession and robs them of an opportunity to avail themselves of the sacrament. All too often, schools of all stripes are doing things which are more properly the duty of the parents. (Can you say feeding kids?) Much the same applies to Holy Day of Obligation Masses at school. I am not a big fan of seasonal penance services anyway. They seem to educate people to go to Confession only twice a year. I still have them though, hypocrite that I am.

Prayer Request.

2009-12-11T10:31:00.001-07:00

Please pray for Luke the 15 month old nephew of a parishioner who was severely injured in an accident yesterday.

Tridentine Observations, Part II: The Rites and Blessings.

2009-12-10T21:16:00.002-07:00

Let me beginning this installment of Tridentine Observations with a meta-observation. An appreciation of traditional liturgy and measured criticism of the ordinary form does not mean that one dislikes, rejects, or ignores the Second Vatican Council. Far from it! A true traditionalist embraces all that the Church teaches whether it was 10, 50, 100, or 1000 years ago. An Ecumenical Council must be accepted and embraced. What can and must be rejected is a view of Vatican II as an uber-council that represents a rupture with the past rather than a continuation and a deepening. I was speaking with a priest friend today and he rightly pointed out that people may have seen my old banner as a rejection of Vatican II, hence the new and improved banner. (Thanks Vincenzo!)

Now, about the rites and blessings. One of the lesser known benefits of the Motu Proprio allowing the free celebration of the Mass of Blessed John XXIII was that it also allow the use of the older rites for the sacraments and the Rituale Romanum. So far, I have done 3 baptisms, 1 extreme unction,1 confession, and 1 burial according to the extraordinary form. To say that it is eye-opening is an understatement. I had assumed that the changes in the rites were mainly cosmetic. While the central rite of the sacraments remain the same, the attendant rites were significantly altered and not only by the addition of a liturgy of the word and intercessions to just about everything.

Let's focus on Baptism. The extra-ordinary form of Baptism focus' significantly more on the breaking of the power of sin and Satan over the person baptized. There are multiple and explicit minor exorcisms with very powerful verbal images. Also, there are minimal explanations of the rites. They are allowed to speak for themselves. The Concilium seems to have felt the overwhelming need to explain everything in detail and ad nauseum. The new rite has readings from Sacred Scripture and allows a homily. While I have found the readings from Sacred Scripture very useful, I have never found a homily to be needed or appropriate. (On the other hand, I have no use for the readings during the rite of anointing.) The new rite takes about half the time and that is not counting the ritual for the blessing of baptismal water. (I do appreciate the new rite's strong encouragement of blessing new water for each baptism.) The new rite seems, well, too bare bones. Noble simplicity is not bare Bauhaus.

In general, I find that the old rites have better imagery and seem to be more willing to allow God's action to be mysterious. Also, it seems to me a better option to have the scripture integrated into the rite rather than as an obvious and clumsy 'liturgy of the word'. Like the calendar, some changes and tweaking were required, but I think a wholesale revision was a mistake, particularly the watering down of the minor exorcisms in baptism. (The worst of these being the new liturgy for confession, which as I have said before is practically unworkable in the parish setting.) Also, it is my opinion that, with the exception of Matrimony and Holy Orders, the Sacraments should not be celebrated in the context of the Mass. What is the purpose of trying to put everything in the Mass? (I particularly dislike baptisms during Mass.)

Now as regards the blessings, give me the Rituale over the Book of Blessings any day. I actually want to bless things.

Give Me A Break!

2009-12-10T09:09:00.002-07:00

Today's Gospel reading ends with, "Whoever has ears ought to hear." So, Our Lord is giving us a suggestion. I think not. Our Lord commands: He does not suggest. This is the fruit of language castration. The translators are so afraid of offending the feminists that they would rather weaken the Scripture. Let he who has ears hear!

Tridentine Observations, Part I : The Calendar.

