Recta Ratio

There is talk of a Latin comeback. These comebacks seem weaker and more tenuous every time they are spoken of. I can recall at least 2 others in my lifetime.

But Mel Gibson's movie may popularize it as never before, perhaps more than all the Indult, FSSP, and SSPX Masses being said put together. You never can tell. It is no coincidence that earlier this month I began re-learning what I had learned 20+ years ago.

NCR's John Allen says the translation has a lot of good things in it, bringing a more faithful translation of the Latin to the Mass.

What second year Latin student could not have told you that "Et cum spiritu tuo" translates as "And with your spirit," not "And also with you" (which would be "Et etiam tecum")? Why, othe rthan inertia, have we been stuck with such a dud of a translation for 30 years?

But one also has to wonder, since this has to be implemented by the bishops (you remember them, the fellows who tell certain dioceses that GIRM says you absolutely, on pain of excommunication, can't kneel after goping back to your pew after receiving) whether these reforms will ever see the light of day. The problem with the Catholic Church's model of leadership is that there is no demanding dictatorial presence at the top demanding utter and complete obedience from the branch offices. In fact, the branch offices are not seen as such. We are a long way from that model.

I just heard the sad news that Captain Kangeroo, Bob Keeshan, has died. No confirmation yet. He was a staple of my childhood, and most everybody else's. More details when they become available.

Update: Here is a link to the first obituary I have seen, courtesy of the ever-quick Matt Drudge.

Captain Kangeroo, Mr. Green Jeans, and the rest of the cast were daily viewing in my youth. It is sad to see this great advocate for quality and decency in children's TV programming gone. He did great work, and kept us entertained and informed in the process. His voice is already missed. Requiescat in pace.

OK, it is not St. David's Day yet. But the Regiment that fought at Roarke's Drift (24th Regiment of Foot, South Wales Borderers) was Welsh.

Here is one of the traditional battle songs of Welchmen, a version sung by the cast in Zulu, just before defeating the final Zulu assault.

Men of Harlech stop your dreaming
Can't you see their spear points gleaming
See their warrior's pennants streaming
To this battle field

Men of Harlech stand ye steady
It cannot be ever said ye
For the battle were not ready
Stand and never yield

From the hills rebounding
Let this war cry sounding
Summon all at Cambria's call
The haughty foe surrounding

Men of Harlech onto glory
This shall ever be your story
Keep these fighting words before ye
Cambria (Welshmen never) will not yield

Mark Cameron at Mystique et Politique reminds us that yeasterday was the 125th anniversary of the battle at Roarke's Drift.

This battle was a hiccup in the colonization of Africa. British forces, fed up with problems caused by the Zulu tribe for their Cape Town colony marched into Zulu territory. One column, which consisted of the bulk of the 24th Regiment of Foot (South Wales Borderers) was wiped out by the Zulus at Isandlawana. The disaster was due to very poor leadership.

The forces that won there headed for a single company of the 24th Foot (B Company, Second Battalion) left to garrison a missionary station at Roarke's Drift.

But the company, commanded by Lt. Gonville Bromhead and Lt. John Rouse Melliot Chard of the Royal Engineers (senior officer, and so in command), was alerted and fortified the station.

Several thousand Zulus attacked the 150-odd defenders over two days. They withdrew with much more than a bloodied nose. Victoria Crosses were handed out by the bushel after the battle.

The battle became the basis for the wonderful movie Zulu starring Michael Caine and Stanley Baker. If watching the movie makes you want to recreate it (and you have a few hundred dollars to spare) Conte Collectibles offers a full range of figures and playsets for the battle of Roarke's Drift.

Dancer Ann Miller died yesterday at the age of 81. She had been in Kiss Me Kate, and Easter Parade, among others. Requiescat in pace.

Let us commend to the mercy of God the souls of our aborted children. And let us pray for the continuing conversion of hearts and minds to remove this abomination from our land.

From Lane Core at Blog From the Core.

“I will sign here in my own blood that of all those who say they are lesbian or gay, at most five to 10 are effectively lesbian or gay,” Cardinal Gustaaf Joos, 80, told a magazine

“All the rest are simply sexual perverts. Don’t hesitate to write that down. I demand you write it down. If they come to protest on my doorstep, I don’t care. I will not open the door.”

“Real homosexuals don’t walk the streets in colourful suits,” P-Magazine quoted Joos as saying.

“They are people with a serious problem and have to learn to live with it. And if they err, they will be forgiven. We must help those people, not condemn them.”

The Belgian cardinal said his church “rejects homosexuality, not homosexuals.”

Where exactly is he coming from, and what does he mean?

If he is saying that, of 100 people, 10 identify themselves as gay, but only 2-3 are hard-wired for it, he may be right. The rest are just confused people, confused by events in
their childhood (abuse, perhaps), confused because of the lack of proper male role models in their home growing up, recruited into the lifestyle by homosexuals they like or admire, or just lured in by the growing idolization of homosexuality in the pop culture.

Is that what the cardinal means?

If so, yeah, sure, he's probably right.

I think what we have here is a problem of one generation, substantially out of touch with what is going on, or at least with the terminology that is most commonly used for that activity, suddenly trying to come to grips with a problem long ignored, and not really all that well understood.