2009-12-02T10:52:00.004-07:00

For over a year, I have been celebrating the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, publicly, at least once a week. I have also been able to celebrate several of the sacraments according to that form. I must confess that I have been interested in the Old Mass since before my conversion. I have collected (i. e. rescued) old missals and altar cards. One of the things that attracted me to the Catholic Faith was its history and continuity. It was established by Christ and our practices stand in continuity with those of the Apostolic Church. While I recognize the validity of the new liturgy, what bothered Cardinal Ratzinger also bothers me. It was an artificial construct, not an organic development. (One should also note the archeologism and romanticism on the Bugnini crowd.) Intellectually, I knew about the traditional rite. I knew what it said and looked like. However, I have become convinced that one cannot really say one knows a liturgy until one has celebrated it. So, over the next little while, I will post at least three reflections on the Ordinary Form.

First, let's begin with the calendar. Remember, the Extraordinary Form has its own seasonal and sanctoral calendar distinct from the revised calendar of 1970. In many ways, they really aren't that different. The main seasons are present in both calendars. However, the mini-Lent before Lent, Septigesima, was dropped from the new calendar as was Passiontide. The option was given to the bishops' conferences to move many holy days to Sunday, which was done with a vengeance. (Give me back my holy days!) Many saint's days were suppressed, moved, or conflated. (One of the ladies in my parish has never forgiven the Church for twice moving the feast of her patron, St. Jane Frances de Chantal.) The intention seems to have been to make the structure of the liturgical year more rational and relevant, which it may have done. But it also made it more sterile and less mysterious. Modern minimalism played a big part, but at least in this case, less is not more, The whole year was something holy, not just Sundays (important as they are). There was an arrogance in saying we know so much more than those of the past, so lets adjust the calendar to fit modern scholarship and preconceptions. When something is changed, it is made less stable, less a fixture of our lives. Certainly, there could have been some minor adjustments to the calendar, but wholesale change wasn't called for.

Then there is what they did to Advent. It is no longer the fast before the Feast of the Incarnation. It is the "season of joyful expectation." Can some please tell me what that means? That we are happy that the Lord has come and will come, but we don't need to do penance to prepare ourselves for his coming? Bunk! Penance isn't spiritual masochism reserved for Lent. It is an integral part of the Christian Life where we pull away from sin and draw closer to the Lord. Traditionally, there was always communal penance before a feast. The Incarnation is surely so central a mystery that it requires an explicitly penitential season to prepare for its celebration. So put away your blue vestments and return Advent to its proper character.

While we are at it, can't we come up with a better term than "Ordinary Time" or "within in the year"? "X Sunday after Pentecost" is much better.

All in all, while the old calendar could have been tweaked a bit, I wish they had left it alone.

Conflicted!

2009-12-01T12:13:00.003-07:00

The Crescat is having a tacky creche contest. And what do I find while perusing it? A bulldog creche. This is so wrong, this is the wonder of the Incarnation we are talking about. But, it is bulldogs! It is sacrilegious. But, it is bulldogs! I am conflicted!

Black Friday.

2009-11-27T08:52:00.002-07:00

There is absolutely no way I am venturing outside my mom's house (the ersatz celebrutard bunker) today. The streets, the stores, everything is crawling with Black Friday Zombies. I have no desire to be eaten or trampled. I have plenty of food, a TV, and the Overlords.

(BTW the image is from a zombie movie filmed in SLC last year. The crowds were open call and I didn't find out about it until it was over!)

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

2009-11-25T14:16:00.001-07:00

(Zuccetto Spin to Adrienne's Catholic Corner).

I Think I May Need Help.

2009-11-22T15:09:00.002-07:00

Last night I dreamed that my boat had been stolen by drug dealing pirates (on the Great Salt Lake no less). I then had to retrieve it with the help of Paul Sr. from "American Chopper".

Retrenching.

2009-11-20T15:15:00.003-07:00

The diocese mailed out a statement earlier in the week say that a local radio station had made false statements concerning CCHD and gave examples of some good programs (and some not so good but not morally objectionable) that CCHD has supported locally. So what? No one is saying that all CCHD funded programs are problematic, but rather that enough have been and are. (It seems that every week a new program is uncovered that supports things contrary to the teaching of the Church.) Further, the whole premise of the CCHD and its addressing of the 'root causes of poverty' seems to be based more on Marxist and non-Marxist socialism than on the Gospel. A thoroughgoing review of CCHD is called for that at least develops mechanism that prevents the funding of problematic organization. It should also examine the very premise of CCHD and how it has been exploited to support leftist organizations.