Implications for the Scandal? Perhaps, since Cardinal Joos is of the same generation as the Holy Father, and was a classmate of his at one time, it throws some light on how the Holy Father himself sees the problem. If thinking at the Vatican on the topic of what is a homosexual (admittedly a very vague term) is so hazy, how could you expect it to deal with the problem of homosexuals in the priesthood in a reasonable manner. Perhaps this haziness explains why the document on banning ordination of homosexuals has been side-tracked, for reasons that infuriate anyone who understands the statistical reality of the Scandal.

Information courtesy of Seattle Catholic.

From Catholic.org's Daily Saint feature.

St. Agnes was a Roman girl who was only thirteen years old when she suffered martyrdom for her Faith. Agnes had made a promise, a promise to God never to stain her purity. Her love for the Lord was very great and she hated sin even more than death! Since she was very beautiful, many young men wished to marry Agnes, but she would always say, "Jesus Christ is my only Spouse."

Procop, the Governor's son, became very angry when she refused him. He had tried to win her for his wife with rich gifts and promises, but the beautiful young girl kept saying, "I am already promised to the Lord of the Universe. He is more splendid than the sun and the stars, and He has said He will never leave me!" In great anger, Procop accused her of being a Christian and brought her to his father, the Governor. The Governor promised Agnes wonderful gifts if she would only deny God, but Agnes refused. He tried to change her mind by putting her in chains, but her lovely face shone with joy. Next he sent her to a place of sin, but an Angel protected her. At last, she was condemned to death. Even the pagans cried to see such a young and beautiful girl going to death. Yet, Agnes was as happy as a bride on her wedding day. She did not pay attention to those who begged her to save herself. "I would offend my Spouse," she said, "if I were to try to please you. He chose me first and He shall have me!" Then she prayed and bowed her head for the death-stroke of the sword.

I don't get this. On the one hand, the Anglican Communion has ordained openly gay men, and women, as priests and consecrated them as bishops. This was the work of liberal Anglicans, mostly from Europe and North America. That has conservative Anglicans looking at the possibility of jumping ship and swimming the Tiber.

Now, the same liberal Anglicans want to recognize the Pope as the Supreme Pontiff, and it is the conservatives (presumably not the same ones who are considering jumping ship) who are aghast at this pro-Roman stance.

Who is on which side?

The liberals must understand that the Roman Catholic Church will never accept the legitimacy of the ordination of women or openly gay men, especially practicing homosexuals.

The first thing the Supreme Pontiff would do with the English Church is order it to stand down its priestesses and its openly queer priests. Don't mistake that the ordination of women is a rite holier to liberals than the Eucharist. They will certainly put political concerns like this ahead of faith. They always have. Yet, why then try to have the Pope declared the supreme pontiff? Is this misguided ecumenism at war with the liberal egalitarian impulse? Seems like it to me.

And what are the conservatives to think about this? There is a core of conservative Anglicans who want to remain protestant. They are not thinking about jumping ship over gay bishops or priestesses. I can think of no measure better calculated to drive this core out of the Anglican Communion, and...I don't know to where.

Liberals are attacking the conservative Anglicans on two fronts. On the one side, they outrage them by ordaining women and homosexuals. That makes those who might think about it consider submitting to Rome. On the other side, they try to move closer to Rome by declaring the Pope supreme pontiff, outraging the hard core of conservative Anglicans determined to remain protestant. It is as if the liberals were determined to drive conservative Anglicans out, either to Rome, or into a separate entity.

Is that what is up here, or are the two developments just totally unrelated (and contradictory) liberal impulses at work?

Took the better part of two days off from blogging. But events did not take a rest.

First, the New England Patriots are going to be in the Super Bowl!!! Wonderful news, but for the two weeks of Super Bowl hype we will now have to endure. Good thing I am utterly unplugged from popular culture (TV, even radio now).

Next is the outcome of the Iowa Caucuses. I had warned that John Kerry is the most dangerous candidate the Democrats have. With his money, he is capable of pouring tons of TV advertising into a tight race and tipping the balance. I will not be surprised to see a poll or two in which he overtakes Dean in next week's New Hampshire primary. His campaign will certainly hit the NH market with a saturation-bombing media campaign. President Bush had better start really raising money. He should expect to spend a half billion to get himself re-elected, and as much from the party for the other races.

One offshoot of the Iowa result seems to be the end of any ambitions for higher office for Richard Gephardt. There is not much realistic chance of this minority leader becoming speaker in the next Congress. He has run for president, what, 4 times now (?), and lost each time.

Next out of the race? Probably Lieberman, whose campaign has gone no where fast.

I expect the race to come down to Kerry and Dean very soon, within the next four weeks. A former governor would normally have the edge, but Dean was governor of a very small state. Besides John Kerry's wife is richer than Mother Warbucks, so the fundraising advantage that governor's have normally is not his. Kerry will end up getting the nomination, and will go with Hilary or DiFi as his VP. It will be a tougher race than Bush thinks it will be.

After two mild days, it has become colder again. The operative word in Boston yesterday and today has been "black ice."

A new update on Father Groeschel's condition.

And please pray for Dale Price over at Fisking Is Us, otherwise known as Dyspeptic Mutterings.

And please keep us Fitzpatricks in your prayers, too.