The following is an American Life League release:

31 CCHD-FUNDED GROUPS SUPPORTED, TRAINED BY PRO-ABORTION, HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE ACTIVISTS

CCHD Still in Denial as Nov. 22 Collection Approaches

FRONT ROYAL, VA — As thousands of Catholic parishes across the country prepare for the annual Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection Nov. 22, shocking new developments have launched a groundswell of protest from Catholics around the country.

Reform CCHD Now Coalition members American Life League, Human Life International and the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry have spent the last two months exposing CCHD’s funding of organizations promoting abortion, homosexual marriage, birth control and sex education.

In the last year alone, the CCHD has funneled at least $1.3 million to groups opposing Catholic Church teaching.

The CCHD describes itself as the “domestic anti-poverty, social justice program of the U.S. Catholic bishops.”

The coalition’s latest discovery exposes 31 organizations partnered with the Center for Community Change. The CCC is a politically radical, anti-life, pro-homosexualist organization whose board members include Heather Booth, former consultant for the National Organization for Women and Sara Gould, President and CEO of pro-abortion Ms. Foundation for Women.

Through their "Generation Change" program the CCC trains and develops staff as "community organizers" for their partner groups. The CCC provides a resource library with books promoting "reproductive freedom and its "Movement Vision Lab" equates access to abortion and "reproductive justice" with seeking criminal justice. This project aims to build a "progressive movement" with a "coherent, compelling, shared vision — one that represents our values and dreams for society" according to the group.

“The connection is undeniable. There is no excuse for Catholic donations going towards organizations trained and supported by groups diametrically opposed to the Church,” said Michael Hichborn, lead researcher into the CCHD for the American Life League. “Until the CCHD proves grantees do not affiliate with those who attack Church teaching, the CCHD should not receive a single dime.”

The CCHD annually collects between $7-9 million from parishes across the country. This money is then redistributed to “community-controlled, self-help organizations and through transformative education,” according to their web site.

Since the coalition began its investigations at least two dioceses, Allentown and Madison, have publicly announced they will not be participating in the Nov. 22 collection. Gamaliel, one of the CCHD grantees partnered with the CCC, reports that five diocese have backed out of this year's CCHD collection.

300k.

2009-11-20T08:31:00.002-07:00

Last night at about midnight MST visitor number 300,000 to this blog rolled in from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Thanks for coming by.

A Warning From The Future.

2009-11-19T13:52:00.006-07:00

The Star Trek re-boot is be released this week on DVD and BluRay. This is a very good thing. I found the movie to be thoroughly enjoyable and faithful to the spirit and mythology of the original. (Karl Urban's McCoy was the standout, though I don't think there was a bad performance in the whole movie.)

*****SPOILER ALERT******* Close your eyes and navigate away if you don't want an important part of the plot revealed.

In the movie, old Spock (Leonard Nimoy) comes back in time and meets young Kirk and young Spock. Unfortunately, old Spock doesn't give Kirk some useful information that would make Kirk's life a whole lot better. This is what Kirk should have been told:

1-Your 5 year mission is to boldly go where no man has gone before, not sleep with every bee-hived bimbo in the galaxy.

2-Stay away from Carol Marcus. (See #1).

3-The correct response when you find an old ship named Botany Bay is to fire all phasers and photon torpedoes immediately.

4-Ben Finney is hiding in Engineering.

5-Edith Keeler must die.

6-Tribbles are a good source of protein.

7-Stay away from Janice Lester (See #1).

8-Tell Scotty to watch the twinkies in later life. And while your at it, tell Uhura that after a certain age, fan dances are a bad idea.

9-Betazed should be destroyed from orbit. (Amended by Paul TRG) ... it's the only way to be sure.

10-Don't allow Disco to influence new Star Fleet uniforms.

11-Don't hit on alien women in an alien prison... they could be shape-shifting alien men. (Agent Smith).

12-Romulan Ale is not to be served at state dinners with Klingons. (CarpeNoctem).

13-Klingon food; eat it before it eats you. (Subvet).

14- Circuit breakers are good for preventing control panels on the bridge from shorting out and killing the crewmen stationed at them. Likewise, consider seat belts for the bridge crew. (Paul TRG)

15- Give Janice Rand a transfer to someplace where she can concentrate on her work. (Paul TRG)

16- Don't forget to check back on Khan every now and then. (Paul TRG) (Not necessary if you obey #3).

17- After I'm killed by radiation exposure, could you throw some Twinkies and Ho-Ho's in the casket with me before firing me down to the Genesis planet? (The Famous LarryD). (Not necessary #3 or #16 is followed.)

18- Next time I'm stuck with Mariette Hartley, don't rescue me, ok? (The Famous LarryD).

19- And watch out for Sulu. He's...different, if you know what I mean. (The Famous LarryD).

(If you have any you want to add, chime in in the combox.)

'tis Something Rotten In The City of Baltimore.

2009-11-16T11:56:00.002-07:00

I have a suspicion, of which I hope to be proved wrong, that there is going to be some bad stuff happening at the Bishops' meeting in Baltimore this week. First, for the first time in 20 years EWTN will not be providing the gavel to gavel coverage of the meeting. The television station of the Diocese of Rockville Center will be providing the coverage. My guess is that some within the Conference, specifically in the Communications Committee, wanted more lap-dog like coverage. In the past, EWTN and its commentators did not shy away from pointing out the problems with "Faithful Citizenship", CCHD, of the obstructionism on the part of some bishops regarding the new liturgical translations. They did yeoman's work and we should all say a prayer of gratitude. I expect the commentary will be more docile and yes liberal especially regarding Bishop Trautman final fling at derailing the Vox Clara translation. (BTW I know one of the translators. There is absolutely no way that he would be a part of a bad or incomprehensible translation.) We all need to pray very hard for the bishops and there work this week. Also, I don't think it would be out of line to send the bishops' conference a letter, copied to our own bishops, about how much we miss the access to the conference meetings that EWTN provides especially in areas like my own without Catholic TV stations.

Conforming To The World.

2009-11-16T11:34:00.002-07:00

From today's First Reading from the First Book of Maccabees:

In those days there appeared in Israel men who were breakers of the law,
and they seduced many people, saying: “Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us; since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us.” The proposal was agreeable;some from among the people promptly went to the king, and he authorized them to introduce the way of living of the Gentiles. Thereupon they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem according to the Gentile custom. They covered over the mark of their circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant; they allied themselves with the Gentiles and sold themselves to wrongdoing.

In those days, the People of God (of course not all) sold out to the world. They turned from God to the world and its prince. They drunk deeply from the fountain of popular culture and poisoned their souls. Shame on them.

But lest we shake of fingers at those of the past, we need to realize that we have done the same thing. Over the last forty-five years or so, too many Catholics when confronted with opposition to the Faith from culture and the world have chosen the later. And more is the pity, they have done so with the aid of many theologians, lay 'leaders', and clergy using a mis-interpretation of the Second Vatican Council. Why is our understanding of human sexual so out of sync with the Gospel? We have allowed ourselves to be catechized by Hollywood. (If I hadn't believed this before, the recent "Rent" fiasco proved it once and for all.) Too many of the clergy and yes that includes the higher clergy, have deferred to so-called experts both in theology and secular sciences and have sold out the Gospel. Need an example of this, look at the Homosexual Abuse Scandal among the clergy.

The point is that the world must be conformed to the Gospel. We must be conformed to the Gospel. We must not allow ourselves to be evangelized by the anti-Gospel of the world.

The Definition Of Self-Control:

2009-11-14T15:09:00.001-07:00

Finding yourself at 3:00 A. M. in 10 m. p. h. traffic on the interstate beside the whacked out liberal editorial cartoonist from the local paper and NOT rolling down the car window and yelling invectives.